by Lucy Langton
“Catherine, you are absolutely perfect. Your wet core feels like heaven,” Marcus panted as he quickened his pace, loving the way she was rocked forward with every thrust to cause her large breasts to swing forward and back. It was such a sexual sight that he knew he’d find his release very soon.
The sound of thrashing flesh filled the air as he quickened his pace and she rocked her hips back against his. Her moans increased in volume, and he was certain their guests would hear their sounds of pleasure. But he did not care in the least. He wanted the world to know that Catherine was his and his only. And more so, that he thoroughly loved showing Catherine the world of pleasure that only he would ever have the pleasure of doing.
Wanting Catherine to find her own release before him, he snaked his left hand around her hips until he could start rubbing her most sensitive nub. He felt her inner walls tighten on his shaft, telling him that she was close.
“Oh, yes! Marcus, don’t stop!” Catherine cried out. Marcus thrusted as fast as he could while he used his fingers to rub her sensitive nub until she reached her peak with him, both of them climaxing together. His growls joined her moans as they felt that high together, his thrusts not stopping until he was certain she was coming down with him.
They were both panting hard by the time Marcus straightened his posture and slowly removed himself from Catherine’s velvet box. As he lay down beside her, he pulled her to his chest until she was snuggled up next to him, her breasts pressing against his chest. After time their breathing settled back into a natural rhythm, and Marcus began to run his fingers playfully through Catherine’s hair.
“I never knew that there was more than one position for intimacy,” Catherine confessed after a time. Marcus chuckled as he held her close, thinking how much he adored teaching Catherine new things. She was an intelligent woman who understood more about life than most did because of what she had experienced in her life. He had a lot of respect for Catherine, even though there was much he still wanted to learn about her.
When Catherine started to pull away from him, he only tightened his grip on her, causing her to chuckle as she lay her head back down on his chest.
“I need to return to my room to clean up and get some sleep before tomorrow comes,” she said softly.
“Stay with me tonight, Catherine. Tomorrow waits for no man. Let us stay like this,” Marcus pleaded with her, wanting this form of comfort to last more than just mere hours. With her in his arms, he finally felt at peace and desperately wanted that feeling to remain.
“But what if I snore? Then you shall never ask for me to sleep in your bed again,” Catherine said as she propped herself up on her elbow and looked down on him, the pearl necklace still around her neck. Marcus chuckled as he leaned up and kissed her soundly.
“If you snore and I cannot sleep, then I shall escort you back to your own bedchamber,” Marcus teased in return.
“I suppose if you insist then I shall not refuse you,” Catherine said in a sing-song voice. He rolled her over onto her other side and pressed his body into her back as he folded his arms around her.
“I very much insist that you remain with me,” Marcus whispered into her ear. He then began to kiss her neck as soft mews escaped her mouth. It wasn’t long before their caresses of each other turned into another bout of lovemaking, their passion and desire carrying them into the early morning hours.
~*~
When Catherine opened her eyes, she saw the morning sun streaming in through the windowpanes past where the curtains parted. At first, she thought of the ball that evening, the brunch with the guests that would happen before that, and how she should be readying for the day instead of being in bed. But as she remembered the last night, and realised whose bed she was in, she immediately forgot about the day and turned towards the man who still held her in his arms.
Catherine took this time to look at Marcus as he slept, a soft snore coming from him that caused her to smile. She pushed back his black hair, thinking he looked so peaceful while he slept. Catherine was reminded of just how lucky she was to have married a man like Marcus.
Even though it was rather unexpected, and the only thing she wished to gain was security with her future, and she was glad this whole thing had happened with a man like Marcus and not a man quite like Lord Whetstone.
As Catherine’s thoughts returned to the night before, she suddenly felt guilty for laying with Marcus and agreeing to sleep with him through the night. She was keeping so many secrets from him that it felt wrong to use their lovemaking as a way to escape her reality.
It had felt so good to be with him last night and to feel pleasure instead of all the pain of once again being in the same room as Lord Whetstone. She tried to remind herself that after today, the guests would leave the manor, and life would surely return to normal. Her brother would go as well, and hopefully all his money problems would leave with him.
Ever so slowly, Catherine pushed herself out from underneath Marcus’ arms and the covers. She didn’t want to wake him, in fear her guilt would be easily read on her face. The idea of keeping things from her husband didn’t settle well with her, but for the time being, Catherine would have to figure out a solution before she could expose so many problems. She wasn’t sure how Marcus would react to her many family problems and hoped they would simply go away after time.
After pulling on his house robe to cover her nakedness and gathering her clothes in her arms, Catherine moved swiftly from his bedchamber to her own before anyone could spot her walking practically naked through her home. She felt relief as she closed her door behind her and set her clothes aside before pulling the servant’s cord. She made quick work of cleaning herself up after a night of passion with Marcus, and even pulled on a nightgown to appear as though she had been in her room all night after all.
“Good morning, My Lady,” her lady’s maid said as she came into the room that morning with a small tea tray. Catherine was eager for a good cup of tea to help wake up her mind and help her prepare for the long day ahead. And with such little sleep the night before, she knew that she would need all the help she could get.
“Are any of the other guests awake?” Catherine asked as she sat down to enjoy her cup of tea while her lady’s maid started looking through her wardrobe for a day gown for her to wear.
“There are a few, yes. Breakfast is being served in the dining room. Mr. Burg was up early to oversee that day’s events. Mrs. Denton and Mrs. Sims report having a pleasant night with Miss Beth,” her lady’s maid replied.
“That sounds all good and well. No complaints from the guests?”
“None, My Lady. All seems to be going as planned for the festivities,” she replied as she laid out a lovely crème gown Catherine could wear up until she would need to be dressed for the ball.
“Very good,” Catherine said before she finished drinking her second cup of strong Earl Grey tea. Once finished, Catherine stood and allowed her lady’s maid to help her into her clothes. Once her hair had been pulled back with a silk ribbon, she felt well enough to join the others below and continue to be the doting host that was to be expected of her.
Once she had dismissed her lady’s maid, Catherine made her way down the long hallway towards the stairs. She could hear voices coming from the various rooms as guests rose for the day and prepared for the day. Different maids and valets moved from room to room, assisting the guests with their needs. Catherine hoped that Lady Evergreen was comfortable enough and almost thought to check in on her when she heard a louder voice coming from the bottom of the stairs.
“You can’t be serious, Lord Whetstone. Do you honestly think I could do such a thing?” came the familiar voice of her brother. Catherine quickly went to the top of the stairs to see her brother and Lord Whetstone standing the entryway near the front door.
“You should really keep your voice lowered, boy. You never know who could be listening to your panicked voice,” Lord Whetstone replied so softly that Catherine could hardly hear wha
t he had said. She stood still, hoping they wouldn’t notice that she was there and able to see them together.
“Now, if you deliver to me what I want, I will not only forgive your debt, but will also repay all of your debts to the others. I’m only asking for this one thing, this one time. Afterwards, you shall never hear from me again,” Lord Whetstone said as he placed his hand on Denver’s shoulders while her brother glared at the earl.
“This is lunacy. Surely you will be caught,” Denver said as he shoved his hand away.
“Not if you help me. Now, do we have a deal or not?” Lord Whetstone said as he extended his hand towards him. Catherine wanted to shout down and tell Denver not to accept whatever deal the earl was proposing. Whatever the man was promising, it sounded too good to be true.
Catherine’s heart sunk into her chest as she watched Denver scowl as he shook Lord Whetstone’s hand quickly before walking off. Lord Whetstone watched him go, a smirk on his face. The earl then turned and exited the house, making her wonder where the man was going.
Hurrying down the stairs, Catherine did her best to catch up with her brother. He had just stepped out the back door, appearing to be disappearing into the gardens when she finally called out to him, causing him to stop and turn towards her.
“Catherine,” Denver said, clearly surprised to see her.
“I want to know once and for all, Denver. Just how much money do you owe people?” Catherine said, her voice cracking from the pain of what she’d just witnessed.
“Why do you ask now?” Denver asked as he placed his hands on his hips.
“I saw you shaking hands with Lord Whetstone. I did not like the sight of it,” Catherine said, not wanting to admit that she had listened in on their conversation. “It did not appear as though you were happy about it.”
Catherine watched the colour drain from her brother’s face as his arms sagged and his hands dropped. He seemed to be focusing on his breathing as his chest rose and fell, and for a moment she was worried he was about to faint.
“It doesn’t concern you, Catherine. I’m doing all that I can to recover everything I have lost. You have to understand that this seems to be my only option,” Denver said, his voice pleading.
“There has to be another way besides working with Lord Whetstone. He’s a vile man,” Catherine said.
“That he is. But he’s also a very wealthy man. He has the means to set everything straight if I just help him do this one thing,” Denver said as he turned away from her and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“And what could that possibly be?” Catherine demanded to know.
“It doesn’t concern you, Catherine. Just go back inside and entertain your guests,” Denver said, yet he refused to turn and look at her as he said it. Catherine felt she wouldn’t be able to get any more information out of him, so she turned and hurried back inside before her anger really got the better of her. After all, it was Denver’s mess to clean up. Surely, he could get himself out of the mess he had created for himself.
Chapter 16
Marcus was disappointed when he woke to find that Catherine was no longer in his arms. He had looked forward to the opportunity to waking to her. He knew that logically it was good that she had risen and was no doubt entertaining their guests at breakfast. But he had become very selfish when it came to his wife and would have preferred to have her all to himself in the morning.
Marcus rose from his bed and pulled the servant’s cord as he took care of his most basic needs. With the help of his valet, he dressed quickly and made his way downstairs to join the others for breakfast. He sported a simple vest over his muslin shirt because it was bound to be warm during the day. But wanting to look his best, he wore his pantaloons and riding boots.
He had just stepped off the bottom stair, listening to the sound of conversation, when the front door opened and Lord Whetstone stepped inside. He looked flustered by the way his cheeks were flushed and his hair was a bit dishevelled.
“Good morning, Lord Kingston,” Lord Whetstone said with a dip of his head. “I have just enjoyed a turn around the front lawn. This area of the countryside is gorgeous.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Marcus replied as he eyed the man. He didn’t know too much about the earl, but being a popular member of the elite amongst the Ton, he had thought it important to invite the man to his ball for Catherine.
“With all my morning exercise, I do hope that the others have left some breakfast for the both of us,” Lord Whetstone said with a chuckle as the man followed Marcus to the dining room.
“I assure you, Lord Whetstone, that there is enough for everyone,” Marcus said to ease his guest’s worry.
“You are a humble host, Lord Kingston. So eager to share with others is a good quality,” Lord Whetstone said. Marcus simply nodded as they entered the dining room together. He thought the earl was a bit odd, but thought nothing more as he caught sight of Catherine at the other end of the table with Aunt Daniella.
Forgetting about the other earl, Marcus made his way to her and gave her a bright smile as he sat at the head of the table. He was pleased that she looked so well and could easily assume that had a lot to do with the fact that she was spending time with one of her favourite lady friends.
“I thought you would sleep the entire morning away,” Catherine teased as she took a bite of her buttered toast.
“Not the entire morning. The night had been so exhausting that it was easy to sleep in,” Marcus said with a wink, causing Catherine to blush as she looked away from him.
“If you think a simple dinner party was exhausting, I’m worried you two won’t make it through the night with a proper ball,” Lady Evergreen commented. “Perhaps the two of you should get more sleep.”
“Aunt Daniella, young people don’t need so much sleep, you know,” Marcus said as he noticed the deeper shade of red Catherine’s cheeks had turned. He didn’t want her to feel embarrassed for spending the night with him or she might not do it again for some time. After all, he had certainly enjoyed pleasuring her all night long.
“Everyone needs a proper night’s sleep,” Lady Evergreen retorted. “It’s simply a fact.” She turned her focus to her friend beside her as they began to discuss the details for the day. It gave Marcus the opportunity to have his breakfast plate served and to speak to Catherine more privately.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Marcus asked as he leaned towards her, his voice soft as he spoke.
“I am well, thank you,” Catherine said with a smile as she raised her eyes to him once more. “Not as sore as before.”
“I like the sound of that. Perhaps I should try harder next time,” he said with a smirk on his lips. She blushed once more, and Marcus thought it was the most beautiful sight to see how shy Catherine could become.
“I wouldn’t want you to injure yourself,” was Catherine’s witty retort, causing Marcus to cover his mouth as he laughed.
“Touché, my dear.”
Once the breakfast was finished and all had seemed to have their fill, the guests seemed to disperse throughout the manor. The women gathered in the drawing room, someone having mentioned that they would like to practice on the pianoforte. And the gentlemen wandered towards the parlour for their own entertainment and conversations of politics and business.
Finding it all rather boring, Marcus decided that he would rather find an opportunity to sneak Catherine away until they were needed for the brunch, followed by the ball itself. He therefore went to his study and withdrew a small piece of writing paper on which he scribbled down a quick note with his quill and ink. Then, he took it to Mr. Burg and asked him to have one of the footmen deliver it to Catherine.
“Certainly, My Lord,” Mr. Burg said with a bow and a smile on his lips. Excited about putting his plan into motion, Marcus ventured outside, taking a deep breath to enjoy a bit of fresh air. He made his way towards the stables, wanting to have his stallion ready and prepared by the time Catherine joined
him.
When Marcus had been a child, he had enjoyed learning to ride a horse for the first time. Though his father didn’t focus as much on his education than he had on Marvin’s, Marcus still had been able to pursue those things that interested him. One of which had already been horseback riding. Therefore, his father had acquired a master to help both his sons to learn to be proficient at riding a horse.