Rebecca was distracted from her thoughts when she noticed that Molly had appeared in the dining room doorway. She had a somewhat apologetic look upon her face. “I’m sorry for disturbing your dinner,” she said, “but I thought you might like to know that your lady’s maid has just arrived, my lady.”
“That is excellent news,” Daniel said, looking equally pleased.
“Would you be so kind as to ask her if she’s hungry, Molly?” Rebecca asked. “And if so, please ensure that she gets a proper meal, after which she may come and see me in the . . .” Rebecca considered her options. The parlor was being readied for her bath, so that wouldn’t be a very good place to talk.
“You may ask her to join us in the library when she’s ready,” Daniel suggested.
“Very good, sir,” Molly said, bobbing a curtsy and disappearing out of sight.
“Isn’t it customary for gentlemen to retire to their study alone after supper?” Rebecca asked with a bit of a twist to her lips.
Taking a sip of his wine, Daniel eyed her with amusement. “And enjoy my after-dinner drink in complete solitude? Sounds perfectly dull, if you ask me.”
“I suppose it does,” Rebecca agreed, happy that he was openly seeking her company.
“Besides, I’m not the conventional sort,” he continued, “and I’m also rather eager to discover if my wife is as talented at cards as she is at playing charades.”
Rebecca could feel her cheeks grow warm beneath his gaze. “And what about Laura?” Rebecca asked. “I’m sure she’ll be up shortly.”
“And I am confident that we can manage at least one game of vingt-et-un before she graces us with her presence,” Daniel said. He set his napkin aside and walked over to Rebecca, who’d risen as well, and offered her his arm.
On second thought, Rebecca believed he was probably right, especially if Laura would be partaking of the same delicious meal that Rebecca and Daniel had just enjoyed, for it was not the sort of food one rushed through for any reason. As it turned out, Rebecca managed to beat Daniel twice at the game he’d just taught her before anyone came to disturb them. She took a sip of the claret he’d poured for her when they’d started playing.
“I don’t suppose you’d care to try my brandy?” Daniel asked with a hint of devilish mischief.
“Are you trying to cloud my judgment by getting me foxed?” Rebecca asked, feigning outrage.
He placed his hand over his heart and looked well and truly shocked. “I would never!” A firm knock sounded at the door. Daniel looked suddenly distraught. “And just when I was winning,” he said as he tossed his cards on the table and said, “enter!”
The door opened just in time to stop Rebecca from rolling her eyes at Daniel. Win indeed. It was little wonder that his uncle had insisted he stop gambling. If he could lose so easily to her, she dared not contemplate how much money he’d lost to more experienced players. Giggling at the silliness of it all, she leapt up, almost knocking over her claret in her excitement to get to Laura. “It’s so good to see you again,” she said, taking her maid’s hands in her own. The gesture was much too familiar to be shared between an employer and an employee, but Rebecca didn’t care—not when Laura had been so kind and loyal toward her.
“It is certainly a relief to see you as well,” Laura said with a bright smile pulling at her cheeks. She looked toward Daniel. “Good evening, sir, and thank you for sending for me. May I congratulate you on your marriage?”
“You certainly may,” Daniel said. Having risen, he offered Laura a respectful bow. Rebecca understood him. Had it not been for Laura, the two of them might not have managed to escape Grover’s ball and she might very well have been duchess now instead. He turned his attention on Rebecca. “I will leave the two of you to talk while I see to it that the tub gets filled. I’ll call you when your bath is ready, Becky.”
“You’re happy,” Laura said as soon as she and Rebecca were alone. “I can see it on your face and in your eyes.”
Rebecca smiled. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately—especially whenever Daniel was around. “I am, Laura—very happy indeed.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Laura said as Rebecca gestured toward the chair that Daniel had just vacated, then resumed her own. “His Grace was livid, you know, the Griftons too, though they managed to explain away your absence from the ball by telling everyone you’d taken ill and retired for the evening.”
“It must have been a very difficult situation for you,” Rebecca said, regretting everything she’d put her trusty maid through recently—the lies she’d asked Laura to tell on her behalf.
Laura shrugged, the corner of her mouth edging upward to form a slight smile. “It was worth it, my lady. The Griftons were suspicious of my involvement even though they couldn’t prove anything. I kept expecting them to sack me, but instead they just cut my wages and demoted me to scullery maid.”
“Oh dear heavens—they’re perfectly beastly! I’m so sorry, Laura!”
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry for,” Laura told her gently. “But I will admit that I was relieved to receive a summons from your husband. I’m here now, so you mustn’t distress yourself about the past, though I would like you to know that I’d gladly do it all again if I had to.”
“Oh, Laura! You truly are a gem, do you know that?” Rebecca could almost cry at the thought of what this dear woman had suffered by staying on in the Grifton household.
Laura blushed. “You’re too kind, my lady.” Straightening her back, she took a deep breath. “Now, I do believe that I have duties to attend to. Your husband mentioned a bath, and it has come to my notice that the staff here is quite sparse. I ought to help the others.”
Rebecca chuckled. “If you insist, though you’re free to get an early night’s rest if you’d rather do that. You can start work tomorrow.”
“No time better than the present,” Laura said, rising to her feet and bobbing a curtsy, “and I wouldn’t want the others to think me lazy. Besides, you’ll need someone to attend to you, and there’s nobody better suited for that than I, since I’ve done it many times before.”
Rebecca bit back another chuckle as she followed Laura to the door. She suspected that Daniel had hoped to attend to her and wondered how he would go about saying that to Laura. Keen for a bit of fun, Rebecca decided that she wouldn’t be the one to broach the issue—much better to let them work that out together. For now, however, she had no intention of doing as Daniel had asked and waiting for him to call her. If everyone else was struggling to prepare her bath, then she was going to do her part instead of just sitting about like some pampered princess. She said as much when Daniel met her in the parlor doorway. He’d discarded his jacket and cravat and had rolled up his shirtsleeves, the very portrait of an able man as he stood there with an empty bucket in his hand. There was something so elemental about it that spoke to Rebecca’s feminine side, heating her insides until they felt like mush. “Too many cooks spoil the broth,” he told her lightly as he held her gaze.
“How fortunate then that I am not a picky eater. I shall help Molly fetch some towels and some soap.”
Half an hour later, the tub was finally full, with steam rising off the surface of the water and heating the air with moisture that left the windows looking foggy. A screen had been erected in an attempt to contain the heat in the vicinity of the bath to diminish the risk of Rebecca’s catching a chill, the fire burning in the grate on the other side of the tub keeping the air balmy.
“Thank you,” Daniel said, addressing Molly and Laura, who stood ready to offer Rebecca further assistance. “That will be all for the rest of the evening.”
Both maids looked momentarily perplexed by this announcement.
“Thank you, sir, but I do believe our mistress will be in need of further assistance,” Laura said, finding her tongue and sounding as if she suspected Daniel must have overlooked thi
s matter. “It will be difficult for her to manage on her own.”
“Thank you, Laura,” Daniel said, a slight frown the only indication of any discomfort on his part. “I am well aware of that, which is why I shall be happy to take on that particular responsibility myself.”
There was a second of hushed silence and then the sound of shuffling feet as both Laura and Molly hurried toward the door, bobbing hasty curtsies as they went, the implication of Daniel’s words turning both their cheeks scarlet. Daniel grinned at Rebecca as the door closed and he turned the key in the lock. “I do believe they think I’m up to no good.”
“And are you?” Rebecca asked daringly. She felt a sudden prickle of warmth against the back of her arms. Daniel’s eyes grew hot, and Rebecca found herself holding her breath as he came toward her with slow, deliberate steps.
“I must admit that I’ve been looking forward to picking up where we left off at that last inn we stayed at.” Bending his head, he kissed the side of her neck. “Seems like an eternity ago.”
“And yet it was only yesterday,” Rebecca gasped, her hands grasping at his shoulders while a buzz of energy shot straight to her core. What a fool she’d been to think that she would be able to limit their coupling, that she would be able to deny him once she got with child when she so desperately needed him.
He didn’t respond but began undressing her instead, his slow progress building a tension within her that made her yearn for his touch. But as she’d come to expect, he didn’t touch her where she wanted him to the most, his hands teasing along her flesh, coming close to those aching parts of her that craved his attention without quite doing so.
“You’re so unbelievably beautiful,” he whispered against the back of her neck, and she believed him—so much so that it almost brought tears to her eyes. What this wonderful man had done for her in only a few days was nothing short of miraculous. She had hated the way she looked for so long, her dark attributes a constant reminder of the way other girls had teased her as a child. Those taunts had scarred her, preventing her from forming close friendships with others, but since she’d met Daniel, he’d gradually made her realize that there was nothing wrong with being different—that being unique was a trait to be preferred. Lately, he had shown her with his heated gazes, caresses and words of sincerity that to him, she was the most stunning woman in the world, and that was all that mattered.
He slid her silk chemise up over her bottom, bunching it around her waist before slowly dragging it over her head, the soft fabric grazing against her sensitized nipples as he did so, hardening them into two tight peaks. Still holding her flimsy garment in his hand, he ran it along the length of her front while he licked the lobe of her ear.
Rebecca sighed with expectant pleasure, trembling a little when his hand swept over her pelvis. Perhaps she should just forget about the bath and beg him to carry her upstairs to bed instead.
“Delightfully responsive too,” he murmured as he swept her into his arms and carried her toward the tub, the warm water lapping at her skin as he lowered her into it.
Leaning back, Rebecca closed her eyes and tried to relax. She’d grown accustomed to being naked with her husband, but knowing that he was aware of what she desired still made her shy on occasion. This was especially true now, for while he remained dressed, her body had been put on display, the evidence of her want visible in the pebbling of her nipples. God, how she craved his touch. She expelled a deep breath, felt her heart drum restlessly in her chest, and then she felt him—a gentle caress of fingertips trailing down her arm, a kiss against her cheek as his day-old stubble scraped her skin, and the slippery lather of soap across her shoulder.
Helpless against his attention, Rebecca arched upward, a gasp escaping her throat as she shed the warm water in favor of the cooler air. A hand rubbed her breast, tweaking the nipple there before moving on to the other side. “I must clean you well,” Daniel murmured against her ear while liquid heat flooded her from head to toe. “Now, if you’ll please raise one leg so I may attend to it.”
She did as he asked, despairing when his hands stopped their ascent at her knees. “Stand up please so I can wash the rest of you.” Opening her eyes, she complied, shivering a little as cool air brushed against her skin once more. Standing perfectly still, she watched as Daniel ran the soap up over her thighs and around to her bottom, then up the length of her back. Setting the soap aside, he then used his hands to produce a thick lather. Not once did he make an attempt to quench the need that had grown to the point of bursting within her. Instead, he asked her to sit back down so the soap could be washed off. Truly, the man was most vexing.
“Here, let me help you dress,” he said, holding up a silk dressing gown for her to slip into after drying her off with a towel. “Why don’t you go upstairs and slip into bed? I’ll just take a quick bath myself before joining you.” He kissed her deeply and then added, “I suspect you’re eager to receive the reward that I plan on giving you for allowing me to bathe you.”
Eager? Desperate was more like it.
Pressing his lips against hers once more, Daniel hugged her against him, kissing her until she felt herself grow giddy. He then carefully released her and smiled with scandalous intent. “Go on, Becky,” he said with a nod toward the door. “I won’t be long.”
Startled awake, Rebecca sat up abruptly and stared through the murky darkness of her bedroom, realizing with a groan that she must have fallen asleep while waiting for Daniel, exhausted after the long day she’d had. Relaxing a little, she looked down, expecting to find him asleep beside her only to discover that his side of the bed was empty. Disappointment gripped her with startling force. She’d longed for him earlier but had denied them both their pleasure by succumbing to sleep, and now that she wanted nothing more than to snuggle up close to him, he wasn’t there.
This of course presented another question. If he wasn’t in bed with her, then where on earth was he? In his study perhaps? Rebecca considered going downstairs to check. If he was having difficulty sleeping, he might welcome her company. She pushed the coverlet aside just as the door opened and Daniel appeared, his body silhouetted in the doorway for a brief moment before he closed it behind him.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Rebecca asked, her voice a little slurry.
He paused, then tossed his jacket on a nearby chair and started undoing his cravat. “No. After finding you so peacefully asleep earlier, I must have dozed off myself for a couple of hours before waking up again. I went downstairs to read for a bit so I wouldn’t disturb you.”
With a nod, Rebecca slumped back down on her pillow. “Which book did you pick? Anything of interest?”
“Gulliver’s Travels,” he said as he scuffled about.
Rebecca sighed dreamily. “That’s a good one.” She rolled onto her side just as Daniel slipped beneath the covers, his arm snaking its way around her waist and dragging her closer until her head was resting on his shoulder. He dropped a kiss against her brow, and she snuggled closer, peacefully content as sleep once again claimed her.
Chapter 16
When Daniel awoke the following day, he found Rebecca gone from the bedroom. Looking across at the clock on the dresser, he wasn’t surprised—it was almost two in the afternoon. After discovering Rebecca asleep the previous evening, he’d gotten dressed and headed out, hiring a hackney to take him to Piccadilly. It had been close to three in the morning before he’d returned home, but at least he’d doubled his money at the gaming tables.
Stretching, he allowed himself a smile of contentment. Rebecca must think him a terrible card player after he’d let her win yesterday. He wanted her to get a taste for the game though, and he knew that there was nothing more discouraging than constantly losing. Truth was that in spite of his uncle’s complaints, he was one of the best gamblers he knew of. His biggest problem had been his love of spending—parties, the phaeton, courtesans and jewels required to keep
his mistresses exclusively to himself. It all seemed so ridiculous now in hindsight, but he’d been a reckless fool back then without a care for the future.
Things were different now. He had a wife to care for and employees in need of wages. Last night’s winnings would help with that, his only regret being the secretiveness of it all and the lie he’d told Rebecca about reading Gulliver’s Travels. He couldn’t tell her what he’d been doing though—not if he wanted to manage without her help. And he did. For the first time in his life, Daniel Neville, heir to the Marquisate of Wolvington, wanted to prove himself capable of standing on his own two feet. Receiving help wasn’t an option.
Swinging his legs out of bed, he got up and padded across to the washbasin, where he picked up a sponge and proceeded to clean the most necessary areas. He then added a touch of cologne and went to select a clean shirt from the dresser—no need to bother Hawkins, who had other tasks to see to. As he buttoned the shirt, his gaze went to last night’s cravat, which was hanging across an armrest where it had landed after he’d tossed it aside. A good thing Rebecca hadn’t noticed, or she might have wondered why he’d bothered to put it back on if all he’d been doing had been reading quietly in the library—the reason why he hadn’t tried to rouse her with caresses. He made a mental note to discard his waistcoat, jacket and cravat before returning to the bedroom the next time he ventured out.
“Where’s my wife?” he asked Molly as soon as he was seated at the dining room table and had summoned the cheerful maid to bring him a pot of coffee.
“She went out with Laura for a stroll in the park,” she said as she poured the steaming hot liquid into his cup. “The weather’s beautiful, and she seemed quite eager to take a look around Town. Would you care for some breakfast or lunch, sir? Madame Renarde made an excellent chicken pie earlier, or if you prefer, there’s toast with the usual toppings . . . eggs too, should that meet your fancy.”
The Scandal in Kissing an Heir Page 17