Lady Charlotte's Marquess (The heir and a spare Book 2)

by Fiona Miers

  “So why have you come here, Charlotte? I can tell you anything you want to know, but if you have something specific, just ask me.” Her eyes were clear and Charlotte saw nothing to indicate that she was lying.

  She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. If she never married, would that mean she never got to taste the passion that Sarah obviously enjoyed?

  “First, I need to know if you were telling the truth, about, you and Oliver...and...” Oh, when had she become such a babbling idiot?

  Charlotte had always prided herself on her ability to talk people into circles and out of them again. What was wrong with her?

  Sarah laughed softly and leaned back in her chair, a dreamy look on her face.

  “Charlotte, can I be completely honest, brutal even?”

  “Please. That would be fine.”

  “If Oliver and I didn’t have to leave the bedroom to eat, I’m not sure if I would ever leave.”

  Charlotte cocked her head to the side. What could she possibly mean by that?

  Sarah obviously saw Charlotte’s confusion and laughed musically again.

  “Let me put that more simply. Oliver gives me so much pleasure in our bed that if we could make love all day and night, I would do it.”

  Charlotte’s jaw dropped. She must have stayed that way too long because Sarah actually leaned forward and pushed her chin back up.

  “You’re serious? It’s really that good?”

  Charlotte couldn’t believe what her friend was telling her. It went against everything her mother and her friends had said about marital relations.

  “Yes, it really is.” Sarah assured her leaning back in her chair again and smiling a secret smile.

  “But how? How could a man putting his, you know, inside you, how could that feel good?”

  Charlotte was truly confused now. It sounded ridiculous.

  It was the first time Sarah blushed and Charlotte almost laughed.

  “When I first heard my mother tell me it could be enjoyable if the man cared enough, I didn’t believe her either. Then Oliver kissed me, and touched me and I could suddenly feel an emptiness inside me that needed to be filled. Oliver did that. I ached with hunger and he knew what to do.”

  “What did he do?” Charlotte leaned forward on her chair as though she could absorb the necessary information via close proximity.

  “He kissed me and touched me until I almost died with pleasure.”

  Sarah blushed again, but resolutely kept her head up.

  Charlotte considered that. The concept of any pleasure, let alone such a cataclysmic event being possible, was surreal.

  “Really?” she asked skeptically.

  “You’ll know when it happens.” Sarah smiled a little smugly.

  “Okay, next, I need to know what I can do.”

  Now that she knew that it could be enjoyable, then maybe there were other things she could do that wouldn’t ruin her.

  “What do you mean Charlotte?” Sarah asked, a worried expression passing over her face.

  Charlotte blushed again at her audacity to ask such a forward question, but didn’t back down.

  “What can I do to him to give him pleasure too? If he tries again? Can I do anything that won’t lead to me being ruined?”

  Charlotte couldn’t believe she was asking such things. But she had to know. If Archie wanted to touch her again, could she touch him without losing her virginity?

  Sarah blinked once and picked up another biscuit.

  Charlotte waited for her to finish and kept her mouth firmly shut, squeezing her hands tightly together in her lap.

  Sarah sat chewing for a full minute, obviously deciding whether she would tell Charlotte want she wanted to know. Suddenly she smiled and leaned forward again.

  “Okay, I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell anyone that I told you any of this.”

  “I won’t Sarah, please.” Charlotte reassured her friend, leaning forward in a mirror image of Sarah’s enthusiasm. She had the sudden urge to ask for a piece of paper and quill to write everything down, but realized that that may seem a little too over eager.

  “First, my mother told me that anything your husband, or in this case, your lover, can do to you, you can do to him.”

  “Like what?”

  Charlotte didn’t really understand what else there was to do other than the bedding, which a woman certainly couldn’t do to a man.

  “Like touching and kissing.”

  “Where?” Charlotte asked, her eyes widening. Archie had touched her waist and her bottom whilst he was kissing her, maybe that what Sarah meant.

  “Everywhere.” Sarah announced confidently, then ruined the effect with a blush.

  “Everywhere?”

  She couldn’t mean literally everywhere. Sarah nodded, a funny twitch happening at the corner of her mouth as though she were trying not to laugh. Charlotte filed that piece of information away and asked something more specific.

  “Tell me what I can do without ruining myself.”

  “Charlotte, I’m not sure if I should give you information which could get you into trouble.” Sarah bit down on her lip looking hesitant now.

  “Look, Sarah, I’m twenty-two years old. I’ve never really kissed anyone before but I... I have finally met someone whom I could love... but I need someone to help me. Please.” Charlotte was shocked by her own admission. Love? Archie? Never Or at least she didn’t think so…

  She knew she’d said the right thing when Sarah’s face warmed with understanding.

  “Well, there are really only two ways. You can touch each other with your hands or with your mouths.” Sarah subconsciously touched her own mouth as though illustrating her point.

  “Where?” Charlotte asked, wide eyed.

  “He’ll want to touch you here and here,” Sarah said running her hand from her breast to her lap discreetly.

  Charlotte swallowed hard, thinking about the times she had touched herself in those places just to see what exactly men found so interesting. It hadn’t felt like anything special.

  “And I touch him there too?” Charlotte asked thoughtfully, then Sarah’s initial words registered.

  “With my mouth?”

  She gasped, lifting her hand to cover her mouth. Sarah couldn’t be serious. Her friend pulled her lips tightly together and nodded.

  “You can, although Oliver told me that most ladies don’t.” She confided, looking as though she was relieved to finally be able to tell someone that fact.

  “But you...?” Charlotte couldn’t finish the question. She couldn’t even fathom the idea of Sarah, or anyone for that matter, kissing that part of a man.

  “When you love someone Charlotte, it makes you happy to make them happy. Whether that is buying them something they want, or making sure they eat the food they like. This is just part of that love. If you love them, you want to please them.”

  Sarah hesitated, then obviously decided she needed to say one more thing.

  “Charlotte, the most important thing is to listen to your own heart. If you’re comfortable touching this man, do it. If you want to run, follow your instincts. I learned that early on and it served me well.” Something slightly painful flashed over Sarah’s face then it cleared for her usual serene happiness.

  “Sarah, I don’t know how to thank you. If I had listened to my other friends or my mother, I would always have assumed that pleasure was only for fallen women.” Charlotte said unthinkingly. She had been talking about her father’s mistress until she saw Sarah blanch and realized how that must have sounded.

  “Oh, please don’t think I meant you, oh please forgive me.” Charlotte begged the woman who had been so generous to share her knowledge with her.

  Sarah laughed.

  “No, it's fine. I believe you should have all the information. My mother believed that the reason most men of rank are unfaithful to their wives is because their wives don’t enjoy bedding. If you want a faithful husband so much that you’re willing never to marry,
then maybe this information can help you.”

  “Now, tell me about that beautiful little boy,” Charlotte encouraged her friend, happy now to change the subject.

  Sarah laughed happily and swept into a long discussion about the joys of being a mother.

  ****

  A week later, Archie was still chastising himself for kissing Charlotte. He hadn’t been able to get a good night’s sleep since that night as he always awoke hot and erect with visions of Charlotte naked and beneath him.

  He should have stayed away from the ton balls where there was a possibility that he’d see her again. He knew he should. It was a standard practice of his to attend one ball a fortnight and his club every other day. It was a system to which he had stuck for almost ten years. It made him feel reliable and stable. For the first time in a decade, he wanted to break the rules. He had seen Dunford at his club during the day and he had mentioned having to take Charlotte to Lady Marlow’s ball that night.

  Archie pulled the cord for his valet and took a deep breath. He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to see her again. He may be breaking all of his own rules, but if he didn’t, he may never get another good night’s sleep.

  ****

  Charlotte had been deep in conversation about this season’s hats, when an awareness within her prickled and made her sit up straighter.

  “Lord Archibald Turner,” the butler announced and Charlotte briefly closed her eyes. How could she be so attuned to him already?

  She couldn’t stop herself from turning to watch as Archie entered the room and looked immediately to his left. Her eyes met his with a strength that made her stomach tighten. Archie turned on his heel and headed directly for the card room.

  Charlotte clenched her hands into fists in her lap and glared at the back of Archie’s retreating figure. She couldn’t believe he’d looked right at her, and turned away, going to one of the male hideaways. Well, if he could ignore her after their kiss, she would do the same. Charlotte glanced around the room and saw a new debutante surrounded by four gentlemen and nodded. She could accomplish two things at once. Rescue the poor girl who looked like she was drowning in attention and also engage her own interests. How else would she keep her mind occupied?

  “Miss Bartlett, so lovely to see you,” Charlotte sashayed across the room and greeted the pretty young girl she had only met the previous evening.

  “Ahh… Lady Charlotte, lovely to see you too,” the young lady stammered in reply, touching Charlotte’s offered hand.

  The young girl looked at her warily, but Charlotte ignored this, taking her by the arm and addressing the men in front of her.

  “I hope you gentlemen aren’t trying to overwhelm Miss Bartlett,” she chided, with a coy smile.

  Charlotte recognized all four of the young gentlemen in front of her. Two of them blushed brightly. They were both Charlotte’s age and always acted as though they felt vastly inferior to her. The other two gentlemen, however, were Archie’s age or a little older and could hold their own in any conversation.

  “Lady Charlotte,” the older two gentlemen bowed grandly, each taking turns to kiss her hand.

  “How are you enjoying the evening, Lady Charlotte?” asked the gentleman standing closest to her. Charlotte searched her memory and came up with a name, the Honourable James Withering she remembered, the heir to Viscount Westleigh. Yes, he would do just fine.

  “I’m having a wonderful time, Mr. Withering, although I am feeling a little disappointed.” Charlotte sighed dramatically and pouted openly.

  “And why is that, my lady?” her prey asked, looking genuinely concerned.

  “There has been dancing going on for the last two hours at least and all I have done is watch from the sidelines.” She sighed again, for emphasis and gave her would-be champion a shy smile. She knew it was not ladylike to request a dance from a gentleman but Charlotte knew how to get what she wanted and that was often just to ask.

  “Well, if you would grant me the honor of being my partner for the next two dances, my lady, I could rectify that problem for you,” replied her gentlemen, with an air of benevolence. A lady of higher social rank wanted to dance with him? He looked more pleased than could be easily described by this most obvious request.

  Looking down at the beautiful young girl beside her, Charlotte shook her head regretfully.

  “Thank you so much, sir, but I wouldn’t want to abandon Miss Bartlett.” Another obvious ploy for a dance, but one that also worked beautifully. Within seconds, Miss Bartlett had been asked to dance by the other gentleman and Charlotte was being whisked onto the dance floor. She had to give Mr. Withering credit, she rarely got asked for more than one dance, as that generally showed intent, but he seemed to have more courage than most gentlemen of the ton.

  “You look lovely this evening, my lady,” Mr. Withering told her, with an appreciative twinkle in her eye.

  Charlotte smiled warmly. She appreciated the comment whilst the man’s eyes were still on her face. Too many times, a gentlemen’s eyes hovered lower to her pushed up breasts, and then Charlotte did not dance with him again. Unfortunately, this happened more than half the time and she would soon be running out of gentlemen with whom to dance. She knew her dress was beautiful and that her body was cleverly displayed, but a little courtesy went a long way.

  “So tell me about your new horse breeding program, Mr. Withering.”

  Withering looked genuinely surprised that she would know such a thing, let alone ask about it.

  “I hadn’t realized you had an interest in horses, my lady.” Again, he spoke with the perfect combination of surprise and respect in his voice.

  Charlotte smiled again, feeling guilty that she was using this kind gentleman just to forget her own difficult one.

  “I know it’s not particularly ladylike, Mr. Withering, but growing up with my two brothers means that I often had to listen to such talk and found after some time that it became more interesting than the talk of bonnets and ribbons.”

  Mr. Withering laughed loudly and Charlotte joined him. She knew that she had a good knack of conversation, but she was still genuinely pleased when a gentleman appreciated what she had to say rather than what she looked like.

  They continued chatting through the next two dances, very easily.

  ****

  Archie tapped his fingers against the wooden table in the card room, wondering if he should leave through the side garden. He could barely restrain himself from going back into the ballroom just so he could see Charlotte. He had never felt like this before, so out of control. It was as though that one kiss had undone ten years of carefully constructed restraint.

  “So, any tips on the latest investments, Archie?” John spoke to him from across the table.

  Archie struggled to pull his mind back to the current topic. He noticed that many of the men around him had stopped their conversations to listen. He knew they listened to him because it was well known that he made good money in investing. He hoped that this would also hold him in good stead when the scandal broke.

  “At the moment, I’m looking into some shipping companies that have been travelling between India and England, but nothing is certain yet, I’ll let you know, John,” he said, not wanting the whole room to know his latest tip.

  John smiled at him and looked back at his cards as Oliver walked in whistling; looking smug and satisfied as always.

  “Oliver,” Both John and Archie both greeted him.

  “Lincoln,” chorused many of the other men. Oliver tipped his head to the rest of the room and sat down with his friends. Although Oliver now bore the title of Duke of Lincoln, he wouldn’t allow his closest friends to call him anything other than by his name. It went against the grain for Archie to ignore protocol like that, but he cared about his friend’s feelings more.

  “Looking happier than normal, Oliver. Any news?”

  Oliver leaned forward and pitched his voice low.

  “Don’t say anything to Sarah, because I’m n
ot meant to say anything yet, but she’s enceinte again.”

  “Already?” John asked, clearly surprised. None of them had any siblings within three years of each other and Oliver’s son was just over four months old.

  Oliver blushed and nodded.

  Archie laid his cards down with a slow movement and gave Oliver an assessing look. Maybe he should ask Oliver about bedding when the time came. He seemed to keep his wife satisfied enough that she was wanting to have his baby again within four months of her first birth. Strange, but then again Oliver’s wife had not been brought up within the ton. Perhaps Sarah had been telling the truth when she said that vicars’ daughters had different ideas about their marriage bed.

  Archie flushed at the thought and Oliver gave him a quizzical look.

  “What are you thinking about now Archie?”

  “Just thinking about how lucky you are, my friend,” Archie answered honestly, how could he not?

  Oliver chuckled and John just shook his head.

  “Not me. Wives are for men who want only one woman. Couldn’t think of anything worse. I’ll stay out of the parson’s trap, thank you.”

  John always had a mistress. He never kept one around for more than six months, but he was never without one either. Again Archie had to fight the unusual urge to ask about John’s latest bed partner when Oliver said something that chilled Archie’s blood.

  “Well, it looks like your sister might have changed her mind, John.”

  “About?”

  John shuffled his cards again. Archie knew he did that when he had a bad hand and smiled to himself.

  “About never getting married. I saw her dance the last two with Withering.”

  Archie grabbed his whiskey glass and downed what was left in a single gulp and called for more while the burn made him gasp and grimace. That bloody woman was going to turn him into a drunkard.

  Oliver gave him a startled look but went on.

  “Not a bad chap really. Breeds horses, doesn’t gamble much, decent fortune. Although I hear he keeps a long time mistress in Essex street.”