Mariel ignored them, and turned to meet Dash’s eyes. Their deep amber gaze held nothing but care – she could see no sign of duplicity in his expression.
“Dash… I… are you sure? I would not wish to trap you into a marriage that you did not desire, just because I wanted to work on a book in Russian, in memory of grandmother. I… I do not find the idea inherently objectionable, and I… do care for you, too. But… are you sure?”
There was a flash of something in his expression, there and then gone – was it relief? She was not sure. Again, her mother jumped in.
“I think that we can take that rather inelegantly phrased response as being an acceptance. If neither of them violently object, then we need not argue or coerce – we can get on with planning the wedding, as well as everything else required to mitigate this scandal, before it gets even bigger.”
The Duke gave a firm nod. When he spoke, there was no trace of mockery in his tone, although Mariel felt as if there should have been.
“Good. Now that part is dealt with, you are right – planning is critical, my wife should arrive tomorrow, for that reason. Lady Mariel, welcome to my family. I am sure that you, and my son, will be very happy together – you seem well suited to each other.”
Mariel and Dash sat there, rather shocked by the speed with which things had happened. Across the room, she met Selina’s eyes, from where Selina had settled, out of the parents’ sight. Selina gave her a wry smile and a small shrug. This was not how either of them had ever visualised Mariel becoming betrothed!
At least, Mariel thought, as the parents planned their lives away in front of them, she loved Dash, even if he did not know that yet. She simply had to pray that whatever care he held for her would grow to love.
~~~~~
The following day, Mariel and Dash managed to work on the final pages of the Russian book. His mother had arrived that morning, having been urgently summoned by his father, even before Mariel’s parents arrived. Their greetings were somewhat strained, and Dash was glad to escape her scrutiny.
Neither set of parents approved of them continuing to work on the translation, but they simply reminded them that, now they were betrothed, it really did not matter. It was a relief to do something that felt so ordinary to them, to shut the office door, with Selina sitting on the couch, as usual, and pretend that their parents were not just a few rooms away.
But they had not had a chance to be truly private, to talk about their feelings… or anything. That evening, there was to be a dinner, and Alex would attend as well, officially to celebrate the betrothal. They would all stay at Longwood Peak overnight.
A notice had been sent to the papers, to appear in the same newssheet which had run the scurrilous letters, as part of their plan to minimise the scandal.
Somehow, writing the last word of the translation into the journal seemed anticlimactic, given everything else which had happened. Nonetheless, Mariel and Dash were both pleased that it was done.
He took her hand, and lifted it, placing a lingering kiss upon it.
Then he spoke, very quietly.
“Thank you, Mariel. When we began this, I never expected… but here we are. After dinner, once our parents have retired for the night, I intend to take the book, with your translation, and lock them away in the East Wing, with the other remaining items, now that most things have gone to London. Will you… will you meet me there? In the room where we…?”
“Yes. Oh yes. Wait for me, just inside the main door to the wing – so that we can lock it….”
Her heart thundered in her breast, and heat ran through her body – had he reminded her of that room, of what they had done, because he intended to do something like that again? She very much hoped so. Her breathing was uneven, and an ache had begun between her legs, just at the thought of it.
“I will.” He pressed another kiss to her hand, then released her and rose. “We should all prepare for dinner. We can celebrate the completed translation… later.”
~~~~~
Dinner was interminable, with both sets of parents expecting them to behave as if the manner of their betrothal was not at all unusual but, finally, it was over and, as he had expected, his mother suggested that the ladies all retire early and, once the men had indulged in a brandy, both his father and the Earl had also retired. Dash sat with Alex for a short while, waiting, allowing enough time to pass for silence to fill the house.
“I’ll go up now, and see you tomorrow. I hope that, in the end, you will be happy?”
“I think I will… if Mariel is.”
“You’ll find your way to it, I’m quite sure. Good night.”
Alex left the room, and Dash waited a little longer, then set his glass aside and rose. The small office seemed strange by the light of his candle, as he collected the original Russian book, and the stack of journals containing Mariel’s translation.
He turned the key in the lock of the East Wing main door, and went quietly inside, then set the books down on a side table, and waited, hoping that Mariel would not be long. As he did, he opened the first book of her translation, and began to read. It read well – she had done a wonderful job. Soon, his mind was aflame with imagining doing the things described in the book, with Mariel. He wanted to kiss her, to touch her, to have her, fully. The memory of her passionate kisses, added to the arousing nature of what he was reading, left him breathing fast, and his cock hard and aching.
A soft sound came to him, and he closed the book, waiting. Moments later, Mariel slipped through the door. He stepped forward, and locked it behind her. When he turned back from doing so, she stood mere inches from him. Neither spoke - they simply went into each other’s arms, their lips meeting with hunger, passion, and desire. He knew, then, that he need not fear her being unhappy, for it was obvious that her desire was as great as his – could he hope that she might move from desire and care, to love? He did not know, but for now, desire and care would have to be enough.
Minutes passed, as their tongues tangled with each other, their bodies pressed together, and hands explored the contours of bodies.
When they drew apart a little, breathing hard, he cupped her cheek in his hand.
“Come, let us go upstairs, and put these books where they belong…”
She turned her face into his hand, and pressed a soft kiss to his palm.
“Yes… and then…”
“Yes.”
Chapter Fifteen
Mariel’s heart raced, and her mind was full of uncertainty – about everything, except for one thing – she wanted this, wanted Dash, no matter the circumstances. And now that they were to be married – which still seemed beyond improbable to her – she saw no reason to deny her desires, or his. But would he really…?
He released her, and gathered up the books from the side table, passing her the candlestick, and they set off down the silent hallway to the stairs. Every step brought that day back to her, and built the anticipation in her mind and body. When they reached the room where he had given her such pleasure, he settled the books onto a shelf in a glass fronted bookcase, then turned to her. His eyes were full of a hunger that matched her own.
Carefully, she set the candlestick down on a small table. He held out his hand, and when she took it, led her to the opulently padded couch rather than the chair they had used before.
Drawing her down beside him, he brought his lips to hers, and she sighed with the pleasure of finally feeling his touch again, properly. The kiss rapidly deepened, as her arms slipped around his neck, and his hands caressed her, pulling her against his body.
Mariel relaxed into his arms, and revelled in the sensations coursing through her body. Finally, she would have the chance to experience the physical pleasures that society denied to unmarried women – that she had dreamed of for so long, and which she now knew – thanks to Dash and the Russian book – so very much more about.
Dash slid his hands over her back, her shoulders, and then her sides, until they slipped between them
to cup her breasts. Mariel sighed, and arched her back, thrusting herself into his hands. He gave a groan at her movement, and his fingers found her aching nipples through the cloth of her gown.
“Oh! That feels wonderful.”
“So it should – it feels wonderful to me, too.”
The neckline of the gown which she had worn for dinner was relatively low, and Dash traced kisses down her neck, and across the tops of her breasts, as his fingers drew the fabric down, exposing her breasts to his tongue and his fingers. Her hands tightened sharply on his shoulders as he sucked her nipple into his mouth, and a whimper of pleasure escaped her.
Somehow, they had slipped sideways, to almost lie along the couch, and Mariel abandoned herself to the sensation, to her body’s responses. As he sucked and nipped at her breasts, first one nipple, then the other, she found herself almost writhing, her hips moving against him.
With every sensation, she wanted more. When he moved one hand to slowly draw up her skirts, a sigh of delight escaped her, and she shifted to allow him easier access to her most private parts. His fingers trailed fire up her legs and he thrust her skirts up around her waist before bringing those fingers back to her core.
“You are so beautiful, Mariel. I have wanted to do this, and far more, to you, almost from the first moment that I saw you. Every hour that I sat beside you, explaining the words, and the use of devices meant to accentuate pleasure, was torture of the most exquisite kind.”
A breathy laugh was her only answer, for he had lowered his head and begun trailing kisses up her inner thighs, whilst his fingers gently stroked her most sensitive bud. She could feel pleasure building within her, an inexorable pressure, so strong that she wanted to escape it, at the same moment that she wanted it to last forever. Then those kisses reached the spot where his fingers stroked, and his tongue took over that stroking. She cried out at the intensity of it, and arched herself up against him. As she did so, he thrust a finger slowly inside her, and the sensation tipped her over the edge. She shattered into a million fragments, as if nothing existed but pleasure.
As she came back to awareness, he moved that finger again, gently thrusting it in and out of her channel, and, when she pushed herself upon it in response, he carefully added a second finger to the first. The sensation of being filled, of being stretched, was like nothing she had ever imagined, and yet was everything wonderful. Between his tongue, and the arousal he had created in her, she could feel that she was utterly wet between her legs, that the natural moisture of her body eased the passage of his fingers.
She reached for him, pulling him up to kiss him, even as his fingers continued their work.
“Dash… I want… I want you in me. If we are to marry, if they have decided that I am already ruined, then I see no reason that we should not take our pleasure of each other completely. I have never wanted another man as I want you.”
He leant back a little, studying her face.
“Mariel… are you completely sure? I want you – there is no question of that – more than I have ever wanted a woman before – but I would not have you do this out of some sense of defiance, or some belief that you should, for me…”
She looked at him, and felt hysterical laughter rise within her.
“Oh Dash, it is nothing like that – although I admit that the idea of an act of defiance rather appeals to me – it is, very simply, that I want you – more than that, I think… I think that I love you. That I have for some time now. But… I want you to want me, not just for lust – although that is a very valid emotion – but for me, not simply because it has been demanded that we marry.”
His eyes widened at her words, and he bent to kiss her again, a kiss full of passion. When he drew back, he smiled.
“Mariel, you have made me the happiest of men. For… I have come to realise that I love you, also. Admittedly, I lust for you in equal measure, but I rather think neither of us is displeased with that situation. I assure you, I want to marry you because I love you, not just because our parents have insisted upon it.”
“Then ruin me properly Dash, now.”
“Nothing we do could ruin you, Mariel, no matter what words others use – you are perfect as yourself, lustful desires included. In fact, I rather treasure your lustful desires, and fully intend to devote myself to fulfilling them.”
She reached out and found the buttons of his falls, determinedly beginning to undo them. He allowed her to do so, turning his attention back to her breasts, and moving his fingers within her as she worked on freeing him. her cries of pleasure at his actions drove him to work harder, it seemed, for Mariel found herself barely able to control her fingers enough to undo the last buttons.
Then her fingers found the velvet heat of his cock, and she held it firmly, rewarded by a gasp from him, which vibrated against her nipple. He lifted his head, and pushed back from her, removing his fingers from her as he did. She gave a whimper of dismay, but watched with appreciation as he pushed his breeches down, and shifted on the couch until he knelt between her legs. She reached for his cock again, guiding him towards her entrance.
“Take me, Dash, now. I know there will be a little pain, but I want, so much, the pleasure which is on the other side of it. I need you. Please…”
His deep amber eyes gleamed in the flicker of the candlelight, filled with desire, and love. Slowly, he shifted his hips, until his cock pressed into her. It felt so big, and she squirmed a little as his fingers came between them, to stroke that most sensitive spot again. Instinctively, that made her arch herself up, and thrust her hips at him. As she did, he gave a firm thrust forward, and slipped into her. She gasped as a sharp pain wracked her, then released the tension in her body slowly.
“Oh! Oh, my! That is… move, Dash, please….”
He did so, a slow thrust that drove him deep within her, even as his fingers continued to work. Then, equally slowly, he drew out again. Mariel wanted to scream with frustration – the sensation was exquisite, but so slow…. Then he thrust in again, and thought left her. He steadily increased the pace of his thrusts, his fingers keeping time with that, until she was gasping, arching up to meet those thrusts, clutching at his shoulders as she did.
She could feel that shattering moment approaching again, the moment when she would dissolve, would be nothing but pleasure. Her internal muscles contracted as she tipped over into delicious oblivion, and she felt his cock spasm within her. His cry of release was the last thing she was consciously aware of, for some time.
When she did return to an awareness of her surroundings, he lay beside her, an arm around her, cradling her against his chest. She looked up into his eyes, and smiled.
“That was wonderful. And if that is what you can do to me, as a beginning, what on earth might happen when we have all the time and privacy that we want? My darling, I commend you on your choice of things to study and collect – I believe that your obsession has guaranteed me a lifetime of pleasure.”
He laughed, and kissed her gently.
“I will happily do my best to live up to that suggestion. Every day, as we sat there working on the translation, I imagined doing those things to you, with you. I imagined demonstrating exactly how various objects were intended to be used… and the idea that I will get to do so is… very stimulating.”
As he spoke, his fingers began to trail over her breasts again, and Mariel felt her body respond, instantly, aroused not just by his touch, but by the images that his words triggered in her mind.
“I… I admit that… oooh… I also imagined you doing that. I kept wishing that you could give me a very… personal… demonstration…”
“I am so glad that we agree on that matter.”
He bent to kiss her again, and she reached for him, finding him hard and ready. For quite some time after that, they did not speak, being far too busy indulging in the passion which they had both repressed for so many weeks.
~~~~~
“The Prince Regent’s carriage has just drawn up outsid
e, my Lord.”
Benson, the man Dash had employed as Museum manager, leaned in through Dash’s office door as he spoke. Dash turned to Mariel.
“I know you won’t want to, but I think it best if you go and hide away in the storerooms. I want the Prince Regent focussed on the Museum and its contents, not distracted by your charms – as he most definitely would be!”
Mariel laughed, shaking her head.
“I will hide away now, but not when it comes to the official opening! Let society deride me if they will, what matters more is that I am proud of you, and your museum.”
“Thank you! Now away with you!”
She went, and Dash rose, tidied his desk, and went out into the foyer area to greet the Prince Regent.
Benson opened the door, and the Prince entered, surprisingly only accompanied by two people, one of whom was his current favourite mistress. Dash bowed deeply, as was appropriate.
“Rise Longwood, enough of that formality. This is a private visit, no need for ceremony. Now, show me this collection of yours that everyone is gossiping about. I pride myself on being a connoisseur of erotica, which means that I am more than intrigued by the possibilities of what you have here.”
Behind him, the mistress emitted a small giggle. Dash ignored her.
“This way please, Your Highness. The Museum has been designed with different levels of… intensity... shall we say? The lower two floors contain items of varied and general interest, but not those representing the most… extreme explorations of erotic pleasure. Those items are housed on the upper floor, and it is my intent to make them available for viewing only to a select few, for an extra fee – a fee which will, of course, go towards the costs of maintaining this collection of cultural and artistic artefacts.”
“Sensible. Some of the aristocracy are rather faint hearted and stuffy about such things. I am glad to meet a man who isn’t. Now, do give me the full explanation in each room – If I decide that I don’t want to hear it, I’ll stop you.”
Lady Mariel's Scandalous Love: Regency Romance (Regency Scandals Book 2) Page 12