‘Probably. She’s the right age now.’ She looked up at him and smiled. ‘Just don’t offer me the job.’
‘Why?’ he asked jokingly. ‘I would have thought you’d find employment in a ducal residence more preferable.’
‘On the contrary, Your Grace.’ Jessica replied calmly, even though her heart pounded in her chest the moment he spoke to her. ‘I would find it very difficult to work in your household.’ He looked down at her and the expression in his eyes almost made her melt on the spot. ‘I think it would be unwise for me to put myself at your mercy.’
‘Interesting choice of words.’ The Duke said softly. ‘I should go then, before I do just that.’ He smiled again. ‘Remember. Ten o’clock at the clue tree.’ And with that he sauntered away.
Once Jessica announced the piggy back race, all the father’s were standing on the line. The only problem was that fathers of more than one child had to choose which one got to race, and that caused more arguments. For the two widows it was impossible. Jessica wondered whether she should try a mother and daughter race, but took one look at Lady Greyston and decided against it.
The Earl of Dean offered to take a child and was paired up with Norfolk’s second son, the Earl of Walsham. The race was won by the Duke of Warwick amid catcalls of cheating, as his daughter was so light. But all told it was a pleasant way to spend the morning.
The rest of the day went by in a flash and soon after dinner, Jessica was sitting in her bedroom fastening up her hair and debating what she would wear for her tryst. Maybe something dark? She pulled a claret coloured silk gown from her armoire and removing the two petticoats, she dressed swiftly, finishing with a large, dark shawl she had bought in a mad moment.
She checked the landing and it was clear, so she made her way quietly down the service stairs after wrapping the shawl over her hair and around her shoulders. Unless somebody saw her head on, they wouldn’t be able to recognise her. She cautiously paced through the servant’s areas until she gained access to the garden through the scullery.
She looked up at the moonlit sky full of winking stars and sighed. Carefully she picked her way through the vegetable patches of the kitchen garden and out of the gate to the main grounds. She stared across the lawn at the tree where she had tied a clue at the beginning of the week.
Caution made her take a circuitous route to her destination. It wouldn’t do to blatantly walk across the lawn in the moonlight as she could be seen. She arrived at the tree only to find no-one there. She hovered in the shadow of the tree for what seemed like hours.
John had spent the afternoon riding with Malvern, Dean and Norfolk. He could hardly concentrate for the rush of excitement and desire coursing through his veins at the thought of a tryst with Jessica. For so many years she had been a dream, an unrequited love almost and finally he was going to get to see her face to face. Alone! He couldn’t help but smile.
‘What are you smiling about, Johnny?’ Norfolk asked and John cleared his throat.
‘I was just thinking about my daughters face when she sees the Shetland pony that Lord Michael is going to sell to me.’ He said evasively and the discussion turned to horseflesh.
But Dean wasn’t so easily distracted. He waited until he could get John alone and said quietly. ‘If you break her heart, I’ll beat the living daylights out of you.’ and kicked his horse forward quickly to join the others, leaving John with the threat ringing in his ears.
He returned from the ride; spoke to the Head Groom, Andrew about the delivery of the pony for Elizabeth and walked back to the house with Lord Michael. They went to the study, agreed a price and John wrote him a note. A glass of brandy sealed the deal along with a handshake and they chatted amiably for a while. When he could excuse himself without causing offence, John hurried from the study. He ran up the stairs two at a time, jogged along the landing to his room where Masters had a bath ready for him and his evening clothes laid out.
Dinner was an agony of waiting. He hoped that his excitement wasn’t noticeable, but he felt sure that both Lady Greyston and Lady Pritchard had taken an interest. He tried not to gulp down either his food or the wine, the last thing he needed was to be tipsy for her and by the time the ladies retired to the drawing room, everyone had noticed that the Duke was withdrawn. Most put it down to Lady Greyston’s nocturnal visit.
The banter and ribald comments started as soon as Lady Evelyn closed the door on them and Plunkett started the rounds with the decanters. The Duke ignored the hazing and soon the conversation turned to more important matters. The main topic was the confounded war and the indigent French.
John didn’t partake of the conversation much and in no time they were being hustled back to the ladies. John made sure he had a view of the beautiful Ormolu clock on the mantle, so that at a quarter before ten he could sneak out. He stupidly lounged on a settee and immediately found himself sandwiched between Lady Greyston and Viscountess Boston and he generously gave them a few minutes of his time, before he got up to replenish his brandy glass and stood near the decanter with Norfolk.
Unfortunately he was waylaid by Lady Pritchard discussing Victoria and how good a friend she’d been at a quarter of ten. It had taken him sometime to extricate himself from that disturbing conversation, but finally he managed to break away with the excuse of needing the pot room. He managed to slink onto the terrace without being seen, or at least he thought he hadn’t been, but he was surprised to hear the door to the terrace go behind him. He secreted himself behind a large Rhododendron and watched Lady Greyston walk by. He waited until she had vanished around the corner of the house and he sprinted across the lawn to the tree where Jessica had tied a clue with a length of ribbon.
‘Jessica?’ he called softly and heard a rustle of silk as she stepped out from behind the tree.
‘You’re late.’ She said reproachfully.
‘I am. I got tied into a very disturbing conversation with Lady Pritchard.’ He said distantly as if it was still on his mind. ‘The damned woman was a friend of Victoria’s.’ He shook his head and smiled at Jessica, his teeth gleaming in the moonlight. ‘Still I don’t want to talk about her. I want to talk about us.’ He took hold of Jessica’s hands and put them against his chest. ‘Do you know how many years I’ve dreamed of this moment?’ he asked softly and stepped in close.
‘As many as I have, I should think.’ Jessica replied in a whisper, her voice not quite steady. Her whole body was trembling with excitement and not a little desire.
Very slowly he stroked his hands up her arms and gently pulled her against his chest. He didn’t make the mistake of kissing her, this time, he just held her close. As her body relaxed against him, he received a waft of her scent; lemon soap, a touch of orange blossom and the infinitely preferable smell of a woman. ‘You smell delicious.’ He murmured as he unwound the shawl from around her head. He dropped his lips onto her neck, making her gasp and shiver. ‘Mmm. That’s better.’ He whispered. ‘I wanted to do this the night we met.’
Jessica was almost in nirvana, as she buried her nose in his cravat and sniffed heartily of his aroma. Mmm. Sandalwood and shaving soap. She thought as she cleared her excessively thick throat. ‘I thought you wanted to talk.’ She said, but couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice.
‘I do.’ John mumbled against her skin. He jerked his head upright. ‘Sorry, you’re right. I do.’
Right at that moment a voice call ‘Your Grace?’ across the grass. Both of them recognised Lady Greyston’s voice and the Duke actually cringed.
‘Damn!’ John said faintly. ‘I thought she’d gone the other way.’
Jessica saw his teeth flash in the moonlight as he grabbed her elbow and steered her away from the tree. ‘I need a nice shady place.’ He murmured.
‘The Stable block.’ Jessica whispered and pointed to the long wall that was the back of the stable block, where it threw a very dark, deep shadow. John lengthened his stride, making Jessica run to keep up with him and then they were standing a
gainst the wall.
Lady Greyston rustled around in the trees for quite some time and both Jessica and John tried very hard not to snigger. They were silent when she passed by the stable block, but she didn’t see them because John had wrapped the shawl about Jessica, covering every inch of white skin and he held her in his arms and buried his face in her neck. Jessica held her skirts around his legs to camouflage his light britches and stockings. John kept peeping to see where Lady Greyston was.
‘She’s very persistent.’ Jessica whispered, with barely a sound, but he still heard the words. He lifted his eyes and saw Lady Greyston on the lawn heading back to the conservatory. He looked down to where Jessica’s face was just visible in the backwash of moonlight and he gently kissed her. It was a meeting of lips, which was a portent for so much more. He felt Jessica quiver in his arms and deepened the kiss, twisting his face for a better angle. Jessica relaxed in his arms and slowly he worked her lips open, but instead of plundering her mouth, as he’d done the last time he’d kissed her, this time he flicked his tongue against the rim of her lips and she jumped and moaned softly. It almost undid him. He broke away from her fabulous mouth and squeezed her tight. ‘She... She’s gone.’ He said stumbling over the words he was so affected. ‘And so should we be. If we stay out here somebody will catch us.’ He looked down into the pale sphere of her face. ‘It’s infinitely more comfortable and private in my rooms.’
‘What do you think I am?’ she asked in a harsh whisper. ‘You’re importuning me like some light skirt!’ She huffed again ‘A damned cheek really, considering you threw her out of your room for importuning you.’ she nodded her head in the direction of the house.
‘You know about that?’ he asked in surprise. He could see the corneas of her eyes flashing.
‘You know how quickly gossip spreads and Lady Greyston was very vocal in her displeasure last night. My maid was all agog with it this morning.’ She laughed softly. ‘So are you importuning me, Your Grace?’
‘I would never force you to do anything you didn’t want to do, Jessica and it was most shocking to find her naked in my bed last night.’ He shuddered again. ‘I actually had a vision of ending up pox ridden like my uncle.’ He stroked his fingers over her cheek. ‘All I’m asking is if you will accompany me to my rooms so we can be more discreet.’ She saw his teeth flash and knew he was smiling. ‘But if you want, we could stay out here. I’m sure we can both weather the ensuing scandal when we’re caught?’ He made light of it, but Jessica would never allow herself to be in the position of fuelling the gossip mill. She’d heard enough from Annie to understand that all the servant’s knew what was going on.
‘We must be cautious then, because the servant’s will know. They watch like hawks.’ Jessica said, she realised remaining outdoors was not worth the risk. ‘But I don’t want to be seen creeping into your rooms.’
‘Then we need a plan of attack.’ John whispered firmly. ‘I think you should go back to the nursery wing, I’ll go back inside and be seen in there, then I’ll come to see Elizabeth and we can go to my rooms after.’
‘Very well.’ Jessica said without argument. While they’d been out in the garden she had decided to take the risk. She wanted to know what she’d missed on her wedding night. Every time the Duke kissed her she felt a pool of liquid desire form in her gut and when he licked her lips, it trickled down between her legs and set off a deep throb. She was already aching for she knew not what. But she knew that he could satisfy it.
He kissed her again and then pushed her towards the kitchen garden. She scurried through the gate and cautiously let herself in the scullery to retrace her steps up to the nursery wing. She was horrified when she got there as Lady Evelyn was looking for her.
‘Jessica, there you are.’ She said and totally ignored the fact that Jessica had been outside. ‘Come down to the drawing room. You gave us such a splendid mornings entertainment I want you to join us this evening.’ She dictated, leaving Jessica with no option but to accompany her.
~*~*~*~
John waited until she’d vanished through the gate and then he sauntered down the path, as if he was coming from the stables. He strolled round onto the terrace and then opened the french doors and let himself in the drawing room. Lady Greyston looked up startled. ‘Good God! Your Grace, where have you been?’ she demanded impertinently, realised her tone of voice and returned her gaze to her cards as a deep flush spread across her cheeks.
John did not like the proprietary look in her eye and ignored the question with a frown. He turned to the brandy decanter and poured a substantial amount into a snifter just as Lady Evelyn entered arm in arm with Jessica.
‘Ah! Your Grace. Will you pour us a Madeira please?’ Lady Evelyn asked without even asking if Jessica liked it. Lady Evelyn walked her straight to the drinks trolley and chattered consistently about the children’s races. The Duke poured the rich wine into delicate glasses and handed them over. As he handed the glass to Jessica, his fingers stroked hers.
Jessica actually felt like an intruder, because she was the governess, but Anthony put her at ease. ‘Jessie, come and partner me.’ And he frog marched her to a card table. She ended up playing whist all night. First she was paired with Anthony and they played against Lord Lancaster and Viscount Morecombe, winning all but two of the rubbers and then she played Faro against the two Dukes and the Marquis. Much to Lady Evelyn’s delight, she thrashed them all and left the table with a tidy sum in her hand even after repaying Anthony, who loaned her money in the first place.
Jessica looked up as she was scooping her winnings off the table and saw John looking at her. He jerked his eyes at the clock and then looked away. Jessica checked the time and it was almost midnight.
‘Well, I think it’s time I turned in.’ Jessica said firmly. ‘The Children will have me up at the crack of dawn tomorrow, so I can’t stay any longer.’ She turned to Lady Evelyn. ‘Thank you for including me this evening, Lady Evelyn. It has been a long time since I enjoyed an evening so much.’ She smiled at everyone. ‘Goodnight.’ She said and turned for the door.
‘Will you be all right?’ Anthony asked softly. ‘I could escort you.’
‘That’s not necessary, Anthony.’ She patted his arm, ‘you go back to the cards. You’re winning!’ She kissed his cheek and opened the door. Plunkett was standing in the hall and nodded to her as she went to the stairs.
She walked up those stairs like a queen; head held at the perfect angle, skirts raised just enough so that she wouldn’t trip over the hem and at a stately pace. John caught her up as she turned for the nursery wing. She looked carefully about her as John grabbed her wrist and pulled her along the landing behind him. They ran to his rooms. John cautiously opened the door to the sitting room, but Masters didn’t appear to be there and he rushed her across the to the bedroom.
Chapter Eleven
John pulled her into the room and shut the door behind her, turning the key with a click. Jessica’s heart was pounding like a bass drum, thudding so hard that she expected her gown to be pulsing with it. She rested against the door, panting.
‘This is wrong!’ she whispered. ‘Anthony is only in the next room!’
‘The Earl is playing cards, and winning!’ John said softly. ‘He won’t come to bed until his luck turns.’ He placed his hands either side of her on the door. ‘We have all night.’ His smouldering gaze dropped to her lips and he inhaled sharply as her tongue stole out to wet them. The inevitable spike of lust made him swell and throb.
‘I’m afraid.’ She whispered so quietly he barely caught the words.
‘There’s no need to be. I won’t hurt you.’ he replied and closed the distance between them. All he did was bend his elbows and dip his head until his lips touched hers. He didn’t touch her in any other way.
Control! John berated himself. Otherwise she will think you’re a brute! Slowly he angled his head and delicately licked the seam of her lips, persuading her to open and just like the petals of a f
lower, her lips parted for him. He tasted the sweetness of the Madeira she had been drinking and felt the silky texture of her lips as he flicked his tongue over them. He managed to restrain himself before he thrust his tongue so far down her throat he choked her and waited for her to respond. He continued to make love to her mouth, just biding his time until she touched him.
His chest almost ignited as her palm settled over his heart, the heat burning through his attire. Suddenly she snaked a hand around his neck and pushed herself off from the door. He brought his hands onto her back and held her gently.
John slowly worked his lips free and whispered her name. ‘Jessica!’ and traced his lips over every facet of her face, finishing with his lips under her ear and preparing to slide down her neck.
Jessica felt his fingers loosening the back of her gown, even as his lips nestled at the juncture of neck and shoulder.
‘What do you like?’ he asked softly.
‘Like?’ Jessica mumbled, not quite understanding the question.
‘Yes, like, as in oral sex, manual sex or intercourse.’ He asked as if he was talking to a courtesan, and held his breath. He knew she was too innocent still to understand, so he waited.
She stood rigid in his embrace. ‘Is oral sex where I have to suck your cock?’ she asked in trepidation, the quiver in her voice obvious
He laughed softly. ‘Yes and no.’ He said and kissed her cheek. He looked down into her eyes and saw the innocence there. ‘I would never ask you to suck my cock.’ He said softly, ‘it’s not something a lady is supposed to know about, but it is a form of oral sex and I would be lying if I said I hadn’t had my cock sucked.’ He kissed her softly again. ‘I was thinking more in terms of me kissing your most intimate place.’ He smiled at her indrawn breath of shock. ‘It is very stimulating and very satisfying.’
She stroked her fingers down his cheek. ‘I think I am in your hands, Your Grace.’ He could still hear the tremor in her voice.
The Duke and The Governess Page 14