There had been no suggestion of the Baron not attending the wedding, even after all he had done. He was her father, after all. Letitia knew she would come to regret it if he were not in attendance.
There was the fact, too, that high society would be watching. And if Letitia were to walk down the aisle without her father at her side, it would be sure to set the ton’s tongues wagging. And what the ton thought of his family, Letitia knew painfully well, was of utmost importance to her father. She would not deny him the opportunity to give her away, however much a part of her wanted to.
Her eyes alighted on her father, then shifted back to her lady’s maid. “You can leave us now, Jenny,” she murmured. “Thank you for all your help.”
Jenny bobbed a curtsey, then scrambled from the room, visibly relieved to be excused.
Letitia looked back at her father. He gave her a faint smile that she couldn’t bring herself to return.
She and the Baron had spoken few words since she had learned of his betrayal.
He took a tentative step into her bedroom. “Letitia,” he coughed. “You look beautiful. Truly.”
She managed a nod of thanks.
“Thank you for allowing me this honor,” he said, his voice wavering. “I know I don’t deserve it.”
In spite of herself, Letitia offered him a small smile. Though she had a long way to go before she could trust her father again, she did not want any bitterness between them. Not today.
“The carriage is waiting,” said the Baron, offering her his arm. “Shall we?”
* * *
Once, Algernon Fletcher had been sure he would never be happy again. Once, he had been so engulfed in grief that the thought of ever loving again— or even smiling again— had felt as far away as the moon.
But as he watched his new bride make her way down the aisle, his heart was swelling with joy.
Letitia was a vision in a pale blue gown, tiny diamonds glittering at her neck. Algernon had thought her perfect when she was running around his kitchen in a food-stained apron. Now she looked simply angelic.
He pulled his eyes from Letitia for a moment, to exchange glances with Harriet. His daughter was sitting in a pew at the front of the church, her legs swinging excitedly and an enormous grin on her face.
At hearing Letitia was to become her step-mother, Harriet had exploded into excited shrieks and flung her arms around them both.
“Aren’t you glad I ran away to the market?” she had asked Algernon that night, flashing him her cheekiest grin.
And he had to admit that more than a little part of him was.
* * *
Letitia climbed into the carriage beside Algernon and Harriet, sweeping the silky length of her wedding gown around her legs. The day had been wonderful, but all she wanted now was to disappear with her husband and step-daughter and begin her new life.
She peered out the window and frowned. “Where are we going?” she asked. “This isn’t the way back to the manor.”
Algernon smiled, exchanging furtive glances with his daughter.
“We’re going on a trip!” Harriet announced.
“A trip? Where?” Letitia’s heart fluttered. She felt as excited as a child.
Algernon slid his hand through hers and kissed her neck. “Wait and see.”
Letitia smiled. “I’ve had almost enough of waiting,” she murmured, her lips close to his ear.
Algernon chuckled. “It will be worth the wait, my love. I promise.”
When the carriage slowed to a halt, the sun had drooped beneath the horizon. Letitia had not even noticed the night approaching.
She smiled to herself.
I rode the carriage in the dark and I was not the slightest bit afraid.
As she stepped out of the coach, she could see they had arrived outside a large, ornately decorated hotel. Lamps flickered above the doorway and glittered behind many of the windows.
Algernon took her arms and led her up the front path, Harriet racing along ahead of them.
They were led up to their rooms; a large gilded suite for Letitia and Algernon, and the smaller room beside it for Harriet.
“Time for bed,” Algernon told his daughter. “It’s been a long day.”
Harriet nodded, suddenly weary now they had arrived at their destination. She kissed each of them, before disappearing obediently into her bedroom.
Letitia stood in the center of the suite, letting out her breath. An enormous canopied bed stretched out into the middle of the room, surrounded by thick blue curtains.
She felt a smile in the corner of her lips. Soon, she would lie in this bed and give herself to her husband. Soon, she would truly become Algernon Fletcher’s wife.
He stood close, pressing his lips into her neck. Letitia sighed softly.
“Soon,” he murmured. “There’s something I want to do first.” He took Letitia’s hand and led her back out of the hotel. With his arm wrapped around her, they walked along the dark street towards a gentle sighing that was coming from nearby.
“Listen,” said Algernon, close to her ear. “Do you hear it?”
Letitia stopped walking. She held her breath. She listened intently. A rhythmic inhalation. She gasped, as the realization struck her. “Is that…?”
Algernon kissed her chin. “Yes. The sea.”
She grinned, her eyes straining to reach through the thick darkness. “I wish I could see it.”
Algernon grinned. In the faint glow of the lamps outside the hotel, Letitia could see his eyes shining. “I always liked arriving in new places at night,” he said. “There’s something magical about waking up in a new place and seeing your surroundings for the first time.”
Letitia’s smile broadened. Tomorrow she would wake up beside the sea. And she would wake up beside her husband.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy.
She pressed her lips hard against Algernon’s. He slid his arms around her, pulling her close. At once, the kiss deepened. His cheek was cold against hers, his tongue hot as it tangled with her own.
Letitia grabbed hold of his coat. There were too many layers between them. Too much standing between his body and her own. She slid her hands inside his coat, trying to reach more of him. It felt as though her heart was beating between her legs.
Algernon kissed her again, hungrily, his sudden urgency making Letitia’s legs weak.
“Let’s go inside,” he managed between kisses.
The moment they were back inside their room, Algernon tore at the hooks of Letitia’s cloak and tossed it across the room. His fingers worked feverishly at the row of buttons Jenny had so carefully fastened that morning.
Tear at them, Letitia wanted to say. And yet there was something dizzying about the anticipation, the suspense, the waiting. Something breathless about this final wait.
Finally, when she thought she would cry out with frustration, Algernon released the last button and tugged the silk gown from her shoulders. He pressed his lips into the bare skin of her neck, then spun her around, covering her mouth with his own.
Letitia reached out boldly and yanked the coat from his shoulders. Her hands dove beneath his shirt, making a throaty groan escape his lips.
He kissed her hard, tugging at her underskirts and shift until she stood naked before him.
Letitia heard herself breathe hard. She had never felt so exposed, so vulnerable, so dizzy with desire. Just a few short months ago, the thought of baring herself so physically, so emotionally would have filled her with terror. But she wanted Algernon to see every inch of her, inside and out.
He cupped one breast with both his hands and lowered his lips onto it. Letitia felt a moan rise from deep inside her. She pressed a hand to her mouth, in a vain attempt to keep the sound inside.
Algernon tugged her hand away. “No,” he whispered, his voice thick with desire. “I want to hear you.”
“What of Harriet?” Letitia breathed.
“Harriet could sleep through a hurricane.” Algernon slid his hand t
hrough hers and tugged her towards the bed. He lay her gently on the mattress and knelt over her, pulling off his shirt as he did so.
Letitia ran her hands along the flat plane of his stomach. Her fingers locked around his arms and she tugged him down towards her. He wanted his lips on every part of her, exploring, making sounds come from her she had not believed herself capable of.
He kissed at every inch of her exposed skin; her breasts, her stomach, the tops of her thighs. He kissed until she was panting and writhing, her arousal dampening the sheets beneath her. It wasn’t enough. She clutched at him desperately, pulling him close.
“I want you,” she breathed. “I want all of you. Right now. I can’t wait any longer.”
She felt his lips turn up against her neck. He unlaced his breeches and slid himself out of them, heat radiating from his body. Letitia’s hands tightened around his arms. His eyes met hers in the pearly lamplight.
Letitia heard herself moan as he pushed against her opening. And then he was filling her, stretching her, making her breath leave her. Her fingers tensed. For a second there was a flash of pain; a pain so intertwined with pleasure that she wanted more of it. She heard a sound come from inside her, a half-gasp, half-cry.
Algernon’s nose grazed hers. “Are you all right?” he breathed. “Did I hurt you?”
Letitia covered his mouth with hers, needing to be entwined with him in as many ways as possible. “No,” she said breathlessly. “I know nothing you do will ever hurt me.”
She felt him move inside her, slowly at first, then faster, more urgent. She heard his breath quicken, heard groans of desire escape his lips.
And Letitia felt her own pleasure building, building. She felt at once both faraway and acutely present. Felt her body begin to tremble as the fire inside her threatened to explode.
She heard herself cry out as the wave of pleasure engulfed her. Felt herself go tense, then limp in Algernon’s arms. Moments later, she heard his own cries, close to her ear, as he too collapsed in exhausted exhilaration. She could feel him pulsing inside her, felt the hot weight of him as he lowered his body over hers. Felt the steady thump of his heart as it beat fast beside her own.
* * *
Letitia awoke entangled in her husband’s arms, his skin warm against hers. She couldn’t stop the enormous smile spreading across her face.
This is to be my life now. Every morning I will wake beside the gentleman I love.
She had read of countless happy endings in her story books, but none of them had been anything compared to this. The real world, Letitia was learning, was dizzyingly and painfully beautiful.
She glanced up at the window. The thick crimson curtains had been drawn. Beyond them, she knew, was the ocean. A thing she had dreamed of seeing for so much of her life.
She slipped out of bed and pulled on her shift, then tiptoed towards the window. She reached towards the curtain.
“Stop.”
Algernon’s voice behind her made her start. She spun around, a grin on her face. She felt like a child who had been caught with her hands in the biscuit jar.
He sat up in bed, pulling on his shirt and breeches. “I want to watch you,” he said with a smile. “I want to see your reaction.” He joined her at the window and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed his lips into her neck. “Go on.”
Letitia pulled back the curtains. And there was the ocean.
She let out her breath. It was far more beautiful than she had ever dared imagine; a rolling plain of blues and grays, reaching endlessly past the horizon. The morning sun skimmed off the water, making it look leathery in places. Curls of white water broke against the pebbles of the beach.
“It’s incredible,” she breathed. “It’s so incredible.”
She turned abruptly as the door clicked open. Harriet came bounding towards them, her blonde hair tangled around her shoulders.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” she gushed, pressing her forehead against the glass.
Letitia bent to kiss the top of her head. “It certainly is.”
Harriet looked up at her father. “Can we go for a walk along the seaside after breakfast, Papa?” She turned to Letitia and grinned. “Perhaps we might even find a pirate king with a ship we can escape on.”
Letitia took a step closer to Algernon, feeling his arm slide around her shoulder. “I’ve no need to run away on a pirate ship,” she said with a smile. “I have everything I could ever dream of right here beside me.”
The End?
Extended Epilogue
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Bewitching the Forbidden Duke
About the Book
She never really craved attention, until she tasted his…
Melissa Alford, youngest daughter of the Duke of Greyfield, has always been the black sheep of her family. When her mother arranges a betrothal for her older sister, her life changes in the most unexpected way.
Patrick Dutton, Marquess of Bergon, takes pride in being a very responsible young gentleman. But even though his word is his bond, he immediately falls for the rebellious, youngest daughter of the Duke instead of his intended, whom he finds completely dull.
When Melissa suddenly disappears into the woods, people realize this is not one of her usual games. With wolves as the least of her problems, Patrick is determined to find her before the night is out.
Soon it becomes apparent that someone is behind the disappearance and that the key to the riddle just might lie in a birthmark...
Chapter 1
A Birthday Mix-Up
Melissa Alford was up with the birds, as she was wont to do, on the day of her birthday ball. Leaping out of bed, she put on her shoes before slipping out the door and down the back stairs. As expected, Brynn was waiting at the bottom with a hot cup of ale and a plaid shawl for Melissa to wrap around her head.
She led Melissa to the mews where they saddled two horses and took off for Convent Garden, Brynn’s basket looped securely over her arm. They would get to the market just as the fresh produce was arriving and then Brynn would do the day’s shopping; picking two bundles a penny, primroses to put in a vase in the hall, perhaps some fried eels for breakfast. They might get a pint of milk, another of ale, and a bushel of apples.
Melissa never knew exactly the shopping list they were going for, but she loved to accompany Brynn on these early morning runs. It was the only time she felt free as nobody knew nor cared who she was beneath her coverings. As the youngest child of The Duke of Greyfield, a great and powerful gentleman, it was difficult to go anywhere without immediately becoming the center of attention.
So, she tucked her dark hair under the shawl and hid her warm complexion from the casual gaze. Her hazel eyes looked hither and thither, taking in all the sights as they peeked mischievously from the tip of the cashmere wool covering her face.
She knew that she only got away with her escapades because there was no way that her mother would rise before ten in the morning and neither would her sister, Rose. Melissa cherished these few hours of freedom, where she did not have to listen to her mother harping on about her faults and failings. She could simply be nothing more than a girl of nine and ten with nothing to do but sit by her friend as she purchased the household produce.
They arrived back at Greyfield House just as her father was stirring. They stood back as footmen hurried up the stairs bearing hot water for The Duke’s morning ablutions. As soon as they were gone, Melissa hurried to the back stairs and crept back up to her room. Diving under the covers, she closed her eyes and feigned sleep.
Not three hours later, she was roughly shaken by B
rynn, only then realizing that her pretense of sleep had become reality.
“Wha…?” she mumbled as she jerked awake.
“Her Grace says for you to join her in the library now, My Lady. She has the dressmaker come to do last fittings.” Brynn hissed in her ear.
Melissa felt irritation burn at her craw. “Last fittings? Why? Does she expect I have gained weight in the three days since we got the gowns?”
“I’m sure I don’t know, My Lady. Are you going to go or do you want to wait for her to come for you herself? You know that she will.”
Devilish Games 0f A Virtuous Lady (Steamy Historical Romance) Page 28