Lord of the Abbey

by K. R. Richards

  He smiled. Drew back from her when they heard the sound of her aunt’s footsteps approaching.

  “Will you still come to me tonight?”

  “I will. But it has been a long day for us all. I must speak with the others, make certain all of the details for tonight are covered, and check in on Lyon. I’m on watch until two. We’ll see how we both feel later. I’ll be here with you, my sweet, after two. The passion might have to wait for another night. But I will hold you in my arms while in your bed, regardless.”

  Rowena smiled. Nodded. “I think I like that idea, Harry.”

  “Rowena, what is the matter, dear?” Concerned, Frances came into the room followed by Betsy.

  “I fear she is overwrought with the day’s happenings, Lady Sperring. And I told her what Lyon said. It caused her fear, but I assured her there are none here who will allow her to be taken away. That she will be safe.”

  “Of course you will be safe here. You look pale dear, will you not eat? And Harry, you’re missing your dinner. I’ll have something sent up here for you both. You can share your meal together, here in Rowena’s room.” Frances smoothed her niece’s curls from her damp cheeks.

  “Thank you, Aunt Frances.” Rowena nodded. “I can eat a little, I think.”

  “I’ll check in on Lyon and speak to the others. I’ll be back up in a quarter of an hour. Can you stay with her Lady Sperring, until I return?” Harry continued, “I’ll place Charlie to watch at the foot of the stairs until I come back up.” He guessed the ladies needed some privacy.

  “Of course, Harry.”

  After Harry left, and Betsy was sent to bring dinner upstairs for them, Rowena told her aunt for the first time what Dalworth truly did to her and what her brother, Richard allowed to happen. She allowed Frances to vent her anger. Then, with much happiness, Rowena told her aunt of Harry’s wishes and that she was considering marrying him.

  Frances smiled through happy tears at hearing Rowena’s good news. “Harry’s a good man, Rowena. You’ll see that.”

  “I know Harry is a good man, Aunt Frances. I’m sorry I never told you about what Dalworth did to me. ‘Tis the only thing I’ve ever kept from you. I was frightened and ashamed. I felt there was something I might have done to stop it. I was worried what you might do or that you would confront them, and I feared Richard or even Dalworth might harm you. Or Sir John.”

  “Oh,” Frances paled considerably, “you should not have distressed yourself over me or Sir John, Rowena. I was worried about you. I must be honest. I suspected that Dalworth forced himself on you. You seemed so withdrawn and miserable after.”

  Frances continued, “There were your nightmares as well, dear. I can’t say if I would have done something rash had I known for certain. I suppose I might have.”

  Rowena’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry you worried for me, Aunt Frances.”

  “Never, ever be sorry dear. I love you. You are as special as a daughter to me, you know that,” Frances said tenderly.

  “I know it. And you’ve always been like a mother to me, even when mine was alive and she was too weak to be one.” Rowena hugged her aunt.

  “I hope they both get what they deserve, Richard and Dalworth! And if I ever see either one of them again, I will-” Frances stopped, her features set in a scowl, “never mind, dear. I shant say what I would do.”

  “Just so long as I never see them again, I don’t care what happens to either of them.” Rowena hugged her aunt to her again.

  Harry arrived at the same time their supper was brought in.

  “How is Lyon?” Rowena inquired.

  “He is now quiet and no longer thrashing about.” Harry ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. “A maid is with him now. Charlie will sit with him tonight, while Newt and Wyldhurst take watch in the gallery. Micah and I shall take turns sitting outside your door, Lady Rowena. Micah should be up shortly, so I can take care of a few things. Then I’ll come up and take the first watch. Micah will take the second.”

  “Harry, I’ll have Hanford send up a large, comfortable chair from the drawing room for you and Micah to sit in outside Rowena’s door tonight. No sense in you being entirely uncomfortable. Now, enjoy your meal, the both of you. I must get back to the gentlemen and check on everything before I retire for the evening. Sleep well, dear. I’ll give the gentlemen your excuses.” Frances kissed her niece’s cheek, patted Harry’s arm and left them alone in the room.

  Harry was especially attentive to Rowena while they supped. He encouraged her to eat. He entertained her with tales from his boyhood. When Micah arrived shortly after a comfortable chair was delivered upstairs and placed outside Rowena’s door, he stepped in to talk to her while Harry went downstairs to attend his business.

  When the clock chimed two, Harry rose from the chair and knocked softly on Micah’s door.

  “Time for the change of guard?” Micah yawned as the door opened. His feet were bare, his trousers rumpled, and his shirt tail was out. He held a book in one hand, slid his spectacles on with the other. He lit a candle sitting on the edge of a stand near the door. He brought it into the hall. “When will that damn Cornishman get here with all of his relatives? We need more men. We need sleep, Harry!”

  “Yes, we do. With any luck, Chynoweth will come tomorrow. It’s two. I’ll be in Rowena’s room if you’ve need of me. Wake me at six.”

  “I’ll be fine until seven, Harry. That will give you an extra hour. To sleep. Or whatever.” Micah waved him away with a gesture and another yawn.

  “Thank you.” Harry grinned at him, quietly turned the handle and stepped into her room. He saw the outline of his Angel curled into a ball beneath the coverlet in the middle of the massive bed. One drape was pushed back allowing the moonlight to filter into the chamber. He guessed his Angel did not like being in complete darkness. He remembered the drape being pushed aside both times he had previously been in her bedchamber. Who could blame her? He quietly removed his boots, coat, waistcoat and his shirt, leaving only his trousers on. Lifting the covers, he slid in between the sheets and moved beside her. Her back was to him. He reached out pulled her against him.

  She sighed softly as she nestled against his warmth. Her even breathing told him she still slept. With his arms around her and her body curled against his, Harry surrendered to slumber.

  Rowena woke feeling gloriously warm. It took her a moment to realize the cause of said warmth. Harry. She started to turn over so she might look her fill at him while he slept.

  “Is something wrong, sweet?” He asked groggily. Opened his eyes, looked into hers.

  “No. I just woke. Wanted to turn over.”

  “Umm.” Harry laid her head on his shoulder, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against him. “Sleep, my sweet angel.” He placed a kiss to her temple as he inhaled the clean scent of lavender emanating from her. Just the scent of her aroused him, but he knew she needed her sleep. He closed his eyes. Long moments passed. He felt her watching him.

  “Harry, are you asleep?” came her whisper.

  He opened one eye. “Why don’t you kiss me Rowena, and we’ll find out.” A lazy smile turned up the corners of his mouth, both eyes were now closed. An obvious pretend snore emanated from him.

  Rowena giggled, raised up on her elbow, leaned toward him and set her lips to his. Received no response. She began placing feather light kisses on his eyelids, his cheekbone, his neck, his ear, then moved to hollow of his throat, then she explored his bare chest. She let her hands move through the crispy hair while she caressed his hard muscles. She kissed his nipples, laved them with her tongue. Delighted that they hardened beneath her lips.

  Again, she moved upward, kissed his mouth. Lightly at first, then her mouth opened and her tongue came out to lick at his sensuous lips. This time she gained a response. His lips moved against hers. Opened. She invaded his mouth with her tongue. He groaned.

  His hands moved to her hips, then lowered to fan out around each globe of her
bottom. He squeezed and caressed her firm buttocks. He pulled her closer against him. Against his hardening cock. He deepened the kiss. His hands kneaded her buttocks then grazed over her hips, traveled up her arms.

  “Ouch!”

  “Sorry, forgot about your bruise, sweet.”

  He sat up, reached down grabbed the hem of her night dress and in mere seconds she sat gloriously naked beside him. He fell back against his pillow, and moved her torso across his chest. His eyes feasted upon her gloriously naked body lit by pale moonlight gleaming through the window panes. Sprawled across him, he reveled in the feel of her warm silken skin against his. Her golden tresses fanned about them. His gaze lingered upon the sight of his Angel’s beautiful, bare breasts resting upon his chest, their pink tips beckoning. One of her slender and long legs curled over his. “You’re beautiful, Rowena. Absolutely lovely,” he whispered as his hands began to glide over her silken skin and explore every inch of her. “More beautiful than Botticelli’s Venus!”

  And she felt beautiful, the way his eyes adored her, the tenderness with which his hands worshipped her. His mouth caressed her. Rowena gasped as Harry rolled her gently onto her back and he came up on his knees beside her, his hands still exploring, moving slowly over her entire body, even to caress her toes. He paused only to lower his head and place tender kisses to strategic places. Loved her with his lips and his tongue. Each nipple, her navel, each hip, the outside of her thighs, her knees.

  Every nerve in her body was alive and tingling. When his lips and tongue finally came back to tease her breasts, Rowena nearly wept with joy. And tease her he did. He nipped, suckled and laved the tender peaks, flicked them into hardened pebbles with his tongue, drew them deep into his mouth. She squirmed beneath him, dug her nails into his arm and back. Then his lips moved lower, across her ribs, over her flat belly to the golden curls covering her mound.

  Harry paused only long enough to slide further down on the smooth sheets and resituate himself into a kneeling position between her legs. Gently, he urged her to open her legs wider. He bent, his head going all the way down, his hands sliding under the baby-soft skin of her firm buttocks.

  Surely he did not intend to kiss her there…oh my goodness! He did. He was! Rowena grasped handfuls of the bed sheets as his mouth began to work magic in her nether region.

  He placed soft kisses to the folds hiding beneath the curls there at the juncture of her thighs. He found that spot that was so sensitive and kissed it, sucked it, laved it with his tongue.

  Rowena moved her hands to his head, tangling her fingers in his rich, brown hair. She thrashed, moaned, bent her knees, rose up on her toes. “Stop!”

  Harry stopped. Raised his head, looked at her questioningly.

  Rowena demanded, “No, don’t stop! Don’t stop. More! Harry more!” He brought his head up a moment later and brandished her with a devilish grin, then bent down to once again continue his tender assault with his tongue. It was sweet, exquisite torture. Deep inside, flames were fanned into an inferno. And there was something, some thing she wanted, needed, but she knew not what it was. Perhaps that wondrous feeling she experienced the night before, when he touched her there? She didn’t know. She hoped to soon find out. Whatever it was, she knew Harry would give it to her.

  When he saw the glint of her juices leaking from her opening in the moonlight, his mouth moved there. First his tongue licked at the opening, then went inside.

  Rowena’s hips surged upward to meet his mouth, his tongue. Her fingers pulled his hair as his mouth brought her such sweet, hot pleasure. It flowed through her veins. His tongue still teasing her womanly opening, Rowena moaned then purred with pleasure. When his finger began to tease that most sensitive spot while his tongue worked its magic inside her. She moaned softly. She called his name breathlessly as his tempo increased. “Oh, Harry!”

  She raised her hips, wanting to feel his tongue deeper inside.

  “Harry, please, please, more,” she begged him.

  His mouth left her opening. His lips moved upward to suckle the nub which brought her so much pleasure. While his mouth suckled and his tongue laved her into renewed frenzy, two of his fingers slid into her wet opening and rubbed a spot so sensitive, Rowena thought she might die from the want of glorious release. Small tiny explosions began to erupt deep inside her, fanning the fire burning within her sheath, joined into one large surge that moved like water through her entire body, carrying her along the waves of bliss, where she crested, then flew, high and free into sweet, joyous pleasure.

  Rowena’s eyelids fluttered open after to find Harry’s smiling face above hers. He bent to kiss her. She lifted her arms around his neck returned his kiss hungrily.

  “Your. Trousers. Off.” She demanded breathlessly when she pulled away. She wanted to see him. Wanted him. Quite desperately. Her chest was still heaving from the power of her climax. But she wanted him.

  “As you wish, love.” She felt the bed sag as he rolled and moved to the edge to remove his trousers. Rowena turned onto her side to watch him. She decided his muscled back and buttocks were quite nice to look at. She watched curiously when he turned, rolled back toward her. For the first time she gazed upon his engorged shaft. She must have looked frightened, for Harry spoke then.

  “I won’t hurt you, Rowena. Remember, I promised your body will accommodate me.” He could not go further if she were frightened. The idea that he could give her control came to him. “But first,” Harry drew his legs up to sit cross-legged beside her, his erection standing straight up, moving, pulsing, seemingly alive. He reached for her hand and brought it to rest on his thickness, “You wanted to touch me last night and so you shall tonight. I will confess to you, that in all truth, if you wish to control me at any time in the future, my love, you just touch me here.” He wanted to give her control. Wanted to take her fears away.

  Tentatively her fingers moved up and down the rigid member, then across the silky soft head that seemed to jump when her fingertips slid over it. Harry seemed to jump when her fingertips slid over it. “Will touching you here make you feel the way I did when I, um-“

  “You climaxed? Yes. And my being inside you will do very nicely also. However, when I climax, I spill my wet, sticky seed. Some women don’t like that part of pleasuring a man this way.”

  “How do I make you feel that way, Harry?”

  He took her hand, wrapped it about his shaft. With his hand positioned under hers, he moved it up and down, showing her how to pleasure him. He removed his hand, leaned his head back, let her keep up the rhythm on her own. He watched in abject fascination as his Angels full breasts moved with the movements of her arm as she worked his shaft. Long tendrils of golden silk teased his skin as she leaned over him, her hair fanning about them both. Pleasing him aroused her, for her nipples were hard. He longed to take those peaks into his mouth again. But wait he would, for her sweet touch was driving him quite mad.

  Harry gazed into her large magnificent eyes, growing darker and stormier as her passion deepened. He never experienced such sweet and sensual torture. Her lips parted. Her cheeks flushed. Watching her arouse his passion was affecting him greatly. When the fingers of her free hand tentatively, then more boldly explored the sacs beneath his shaft, he groaned, felt his control slipping, broke into a sweat. This was too good.

  When Rowena saw a drop of moisture form on the tip of his shaft, she bent to lick it. The salty taste intrigued her. Her lips covered the head of his shaft then.

  “For heaven’s sake, Rowena! My sweet, this is too much. Too good, too fast. I haven’t been inside you yet. Sweet, I don’t want to spill my seed just yet. We’ve a ways to go still.” He lifted her up, kissed those lips that were the cause of his near undoing. He took her hand from his shaft, brought it to his lips, kissed her palm, each finger.

  Gently he pushed her back down against the pillows. Came over her. Kissed her deeply. Carefully lay atop her. “Rowena, do you want me inside you?” He whispered against her ear. Nibbled
the lobe.

  “Yes. Now! Please.” She felt the head of his shaft along her thigh.

  He smiled. Chuckled against her ear. Placed a kiss to the tender flesh of her neck. His Angel was demanding as well as passionate! Harry entered her slowly, until he was fully inside her. Filling her. There was no barrier to stop him. Another man robbed both him and Rowena of that. But he wouldn’t think of that now. Tonight, he only wanted to give his Angel pleasure. Help her heal from the rape she endured. He reveled in the feeling of her heat closing around him. God, she was tight! And so hot. So wet. “I told you I’d fit.” He whispered hoarsely. Before he took her lips, he asked, “Did I cause you any pain, Rowena?”

  “No. I like it, Harry. Mmm, it feels very nice.” She sighed, liking the feel of him fully inside her.

  He kissed her deeply while beginning to move slowly inside her. He moved gently, teasingly for a long while, sharing long, passionate kisses with her as his hands roamed over her body.

  Rowena explored his body also. She especially liked exploring the taut muscles of his back, and his firm buttocks. Then she moved to his shoulders, chest, and arms. She guessed she might not ever get enough of feeling him against her, touching him. She liked the way the coarse hair on his chest teased her nipples. She liked the feeling of fullness while he moved inside her.