He smiled wryly, slowly stroking her hair. “Common courtesy affects you? You are very easy to please, my lady.”
“Normally I pick up my own shawls, open my own doors unless a footman spots me, and I’ve had people walk into me when they don’t notice me behind Lucy.”
“That will never happen to you again. All the more reason to marry me quickly.” Guilt made him shut his eyes momentarily.
His original plan more than a month since, had been to let her manage her household alone as soon as she had been safely ensconced in his country house. He had only been in close proximity with her for a few days before he had entirely changed his mind. Now he wanted her beside him for the rest of his life. Although this seemed to be a snap decision, he remembered her from days gone by as a thoughtful young person. He could compare this with his more recent knowledge of her. Why she imagined that she needed to be perfect in every way, down to her performance in bed, perplexed him.
Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. “I have hundreds of reasons to marry you. But you have none to marry me. If we make love tonight, perhaps you’ll see a reason to change your mind. I’d rather you did so, sooner than later.”
“I’m not going to change my mind about you, no matter what happens tonight. I’m not marrying your body. I’m marrying your soul.”
She cupped his face between her two palms. “Please make love to me,” she said softly, easing a kiss onto his lips.
Because he knew every trick in the courtesan’s handbook, he found her plea endearing. After drawing in a long breath, he resigned himself to the fact that ordering her out of his bed was beyond a man who had thought of nothing other than holding her in his arms since he’d heard her enter his room. He drew her fast against his chest, not about to let her leave just yet. Since he had every intention of marrying her, even if he impregnated her, no one would be counting the days before delivery. Many a man had anticipated his wedding vows and no man in his right senses would refuse such a request.
Being entirely sane, he kissed her as she needed to be kissed, carefully touching his lips to hers, holding her right up against his body, and sliding one arm around her waist and the other across her shoulders. Moving over her, he tasted every inch of her lovely mouth.
His fight against his base desires lost, he buried his face in the softness of her hair before he succumbed to another kiss from her. He accepted every kiss she offered, while he held her close to his heart. Her soft hair beneath his palm became silk. Her body grew pliant, and she pressed urgently against him. Somehow he needed slow her down. He expected to hold her in his arms for the rest of his life. He didn’t want his first time with her to be an explosive start with a quick finish.
“I’m not so easy to seduce, my lady,” he said in a voice that came out husky.
“Oh, I think you are.”
Her answer surprised him into laughing softly into her hair. “You could be right.” At that moment, he realized that he had never taken a woman with joy and laughter. He’d only ever wanted a woman who could slake his needs. With Mary, he wanted so much more.
His heart full of tenderness, he sat up and then slowly slid her nightgown off her shoulders. Although he was aroused, he was also in love. Enjoying her full cooperation, he managed to tug her nightwear over her head, and finally hold her silken body against his. He knew he had to go slowly with a virgin but that ended his entire knowledge of virgins, having never bedded one. He began by lying beside her.
She moved into his arms where she snuggled closely to him, her head beneath his chin and her hands on his back. His erection pressed hard against her belly, but not for long. She moved him between her legs and circled her arms around his neck, leaving him to take the lead. All his promises to himself to go slowly ran through his head while his body ignored everything but his need. Her fingers began to comb through the hair at his nape. She pressed her mouth against his, relaxing and shifting even closer, letting him angle deeper into the kiss.
Her invitation was clear. He could touch, and he didn’t hesitate to do so. With no more than two or three qualms, he slid his mouth down her arching throat to the white flesh below, finding the top of her breast with his mouth. His hand cupped beneath the heavy fullness, and his lips glided gently over her skin. The scent of her filled his senses, wetting his mouth and urging him to taste her.
Tightening his chest in an effort to keep control, he found her nipple, and he rubbed the bristled surface of his jaw across her breast. He heard her gasp and felt her instant puckering on his cheek. Opening his mouth, he breathed hotly over her nipple, misting it to a state of readiness and taking himself to a state he hadn’t planned on.
He stopped for a moment and tried to contain his desperate arousal.
While he rested his forehead on her throat, she smoothed her hand over his hair. She felt so soft and warm, that his need for her overwhelmed him. When he finally plunged to her depths, she would sheath him tightly. She would be hot and slick and she would grab at his buttocks, move hard against him until he dripped with sweat in the effort not to come. She would scream for him not to stop, never to stop and ...
He squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t afford to think this, not about a young virgin who he would nurture for the rest of his life, whose feelings were important to him. A wellborn lady wouldn’t give her body to just anyone, or at least not without regret. He leaned over her and stared into her eyes. “It’s up to you what happens next.”
Her lips covered his, and her palm covered his erection. Without wasting another moment, he dropped his head and his mouth found her nipple again. As he suckled, he lifted one of her legs over his hip. With his fingers, he teased in her moisture again. She arched her back in pleasure, and he fought to keep control.
He began sweeping movements with his fingers and started to press slowly inside her. She groaned. Her thighs tensed. “Guide me,” he murmured. “Tell me what you want.”
She gave a high-pitched laugh. “More.”
He found her little nub with his fingers and slid back and forth. At first she winced a little but her breaths grew uneven and her knees quivered. She began to make sobbing moans, taking him by surprise. He needed to kiss her to swallow the sound, or so he told himself. Finally, she built to a peak, and stayed there, making unintelligible smothered noises that finally turned into a soft laugh as she finally relaxed. She clutched at his shoulder and turned her body right into his.
He cupped her behind with his hand, breathing hard and burying his mouth in the juncture between her neck and shoulder. Although he didn’t speak, his whole body asked a question.
Her eyes closed and she threaded her hand into his soft hair. “I had no idea,” she said in a voice that sounded like a soft sigh. “Now, can I have you?”
Lifting himself up onto one elbow, he gazed into her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“I have never been more sure of anything in my whole life.”
He needed no more to clasp her back into his body, and cover her. With a slight adjustment of his hips, he pushed a little way inside her, pressed a little deeper, drew back and eased forward again. She was still a little tight but he knew she would ease with patience on his part. “Just tell me when you want me to stop.”
“I’m scared, Beldon,” she whispered. “If you keep asking questions, I’ll start thinking too much.”
His lips lowered to surround hers and his fingers eased in and out of her moisture. Again, and with breathtaking ease, his fingers built her to a state of excitement that had her thrashing her head from side to side and clutching at his back. He took control, giving her the opportunity to experience gratuitous pleasure.
Hot tears began to roll down her cheeks. He then took his hand away, and began to enter her, pushing a little deeper inside her. She slowly relaxed her knees, while his cock began to expand her. Her fingers gripped his buttocks. He slid right into her, losing himself in the moment, before he gradually began to speed up. When he began dripping sweat, and hi
s skin stuck to hers, she exploded, again and again and again, her body clenching against his, holding him, doubling his pleasure.
Finally, hot and sweaty, he released, staying inside her until her heartbeat calmed and her grip eased. He heard her laugh. Only then did he ease out of her.
Rolling to the side of the bed, he sat up, and swung his legs over the side, knowing that the water in the washing bowl would have cooled. While he considered ringing for hot water, she leaned over and circled her arms around his shoulders from behind. “I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did.”
He spun around and took her into a fiercely protective hold. His chin pressed so hard into the top of her head that it hurt. “I love you, Mary.”
“I love you, too,” he heard in exchange.
Chapter 15
Mary lay in bed, watching Beldon sleep. Events hadn’t gone as planned. He was supposed to notice she wasn’t a virgin and be shocked and disgusted, and call off the wedding. He had almost broken her heart when, instead, he had said he loved her. Now, she didn’t know what to do next.
She hadn’t dared to dream of a life with Beldon, assuming he would break off the proposal and send her back to the country, where she would live for the rest of her life, playing the piano for the village children, in between running the house for her mother.
Last night, she had been braced for a few moments of pain and embarrassment, but instead had been given explosive joy and time to lie in Beldon’s comforting embrace. Now, all her plans and thoughts sat in disarray, and she had to make a decision. Should she tell him the truth, or should she keep her previous experience a secret? He hadn’t appeared to notice, or if he had, he had kept quiet. Would he leave recriminations for later, or would he also ignore what he must have noticed, that she had no hymen to break?
She rolled over and watched his sleeping face. His remarkable eyelashes rested on his cheeks as he slowly breathed in and out. She reached out a finger to touch, but his hand took hers to beneath his stubbled chin, which he rubbed against her palm. “I expect I need to shave,” he said in a low husky voice. His eyes became sleepy slits as he gazed at her.
She breathed out. “I’ll leave before your valet arrives.”
“Stay. He may as well get used to seeing you in bed with me, not that I need an audience, but he is bound to see the same sight more than a few times over the years.”
“When do you plan to marry me?” she asked in a cautious voice, watching his expression change from unfocussed to intent.
“In little over two weeks. In fact, I plan to put the announcement in the papers as soon as we get back to London.” He sat up, resting on one elbow, narrowing his gaze at her. “I discovered something last night that I didn’t know.”
All her fears centered in her chest, her heart racing into a panicked beat. She swallowed, about to explain, but her words wouldn’t come. Not only that, she didn’t want to tell him after all. He didn’t own her body and since she hadn’t married him, he had no more right to her than any other man.
“That I am hopelessly in love with you, my Mary.” He snatched her back into his arms. “My marvelous Mary.”
The door creaked open. “My Lord ...” His valet, Shuttle, peered in, widened his eyes, and quickly closed the door.
Beldon laughed. “He’ll give me half an hour and try again. I shall escort you back to your room. Although I would love to keep you here all day, London awaits the announcement of our wedding.”
She hugged him and slipped out bed, but not quickly enough. He followed her and snatched her back into an embrace, kissing her mouth with expert devotion to his task. She finally had to push him away. “Stop. I have to leave.”
He sighed, pulled on his breeches, and hurried her to her room with his protective arm around her waist.
Alice, who had already dressed, raised her eyes heavenward when she saw them, but only said, “I have ordered a bowl of hot water for you, my lady.”
Mary hesitated, but Alice’s reaction decided her that she didn’t need to explain to anyone.
She washed and dressed and smiled all the way back to London, sitting on the forward seat close beside the man she loved.
Chapter 16
Two days later, Westerham called on Mary’s mother, Lady Thornton. He bowed formally to her and smiled. “Finally your daughter has seen fit to allow us to arrange a date for the wedding. I assume you saw the announcement published in the paper this morning.”
Mary’s mother nodded. “Two weeks!” she screeched. “A private ceremony to be held in Westerham House. I don’t know how I can arrange a wedding in that time. I thought she would be married some time next year. Why can’t she wait for a more convenient time? I can’t get all the family together in two weeks, let alone her friends. We’ll all have to go back to the country house and tell the rector, and hope that he has free time before Christmas.”
“As stated in the paper, Mary wants a small private ceremony in my town house. She doesn’t want extended family or to be married in the country.” Mary had utterly refused to be married by the local rector. He took a deep breath, prepared to go into battle for her.
Her mother stood, considering and frowning, until she finally nodded. “She’ll have to come back to Thornton Place a week before the wedding and help me get a trousseau ready.”
He didn’t want to part with her now that he knew she was his. For a moment he closed his eyes, and considered someone other than himself. Her mother deserved at least the pleasure of arranging a trousseau. He heaved a sigh. Mary would be only a few streets away, and he could still see her every day.
“I’ll send her to you as soon as she can pack.” He ungraciously hoped Mary would refuse, despite knowing that she really had to be with her family at this time, since she would spend the rest of her life with his.
During the next two weeks, he barely saw her, except on formal occasions, when he would dance with her and she would keep him up to date with the wedding arrangements. Thornton had decided he should hold the ceremony in his town house and stick to the plan of inviting only the closest relatives to the ceremony. Since most of the others had gone back to their country homes, no nose would be put out of joint. Lady Thornton then teamed up with his mother and took charge of the decorations. Westerham would provide the flowers.
On his wedding day, Westerham arrived with his mother and his brother, one on either side. Mary hadn’t yet met his brother but the meeting would have to wait until after the ceremony. Instead of walking down the aisle, Mary stood at the end of the hallway, with Westerham’s second cousin, suitably garbed as a vicar.
Westerham, flanked by his closest relatives arrived at her side. His heart thundered with nervousness. Brides had been known to back out at the last minute, and she’d been so hesitant to accept his proposal that even now he wasn’t sure of her.
As he walked towards her, she turned and smiled at him. His relief restored his confidence, and within moments he reached her. Finally, he stood beside her, while his cousin read the wedding vows. Although Westerham nodded in the right places, and spoke in the right places, until he heard the words, ‘I now pronounce you man and wife,’ he stood like a block of wood.
Finally, he could kiss the woman he loved in front of friends and family.
Chapter 17
Christmas had come and passed while Lady Mary and her sinfully handsome husband travelled to France for their honeymoon. Tonight was her first day as the Countess of Westerham in her husband’s townhouse in London. His spacious, luxurious bedroom had been lit by candlelight, and shadows flickered on the walls. Safely snuggled in Beldon’s arms, Mary smiled up at him.
He ran his hand through her unbound hair, and sighed. “Why do I love you so much?”
“Because I love you.” She hugged him tighter.
“Why do you love me?” he asked, clearly angling for compliments.
She drew a deep breath, searching her mind for the impossible answer. “I feel safe with you. I trust you.”
“Is worthiness a reason to love someone?”
His face rested on her hair and his breathing halted for a moment. “It’s a reason to love you. I wouldn’t have changed if I hadn’t met you. You gave me back a heart.”
She smoothed the skin on his shoulder, concentrating on the thought that she had changed him. In turn, she realized that he had changed her. She now understood that she had someone in her life she could trust with everything, including her heart.
More than likely, she could trust him with her secret too, but since she didn’t know anything about his mistresses, and certainly didn’t want to know, she realized she had made the right choice in not revealing hers. “You showed me that the most important thing in life, is love. Without love, both of us would have been lost.”
He showed his appreciation of her words with a deep kiss, which led to another night of passion.
About Virginia Taylor
Virginia Taylor trained to be an artist before switching over to gain a diploma as a nurse/midwife. She then veered again, and worked as a theatre set painter and designer while following the tortuous path to be published as a writer of contemporary and historical romance novels.
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Yuletide Secrets
Have Yourself a Merry Little Secret : a Christmas collection of historical romance (Have Yourself a Merry Little... Book 2) Page 85