A Mysterious Quest of a Seductive Lady: A Regency Historical Romance Novel

by Lucinda Nelson

  “Would you believe me if I said I was about to tell you that Richard likes your friend?”

  The couple stared at each other for a while and then burst into laughter.

  “This is interesting!” Magnolia said after a while. “If they both like each other, then you should encourage your friend to propose to her. I would bet she would say ‘yes!’”

  “This is the first conversation we have had that did not result in an argument. I am glad we can now be more open with each other,” Adam said with a smile as he pushed some of her hair from her face. Magnolia merely smiled and closed her eyes at his touch. “Well, since everything is already settled, we can both have our sleep. I will tell my friend what happened in the morning.”

  “And I shall tell my friend the same. It is quite funny that they both love each other and do not know it!” Magnolia finally laid back on the bed as Adam’s hands curved over the tops of her shoulders, loosening her bodice.

  She smiled and moved her body closer to his.

  “I think we should stop talking about our friends for a while and concentrate on ourselves,” he said in a husky voice, breathing into her left ear. His palms warmed her skin and his breath came soft and damp near her ear.

  She chuckled. “Hmmmm. I concur.”

  He hooked a finger in the bodice that covered her body and pulled. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

  She laughed, loving the way his finger trailed the hollow of her chest.

  “I look at you and see the woman who makes me tremble,” he whispered, bending his head closer to her cleavage where he planted several kisses.

  Magnolia let go of the rest of the gown as he pressed against her. He did not fully press into her, for fear of hurting the baby in her womb. She kissed him back with just as much vigor. While she explored his mouth, he slid his hands underneath what was left of her clothing and undid her garters.

  She laid on her back and watched him beneath her lashes but winced slightly in discomfort. Adam saw this and grabbed a few pillows to put underneath her back for support. “Does that feel better my love?” “Yes, my love. Thank you,” Magnolia said with a smile.

  She watched him scoot down so that his head was level with her stomach. He placed his hand on her belly and rubbed it as he gave her little kisses here and there. Then, he gently spread his hand so that he angled his fingers outward. His fingers curved around her hips and then to the inside of one thigh before the other.

  A shiver centered very near where his hands now lingered. He moved away much to Magnolia’s disappointment and then reappeared in her line of sight, palm propping up his head. He pushed his hair away from his face and again settled a hand on her belly.

  “You are so beautiful,” he said.

  “You make me feel beautiful,” she murmured.

  Adam’s hand wandered up from her belly to her plump breasts which tightened as she sighed with pleasure. He drew a finger along the underside of her breasts and then slowly upward. Her breath hitched as his finger circled around her nipple.

  Magnolia caught a glimpse of his eyes, and of the lock of black hair sweeping over his forehead, before he fit his mouth over her breast.

  She moaned, turning on her side and arching toward him as his lips touched her nipple. He cupped her breast with his hand and continued to attack her breast with his mouth. This went on for a while until he shifted above her.

  The movement made a soft shirring sound along the top of the bed covers. He touched the very inside of her thigh with one hand while the other spread her thighs wider.

  She quivered and arched toward him, wanting his mouth to be on her once more. At the peak of her motion he touched her breast with the lightest sweep of a fingertip while his mouth covered her womanhood. His tongue flicked out and she moaned. The world slid away and only he remained. He used both of his hands on her thighs to keep her from moving around, the pillows underneath her shifting slightly.

  Her body opened up to him and her mind went blank. All she could focus on was the build-up of pleasure Adam was giving her. She grabbed the sheets and moaned his name. In the very last moment in which she could think, Magnolia knew she would love this man for the rest of her life.

  Adam lifted his head from her center to position himself between her thighs. All that was needed was for her to tip her hips towards him. She did and he was there, at her opening, sliding in, filling her, setting every nerve in her body on fire.

  Then he was fully inside her. He dropped his head and sighed into the hollow of her throat.

  Pleasure rippled through her. Something deep inside of her felt ravenous. She drank him in as thousands of butterflies dipped and dived in her stomach. She closed her eyes so tightly that colors exploded behind her lids.

  He pulled nearly all the way out of her and then pressed in. He continued to go at this slow pace, but she wanted him to go faster. A quiver of anticipation shot through her and wrenched her passion higher, until the feeling deep inside her mounted and she had almost reached her climax.

  Suddenly, Adam stopped moving.

  “No, no!” she whined in protest.

  “Hold on, love. I want you to enjoy this,” he said. Then he knelt between her legs and slid both hands beneath her. He curved his fingers around her lower thighs, cupping and cradling.

  “I want you inside of me,” she moaned, and he shifted the position of his hand. Then he inserted one finger into her.

  Silence gathered for a beat and she moaned even more as he had a second and third finger in her. Caressing her, he slid in her. He worked his fingers into her and she lost herself in him. Her breath became ragged and the effect he was creating in her was nothing short of electrifying.

  She shouted in pleasure as she climaxed. Breathing heavily, she looked at her husband through hooded eyes. He stared back at her with hunger in his eyes. After a few moments had passed, he hovered over her body with his once more. His spectacular eyes never left her face as he slid inside her. “Oh, Magnolia. You are perfect!”

  She held her breath and watched him. Their gazes met and he moved again. He slipped one arm underneath her hip and the other around her thigh to open her for him.

  He rolled his hips, closing the space between them. His breath trembled and she arched her back as he entered her.

  She made a sound, low and deep from her throat. Her head moved side to side as she grasped the pillow supporting her head. Adam groaned and tightened his grip as he began to move faster. Again, she arched into him, their bellies touching with each thrust. Sparks settled in between them.

  “Oh! Adam! Paradise again! More, faster,” she cried and he gave it to her just as she asked. She could not hold on any longer and reached her climax as he continued.

  “Magnolia,” he said in a heavy voice, grabbing her hand and curling her fingers around him. She moved her hand up and down his shaft and gripped him hard as he came.

  They both laid on their backs exhausted.

  “That was…” she started, but then laughed at being unable to find a word to use.

  He only chuckled. After a time, he caught her hand and held it gently. “Paradise, like you said.”

  They both giggled and curled into each other before, eventually, falling fast asleep.

  The Extended Epilogue

  I am so happy you finished reading A Mysterious Quest of a Seductive Lady, till the end!

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  A Hidden Duke for the Passionate Lady – A Preview

  Chapter 1

  Miss Selina Clifford

  Bristol was lovely
during the spring, Miss Selina Clifford thought as the carriage rolled into her aunt’s property, the beautiful garden in full bloom. Daffodils were her favorite flower and seeing their bright colors always made her happier.

  “It is as beautiful as ever, isn’t it, Granny?” Selina asked the older woman in the carriage; Mrs. Mary Clifford, her grandmother on her father’s side.

  “I’m sure it is, darling.” Mrs. Clifford smiled at her granddaughter and then sighed. “I’m just glad the journey has come to an end. The trip was much more pleasant when I was your age, dear.”

  “Don’t be silly, Mama,” Joseph Clifford chuckled and winked at his daughter, making her hide a laugh. “You are more energetic than Selina, some days.”

  “Well, a woman must maintain some vitality even when she’s old,” Mrs. Clifford sniffed and raised her chin. “My Mama taught me that when I was a little girl who helped her deliver clean sheets to the Count’s Estate. She worked until she was gone from this world and I always saw her out and about.” She sighed. “Of course, she never reached my age.”

  “I wish I could have met her, Granny,” Selina said as she took her grandmother’s hand.

  “You got your red hair from her, you know?” Mrs. Clifford leaned to say it and it amused Selina.

  “I thought I got it from my Mama.”

  Mrs. Clifford stopped for a second to think. “Maybe you got it from both of them.”

  “Probably so, Granny.” Selina smiled to her father who was also looking at the older woman in amusement and then back to her. “Everyone knows I look like you, when you were my age, though.”

  It wasn’t a complete lie. While she remembered her mother clearly, looking much like her with red hair and a heart-shaped face, Selina inherited the Clifford nose, bright blue eyes, and beautiful cheekbones.

  Mrs. Clifford looked very proud of herself then. “Of course you do. I was the prettiest girl in my village, everyone knew that. Mr. Clifford was lucky I picked him out of so many suitors.” She all but giggled.

  “Don’t be absurd, Mama,” Joseph scolded his mother lightly. “When Papa was alive, he always told us how much in love you were. Sickly so, may I add.”

  “We were, eventually.” Mrs. Clifford looked sad for a second and then the carriage stopped, and she pushed the feelings away. “Oh, good. Dear Matilda is already waiting for us. Or rather, waiting for you, Selina.”

  Being an only child, the closest Selina had to a sister was her cousin Matilda, and they rarely saw one another since Matilda moved to Bristol a few years before with her parents.

  The carriage door opened, and she couldn’t help but shriek in happiness when her cousin came running in her direction – her Aunt was for sure to scold both later – and hugged Matilda, who was more than happy to hug her back.

  “Tilly!” Selina exclaimed in happiness.

  “Lily!” She replied and both started to giggle with their childhood nicknames. “Oh, I have missed you so! All the girls here are not as good as you are to me.”

  “And don’t you ever forget it.” Selina gave her cousin a final hug and both turned to look to the carriage. “Come on. Let us greet Papa and Granny before she scolds us.”

  They intertwined their arms and walked back to the carriage and once again in her life, Selina marveled about how different she and her cousin looked. She had red hair and blue eyes, while Matilda had brown hair and hazel eyes, but somehow they managed to look as if they were of the same family. The cheekbones were what linked them the most. That and the dimples when they smiled.

  “Granny!” Matilda let go of Selina to hug her grandmother, who seemed strangely out of breath, while her son held her hand so she could exit the vehicle safely.

  “My dearest one.” Mrs. Clifford smiled to her youngest granddaughter and accepted the hug after Matilda curtsied. “Don’t you look beautiful and all grown up.”

  “Thank you, Granny.” She turned to her Uncle and curtsied. “Uncle.”

  “Hello, my dear,” Joseph said with a smile. “I hope you are well.”

  “Of course, Uncle.” Matilda offered her arm to her grandmother. “Let’s go inside. Mama and Papa are waiting for us.”

  * * *

  The Crawley Manor looked as charming as always, with the beautiful large windows to let the sun come in, the beautiful details on their pillars and ceiling that always fascinated Selina.

  Mrs. Jane Crawley, Selina’s aunt and Matilda’s mother, was waiting for them at the small library and she smiled brightly to the family who had just arrived.

  “Oh, Mama, I have missed you! I hope the journey was pleasant.”

  “As pleasant as it can be for a woman my age, my dear,” Mrs. Clifford replied and accepted the kiss on the cheek when her daughter was close enough.

  “It is nice to see you too, Joseph,” Mrs. Crawley told her older brother. While her Papa’s hair was almost all white, her Aunt Jane’s blonde hair just started to get a few streaks of silver, which she wore very elegantly, Selina noticed.

  “And you, dear sister,” he replied and bent over to kiss her cheek. “Where’s Mr. Crawley?” he wondered. “I hoped I could speak to him.”

  “He is in town but will be home for dinner, he promised,” Mrs. Crawley told him and then her attention turned to Selina. “You, my darling, remind me so much of your mother. God rest her soul.” She put a hand under Selina’s chin. “I am glad you are as much as a good friend to my Matilda as your mother was to me. Just as pretty, too. There will be a ball in a week. You are more than welcome to come with us. It’s time your Papa let you out of the house and let you choose a husband.” Mrs. Crawley winked and Selina giggled while nodding.

  “Jane, please,” Mr. Clifford scolded his younger sister. “Selina may go to the ball, but let’s not talk about husbands just yet.”

  Selina frowned in her father’s direction. While he had been very protective of his daughter throughout the years after her mother had died, he was never so harsh about it. Was something wrong?

  He always said that she would have a say in who courted her and would let her choose a husband she liked.

  Something passed her Aunt’s expression and Selina was about to ask what was wrong, when she cleared her throat and smiled at her guests.

  “Well, then. Mary, our maid, will show you to your rooms, even though I am sure Selina will sneak off to share with Matilda.” Mrs. Crawley pretended to give them a stern look and the girls just smiled, knowing it to be true. There was gossip to be passed, after all. “I will show Mama her rooms, though. I have missed her so.”

  “You only say that because I do not live with you, my dear,” Mrs. Clifford told her daughter, who smiled.

  “And I shall forever be grateful for that, Mama.”

  “You…” Mrs. Clifford tried to sound angry, but the love she clearly felt for her youngest child made it pointless.

  The maid led the way and while the adults were up ahead, Matilda and Selina started to whisper to each other.

  “Go get ready for dinner and afterwards, you must tell me all about London,” Matilda said.

  “Of course. Have you heard about Millicent Stewart?” Selina asked. Millicent had been a friend of theirs when Matilda still lived in London.

  Matilda gasped. “No! What happened?”

  “She got engaged last week to Mr. Garrett Stanford,” Selina said and Matilda gasped.

  “Oh, no! Millie hated him.”

  Selina sighed. “Her father arranged it and the poor thing can’t get out of it, otherwise Mr. Stewart will leave her without a pension. Not one pound.”

  “Poor Millie.” Matilda shook her head in disappointment. “I will write to her before my maid comes up to help me get dressed.”

  “I am sure she will appreciate it.” Selina sighed and saw the maid trying to get her attention. “We will see each other at dinner.”

  “Of course.”

  * * *

  The light blue dress she wore for dinner blended perfectly with her eyes. Seli
na thought mindlessly as she made her way to the small library to meet her family before being called for dinner.

  She stopped for a second in front of a mirror to arrange one of the curls that seemed to have gotten away from her hairdo. She had to often do that for her hair was almost untamable at times. As she finished fixing her hair, Selina heard her father’s voice coming from a slightly opened door.

  “…I do not know how Selina will react.” Hearing her name, she frowned and stepped closer, curiosity winning over her very strict education. “I told her she could choose whom she wants to marry.”

  “We always tell our daughters that, Joseph,” her uncle’s voice answered. “I heard, though, that Lord Ainsworth isn’t as much of a gentleman as he seems to be. He passes as a good man, but he is actually very repulsive and-”