Seduced by the Dandy Lion

by Suzanne Quill

  She moved her hands to the tie of his robe at his waist, then gazed up as if needing permission. He nodded and was gratified to see her tug the belt free and peek down to his aroused manhood. “I want you, my love.”

  She lifted her gaze to his. “Yes.”

  He shed his robe, swept her up into his arms, and strode to his bed, the magnificent Elizabethan bed where generations of Saxtonby viscounts and Reignsfield earls had been conceived, and slid her between the silk of the sheets. Without hesitation, he climbed in with her and drew her closely to his chest. “Marianne, I swear, I promise to do everything in my power to keep you and our children safe and to provide you with every happiness for the rest of your life.”

  “Drew.” She rested her hand against the side of his face. “Since your return, I have never doubted you. It has only been myself who has had to resolve the dilemmas your absence had presented. If I am honest with myself, I know now that I would never have been truly happy with Robert. He is a good man and has been kind and steady to me but there has never been any heat, any passion, between us. Your return has made me face those doubts. Though I initially felt a loyalty to him because of his constancy and support, it is you who has given me the daughter I cherish, the lands I value, and the depth of love and passion I never knew I could possess.”

  “Marianne, I would give my life to protect and love you and our daughter.”

  He tightened his hold on her as he kissed her deeply and memorized every touch, every moment. Shifting slightly, his hands found their way over the warmth of her skin as it glowed from the firelight without and the burning of her passion from within.

  His lips left hers only to blaze a trail of wet kisses down her throat, over her ear, taking the lobe gently between his teeth and suckling the tender skin. He sighed contentedly when she gasped for breath and tightened her hold on him, her nails biting gently into his back.

  “Tonight, I will love you everywhere, Marianne.” His lips moved down to take a nipple into his mouth. Suckling, nibbling, her small gasps and the twinges of her body confirming she relished his attentions.

  He moved to the other breast to give it an equal share of intimate devotion.

  “Drew . . .” she whispered on a sigh.

  “Shhh . . . my love. There’s more.”

  Rubbing his hands against her skin to keep her warm and to savor the feel of her, he slid farther down in the bed. Gently he spread her legs and moved between them. But, despite his desperate desire to impale himself inside her, he slid his hands beneath her hips and raised her most intimate place to his mouth.

  He blew gently on the soft fur there and felt the shiver shudder through his wife’s body. He placed his lips against her skin, felt the warm wetness waiting for him, breathed in the musky scent of her that made his desire even more urgent.

  He ignored his own needs and, instead, placed his tongue against her core.

  She flinched wildly then her hands flew into his hair as she groaned, “Drew, what . . .”

  “No worries. Lay back and enjoy.” This time he laved her sensitive pearl with his tongue, licking and suckling, his hands holding her hips gently but firmly so her gyrating responses would not tear her from his grasp. He quickened his pace, deepened his explorations until his tongue teased between her nether lips and into that most intimate sheath.

  Her breathing rapid and heavy, Marianne called his name, tugged his hair. She was close, so close to her release. And, he swore she would have it before he took her.

  His tongue returned to her pearl and he suckled it once more, rewarded when her body tensed, her fingers ripped hairs from his head, and a sound escaped her lips that could be nothing less than a deep-throated moan of passion and release.

  He stopped, letting the after-glow take her for a few moments, before he moved over her and sheathed himself in the hot wetness he had created.

  He slid in easily, his shaft hard to bursting, relieved when she pulled him closer. “Yes,” she murmured in a sleepy voice. “Take me. I am yours.”

  So, he moved. Slowly at first, with ever increasing need, desire, passion, until he could hold back no longer. As her legs came up to wrap around his hips and he dived that much farther into the heat of her core, he lost himself totally as the universe expanded infinitely around them and her body contracted once again.

  As his wits slowly returned and he rolled to gather his sated, loving, beautiful wife into his arms he thought, truly, no man could ask for more than this in his life.

  Chapter 27

  Andrea blithely ran down the front steps of the manse calling, “Pony! Pony! My pony!” The large, deep rose bow in her hair bounced as she made her way to the little horse in her pretty, new riding habit.

  At the top of the steps Marianne turned her smiling face up to Drew. “You really know how to make that child happy, my lord.”

  Drew’s mouth twitched into a crooked grin. “And how about you, my lady?”

  Marianne felt the heat flush her face as thoughts of their lovemaking the prior evening rushed to mind. “Oh yes, my lord. Me, too.” Slightly embarrassed, she smoothed her hands down her new navy-blue riding ensemble, then raised a hand to check the stability of the little hat cocked on her head.

  Drew winked. “Glad to be of service. I remain at the ready whenever you desire. Shall we take to our horses?”

  Regaining her composure, the two of them sauntered down the steps. Drew introduced her to her new mare. “This is Honey. I think she’ll do you well to start. She’ll always return home no matter where you might get lost, and she’ll follow your lead when you give it.”

  Marianne tentatively stroked the mare’s mane. Honey snuffled and shook her head. Marianne tried not to jump back from the horse’s unexpected reaction.

  “Look, she likes you already.” Drew came up behind her and held out his hand.

  “Carrots?” Marianne returned to stroke the mare’s mane and enjoy its silkiness and sheen.

  Still holding out his hand, Drew said, “It never hurts to reinforce your friendship. Take one and offer it to her.” He placed a carrot into her outstretched, gloved hand.

  Marianne moved slightly forward and presented the carrot to her newest friend.

  The chestnut mare leaned over and gently took the treat from her hand. Marianne looked up at Drew, sharing her amazement with a broad grin.

  “Papa! Papa! Uppy!”

  Their attention broke away to their daughter who had been patiently standing next to her pony and petting it. The groom holding the reins paid close attention to both of his charges.

  “As you wish.” Leaving Marianne to her own activities, Drew walked over, lifted Andrea, and gently sat her astride her new pet.

  “Giddy up! Giddy up!” Andrea prodded her mount with little kicks to its sides, seemingly remembering her lessons from riding back in London.

  “You’re a natural,” her papa noted. “Mama’s not ready. Stay with the groom and walk around the courtyard until we get your mama set. You could also think of a name for her. She’s a girl pony, after all.”

  “Yes, Papa, a girl name. Giddy up, pony! Giddy up!”

  With his daughter settled and entertained he turned back to Marianne. She followed Drew as he walked around the front of the horse and pulled on this strap and that, making sure all was well. On the far side, he turned to her as he tugged on a strap that lead from the saddle down to below the horse’s belly. “This is the balancing strap, Marianne. Its purpose is to keep the sidesaddle straight on the top of the mount while you ride, as most of your weight will be on the other side.”

  Continuing to the left side, he turned back to her once again. “All right, my lady, up you go.” With no effort, Drew hoisted her up onto the sidesaddle. “Marianne, this is the very latest equipage for a lady to ride sidesaddle. I sent to London especial
ly for it as soon as I realized you needed to learn to ride. So first position your right leg over the head or pommel near the top of the saddle.” He gently reached for her ankle.

  As she glanced down at his forwardness, she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Drew wiggled his eyebrows and leered. Marianne could not contain her giggle. With his help, she placed her right knee over the appropriate pommel.

  He continued. “Next, we need to place your left leg beneath the leaping head here and put your foot in the stirrup.” As he spoke, Drew positioned her left leg and foot. “Can you feel the security of that? I know it must feel awkward, but you will get used to it. And, this new saddle style will give you ever so much more control over the horse than the older style without the leaping pommel. In fact, one day we’ll have you jumping over fences.”

  “I’m not sure I want to think about that at this very moment, Drew. Let us just get me riding and not falling off the horse for now.”

  Drew chuckled. He took the reins and a sidesaddle cane, a thirty-inch stick made of horn and having a gilt knob at its head, from the groom who had been patiently holding them all the while. He placed one rein in her right hand, the other in her left, then showed her how to entwine them between her fingers. Finally, he gave her the cane. “Marianne, keep this in your right hand to help control the mare since you have no leg on the far side. You are set. How does it feel?”

  Marianne jiggled a little in the saddle, tugged gently on the reins, repositioned the cane more comfortably in her right hand. “Well, I can’t say it feels natural but at least I don’t feel as if I might fall off at any moment.”

  “Good. Let’s walk you around the courtyard.” Drew nodded to the groom who proceeded to lead Marianne’s horse in circles in front of the manse.

  “Look, Mama, we’re riding!” The glee in her daughter’s voice helped to instill confidence in her. If her three-year-old could master riding, surely she could, too.

  They were still practicing when the head groom drove a well-used cabriolet, its hood up, a sturdy if somewhat aged, dappled grey steed pulling it around the manor house. Simultaneously, the front door opened, discharging Robert onto the manor steps. He hesitated there and seemed to survey the activities below him, then stalked down to the bottom.

  Marianne, who had been practicing her control of her mare with the reins, pulled up before her friend. “Robert, you are leaving?” She clearly felt unsure whether her voice portrayed relief or disappointment.

  Robert glared up at her. “I should say. Just look at the goings on here. You’re riding a horse, for goodness sake. Whatever for? You certainly don’t need one in town. We’ve always made do comfortably in my gig. Really, Marianne, I just do not understand what has come over you. When you are done with this foolishness here and return to London, please let me know so we can pick up where we left off.”

  With that, Robert stalked over to his cabriolet and grabbed the reins from the waiting head groom, who bowed cordially despite Robert’s rudeness. Robert clambered up into the vehicle, snapped the reins, and the horse took off at a lumbering trot.

  “Well, really.” Marianne mumbled to herself as Robert’s conveyance trundled down the road. She leaned over to pat her mare’s mane, then tapped Honey’s flanks gently with her cane to continue practicing her riding skills.

  ~ ~ ~

  The rest of the day proceeded smoothly. Marianne and Andrea practiced riding in the courtyard for quite some time, then Drew mounted his steed, a black hunter named Midnight, and took them on an amble in the nearby fields.

  As they came over a rise, the beauty of Britain spread out before them. With summer fast approaching, the fields could not be more magnificent with their wildflowers in full bloom. Bright red poppies, spikey purple foxglove, rich pink dog roses, and an endless quantity of dandelions.

  Andrea shrieked with glee. “Pick flowers, mama? Pick flowers for Miss Jane and my room? Please.”

  Marianne looked at Drew. “I don’t see any reason why not. We have no pressing commitments, after all.” He dismounted, then came around to take first Marianne, then Andrea down from their saddles.

  No sooner did her feet touch the ground than Andrea stooped here and there to collect blossoms. Marianne followed her. “Make sure you get a longer stem, little one, so we can put them in water. There’s a group of poppies over there.” Marianne pointed before she arranged the growing bouquet in her daughter’s hands.

  While Andrea continued her quest, Marianne bent to pluck a bright yellow flower by its base. When she rose, Drew stood next to her. “This flower is just what you are.” She tucked the stem through one of his unused buttonholes.

  “How so?” Drew caught her hands in his.

  “It’s a dandelion. You left me as the dandy of the town. You must know your sobriquet at the time was Dandy Andy. Then you returned to me as the lion. Your mane of richly colored hair, your strong body, your grace, your self-confidence, have all made you king of the jungle, or at least the cause célèbre of the ton. The men are now emulating you. I believe one or two have even set off to sea. And the women are enamored of you. The married ones wish they had taken you when they could. The single ones hope you’ll divorce me so they can vie for your attentions.”

  Drew kissed the knuckles of one hand then the other. “How do you know such things? What do they even matter?”

  “Vanessa, Lady Summersborne, keeps me informed of all things ton. And you have made her a convert. Despite the fact that she introduced me to Robert, she is definitely in your camp, the Dandy Lion Camp. She even told me if I gave you up, she would happily pursue you. Though I can’t imagine Vanessa ever needing to pursue anyone.”

  Drew placed her hands on his shoulders. “I am your Dandy Lion, my love. Should you ever give me up, I will wilt and die like this flower in my lapel will without water.”

  He took her lips with his in that slow possession that he had mastered in such a way as to make her knees weak and her heart flutter. Yes, he was her Dandy Lion now and she would not give him up for anything or anyone.

  A small hand tugging on her skirts broke the intimacy of the moment.

  “Mama, see all my flowers.”

  Releasing her, Drew picked up their little flower girl. “They are beautiful, my little one. What say you that we go home and put them in water?”

  “Yes, Papa. They need water.”

  Upon returning home, Mrs. Stokes provided small vases to make the bouquets. Centering one of the miniature arrangements on the table in the morning room, the threesome settled in for a quiet luncheon. Replete with Chef Jacques’ fine meal, Marianne carried Andrea, tired from the morning’s riding excursions, up to the nursery and tucked her in for a much-needed nap.

  Motherly duties completed, Marianne went in search of her husband. However, it was Mrs. Stokes she found in the library dusting the book spines.

  “Have you seen the earl?” Marianne took a moment to look over the titles the housekeeper and one of the parlor maids were carefully removing from the shelves, dusting off all sides, and replacing back into their slots.

  Mrs. Stokes turned her attention on Marianne. “Not for some while. He headed out in the direction of the playhouse shortly after we came in here to dust. We offered to come back at a later time, but he said we should have at it and left after asking if the small cottage still stood. I assured him it did and remained in good order, too. Green, the head gardener, has always made the cottage and its surrounding garden a pet project.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know there was a cottage. Please tell me how to find it.” Marianne paid close attention to the given directions and made her way to follow her husband.

  Within fifteen minutes, she stood by a white picket gate left ajar as if inviting her to enter. The slightly ramshackle building, surrounded by the most beautiful patch of perennials from which any gardener would l
ove to reap a bouquet, sat quiet but welcoming in its lush setting.

  At the door, she tapped respectfully.

  “Come.”

  She smiled as Drew’s voice bade her enter. Turning the knob, she found the one-room cottage clean but littered with a few toys from an earlier era, a rocking horse, an incomplete set of ninepins, a few tops, and others. A table and two chairs sat before the unlit hearth. One chair had Drew’s jacket hung over its top rail. At its leg, his riding boots, one now on its side, lay carelessly abandoned.

  “You’ve found me.”

  Marianne looked up and spied her husband sitting in some kind of hanging fabric, one foot on the ground pushing him back and forth. His fine linen shirt collar open displaying a small patch of the thick fur on his chest, his sleeves unbuttoned at the cuff and rolled up to the elbows, he looked relaxed and content in a space he probably knew well. “Were you lost?”

  Sunlight streamed in from the nearby window enhancing the red and gold highlights in his hair. The smile on his face devastated her as he held out his hand.

  “What in the world are you sitting on? Or is it in?” She walked over to place her hand in his.

  “It’s a hammock. This is what we slept in on board every ship I sailed. Although this particular one is much finer fabric than the rough canvas slings we used. I picked this one up in the Caribbean. Wellingford helped me hang it a few days ago.” He turned sideways, put his other foot on the wood floor. “It’s quite comfortable so I am used to being in one. Here, sit down.” He made a space for her.

  Even without her corset and having more ease to her movements, she did not feel secure when she sat in the sling, despite how it conformed to her bottom.

  Drew pushed on one foot and the contraption shifted a little, as if it were a swing.

  “This is very strange, Drew. It feels like it must move constantly.” Marianne grabbed on to the edges.