The Cinder Earl's Christmas Deception

by Em Taylor

  “Why?”

  “I will see what he has done to you.”

  “Gabriel, it is only bruising. And it was my fault. Had I not…”

  “What? Had you not what, Kathleen? Resisted him? What then? The Duke of Kirkbourne may not have been able to save you. He should not have been manhandling you.”

  “Unlike you now.”

  He stopped and Kathleen immediately regretted her sharp unthinking words. He dropped her arm and took a step back.

  “I apologise, my lady. You have your maid with you. You are safe to walk back home with her.”

  “Gabriel, you know I did not mean…”

  “Good day to you, Lady Cindermaine.” He tugged at the brim of his hat and turned to leave.

  “Please do not leave like this, Gabriel. I apologise for my words. They were unkind and unforgivable.”

  He stopped. “Nothing is unforgivable. Please let me see the damage my brother has done to you.”

  Kathleen let out a resigned sigh and moved to place her hand on his arm. “Fine. I shall if I must.”

  He placed her hand on his sleeve and started walking again in the direction he had been leading her before. Soon they were at the Serpentine and standing outside a small boating hut. Gabriel turned Kathleen, reached under her bonnet and removed one of her hairpins.

  “My Lord!” she exclaimed.

  Gabriel did not answer her. Instead, he took the pin and used it to fiddle with the lock until with a grunt of victory he opened the door.

  Surreptitiously, he looked around, then held out his hand to her. “Can you wait outside, please, Patsy?”

  “Of course. I shall sit on that bench over there and wait.”

  “We appreciate it, Patsy.” He nodded to the maid then led Kathleen into the boating shed. It was damp and musty smelling inside but the small building appeared much larger inside than it did on the outside.

  “How do you intend to do this, my lord? Do you intend to strip me bare?”

  One side of his mouth lifted into a wry smile. “Much though I want nothing more than to inspect your nude form, that shall not be necessary for me to inspect your back and see how much of a brute my half-brother has been to you. Remove your pelisse and I shall lift your gown, loosen your undershirts and pull your shift up to see the damage.”

  There seemed to be little point in arguing with him She did as she was asked and soon he was running his hands over her bare back and grunting is disapproval.

  “Devil take it, Kathleen, but he has bruised you black and blue. He shall pay for this.”

  “Gabriel, it shall heal, and quickly.”

  “Unlike him, who shall find himself dead.”

  “And then what shall become of me?” she replied glaring over her shoulder at him. “Shall I be married off to Godfrey, or worse, your father? He shall need an heir, shall he not? I mean, once you are hanged for Cedric’s murder. Or shall I return to New Hampshire to live out my widowhood without children, and with the scandal of this hanging over me until I die? Unless, of course, our consummation has caused me to start increasing. Then I shall be beholden to the Duke, and your son or daughter can become his servant. How do you see your killing Cedric playing out, Gabriel? For I do not foresee a happy ending to that story.”

  Gabriel dropped his head to her shoulder and his hands onto her hips. “You are, of course, correct, my love.” He urged her gently against him so she could move forward if she was in pain. There were so many layers of clothing between them, but she knew from his ragged breathing he was becoming aroused. His thumbs skated over the smooth skin of her derriere. “You do understand why, at some point, he shall have to be punished for hurting you, do you not? I am not sure how I shall do it. But Cedric shall pay.”

  “I believe once that dust settles and the scandal of our elopement is over, he shall suffer. He will have been cuckolded by his brother and fiancé. That will not sit well with a man like Cedric.”

  “How does an innocent lady know a word like ‘cuckold?’ Besides, you are my wife, not Cedric’s.”

  “But I was supposed to marry him.”

  “True. Tell me, was it only yesterday we married? It seems like such a long time ago I held you in my arms and had my…” He had stopped mid-sentence and pulled away from her. “Well anyway…”

  “Had your what, Gabriel?”

  He made a noise that sounded like a half-sigh and half groan. He tugged the ribbon of her bonnet and tossed the item on top of her pelisse. Then he bent his head close to her ear. “Had my cock inside you, my dear, sweet Kathleen. I apologise. One day, I shall remember you are a lady before I speak. I am still in the mindset of speaking to servants and street hawkers.”

  “Yes, it does seem like a long time ago that you had your cock inside me. I do not suppose…”

  “Do not suggest we do it in here.”

  “Would we be able to do it in here?”

  “We could but not in a position I could in good conscience use on my wife.”

  “Why not?”

  “I shall not take you from behind, Kathleen. I am not the Duke.”

  She turned in his arms and cupped his chin in both her hands. He allowed her skirts to drop back down.

  “You must explain. Taking a woman from behind is wrong?”

  “It is when the woman is not your wife?”

  “I am your wife.”

  “I know but I shall always think of that position as the position of the two people who hate me and blame me for my mother’s death.”

  “Oh Gabriel.” She reached up and brushed her lips against his. “I cannot fathom what sort of life you have led. But I know what happened to your mother was not your fault. How your father treats you is not your fault. I cannot say I know much of the marriage bed and of… sex, but I know that when you and I were together yesterday, it was… well I felt wanted and needed and it was, I’m not sure how to put it. I felt free. You should do with me as you think fit, as I trust you completely. However, you should not allow your past to dictate what we do together. The Duke’s treatment of you is despicable. Please do not let it become a barrier in our relationship.”

  Gabriel chuckled. There was not much humour in it but he wrapped his arms around her and buried his neck in her shoulder. Kathleen bit back a yelp of pain as his strong arms covered one of the bruises on her back.

  “I never thought I would ever be married to a woman as giving and as perfect as you. One who would beg me to take her from behind in a boating shed beside the Serpentine. Thank you, my love. The offer is much appreciated.”

  “I want to do it again too, Gabriel. Yesterday was wonderful.”

  “I know. And we shall soon.”

  “This is my fault for wanting to spend time with my family for Christmas.”

  “It is the fault of circumstance. There are worse things that could happen.”

  “Gabriel?”

  “Mm?”

  “Your… uh… well it seems like it is rather large right now.”

  “That is because my nose is buried in your neck and I’m aroused by your scent.”

  “Why can we not…”

  “Because you are a lady and worth more than being tumbled in an old shed in the middle of Hyde Park.”

  “I was only worth being married off to a bastard a few days ago. I still am in my father’s eyes.”

  He pulled away from her and looked at her, concern clouding his brown eyes.

  “You seem hurt about this. In theory Cedric is not a bad match. It is only that he is a horrible human being that the reality is not such a wonderful thing to behold.”

  “I am sad that my father has not met with him to see if he is worthy to be my husband. He met that one day when Cedric cast up his accounts and that was it. Gabriel, please tell me we shall take more care when our daughters have their come out and are looking for husbands.”

  He smiled. “Nothing but the best will do for our daughters. Never fear, Lady Cindermaine. I shall chop the ballocks off of any young
buck who is not wealthy, does not have a good reputation and is not at least a Marquis.”

  “You are not a Marquis.”

  “I mean the heir of one. Courtesy titles do not count.”

  “I am pleased you have it planned out. It is certainly more than my father has.”

  “Do not be too harsh on your father. Perhaps he does not know what to do for the best.”

  “I cannot be as generous to him as you are, Gabriel. It is I who would have been in a miserable marriage to Cedric had it not been for sheer luck. All he did last evening was leer at my décolletage.”

  Gabriel’s brow furrowed. “I may still kill him. Only I am allowed to leer at your décolletage and only then when we are in private.”

  Kathleen tugged her fichu from the neckline of her gown and smiled up at him. “Leer away, my lord.”

  Gabriel leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the rise of each breast then lifted his head, clasped both ends of the fichu and tucked it back in. “Tempting, my love. But this is hardly private.”

  Kathleen wanted to cry. She knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Frustration seemed to be eating at her very soul.

  “Let us run away tonight then.”

  He smiled indulgently. “I promised you Christmas Day with your family and you shall have it. Here. Rest your bottom on this table.” She did as he asked, and he lifted her gown. It was then she realised he had not refastened her underskirts. She kicked them off. He pressed his lips to hers as his fingers skimmed up her thighs. Soon his fingers were stroking her between her folds and making her moan into his mouth. Kathleen grabbed at his hair and his coat, rocking against his hand. When he plunged one finger inside her sheath, she arched off the table.

  “Devil take it. I promised I would not do this,” Gabriel muttered, his voice a growl of frustration.

  “Please Gabriel.” It was all she was capable of, but when his dark gaze met hers, he must have seen something in her pleading eyes that convinced him. He unbuttoned the fall of his breeches and stroked himself a few times before positioning the head of his cock at her entrance.

  “Let me know if I hurt you since you have only done this once.”

  Kathleen nodded. He guided himself into her, one hand on her hip and the other on his hard length. This time she was more in a position to watch, despite her gown. As he plunged in and out of her, she was fascinated by how slick it was from being inside her. She loved the full feeling of him moving inside her. Knowing this was what made them one and would tie them together for all eternity. Somehow, she could not imagine this with anyone else, especially not Cedric.

  Gabriel moved his hand between them and began to work the little pearl of pleasure. Kathleen’s fascination turned to need, to frustration and eventually to ecstasy as Gabriel plunged hard and fast into her. She had just lost her bearings as a torrent of pleasure swept through her, before Gabriel lost his rhythm, pulled out of her and stroked himself, splashing his seed onto the dirt floor of the shed.

  He gathered her back into his arms and kissed her neck, rubbing her back gently. She suspected so as not to hurt her bruises.

  “I have no idea why I tried to stop that from happening. It was perfect.”

  “Why did you do that? I mean, why did you spill your seed on the ground.”

  Gabriel pulled away and kicked some dirt over the white liquid that had not yet seeped into the dry ground.

  “Well, I did not want you having to walk home with my seed running down your leg. I can give you a handkerchief to clean it but I do not believe that gets it all and it would still be uncomfortable.”

  “Oh. I wondered if that somehow stopped me getting with child and perhaps…”

  “Well it does, but it is not why I did it. Nothing would please me more than to see your belly round with my babe. I was being a considerate lover. Especially considering we are still trying to keep this marriage a secret.”

  She nodded her understanding. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  “I am sorry that I was unthinking and your maid found out. Even if it was Patsy. She must be cold. Come. We should get going. I believe you shall be invited to dinner this evening at Lord and Lady Beattie’s.”

  He helped her into her underskirts and they fixed each other’s clothing before going back out into the December sunshine.

  When they arrived back at Kathleen’s parents’ townhouse, Gabriel drew her to one side on the pavement.

  “Until tonight at dinner. And thank you for the boat shed.”

  Kathleen felt the heat rising in her cheeks, but she held Gabriel’s gaze. “I believe it is I who should thank you, Mr Onslow.”

  “I may have to find a unique way to punish you for calling me that.”

  Kathleen took a step back from him and felt coldness in the pit of her stomach. Punishment? What did he mean? Gabriel frowned and placed a hand on her arm.

  “Kathleen, my love. I am teasing. The punishment will be as much pleasure as pain.”

  “I do not understand.”

  Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I am an imbecile, am I not? To frighten you like that. I am talking about things we have not yet experienced together in the bedchamber. But please, my darling, do not fear it. I would never harm you.”

  Kathleen heaved a sigh and smiled at him. “I know you would not. It was just the word concerned me.”

  “One day, we shall be more comfortable with one another and you will understand when I tease and when I flirt and when I just simply want you.”

  “I believe I should go inside the house. Apart from the neighbours all talking, I am in danger of re-enacting what happened in the boathouse, my lord.” She whispered the last bit and Gabriel smiled—a smug, satisfied smile. Kathleen turned away before he had any further effect on her already pounding heart.

  Chapter 15

  Gabriel was last to arrive at Gideon Beattie’s townhouse in Audley Street. He arrived in his servant’s clothes, only for the butler to look at him with disdain.

  “Gabriel Marchby to see Lord Beattie. He’s expecting me.”

  “Lord Beattie is entertaining this evening, I’m afraid. He is not expecting any other visitors.”

  “He is expecting me. Did he say the Earl of Cindermaine was dining with him?”

  “And what has that to do with you?”

  “I am the Earl of Cindermaine.”

  “I hardly think so. If you could just…”

  “Lord Cindermaine! It is fine, Grantham. Lord Cindermaine is dining with us. Really Gabriel, why did you not change?” asked Gideon’s sweet new wife.

  “I could not very well walk out of the Duke’s townhouse wearing aristocratic finery, could I, Lady Beattie.”

  “Oh, call me Emily, please.”

  “Ma’am I can…” started the butler.

  “Find out when dinner will be ready, Grantham.” The butler nodded and headed to the back of the house. “He hates me,” Emily confided in Gabriel.

  “He does not yet know you. Servants seldom hate their employers unless they are cruel or mean.”

  “That is what I keep telling her.” Gideon was walking along the hallway.

  “He thinks I am clumsy.”

  “My darling, you are clumsy but I love every clumsy bone in your body and I hated that china anyway.”

  “What if I drop the baby?”

  He chuckled. “Not as likely with a baby than with a cup, my love.”

  “You are being silly, Emily. If I can manage with my legs, you can manage being a little clumsy.” Gabriel glanced see the Duke of Kirkbourne, carrying the Duchess up the hallway. “Assuming you live through this infernal need to visit the necessary, of course.” She gave Emily a rueful smile.

  “You have all this to come, gentlemen,” said the Duke, nodding his head to Gabriel and Gideon. He stopped dead in his tracks and his gaze narrowed. “Cindermaine?”

  “Aye. Pleased to meet you, Your Grace. Stalwood is bringing decent clothes for me to change into. I apologise for these…” He
brushed a hand down his coat.

  “Never mind your coat. No wonder you were able to pull off the switch. You do look like Onslow. Though not so much around the eyes and mouth. And you are sturdier.”

  Gabriel curled his lips and affected fashionable ennui. “But Your Grace, I do such a good impersonation of my bastard half-brother.” Kirkbourne barked out a laugh, and it was only then Gabriel remembered there were ladies in the room. “Oh, I do apologise. I should never have said that word with ladies present. Please, Your Grace, ladies, can you ever forgive me?”

  “Oh my, Gabriel, Gideon says much worse, and I even got him to tell me why Lord Byron is exiled to the continent.”

  “Why are women obsessed by that?” Kirkbourne asked Gabriel.

  “I have no idea. My sister and Kathleen have both asked me.”

  “I ended up explaining to Sarah. If for nothing else, to get me some peace.”

  “Have they asked you about mollies yet.”

  “No,” said Gabriel.

  “Yes,” said Kirkbourne at the same time. Kirkbourne slapped him on the back. “More for you to look forward to. Once they discover the joys of the bedchamber they want to learn about everything. Set her up with a copy of The School of Venus and a copy of Fanny Hill and she should be quiet for a week.”

  “Are they not both banned books?”

  “What the government does not know, the government does not cry over.”

  “As a peer of the realm, are you not the government?”

  Kirkbourne made a gesture that suggested he was on the fence on that argument. “I shall procure your young lady copies since you are currently in a difficult spot.”

  “I shall be in a more difficult spot if either of us ends up in Newgate for reading banned books.”

  “I know a Duke who will pull strings to get you out. Never fear.”

  “As long as it is not the Duke of Hartsmere.”

  “Never him.”

  ∞∞∞

  Gabriel had never been to a formal dinner before except at university and his betrothal ball. He felt out of his element. However, he knew Lady Beattie had arranged the seating in an unconventional manner—seating husbands and wives together. He suspected this was because she knew that Christina and Stalwood, and he and Kathleen were not being given the opportunity to spend time together at present. It was thoughtful and the Duke and Duchess did not seem to mind. She did, however, allow Kirkbourne to lead his wife into dinner first, as was expected since he had precedence as a duke.