A Too Convenient Marriage

by Georgie Lee

  Despite her happiness, in the back of her mind she couldn’t help but feel something was waiting to end it all. In the past, whenever she’d felt safe and secure, death or a rumour had reared its ugly head to steal her peace. The old worry it would happen again continued to pester her during quiet moments when she studied inventory or reviewed the bills. She tried to shake the feeling, but she couldn’t. Whatever foreboding she imagined waiting for her, she suspected it would come from Grosvenor Square. Since the wedding, they’d heard nothing from the Rocklands, but Susanna wasn’t convinced Lady Rockland was finally done with her. The woman had little else to do except to see to Edwina and be nasty to her inferiors. Every time a letter arrived at the house for Justin, Susanna feared it might be a missive from her stepmother with some insidious reference to Susanna’s secret, one which would plant the fatal seed of doubt in his mind and ruin their happiness.

  Only at night when she was alone with Justin in the low light of his room, his body covering hers, was everything forgotten in the bliss of his kisses and the playful caress of his fingers.

  * * *

  One evening, a week after their visit to the shop, Susanna entered Justin’s room where he sat before the fire reading a letter. The sight of it and the stern contemplation dulling his usual humour made her halt. Whatever was being conveyed held his full attention and not for a good reason.

  The old crow has finally written. Her hand tightened on the small board she carried. She wanted to drop it and flee, but she held fast. Whatever the letter said, she would face it.

  He didn’t glance up as she cautiously approached, trying to catch sight of the signature on the letter through the thin paper, but his hand blocked it. The seriousness in his eyes as he read increased the dread sliding through her as she came to stand in front of him. She braced herself and held out the board with the three samples of a bottle label which had been delivered by the printer.

  ‘Which one do you think we should use for the red wine?’ she asked, clearing her throat at the unnerving squeak in her words.

  He looked up at the labels, then pointed to the one in the centre, barely seeing it or her. ‘This one.’

  ‘I agree.’ She set the labels on the table next to his chair, still on edge but glad to not see the anger she’d expected. It still didn’t calm her fears. ‘Who’s the letter from?’

  ‘Your father.’ Justin folded the missive and set it beside the labels, visibly troubled by the contents.

  She dropped into the chair across from his. ‘What does he say?’

  ‘He’s asked me to see him tomorrow afternoon to discuss the wine purchase for the lovely Lady Rockland’s ball.’

  She sagged against the back of the chair with relief. However, she wasn’t out of danger yet, she never would be. She wished she hadn’t made the deal with her father for his support. A clean break would’ve been best. Instead they were obligated to deal with the Rocklands for a short while longer. Her father wasn’t likely to say anything about the child, assuming he knew, but the remaining ties between them risked Justin encountering Lady Rockland and her vicious tongue. She wouldn’t put it past Lady Rockland to let her suspicions about Susanna’s pregnancy slip, if for no other reason than to be spiteful.

  ‘Do you want to come with me or shall I go alone?’ he asked.

  ‘You should go alone.’ Lady Rockland was much less likely to approach him if Susanna wasn’t there.

  With a sharp knock, Mrs Robinson entered, carrying a parcel wrapped in string. ‘This just arrived for you, ma’am, from Mrs Fairley.’

  She laid the parcel down on the bench at the foot of the bed, then left.

  Susanna went to the package and began to untie the knot securing the string.

  ‘I hope you aren’t spending lavishly on clothes,’ Justin teased from his place by the fire, the return of his good humour helping her to recover hers.

  ‘It isn’t a dress—’ Susanna tugged at the knot but it wouldn’t budge ‘—but our costumes for the masque.’

  Justin came to stand beside her, gently pushed her hands away, then broke the string. ‘You’re aware I don’t dance?’

  ‘At all?’ She winced. She sounded as shallow as Edwina.

  He leaned against the footboard. ‘Dancing isn’t a skill a man of my class is required to possess.’

  Susanna pulled the string off the package, balled it in her hand and tossed it to one side. ‘It’s a lot like boxing, with a great deal of hopping back and forth with your partner.’

  ‘Liar.’

  ‘You needn’t worry about standing up with me. As much as I enjoy a good reel, I’ve found it’s much more interesting to remain in the crowd and observe.’ She lifted the lid off the box. ‘I learned more about society hidden behind a black-silk mask than I ever did sitting quietly in a corner while the women gossiped.’

  ‘And what costume am I to wear?’ He shifted behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist to peer over her shoulder. His cheek rested against hers as she folded back the tissue paper to reveal the garments beneath.

  ‘I decided to make it simple.’ She lifted a flowing dark green cloak with a hood and matching silk mask out of the parcel. ‘Cloaks and masks.’

  Justin reached out and slid the mask from her fingers. The silk gliding over her skin raised a line of goose bumps along the length of her arm. ‘If the wine business fails, we can take up careers as highway robbers.’

  ‘It’d certainly be an interesting way to fund a venture and quite thrilling.’

  ‘Until we’re hanged.’

  ‘I didn’t say there weren’t risks.’ She grinned at him over her shoulder. ‘And you’d make a dashing rogue.’

  ‘I like the sound of that.’ He flicked the mask on to the bed and turned her around, pressing her to him so she could feel the stirring of his manhood against her stomach.

  ‘That’s not all you like.’ She twined her arms around his neck, drawing him down to her, eager to be close to him and enjoy the comfort and peace of him. It would banish the worry still hovering inside her.

  There was no careful removing of clothes or the slow unlacing of stays tonight. Their garments were discarded in a hurried frenzy of tugging and pulling with one or two snapped buttons plinking to the floor before Susanna and Justin tumbled naked and needy on to the bed.

  Against her skin Susanna felt the discarded mask. Pulling it out from under her, she drew it across the span of his back.

  ‘What are you doing, my little minx?’ he growled in her ear, his fingers pausing in their tracing of her thighs.

  She didn’t answer as she draped the silk over the top of his shoulder and then down his chest, pushing it over the solid ripples of his stomach and the sides of his waist. He sat back on his knees and she rose to hers, never allowing the silk to leave his skin as she worked it lower. She slid the softness up and down the length of him, drawing from him a low, deep moan.

  ‘Do you like it?’ she asked in seductive innocence, tilting her head down like a coquette.

  ‘What do you think?’ he murmured, his fingers tight on his thighs as he closed his eyes, delighting in each stroke of her hand. He grew stronger beneath her palm until at last he pulled her hand and the mask away. ‘Careful, we don’t want to end things too soon.’

  He gently pushed her down into the coverlet and arched over her to take one taut nipple between his teeth before pressing a kiss against the space between her breasts. He moved lower, tracing circles on her stomach with his tongue before he placed a kiss at the top of the hair between her thighs.

  ‘Don’t tease me,’ Susanna gasped, wanting to be one with him at once.

  ‘I must.’ He smiled like the devil before his head dipped down and his mouth pressed against her most intimate parts.

  She gripped the coverlet as he tasted her until she thought she could take no more. Arching her hips against him, he slid his hands beneath her buttocks, his fingers gripping her tight as he continued to pleasure her. She sighed, not ashamed t
o surrender to him in this most delicate way. It would have embarrassed her a few days ago to be so vulnerable with him, yet she welcomed it tonight, lost in the desire he raised within her, trusting her whole being to him. She knew he would never betray it or her. She cried out as he slid one finger inside her, caressing her with a gentle pressure. Never in her life had she imagined so much passion and intimacy could exist with a man.

  She whimpered, eager for release and at the same time holding back, wanting all of him. When at last she thought she might shatter, he withdrew from her and sat up. She rose to her knees and feeling quite bold, pushed him back down against the coverlet. She straddled his thighs until the tip of his hardness pressed against her. He took her hips with his wide hands and eased her down over him, filling her body as he had her heart since the day they’d wed.

  He clutched her by the waist and rolled so she was under him. She grabbed his buttocks, pulling him deeper into her as he lay down on his elbows, his chest hard against her breasts, his mouth firm on hers as he thrust into her. Bound together as one, they raced towards their pleasure, each pushing the other higher until at last their release crashed over them like waves against the rocks of the shore.

  ‘I love you...’ Justin breathed, his face buried in the silky curls which had slipped from their pins to spill across the pillow.

  ‘I love you, too.’ She held on to him, refusing to let him slide away from her, still so afraid this bliss between them wouldn’t last. All her life she’d wanted this closeness, this beautiful experience of being cherished and loved. To think it might end with only a few nasty words broke her heart nearly as much as his love had mended it. Tears filled her eyes and one slid down her cheek to wet his.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, touching his forehead to hers.

  ‘I’m so happy with you. I don’t want anything to ruin it.’

  ‘What could?’

  She closed her eyes and inhaled his musky scent. She loved him and she didn’t want to lose him. Despite the joy of the last few days, she was still deceiving him in the worst way a woman could. How something wouldn’t come from it to ruin everything, she didn’t know, but she couldn’t reveal her fears.

  ‘Have faith, Susanna, in me and us,’ he murmured in her ear.

  She pressed her lips to his, struggling to share in his belief all would be well. Perhaps it would and their love would never end. It was a beautiful dream and she would cling to it, and his heart, for as long a she could.

  * * *

  The bell over the wine shop door chimed as Justin entered. From the room behind the counter, Susanna appeared, a welcoming smile spreading across her pretty face like the light falling in through the windows. It heightened the blush of her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes. He’d been called away at daybreak by Philip, denying him the pleasure of waking with her and perhaps enjoying something more of the delight which had kept them both from sleep for the better portion of the night.

  ‘Do you like what I did with the front window?’ she asked, coming around to offer him a kiss which was both welcoming and inviting. If she continued with such sweet greetings, he might have to set up a private room in the back with a bed, or find a way to make the squabs of the chaise much more comfortable.

  ‘I adore it. You’re beautiful and clever. How did I get so lucky?’

  ‘I jumped in your carriage instead of some buck-toothed old man’s.’

  ‘How fortunate for both of us.’ He nuzzled her neck, ready to pull her into the room at the back, send away the assistant and the apprentice, slip the lock and while away the hours when the bell over the front door clanged.

  Justin straightened, his hand freezing on Susanna’s back at the sight of Helena striding through the door. Susanna looked from Justin to Helena, scrunching up her brow in question.

  ‘Good morning, Mrs Gammon. To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?’ Not even Justin’s skills at jest could keep the edge from his voice.

  ‘I’m Mrs Preston now,’ Helena corrected. ‘Mr Preston and I were married a few days ago.’

  ‘Congratulations,’ Susanna offered in a sweet voice, but Justin caught the slight hesitation.

  ‘The Chartons told me of the shop and your wedding. I wanted to meet the new Mrs Connor and see your establishment.’ Helena fixed her scrutiny on Susanna as though she were an elegantly crafted bottle of fine port with a hefty price affixed to it. If Helena appreciated the vintage, it was difficult to tell through the jealousy which stiffened her stance beneath the red silk pelisse she wore.

  ‘And now you have.’ Justin rapped the top of a cask with his knuckles, making it clear it was time for her to take her leave, but it was obvious her curiosity was not completely satisfied. It could kill her for all he cared.

  ‘Mrs Connor,’ the bespectacled assistant said, coming out from the back room. ‘There’s a discrepancy in the ledger I’d like you to see.’

  ‘Yes, I’ll have a look.’ She glanced back and forth between Helena and Justin as if debating whether or not to leave them alone together. Justin nodded at her. He was more than capable of facing his old lover and seeing her off. ‘If you’ll excuse me.’

  Susanna followed the shop assistant through the far door and into the storeroom behind.

  ‘She’s very pretty,’ Helena grudgingly admitted, clearly disappointed at finding Susanna beautiful and not horse-faced or buck-toothed.

  ‘I’m not you, Helena. I don’t sell myself to the highest bidder to achieve my goals.’

  ‘I didn’t marry Mr Preston only for his money. We care a great deal for one another.’ She wasn’t convincing and she knew it. She lifted a bottle of wine out of the straw-filled crate beside her and read the label, nodding approvingly. ‘I’ll have to send my man here to purchase a few bottles. Mr Preston does love his Madeira.’

  She practically dropped the bottle back in the crate and Justin knew it wasn’t all marital bliss at the Preston residence. A part of him felt sorry for her. They’d been friends once, but she’d made her decision and now she would live with it.

  ‘I must say I’m surprised. I didn’t think you’d make a go of it.’

  He crossed his arms over his chest to keep from tossing the woman out on to the street. ‘I’m glad I exceeded your expectations.’

  ‘I never thought you one to take responsibility seriously, especially not all the endless details like inventory and bills.’ She flicked a glance around him to the door leading into the back room. ‘Or have you left those things to your wife while you enjoy the more pleasurable aspects like sampling the merchandise?’

  ‘He hasn’t left all the work to me.’ Susanna’s voice echoed from behind the counter as she came to stand beside Justin, linking her arm in his and facing the widow. ‘It’s to Justin’s credit we purchased this shop. Without his hard work in securing the merchandise, and our clients, we would’ve been forced to abandon the venture long before we’d begun.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Mrs Connor. I didn’t mean to insult you or your husband,’ Helena stuttered, her round face as red as her pelisse with her embarrassment.

  ‘Yes, Mrs Preston, I believe you did.’

  Justin held his head a little higher at his wife’s response, heartened by her courage. If she could stand up to a woman like Helena, she could face anyone who cast aspersions at her about her background.

  ‘Yes, well, I apologise again, Mrs Connor. Congratulations on your success.’ With her head lowered, Helena hurried out the door, all the confidence she’d walked in with gone.

  ‘Quite a charming woman,’ Susanna observed, sliding her hand down his arm to lace her fingers in his. ‘Whatever did you see in her?’

  ‘Not nearly as much as I’ve seen in you.’ He claimed her mouth, drawing out her tongue with long, smooth caresses. She pressed her body to his, fitting against him perfectly.

  ‘Come.’ He pulled her towards the door.

  ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘Home. Mr Spinner, the shop is yours for th
e afternoon,’ he called over his shoulder.

  ‘Yes, sir.’ The assistant’s voice trailed out of the door behind them.

  Justin bundled her inside the chaise. ‘Home, Mr Tibbs, as fast as you can.’

  Justin climbed inside beside her, smiling to find she’d already drawn the shades. Without a word they were in one another’s arms, exploring each other as best they could through the wool and cotton covering them. He slipped his hands under her skirt and traced the line of her calf up behind the curve of her knee, slipping one finger in between her skin and the ribbon holding up the stocking.

  It wasn’t physical need which drove him forward now, but her belief in him. Never had a woman made him feel so capable of achieving every goal he’d set out to achieve, or stood beside him as Susanna had just now. All the others had considered him only for sport or an evening of pleasure and laughter. They’d never seen him for more, or believed in his dreams.

  Sliding his hand up her thigh, he found her centre, his restraint threatening to buckle as he discovered her readiness for him. This would be no rushed fumbling in a carriage, but merely the prelude to an hour or two in which he would pleasure her entire being. She clasped his lapels, breathing hard against his cheek as his fingers worked her tender flesh, stoking a need which had sparked long before they’d entered the carriage.

  ‘Please stop,’ she begged, her wanting clear in her strained voice, but he continued with the relentless pace of his strokes, eager for her to reach her release more than once today.

  The noise of the streets muffled her cries as she fell against him. He cradled her, playing with the soft skin of her thighs, his member throbbing with impatience beneath the buckskin of his breeches. He could open the fall and be inside her at once, give in to the urgency near strangling him, but he held back as the chaise came to a rocking halt in front of his house.