An Unsuitable Match

by Glint, Chloe

  "What person has started such rumors?" Kale asked.

  "Probably Anne Parkin." Mr. Kent swallowed. "It was foolish of her. But never you mind it. As I said, I will take care of it."

  Groaning, he buried his face in his hands. What a thing to happen when his mother was coming for a visit. If she heard the rumors, she would not be impressed with Camille—or with him.

  ****

  A few minutes before Kale's mother was meant to arrive, Camille stood in front of the mirror in a dress of fine crimson. Kale sat behind her on the bed. She pressed her fingers to her olive face and ran her hand over her skin. From what she had learned of women's ways from her mother, many ladies were quick to judge upon looks alone. She had only seen Kale's mother once from a distance, so she did not know what to expect. Her heart leapt as she swallowed.

  "I have such an awful case of nerves." Camille picked up her silver cross necklace and tightened her grip upon it. "I worry that the woman won't like me."

  Though she expected warm words of comfort, her husband did not respond. She lowered her arms and turned to look at her spouse. Did he fear the same?

  "Are you not going to say anything?" she asked. "Are you anxious as well?"

  It wouldn't have surprised her that he had his fears. After all, she did not have the beauty of the bride her husband had been meant to have.

  "I'm not nervous." Kale gritted his teeth. "I'm annoyed by our servants."

  "How so?" Normally, her husband had nothing but kind words to describe the men and women who worked for him.

  "That incident awhile back with Mr. Kent…" Kale paused. "There are rumors going around that the two of you were intimate."

  The words were a slap to the face. She tightened her fists. What did the help take her for, a common whore? She would never be untrue to her husband.

  "That is just awful." She paused, then wondered in fear whether her husband believed such talk. "You know that I will always be true to you, don't you? The others may wag their tongues, but I care for you deeply and—"

  "Say no more." Kale stood up abruptly and walked over to her. "I know you would never betray me. You are too good of a woman for that. No, I just don't like others speaking about you the way they are. But do not worry anymore. I trust Mr. Kent a great deal, and he has made me a promise that he will take care of this issue. Don't worry."

  Telling her not to worry was like telling her not to feel agony when her hand was in a flame. She turned around and stared at herself in the mirror, but all she saw was a great blur. She could not believe rumors were going around that she was a whore. In her family, she had always been the virtuous and pious one. Her sister may have had beauty, but at least she had her morality. These flapping lips were trying her patience.

  Kale wrapped his arms around her, drawing her away from her thoughts. He whispered in her ear, "You are beautiful, my wife. So beautiful."

  "Thank you." The words soothed some of her aching heart, but only a little. She placed her head on her husband's shoulder. "I am so glad that you decided to be kind to me, even if I wasn't the one you really wanted."

  She wondered what Kale thought of the rumors and the fact she was sullying his good name. Those thoughts appeared to be far from his mind at that moment, though, because he grabbed her arm and drew her hand up to his lips. He gently laid kisses along her skin, causing tingles to go up her limb.

  "You are what I wanted." Kale kissed her wrist where the skin was most sensitive. "I didn't know it at the time of our wedding, but it's true. Gabrielle could not make me happier than you do. She's nothing but a stranger to me now."

  The words caused thoughts of rumors and idle tongues to fly from her mind. Her husband soothed woes deep-seeded in her through years of self-doubt.

  "Kale, you say the sweetest things," she said.

  "I say the truest things." He kissed her again.

  Her husband gazed at her so earnestly that she could not stand the intensity of his stare and had to look away. Yet his hand left her arm and instead guided her face up toward his own. He made her look into his eyes. She saw burning affection in them.

  "Sweetheart." He caressed her cheek. "I l—"

  Somebody knocked on the door.

  "Your mother has arrived, sir," said Mr. Kent. "Her carriage is pulling up at the gates now."

  The moment was broken. For some reason Kale's eyes darkened.

  "Thank you, Mr. Kent." He lowered his hand. "My wife and I will be down immediately."

  She stared at her husband as he laced his arm through hers. What had he been about to say? Whatever it was had obviously been important to him, judging by his crushed expression. She must have been staring, because Kale gave her a quizzical look.

  "Are you ready?" Kale asked.

  "Ready?" She'd forgotten all but him.

  "For my mother." Kale pressed.

  "Oh." Her eyes widened and the fear crashed over her with a vengeance. "Your mother. Where on earth did my mind go? Of course I am ready."

  Chuckling, her husband affectionately patted her hand. He then led her toward the door and opened it for her. She walked through first, then he grasped her arm again. Her heart sped up because of his touch as well as burning anxiety. She walked down the flights of steps, her mind in a daze as she tried to think of what to say to the woman who obviously meant so much to her spouse.

  When she and Kale made it to the foyer, the two of them paused in front of the entrance. Her husband released her to go the door, but it opened before he reached it. One of the maids led a plump, red-faced woman into the house. As Camille had only seen the woman once, it took her a moment to recognize her. It was Kale's mother. She forced her best smile on her face and approached the formidable looking woman.

  "Kale, you have barely written." The woman kissed both of Kale's cheeks, then grabbed his ear and tugged it furiously. "Do you know how concerned I have been about you? These past few weeks have been filled with nothing but worry."

  "I apologize." Kale bowed, his head down. "I know you had cause to worry, but you need not have. My wife is very good to me. Mother, you saw Lady Camille of Cambridge, but I daresay you did not have the opportunity to speak to her. This is my wife."

  With her knees clacking together, Camille stepped forward and approached the boisterous women. "So nice to meet you, Lady."

  "Please call me Helen." The woman beamed at her. "I must say that the dress you are wearing is lovely."

  "It was a gift. If I may be so bold, I would admit that I love it also." Her eyes flickered toward Kale, who had given her the present. "Your dress is also lovely."

  Helen's dress was the color of turquois. For a woman of her girth, she managed to walk with grace and looked like a large butterfly.

  "You are a sweet child." Helen smiled at her, then gazed at the cross nestled between her breasts. "I see you wear a cross."

  Frowning, she looked down at the silver trinket. "I've always been very religious."

  She'd never seen a woman's eyes light up so fast.

  ****

  As Kale sat at the table with a cup of steaming tea in front of him, he watched Camille and his mother chatter over a pastry made from fresh picked strawberries. Since both his mother and his wife meant so much to him, it was lovely to see them get along so well. He had never seen his mother talk so animatedly with another woman, and the same with his spouse. Then again, he had not been married for long.

  "I loved France," his mother said. "Visited it many times."

  "I am blessed to have gotten the opportunity to stay in Paris for quite some time. Everything is so beautiful there." Camille paused and smiled at her hands. "The people especially. Even my sister would not stand out among such lovely women."

  "Hmmm." Her mother cocked her head. "And what were you doing in France?"

  "I visited my aunt and studied the language." Camille cocked her head. "I was always interested in books. My mother disapproved even though she was the one who taught me French. My father, though, thou
ght it would be good for me to learn about another culture. I think it was because my mother grew up in France, so he was fond of the country because of his love for her."

  "That is very wise of your father." His mother nodded. "I find that allowing a child to leave the home to travel will open their eyes to great things."

  "I believe so as well." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, but it popped right out again. "Many people who heard of my travels disapproved of it. They did not feel it was right for a lady. That is likely why my mother did not wish for me to go. She loved France, but feared for my reputation."

  "People fear what intimidates them." His mother reached out and patted her hand. "And as for your mother, I think it's natural to worry."

  Flushing in embarrassment, his wife stared down at her tea as if she was reading words inside of the swirling liquid. He thought her expression was adorable and had to fight the urge to kiss her.

  "I have a book I wish to show you, if I may," Camille said. "It is up in my room. It will take me naught but a moment to fetch it."

  "We can wait." His mother nodded. "You go up and get it."

  Beaming, Camille bowed to his mother then left the room. After the door shut, his mother looked at him. She gave him an approving stare.

  "For once, your father has done something right," his mother said. "I never thought I would say those words."

  "She is amazing, isn't she?" Even the thought of her made his heart grew warm. "At first, I thought this marriage was meant to be a trial for me, but then I realized it was a gift. You were right about Gabrielle. I thought I wanted her, but that was only shallow affections. Camille is different. She is beautiful, yes, but she is so many other things—smart, loving, kind, and generous. She cares about me."

  "Then you understand what I was trying to tell you in church before you got married. Gabrielle was not right for you." His mother nodded. "I approve of this girl. I will not worry about you anymore. I think that your wife will take care of you just fine."

  "And I her," he said. "I promise I will not turn out like Father. To Camille, I will always be true."

  "Oh, Kale." His mother reached out and squeezed his hand. "I never had any doubt that you would be a good man. You have a gentle heart."

  He embraced his mother. Her hugs were as he remembered them—so tight breath left his lungs. Yet they filled him with warmth at the same time. When Camille entered the room a moment later with a book about France in her hand, he knew he had some amazing blessings.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Camille was in her nightgown, sitting before a large mirror. As she brushed her wild locks, she was shocked that she didn't hate her hair quite as much as she once had. Nor her olive skin or her strange, dark eyes. She realized that her husband was helping her see the beauty in herself. Just a few months ago, she wouldn't have been able to notice any beauty at all. A smile crossed her face. She owed her husband a great deal. Happiness tasted sweet upon her tongue. As she ran her brush through her hair again, the door behind her squeaked open and Kale entered the room.

  She turned around, beaming, but saw that her husband was looking down at a letter. His face shown with concern. She stood up and touched his arm.

  "Is all well, husband?" she asked. "You look worried."

  Frowning, Kale clutched the piece of paper ever tighter. "My father wrote me a letter. Does it make me a coward if I am scared to open it?"

  Since the thought of opening her mother's letters made her queasy, she shook her head. She doubted that anyone would look forward to such things.

  "You are not a coward," she said. "When I receive a letter that I would rather not open, I always ask myself what's the worst thing that other person could say. What can your father write to hurt you in just a few words?"

  Eyes widening, Kale stared down at the letter. "I never thought of it that way before. I suppose you're right. There isn't much my father could say that would do any permanent damage. He's done such awful things already that something in a letter could not compare."

  "Precisely."

  She squeezed his arm, then headed back over to the mirror and sat before it. To her surprise, Kale followed her. He put the letter down on her dresser and then wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her hair back behind her ear and kissed her neck. Tingles of pleasure caused her skin to be covered in goosebumps. He laid kisses on her jaw and cheek, then sucked her earlobe into his mouth. A gasp of surprise left her lips at the pleasure his breath in her ear caused.

  "You're really smart, you know that?" he said.

  His actions had her thoughts so jumbled that all she could say was, "Mmmm."

  "Are you almost ready for bed?" He nibbled her ear again. "I don't want to go without you."

  She wasn't finished washing her face, but right now, her body's reaction to her husband were more pressing that cleaning her skin. She turned enough that she could kiss her husband's lips. He tasted like wine and good food.

  "Let's head to bed now," she said.

  With a grin, Kale reached out and grabbed her hand. He escorted her to her feet. Shivering even after his light touches, she followed her husband to the bed and then laid down. He laid on top of her, then kissed her. His tongue snaked between her lips, and he massaged her tongue with his own. She curled her fingers in her husband's hair, her eyes shut. As he kissed her, her husband started to pull her nightgown up to her hips. A shiver of pleasure and desire shot through her body. Even though her husband had just started kissing her, she longed for them to be one more than she could say.

  I'm ready, she realized. Even if it hurts, I'm ready. She pulled away from her husband's kiss. Kale looked down at her, his eyes wide. Immediately his hand stopped inching up her thigh.

  "Is everything alright?" Kale asked.

  "Everything is very alright," she said. "Tonight, do you think you're ready to be with me properly?"

  "You mean, like a husband and wife should?" His voice sounded desperate with desire.

  "Yes." She smiled nervously. "I want you so much. I feel that I'm ready, if you are."

  "Of course." Kale stroked her face and tugged a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "I'll try to be as gentle as I possibly can. I don't want to hurt you."

  "I know." She pecked his lips. "I trust you, or else I wouldn't want this."

  The simple peck became deeper and more desperate. Kale's fingers migrated up her thigh again. He pressed their hips together, and she could feel his hard shaft against her sex. It was both frightening and arousing. She wanted the man inside of her, yet she feared the pain it would bring. Yet all the other joys she had experienced before had not brought her agony, so maybe everything would be alright. She decided at that moment, as her husband groaned against her lips, to just experience the moment at hand and to not focus on what was to come. This was her first time they would become one. She didn't want her own woes to get in the way of what joys could be in store.

  She shut her eyes and ran her hands down Kale's back. Her fingers on his body must have aroused him further, because he gently pushed against her sobbing sex. He increased pressure until friction caused her body to grow hot. His rhythm pleased her and made her gasp. She could tell how much her husband wanted her too because his breathing was ragged and desperate. A rising urge overcame her swollen sex. She tangled her fingers in her husband's hair, then breathed huskily in his ear. He kissed her neck, whispering words that she could not hear against her skin.

  Desperate to touch more of Kale, she unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off of his shoulders. It fell to the bed and lay curled up like white silk snake skin. She ran her fingers down her husband's sides, enjoying his smooth skin beneath her palms. When her hands made it all the way down to her spouse's trousers, he let out a grunt of excitement in her ear and seized the bottom of her nightgown. He pulled it up over her hips, revealing the lush valley between her thighs, then continued to tug it upward. She sat up and lifted her arms. He pulled the nightgown over her head and tossed it to the
side.

  Now she was completely naked before her spouse. Her nipples were hard and aroused. Her breathing was ragged. The majority of her shyness, though, had faded away because Kale had seen her nude so many times over the past few weeks. Nervously, she reached out and touched her husband's chest, then she ran her hands down to his abs and blew out a sigh. Arousal stirred in her husband's eyes. He kissed her again, lowering her to the bed as he did so. As he inserted his tongue into her mouth, he ran his left hand down to her nipple and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. She felt a slight pinch, then pleasure. She whimpered against his mouth.

  Kale pulled away and kissed down her bosom. He reached her nipples, then he sucked the bud into his mouth and sucked hungrily. With his other hand, he took her full breast in his grip and massaged her. She arched her back as she dug her fingernails into her husband's skin. The man groaned against her, then planted kisses on every inch of her bosom. A desperate whimper escaped her mouth as she tried to get her bearings straight. It was hard. Her husband's lips on her body was amazing. Every heated suck made tingles of pleasure go through her already wet sex.

  After her husband lapped at her breast one last time, he kissed his way down her thin stomach to between her legs. He did not hesitate to nuzzle between her sobbing lips. As she whimpered in pleasure, her spouse lapped at the swollen cleft at the front of her cunt. He gently inserted his fingers into her. She felt her hole stretch. At first it was uncomfortable, but as he pumped into her, that ache gave way to pleasure. She licked her lips and shut her eyes, wondering what it would feel like to have Kale inside of her. She could feel his bulge brush against her inner thigh. A crashing wave of anxiety overcame her. He was big, she realized. She may have seen his shaft many times now, but she'd never been so aware of his size until this moment.

  You promised yourself not to think of it, she thought. She willed herself to relax and to only enjoy the feeling of her husband's digit pounding into her. Unfortunately, that was when Kale pulled his finger out. She opened her eyes to see that he was untying the lace strings of his trousers. He yanked them down and his cock sprang out, eager and as intimidating as a sharpened sword. She gulped, but once again told herself everything was going to be okay. The majority of the women had husbands, which meant they had to have endured this. She cared for her spouse a great deal and knew that she could bear it too, if only to bring him pleasure. She let out a breath and shut her eyes again. She told herself there was nothing to be afraid of. Everything would be alright.