by Ella Edon
“Alexander, please!”
“Please what?”
“Just…” Just what? Jane didn’t know. “Don’t go slow.”
Alexander stilled. His arms were shaking.
“No?”
“No.” Jane couldn’t believe herself as she lifted her hips against him. “I don’t want to go slow.”
Alexander stared at her. His eyes seemed to have darkened. Then he rolled onto his back, taking Jane with him. Jane fell against his chest, and Alexander adjusted her legs so she was straddling him.
“What…?” Jane straightened up, only to gasp as his manhood slid deeper inside her. She shuddered. “What are you doing?”
“You want this to be at your pace?” Alexander grasped her hips and shifted her upright. “You’re in charge of me now. I want to know what you want.”
Jane’s head was spinning. The change of angle had made her pleasure shift, and it felt more intense. Jane could feel it blossoming in her belly, tingling sensations rushing up her back. Oh, God. He was expecting her to set the pace?
Alexander grinned and shifted his hands to her waist. He began to guide her, moving her up and down on his lap. Jane shuddered as the pleasure grew. God, this felt so good. She shouldn’t want this.
All thoughts disappeared from Jane’s head as Alexander urged her to ride him, moving faster until she found her own rhythm. Pressing her hands to his chest, Jane rocked on his manhood, watching Alexander’s face. His head had fallen back onto the pillows, his eyes closed with his expression tight. His hands gripped her waist so tightly Jane could feel his fingers digging into her skin.
When her pleasure peaked and exploded, Jane was caught off-guard. She had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Alexander sat up, wrapping his arms around her, and swallowed her moans with his mouth. Jane clutched onto him, scratching at his shoulders as the pleasure made her shudder. She bit Alexander’s lip, causing him to growl. Suddenly, she was flipped onto her back and Alexander loomed over her, thrusting back inside her tight channel. He was relentless, their hips snapping together with Alexander lifting Jane’s hips off the bed. He buried his face in her neck, his breath tickling her.
“God, Jane. You’re a wonder.”
Then he was rubbing at her nub, pressing hard. Jane bit his shoulder as another climax rippled through her, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Moments later, Alexander froze, pressing himself deep inside her with a growl. Jane felt him twitch and then she felt his release.
Oh, God. Was that supposed to happen? Jane came down from her euphoria to realize what had really happened here. He should have pulled away before he reached his own climax. But Jane knew if that had happened, she would have pulled him back.
This was a mess, but Jane didn’t want to get out of it.
Alexander was trembling as he slumped onto her. Sweat trickled down his shoulders, his body sliding against hers. He raised his head and kissed her with such tenderness that Jane almost started crying. When she first met him only days before - had it really been days? - Jane had never expected such passion from him. Or such tenderness. Alexander was a contradiction.
Her contradiction. That had Jane pausing. She couldn’t claim him as hers. Alexander wouldn’t appreciate that. If he heard what Jane had just thought, he would run away as fast as possible even with his recent declarations that he wasn’t going anywhere. Once a rake, always a rake.
Still, his recent actions made her wonder. She knew that it shook Alexander more than he cared to admit. He didn’t like to show that he cared for a woman beyond pleasures of the flesh - he had told her that much - so for him to be here when he could easily walk away now that he had tasted her body was very telling.
Jane knew she was treading on dangerous territory, but she didn’t care. She was past the point of caring now.
“Jane?” Alexander was looking down at her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Jane cupped his jaw, rubbing her hand over his stubble. “You’re going to have to leave soon. Chances are we’ve made some noise.”
“I know. I will leave shortly.” Alexander lowered his head and kissed her. “But after I’ve had some more of this.”
Jane couldn’t bring herself to deny him that.
Alexander couldn’t stop himself from smiling the next morning as he waited on the back terrace for Lee. It had been almost midnight by the time he finally left Jane’s bedchamber, sneaking through the halls like a naughty boy trying to avoid his parents. What he had experienced was worth it.
She was far too dangerous for his heart, and Alexander could see himself falling for her, but he found himself gaining permission from Claire to sneak into her bedroom and wait for Jane, with instructions not to be disturbed. Claire had to suspect what was happening, but she didn’t say anything other than she would make sure they were left alone.
If only they weren’t sneaking around. He wanted to see Jane let loose with her responses. He wanted to hear her scream his name as he drew pleasure from her body.
One of these days, he was going to have that.
That had momentarily silenced him when that thought first drifted through his mind. Alexander had seen women as something brief. He didn’t see another time with them, just following through and seeing how life went. But with Jane, Alexander found himself thinking about when he was next going to see her. If he was going to see her smile again, get to hold her. He wanted to show her how much he wanted her.
He had worried a short while ago about falling for her. Alexander had a strong suspicion that he was already in love. He just hadn’t realized it.
Alexander turned when he heard footsteps behind him and saw Lee walking towards him. The Marquess was scowling, hands clenched at his sides.
“Alexander.” Lee grunted, barely stopping to bow.
“My Lord.” Alexander bowed. “What did the physician say about Carlotta Reyes? You said he was going to have a look over the body today.”
“He did. I was told of his findings before I came over here.” Lee’s voice was grim. He took a deep breath. “Carlotta was pregnant. Not that it would be noticeable, but she was far enough along to be aware of it.”
“Oh, God.” Alexander felt his stomach knot. “She looked so thin.”
“He thinks that she was very sick as well. The pregnancy was not going well for her body.” Lee looked away. “She wasn’t coping.”
It looked like Lee had taken it harder than he should have.
“Are you well, Lee?”
“Of course. I’m fine.” Lee’s scowl deepened. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You’ve just found out a young girl was pregnant when she died.”
“You would feel the same if you had received the news.” Lee rubbed his hands over his face. “At least she didn’t die by someone killing her. The doctor said it was more than likely natural causes during the storm.”
“That would tie in with when her brother last saw Carlotta.”
Lee nodded. “She wasn’t well to begin with, and she went out in the wind and the rain. She more than likely died of exposure. Her body couldn’t take anything else while it was trying to cope with the pregnancy.”
“Have you thought about why she might have been there?”
“Yes, but I haven’t really come to any solid conclusions.” Lee glanced at Alexander and raised his eyebrows. “From the look on your face, you believe you know why she was there.”
“I think so.” Alexander had been giving it a lot of thought. “She had to have been meeting the father of her baby. If she was unwell, seeing the man she believed loved her would be the only reason I can think of that she would leave the house. And it has to be someone here.” He added, gesturing at the big house.
“It could be one of the servants pretending to be one of the Malcolm brothers,” Lee pointed out. “We have no physical proof other than a letter that anyone could have written. That’s it. And neither Anthony nor Robert are going to admit to having a dall
iance with a servant.”
“Robert’s done it in the past.”
“You think he’s going to confess to it now that we’ve found a dead body? The family will come together and refuse to let us do anything or ask any questions. If the whole household shuts itself off as it usually does, even I won’t be able to get any answers.”
“They won’t have a choice when he finds out why everyone around him is dying,” Alexander said.
“You’re thinking about Lady Jane’s parentage, aren’t you?”
“I am.” Alexander began to pace. “Think about it, Lee. Mr. Elliott began practicing medicine here when Jane was born. Rosemary was in Lady Crawley’s service, and Megan was the local midwife. There is a very high chance all of them were involved in helping Judith Malcolm give birth. With the Earl and Countess driving it, it wouldn’t take much to cover it up. Take Lady Judith to a place in the country so she’s isolated from everyone else and pretend she had gone to visit family friends. With the whole family being isolated in the first place, no one’s going to question it.”
Nobody had. It wasn’t uncommon for pregnant ladies to fade into obscurity while they were with child, so they could be calm and relaxed for the labor. Making Judith disappear for a few months wouldn’t have gone amiss.
All of this to cover up the fact an unmarried daughter of an Earl had given birth. And Jane still didn’t know the truth.
“I can’t see Lord Crawley murdering people who had covered up the scandal,” Lee said.
Alexander shook his head. “I don’t think Lord Crawley is a part of it. There’s a chance that he’s going to become another victim.”
“Another victim? You mean we might have another murder on our hands?” Lee groaned. “Alexander, we’ve had four bodies so far. I don’t want anymore.”
“At his age, it’s more than likely nobody will need to lay a hand on him.” Alexander turned to the Marquess. “I think Jane’s birth father has found out about her.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lee raised his eyebrows. He folded his arms, tilting his head to one side. “Explain your reasoning.”
Alexander ran his fingers through his hair. “Miss White was dying. She knew she didn’t have long, and she had this cover-up on her conscience. Maybe Lady Judith had told her who the father was, or maybe she already knew. Miss White would have reached out for the father and let him know he had another child. But he’s of a status where he cannot openly accept her. Knowing that he had an illegitimate child would be catastrophic for him.”
“People have illegitimate children all the time, Alexander. If everyone was scared about a bastard child coming out and trying to claim heritage, there would be a lot more dead bodies.”
“I think there might be more at stake for the birth father. I don’t know what yet, but he panicked. He had to get rid of the people who were involved, the people who could tell Jane who she really was.”
“That would be a risky move. He wouldn’t know if Jane already knew about her parents.”
“She’s a grown lady, Lee. They had plenty of time to tell her, and they didn’t.”
Her grandparents had seen to that.
“You want to tell Jane about her true parentage, don’t you?” Lee murmured.
Alexander nodded. “If her birth father is willing to cover up the fact that he has a bastard child, it won’t just be the physician, maid and midwife involved that he’s going to get rid of. Jane could be a target as well.”
Lee didn’t look happy.
“I don’t like this. It’s not our place to say this to her. It’s a huge thing to take in suddenly. And you made a promise that you wouldn’t say anything to her.”
“I’m not about to lie to Jane anymore. If she finds out later on and discovers I knew about it, she’s going to resent me.”
“Why do you care about that?”
Alexander had been coming to terms with that since he left Jane’s room the night before. He cared about her, greatly. He would never want to hurt her. His father was going to think he had gone mad if he heard his rakish son admit that he wanted to be with one lady for the rest of his life.
He took a deep breath.
“If you want me to say anything further and more meaningful, you’re going to have to wait until I’ve actually said it to her.”
“If you think it’s wise, go ahead. But you deal with the fallout once the Earl and Countess find out.”
Jane awoke the next morning, but she didn’t immediately move. She lay staring at the ceiling, thinking about the night before. What she and Alexander had done was incredibly improper - if they had been caught, both would have been destroyed socially - but Jane didn’t regret it. Her body was still tingling from Alexander’s touch. She hadn’t wanted him to leave when he did, but they couldn’t spend the night together, much as Jane wanted him to.
She could see why others had been seduced by him. Alexander was very empowering. He knew how to make her feel special, how to make her feel loved.
That didn’t sit well with her. If she was practical, she was more than likely another in a long line of lovers. Alexander could have just been spending his time as he normally did while he was stuck in her family home. His words could just be empty, but meaningful enough to draw her in. Once this mess was completed, he would leave, and she wouldn’t see him again.
But even as she thought it, Jane dismissed it. Alexander was not truly the rake he made himself out to be. He was just trying to hide. He had shown a side of himself to Jane he kept from everyone else. He had told her secrets, opened up himself to her. Jane believed, deep down, that what had happened between them was genuine. This was the real Alexander Harrison.
Oh, God. That had Jane pausing. Only days ago, she had first encountered the young rake. Now she was falling in love with him.
Her parents were going to be furious about this, but Jane realized that she didn’t care.
Knowing she needed to get up and start getting ready for the day, Jane rolled naked out of bed, reaching for her nightgown lying on the floor. She was a little sore, but in a good way. Jane was a little wobbly on her feet, but she managed to get to the washstand in her bathroom and washed herself. Her skin was still tingling as she rubbed her cloth over her body. Jane shivered. She needed to regain her composure. Much as she liked the sensation, Jane had to put it to one side and attempt to be a perfect young lady who hadn’t been deliciously ravished the night before.
Ravished. Jane swallowed as memories of the night before flashed before her eyes. Enough. Not now.
She managed to dress on her own and was sitting at the dressing table brushing her hair when the door opened, and Claire came in. Her maid gave her a slightly sly smile before closing the door and crossing the floor.
“Good morning, My Lady. Did you sleep well?”
“Perfectly well.” Jane narrowed her eyes at her maid. “Although don’t take liberties with what happens to me behind closed doors again.”
“I’m surprised, My Lady.” Claire raised her eyebrows. “Was Mr. Harrison not able to satisfy you?”
Jane gritted her teeth. She held up her brush.
“Brush my hair. We’ll speak no more about it.”
Clearly fighting back a smile, Claire took the brush and began to tug it through Jane’s hair. Normally, Jane’s hair would be in ringlets, but lately she was not in the mood to follow what looked attractive on her. Claire had been brushing her hair out before pinning it into a chignon. It was simple but effective. Not too flashy, either. Jane just wanted things to be kept simple.
“I can’t believe it.” Claire said as she brushed. “Miss Preston didn’t deserve what happened to her. I’m just shocked that she was beaten the way she was.”
Jane swallowed. “Do you know how she is?”
“She’s not woken up yet. The physician says it might be a few days before she does come around completely. Marcine is sitting with her right now.” Claire sighed. “But who could have done that? It’s just...b
rutal.”
“Someone had to have sneaked onto the estate and come upon her,” Jane murmured.
“You don’t believe someone here could have hurt her like that?”
Jane shook her head. She couldn’t see her brothers attacking Rachel, and she trusted all the servants. Someone who didn’t work there had to have been the culprit. Rachel could have crossed paths with him and confronted him. she had to be silenced.
