“I didn't think I needed them. In fact, I bet you I can get you to moan and beg me to make love to you without them.”
All teasing aside, she couldn’t deny his words. She would beg him. She would moan his name and she would submit. Just like every time he was in the room. This was the man that made her tremble with need. She ached and hungered to be touched, to be loved. At the moment, she could only think a single thought. All she wanted was her husband's mouth on her. Now. Intense lust swept over her and carried her adrift in his embrace. How little she really knew him; how badly she wanted him. This man, this sensual man, was holding her, ready to love her and she wanted this feeling to last forever.
His mouth was a breath from hers. He brushed his lips across hers softly. Then he plunged into her mouth, seeking for satisfaction in that union. He wanted to touch her everywhere. Their wet, naked bodies were so close. All he would have to do would be to carry her to the sand, lay her back, and seek his pleasure in her body. Wanting to make it last, wanting to seduce his wife, he curled his big hands around her breasts, teasing her nipples into a fevered peak. Then his hand slipped lower to find her pleasure point. When he found it buried in her soft curls, he seduced it with his clever fingers, teasing and whirling until she arched against his hand.
Still concentrating his efforts in one spot, he decided to drive her over the edge by slipping one finger into her wetness. He moaned when he found her ready for him. Broken words followed urgent hands. He caressed, she demanded. He kissed, she teased. The sensual give and take drove them both to the brink. Anne had never felt so decadent, so sensual. Pulling him closer, feeling his lips, she shuddered. Picking her up easily, he carried her to the bed of sand next to the waterfall. Threading his fingers through hers, he pushed her back on the soft beach.
A tight, hot ball of desire exploded in her belly, sending shock waves of need to her core. Fire erupted from her hands, her mouth, her being. A woman possessed, following all her instincts, she kissed and caressed until she felt his urgency match hers. Joining their bodies, he ended the sweet torture and brought her to a thundering climax. Anne cried out her release, Alex following closely behind.
They lay entwined for a minute or two, still too drowsy to move or speak.
Anne was shaken once again by the heat between them. On unsteady limbs, she
dressed with Alex's help. They returned to their bedchamber to bathe and dress for
dinner. Later that night, as they lay in each others arms, Anne had a thought so
disturbing she wanted to deny it so loudly that even her foolish heart would hear. No
doubt about it. She was head-over-heels in love with Alexander Montgomery, Earl of
Redbridge. Her husband. Oh God.
******
After the wedding feast, the guest came to a silent agreement that they wouldn't talk
about much of anything unless it was polite chit chat.
Oblivious to the guests' discomfort with each other were the newlyweds, who couldn't think about anything but getting back to bed as quickly as possible.
The afternoon before the grand ball, Jack decided to seek out Alex. He had given his friend enough time to spend with his wife and now he needed to get to the business of his brother. While Alex was enjoying the pleasures of matrimony, Jack and Charles had tried to come up with some answers about Chris' disappearance and Phillip's murder.
Jack paced restlessly in his suite. He had sent for Alex almost an hour ago. Where the hell was he?
Just then a tap sounded on the door.
Jack tried to keep calm as he answered tersely, “Come in.”
Alex poked his head in, a Cheshire grin on his face. Jack took in his state of dress...or rather, undress, and sighed.
“So, Alex, having fun tonight?”
“Sorry, we were getting ready for the party.”
“I'll bet,” Jack said through narrowed eyes. He was tempted to throw something at Alex. Like his fist.
“Sorry, Jack, really.”
Alex continued about with that annoying grin on his face.
“Look, Alex, we have business,” he reminded his friend.
“Yeah, I know. We'll get to it after the party. The Barnsley's will be here and I'll bet we can corner them during the next few days. They will be staying on the Roberts' plantation. You know, the north side of the neighboring island?” Alex asked as if Jack had no idea where the Roberts' plantation was located.
Jack sighed heavily, “Yes, I know. But I don't want to wait for information from the Barnsleys or the man you put in New Orleans. I'm going, with or without you.”
Serious now, Alex tried to convince his friend to wait until after the wedding reception.
“Just wait a day or two. If we can't get any information, then I'll go with you.”
“No, I'm going now. I appreciate that you are now a married man and you have to think about your wife, but I have got to think of my brother. Someone has to.”
Puzzled, Alex assured him he was thinking about Chris.
“No, you're not. It's just that you were so focused when you left here. Then I hear about Phillip and I assume we are going to go seek our revenge. But Anne...Well, she's a distraction. Don't get me wrong, I love Anne as I would a sister, I just think we need to leave her out of this and go get my brother back. I just question your priorities at this moment. Your brother would have wanted you to avenge his murder.”
That did it. Alex swung his fist in the air and connected soundly with Jack’s jaw.
He stumbled and came up growling but with mirth in his eyes. Jack knew him too well, knew all the buttons to push.
“Good, feel better? Now, let's go to New Orleans!” Jack laughed.
“You know I cannot,” Alex said quietly.
“Come on, get it together. We have a job to do. You can leave tonight after you make your appearance at the ball. Then we can cite business and leave. It's the truth.”
“You said you understood about my commitment to my wife. But you don't know, do you? You couldn't possibly know. You're not married. It's been years since Abigail. Why can't you forget it and move on?” Alex prodded.
It was Jack’s turn to swing. Alex could have deflected the blow, but he
welcomed the pain exploding behind his eye. It was the only way they could get through
to each other. Alex decided he didn’t want to do this with Jack. He was too good a
friend.
He laughed, but not merrily.
“Let’s not do this right now, much as I’d love to sport.”
“Good idea,” Jack said, but Alex could tell he was still angry.
A knock sounded at the door before discussion could continue. Alex went to the door,
disheveled as he still was since leaving Anne and their attempt at dressing for the ball.
He smiled to himself. More like undressing!
To add to his appearance, his eye was beginning to darken. He must look like a wild
animal.
If the butler thought the same, he did not say. He simply handed his master a note,
bowed, and quickly left.
“What is it?” Jack was more than curious.
“My man in Louisiana says he received a note. Curiously, it contained no ransom
demands, just a lot of threats. But he says he got hold of a street urchin
who saw something. They followed the lead and got an informant. Friend of the
kidnapper. He has been helpful. They know a gentleman hired him, but they don't know
who he was.”
“Dammit, we should ready ourselves to travel, then,” Jack exploded.
“No, this bloody missive is at least a fortnight old. We have no idea what has
happened. We need more information.”
“Yes, it is a fortnight old. That means your man has probably flushed out the
gentleman. We need to strike now so that we can get Chris back.”
“No, now is not the time
. We need to be careful, here. If I tip off Barnsley that I
know, we could mess up this whole operation. Then we might never get Chris back.”
“But if we wait, he could die,” Jack pleaded.
Tempers were flaring again and they were treading on a fine line. This was a true test
of their friendship. Both had much at stake. Jack took a different approach, trying to
appeal to Alex's logic.
“Alex, how much more information will be enough?” Jack asked quietly.
“Just more!” Alex snapped.
Since there was no reasoning with Alex, Jack bid him good night, but could not help
thinking that they would never get Chris back. Or solve Phillip's murder.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Sometimes love possesses us to do things we would not normally do.”
The furniture in the dinning room and the parlor had been moved so that a room would be large enough to hold all the guests. With the arrival so many new faces, Anne's head was a whirlwind of interesting people, most of whom she forgot their names as soon as she was introduced to the next person.
One name she did learn quickly happened to be Julia Kent, a pleasant, shy girl from Charleston, South Carolina. Her father was a shipping magnate and she was his only daughter. The two quickly became friends, and, inevitably, the conversation turned towards the Earl of Redbridge. Julia had heard of him, for his name had been spoken in her household often. Anne had been separated from her husband at least an hour ago and, despite her numerous efforts to find him, could not locate her husband in the sea of people. When he had returned from speaking with Jack, his eye was tender and red. She had tried to ask him about it, but he had waved her questions off, laughing at his current state. When she saw that Jack's jaw was purple and swelled, she knew better than to pursue the subject. Neither man tried to hide his injuries for the party and no one dared ask.
Anne tried her best to bury her disappointment and the temporary separation from her spouse. This was her wedding reception, after all, and she would not have another one. Instead, she concentrated on learning everything she could about her new friend.
As the young ladies made their way to the small refreshment table, Julia suddenly froze.
Anne picked up the change in her friend right away.
“My dear, Julia, are you ill?”
Julia's voice was barely a whisper, “No, I-I am fine.”
Anne followed her gaze to the opposite end of the table. She saw several gentleman surrounding a gorgeous blond. She was laughing and flirting shamelessly. Anne noted the woman's petite stature and tiny waist. In short, a goddess.
“Who is that?” Now it was Anne's turn to whisper. Anne had always considered herself nice-looking. Her light brown hair and blue eyes were considered an attractive combination. She was of a medium height and had a generous bosom and healthy hips. Her rounded cheeks were always rosy. Looking at the beauty ten feet away, she felt very fat.
“That is the Duchess of Barnsley, my cousin.”
“Oh, then we should go say hello.” Anne wanted to meet everyone at her party and she did not want to be rude.
“No, I, um, don't want to,” Julia stammered, quickly averting her eyes downward.
“Why ever not, if she is a relation?”
Julia looked Anne in the eye again and spoke through clenched teeth.
“We may be blood, but we have never been family.”
Anne sensed even more hostility than Julia was showing. She wondered what could have happened to cause her quiet friend to react this way.
Julia led Anne away from the refreshment table.
As the pair left the table sipping their lemonade in companionable silence, Anne wondered what could have transpired between the pair. She would not rush her new friend into revealing anything about herself she wasn't comfortable discussing.
Anne tried to steer the subject back to something pleasant, “When do you return to Charleston?”
“Probably not until October or November. I am to stay with my cousin in New Orleans until then,” Julia said bitterly.
Julia spoke of the Duchess with a somber expression, as if the mention of her name was heartbreaking.
“My cousin has never been a nice person,” she finally explained.
Anne waited for Julia to continue and she wasn't disappointed.
“I always hated what she did to your husband.”
Anne turned stunned eyes onto her friend, “What?”
“The Duchess was once courted by the Earl of Redbridge. Didn't you know?”
“No, I had no idea,” jealous shards of ice flowed through her veins but Anne took a calming breath and asked Julia to continue.
“The Duchess of Barnsley and the Earl of Redbridge, well, he was just Alexander Montgomery at the time, were courting her first season. He loved her very much, I heard. But, she threw him over to marry Barnsley. He had the title, and, of course, Montgomery did not.”
“Oh, poor Alex,” Anne's heart broke for her husband.
Julia nodded in assent.
“Shortly thereafter, he went to India and was wounded terribly. Then he disappeared for a while. I know there are rumors about his whereabouts, but I do not know the particulars. I only know that she broke his heart because she wanted the title, power, and money.”
“He was in Spain,” Anne said absently, remembering the puckered scars on his left thigh that prompted her questioning of their existence. He had related his war stories to her and his recovery in Spain with his uncle.
Her new friend seemed to so kind and sympathetic that they took to each other instantly. They chatted a while, until Anne had to mingle with her other guests. Silently observing her new friend from other parts of the ballroom, she listened to the chatter closely to determine what others were saying about her. From the gossip, she managed to put the puzzle together. Julia was painfully shy and she had trouble finding suitors. She did have a few but she was so nervous around them, that she never said too much. Most of them took that for snobbery and decided she wasn't worth it. She was pretty, but not a diamond of the first water, and, therefore, not worth the effort. But Anne could see her new friend was worth the effort of probing under the surface.
*********
Taking a visual sweep of the “ballroom”, Anne felt a great sense of excitement. Everywhere she looked were gentlemen and ladies dressed in their finest attire. The women sparkled with their exquisite adornments; the men looked dashing in their dress attire. Anne had loved her happy life in country, had tolerated London, but she found everything about her island home absolutely wonderful. She laughed at herself for ever worrying about her husband taking her so far from home. She laughed at that too. She was home.
One thing that Anne did not like was was empty conversation with empty-headed people. Wealth did not buy intelligence, as she was quickly learning. She could hardly blame the poor debutantes; it was all they were ever taught. From the moment they were old enough to understand, they were drilled with two life lessons. One was that they were merely eye candy for eligible and non-eligible gentleman and two was that too much education led to too much thinking. And a pretty prize did not need to think. Her father had always encouraged her to read and think and, by some miracle, her mother had agreed, but most others were not so lucky.
Tonight, the same mindless conversations went 'round and 'round until Anne was nauseated with it. Anne was sure she would lose the contents of her stomach, small as it was, if one more person commented on the rain in London. Funny thing, most of these people did not live in London.
Besides, it had always rained in London, it would always rain in London, so why must everyone discuss it in such detail? Rain was rain and there was no getting around the weather. Apparently, there was no getting around the dreadful discussion of it.
Anne stood with her mother, who was amiably chatting with a Miss Prunella Ramsay, of a neighboring island plantation. They were droning on about how hot the w
eather had been. Anne politely nodded, only half-listening. What was there to hear in this conversation? Anne prayed someone would ask her to dance as the small orchestra struck the first notes of a new tune. No one approached, and she was disappointed that she was to remain in this mundane group.
She scanned the crowd, desperately trying to find her husband, desperate to find a way out of this hell. As luck would have it, Alex, indeed, came to her rescue.
Just as Anne was about to die of boredom, she spotted him. He saw her too and moved through the crowd with surprising speed. Lord, but he is handsome! Anne thought. He was wearing black silk pants and a silk jacket but it was his waistcoat that drew her eye. It was the same beautiful emerald as his eyes. The color made him stand out in the crowd. Of course, there was more to it than just his choice of attire. She wasn't sure if it was his dark features or his broad shoulders or his taller frame, but he looked so dashing. She shivered.
Once at her side, pleasantries were exchanged all around. Alex politely kissed Miss Ramsay's hand and bowed smartly. He turned to Sophia and requested permission to dance with his wife. He knew he needed none but, for the sake of pleasing his mother-in-law, he would do it. Permission given, he took Anne's hand in the crook of his elbow. And just like that, he had succeeded in aiding her escape. She thanked him and smiled. When he asked why she had thanked him, she told him of the dreadful conversations.
“You have my sympathies. I understand the monotony. One of the many reasons I escaped myself. I never have big, formal gatherings like this here. In London, they are too frequent to miss.”
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