Confessions of Lady Grace
Page 21
Tap. Tap. Tap… At last, the humming ceased. With a sigh, Matthew opened his eyes.
His beautiful wife was sitting in the chair opposite him with a ready smile. “How many today?”
“Forty-five.”
“Ah, you must be pleased.” Grace placed four scrolls upon his desk.
Matthew reached for the rolled-up parchments, but his wife pushed them to the side, an inch out of his reach. He asked, “What are those?”
For days, Grace and Blake had huddled together, discussing what he assumed were matters for the Foreign Office. His days were spent sequestered away with Hadfield, Archbroke, and Waterford to go over the training schedule devised for him by the council of network elders. It had been a hellish fortnight, and he was ready to once again spend some alone time with his wife.
Grace retrieved a deck of cards from her pockets. “Care to play a game of brag?”
What was the minx up to? A challenge to a game of brag meant the matter was of some import and had potential impact on their lives.
“What are we playing for?”
Cards interlaced as Grace shuffled. “Winner gets to select one of the four designs Blake created.” She pointed over to the scrolls. “Shall we play?”
“I’d like to raise the stakes before agreeing.” Matthew paused and grabbed a feather from his desk drawer and placed it upon the desk. “One hour.”
His wife’s eyes widened at his meaning. An hour of teasing with a feather inevitably had one of them begging for release.
The muscles of Grace’s throat worked as she swallowed. “Thirty minutes.”
“Very well, I’ll compromise. Forty-five and not a second less.”
Nimbly squaring the deck with her fingers, Grace nodded and gave him the deck to deal. Not bothering to shuffle the cards, he alternated sliding a card in front of them until they each had two cards face down in front of them. The highest card next dealt would determine the winner of the first phase.
Believing luck was on his side, Matthew arched an eyebrow and asked, “Interested in making a separate wager for this round?”
Grace narrowed her gaze upon him. “What did you have in mind, husband?”
He stuck a finger between his neck and his simply knotted cravat and tugged it loose. Pulling one end away from him, Matthew dangled the silk material in front of Grace. “Winner gets to bind the other.” During the first few weeks of their marriage, he couldn’t stand to be bound, instantly bringing back nightmares from his captivity and dousing his arousal. But Grace loved the freedom to explore his body without the distraction of his hands upon her. Now, a year later, his mind no longer rebelled against the soft fabric wound around his wrist, but Grace rarely requested the boon that gave her immense pleasure.
His wife’s gaze raked over his face. “Very well. I agree to your terms.”
He’d not lose either way. If she was to bind him, he’d have the pleasure of her hands and mouth exploring him, and should he be the victor, he’d have her bound and able to take full advantage of his time with the feather, for he was determined to win all the rounds.
Grace frowned at the eight of hearts in front of her. He needed a nine or better. Slowly flipping over his card, Matthew revealed a ten of spades. He’d won.
Graciously his wife conceded the round. “I see luck may be on your side today, husband, but it won’t aid you in the next two rounds.”
Matthew waited for Grace to peek at the two cards that made up the rest of her hand before he did. The woman was a master at hiding her reactions and feelings, but she still possessed a few tells. Controlled blinking was a sure sign she had a pair. Was it a pair of eights, or had he dealt her a higher?
Lifting the corners of his own two cards, Matthew evened out his breathing and attempted not to reveal any clues as to what his hand might consist of. He glanced down at his cards a second time—a pair of fours. Not strong enough to win, if he had guessed Grace’s hand correctly, but if she believed she was beat, she might concede the round. “Wife, I forgot to ask, what does the winner of this round receive?”
Grace drummed her finger over the wood desk. “Might I suggest the winner receives the pleasure of a fruit platter.”
An image of brushing a slice of peach along her lips and then kissing the juice from her mouth had Matthew shifting in his seat. “Agreed, and I concede this round.” If he revealed his cards, Grace would have been able to calculate the odds of her winning the next and final round, determined by whose total points came closest to thirty-one. “I look forward to feeding you your favorite fruits. I shall speak to Cook to have all arranged for this eve.”
“Hmmm. I look forward to it then.”
“Care for another card?” If he had read her body language correctly, then she would be wise to pass so as not to go over thirty-one. In contrast, his paltry score of eighteen meant he’d need to at least draw one, if not two cards, to come close to the winning number.
Grace ran the pearl pendant he had gifted her long ago back and forth along its silver chain. His gaze habitually fell to her décolletage, and his eyebrows came together. Grace’s breasts were nearly falling out of her dress, or had Ms. Lennox devised a new design to make them appear that way?
“I don’t believe I need another.” Grace flipped over her cards early.
A pair of knaves. He would need two cards to beat her score of twenty-eight. Praying luck was indeed on his side, he flipped his two cards over first.
Graced squealed, “I knew it! Now let’s see who the winner will be.”
With the deck of cards in his hand, he waved to the rolled-up drawings. “What are the designs of?” His guess was they were of the gazebo he had promised to have built for her behind the manor.
Her eyes darted to the feather and then back up to meet his. “First, who is the winner?”
Interesting. Grace wasn’t vying for the pleasure of selecting a design; it was the opportunity to torture him with a feather that had her eager to find out who had won. He slid a card off the top of the deck and let it fall to the table face up. Ace of Diamonds. Their scores were tied.
Eyes bright, Grace glanced anxiously at the deck of cards in his hand. “Matthew! Stop dawdling.”
“Are they designs of the gazebo?”
“No,” Her response was immediate.
Frustrated, Matthew asked, “Then what are they of? Why are we playing for the privilege of picking a design? It makes no sense. I want whichever will make you happy.”
He pushed back from the desk as Grace raced around to sit upon his lap.
She reached over the table for the designs and the feather. “Really? You concede?” Grace waved the feather about and then ran it across the top of her chest.
Matthew flipped the top card over to land in front of them—two of hearts. He won with a score of thirty.
“Blast!” Grace expelled the breath she was holding. “You are one lucky man.”
Matthew nibbled on her neck, “I am indeed.”
He cupped her breast, and Grace swatted his hand away. She leaned forward and unrolled one of the scrolls, placing a paperweight in each corner. Matthew tore his gaze away from her soft skin and blinked at the drawing before him. It was a series of designs, all starting with a replica of his master chamber, which had lain dormant since Grace’s rooms were more conducive for the type of bed sport they preferred.
“You’re refurbishing my chamber to create two new rooms? Why do we need more rooms?”
Grace turned to face him. “I wish for the children’s rooms to be close by—well, at least while they are babes.”
While he had suspected that Grace was enceinte, hearing her utter the words had his heart bursting with joy. She wanted a family, a large one, and he meant to provide her with as many children as possible.
Thank you for reading Confessions of Lady Grace.
I hope you enjoyed the Agents of the Home Office .
* * *
Up Next: The Hadfields
Revealing
a Rogue available October 2020
Also by Rachel Ann Smith
The Hadfields
Book 1: Revealing a Rogue
She’s sworn an oath to protect him - even from himself.
He’s determined to breakdown her walls win her heart.
Will their harried journey to Scotland result in scandal or marriage?
Coming Soon - 2021
Book 2: Tempting a Gentleman
Book 3: Falling for the Dowager
Agents of the Home Office
Desires of Lady Elise
He has the reputation of a rogue.
She is too busy with investigations
to bother hunting for a husband.
But when the man who shattered her heart re-enters her world,
will she be able to resist him?
Book 1: Secrets of Lady Lucy
She is determined to foil an attempted kidnapping.
He is set on discovering her secrets.
When the ransom demand comes due—
will it be for Lady Lucy’s heart?
Book 2: Mysteries of Lady Theo
She must fulfill her family’s duty to the Crown.
He prioritized his duty to the Crown before all else.
Will the same duty that forced them together be what ultimately drives them apart?
Book3: Visions of Lady Mary
She wants a life of adventure.
He made a promise on the battlefield he’s not ready to fulfill.
Can she forgive the man who once called her a witch?
Don't miss out!
Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Rachel Ann Smith publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.
https://books2read.com/r/B-A-LMTI-KBGFB
Connecting independent readers to independent writers.