by Golden Angel
“We must take the threat seriously, although it is possible it is another distraction. I will set a man to watch you at all times.”
Elijah growled under his breath.
“I will not go about my business hemmed in by guards.” He hated to think his father thought he could not take care of himself.
“One guard. I would make such arrangements for anyone who had to go about in the public sphere. If you were on mission outside of Society, it would be different, but you will have social engagements ‘til the end of the Season.” Father’s expression did not change, and his tone brooked no argument. “It will be either Nathan or Anthony since they have the easiest time moving among the ton.”
Glancing at the two men, Elijah relaxed slightly. Not only did he consider them friends, but they knew his abilities. They would not stand in his way, and no one would think it odd to see them with him. There were only a few more weeks in the Season proper. In two weeks, London would begin to empty out as the ton decamped to their estates.
“I will ask Rex to help out as well.”
“Rex? Why Rex?” Elijah was affronted. Anthony and Nathan guarding him were bad enough, but Rex? Rex was a good fighter, a crack shot, and a talented whip, but he was not a trained operative and had no experience guarding anyone.
Father raised his eyebrow.
“As a newly married man and the Earl of Durham, there will be some social gatherings you must attend where Anthony and Nathan would stand out. Rex has the same social standing and is also newly married. No one will blink twice to see him there, especially as Josie and Mary are such good friends.”
“Josie… Josie will need a guard as well.” Though she had not been threatened, she was still his wife. Elijah did not want to take any chances.
“I rather thought you might act in that capacity.” Father’s lips twitched in amusement, but his answer soothed some of the nervous tension gripping Elijah, reassuring his father did not think he was inept. “Though I am not concerned she is in any danger, currently. Whoever is behind this understands the reasons behind your marriage far more than the rest of the ton. They threatened to make her a widow but do not threaten her directly. Still, we will not be lax with her safety, and any time you cannot accompany her, I will ensure she has a guard.”
“It is too bad Evie is not here,” Adam murmured. “Guarding Josie would be the perfect job for her.” Father grimaced but did not argue or acknowledge Adam’s statement, though there was a large amount of truth to it. Elijah knew Father would want to keep Evie out of it.
He could not help but think of Josie’s jab earlier, about understanding how Evie felt being left out of things. Something to think on.
Chapter 9
Josie
She had not expected the house to feel different. Since the beginning of the Season, she had been inside its walls so often, Stuart House felt just as much her own as the house her parents had rented. Walking through with Mrs. Brandon, who pointed out the various furnishings, occasionally hinting where she thought something needed updating, felt entirely different. Mrs. Brandon had always been helpful when Josie visited, but she had never treated her with so much deference.
For the first time, Josie was walking through a home that was hers to do with as she pleased.
The mind boggled.
She had assisted her mother in their own home, back in Derbyshire but had never been able to do precisely what she wanted.
You still might not be able to. Elijah and his father will need to give you funds and approve of any changes you want to make.
Bother. What should she call Elijah’s father now? As a child, she had called him ‘my lord,’ but after Evie had come to live with him, the girls had ended up teasingly calling him Uncle Oliver. Would it be awkward to continue doing so? Funny how she had never pondered such small things when she dreamed of marrying Joseph.
“And this is your room,” Mrs. Brandon said with obvious relish as she opened the door. Josie walked inside, curious. The dust covers had been removed from the furniture, and the freshly polished, delicate wooden curves positively gleamed. The soothing pink rose hues of the tapestries on the walls complemented the darker pink of the bedding. Creamy curtains, edged with pink, were pulled away from the window seat, which was piled high with pink, cream, and sage green cushions, allowing plenty of light to flow into the room.
“Over here is the earl’s room,” Mrs. Brandon continued, not seeming to see Josie’s jolt of surprise when she realized Mrs. Brandon was talking about a door Josie had not previously noticed. Josie blushed deeply when she realized it was on the same wall as the bed.
Yes, she had known she and Elijah would have adjoining rooms, but it had not felt real until she saw the door betwixt them. Her body felt oddly tingly, and she shook her head to clear the sudden fuzziness of her mind, wiping damp palms on her skirt.
There was no reason to be nervous. Young ladies married men they did not want to all the time. It could be far worse. At least she liked Elijah, even if he was too bossy by far.
Her mother’s words about pleasure ran through her head, along with some of what Evie and Mary had told her. Josie blushed and turned away from the door. She would face doing that with Elijah when she had to and not a moment before. Her mind could barely comprehend it, to be truthful.
“We also have more tapestries, artwork, and furniture in the attic if you would like anything changed out,” Mrs. Brandon said earnestly, and Josie realized she had been staring around the room without answering the poor housekeeper, who had continued talking and appeared worried Josie did not like the room.
“Oh no, this is lovely. Wonderfully suited to me,” Josie said, smiling reassuringly at the older woman. Mrs. Brandon smiled back, relieved. She had likely been the one to pick out the furnishings. Josie doubted Elijah had taken up the task. “I was so taken aback by how perfect it is, it rendered me speechless.”
“Good, good, I had hoped this would suit. I thought I had your style fairly well understood,” Mrs. Brandon replied, confirming Josie’s supposition. “We have similar furnishings back at Camden House, but it is very easy to change, and we can certainly accommodate anything you would like to bring with you from home.”
“There will be very little.” Stepping up to the beautiful four-poster bed, Josie tweaked the damask curtains. They were far prettier than what she had at home. Her family was well-to-do, especially after her grandfather had left her mother a good deal of money in his will, but they could hardly compete with a Marquess’ household.
“Your trunks arrived this morning and have been unpacked. Oh dear, it is almost time to start supper. Would you like to look at the menus for the week?”
“Yes, I suppose I should, thank you.” Josie cast one last look around the room—her room—before following Mrs. Brandon out the door. There was very little she wanted to change in here, but she would like to make some updates to the sitting room. It had clearly not been used for entertaining visitors in ages. That would give her something to speak with Elijah about over dinner.
Though… would they be having dinner with the rest of his family? Or would he want to dine alone?
Would Joseph be there?
She hoped not.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to dine alone with Elijah, not after seeing the door between their rooms. If they were alone, it would be so intimate. Josie shivered. The thought of being alone with Elijah, knowing what was coming… made her feel so odd. Her lips tingled with the memory of his kiss. She pressed them together as though that would make the sensation go away. It did not.
Elijah
Supper was simultaneously incredibly comfortable and extremely awkward. Josie had often dined at their table, but this was different. Thankfully, Joseph and Adam had gone to procure their own meals, taking some of the potential strife. He saw Josie relax when she came into the room to find only him and his father seated at the table.
Which made him bristle.
Despite knowing he was
marrying a woman who was in love with one of his brothers, living with the reality was more difficult than he had thought it would be. He had thought the foreknowledge would keep it from bothering him, but he was quickly discovering he did not like knowing his wife was thinking of another man. Especially not his brother.
It did not matter that his wife was Josie or that he had not wanted to marry anyone, much less her. It did not matter. If he had decided to marry, she would never have topped his list of potential brides. What mattered was he had married her, and now he was feeling decidedly possessive.
Those emotions and his own temper made things awkward.
Yet it felt entirely natural to have her there, teasing his father and him, discussing the events of the day—though the events had been out of the ordinary. As if by silent arrangement, they didn’t discuss the note Elijah had received, the traitor, or Evie, nothing that could be unpleasant or lead to an argument. To Elijah’s relief, Josie did not ask where Joseph or Adam was. He did not need his unexpected jealousy pricked any further.
“I shall leave you to it,” Father said, getting to his feet after finishing his meal. Elijah blinked in surprise, as they usually followed dinner with port. Father winked at him before turning to Josie. “Good night, my dear. It is truly a pleasure to welcome you to the family.”
The sincerity in his voice was unmistakable, and Josie blinked rapidly as though she was about to tear up. Considering the circumstances, Father’s warm welcome meant something to her.
“Thank you, Uncle Oliver.” She beamed at him. Earlier, Father had told her she could continue to call him that, which, again, felt both comfortable yet awkward.
Though not nearly as awkward as being left alone at the table with Josie. Father left the room, and Josie stared down at her plate, shifting in her chair, seemingly at a loss for words—not at all her usual state of affairs—but then this was not the usual evening for them. It was up to him to take the lead, and Elijah felt a sense of calm settle over him.
Josie did not normally allow him to take command, but in this arena, he was the master, and she would be his student.
“My lady,” he said, getting to his feet and holding out his hand. “I suggest we retire.”
A hot blush filled her cheeks, turning them dark pink. She lifted her head but could not seem to make herself meet his eyes.
“I… yes, I suppose it is.” Her voice was a little higher than normal, her breath coming a little faster. Elijah hid his grin at the evidence of her discomposure. It was rare anyone saw Josie knocked off her stride. Her chest rose, drawing attention to her breasts, as she took a deep breath and laid her fingers in his.
The surge of triumphant possessiveness and fiery attraction that slid through him was shocking in its intensity. Controlling himself, he led Josie on a sedate walk through the house but felt her feet starting to drag as they approached the bedroom. With a quick glance over his shoulder to ensure they were alone, he came to an abrupt halt.
Her head jerked up, eyes wide, not with fear, exactly, but certainly apprehension. Not the state of mind he wanted a woman in when he took her to bed, but at least she was meeting his gaze now.
“We do not have to do this tonight, Josie, if you would like more time to accustom yourself to being my wife.” Despite his body’s urgent desire, there were so many factors that made this more difficult, and Elijah had no interest in a reluctant lover or worse, one that was wishing he was his brother. Perhaps it would be best to put this off until later.
Josie
The gentleness in Elijah’s expression nearly undid her. Josie took a deep breath, blushing deeper when Elijah’s eyes dipped to her breasts, then back up again.
“No, I mean yes, I mean…” She took another breath as a small smile played on Elijah’s lips. She could feel him disengaging, stepping away emotionally, and she did not like it. Josie had every intention of doing her duty as his wife. More than that, she was naturally curious about that duty, especially after their kiss earlier.
She also could not stop her mind from worrying over her own part in things. While she had heard a great deal from Evie, then Mary’s cousin, Arabella, and Arabella’s friend, the Countess of Spencer, when Mary was the bride, then from Mary after she was married, Josie did not feel adequately prepared. Where did her hands go? Was she supposed to touch him? What, exactly, was she supposed to do with her tongue?
What if she was terrible at it?
Elijah had heaps of experience. Not only that, he did perverse, wicked things with the Society of Sin. What expectations would he have? She sincerely regretted revealing to him the extent of her knowledge earlier today. At the moment, she had enjoyed showing him she knew more than he thought, but now she worried he would expect more than she knew how to do.
“I do not want to be bad at it.” Josie raised her chin, though it felt like her cheeks were on fire. She had never been one to balk at a hurdle, nor was she very good at deception. “I want to do my duty, but I also…” She let out her breath in a huff, narrowing her eyes at Elijah’s suddenly blank expression. He was laughing inwardly at her, she knew it, but she appreciated that he contained himself outwardly. “I know it is supposed to feel good. What if I make it feel bad?”
Now Elijah did laugh, and Josie scowled, reaching out to slap him on the shoulder. Before her palm could connect, he caught her wrist, using it to yank her against him, but not the way he would hold her for a dance—much, much closer. Her breath caught in her throat as her breasts pressed against his chest, her body crushed against the hard planes of his, his lips only inches away from hers and descending fast.
“Impossible. I will show you.”
He kissed her before she could respond, stealing her breath and reigniting the heat that he had kindled earlier.
Chapter 10
Elijah
Relief that Josie’s hesitation had nothing to do with his brother was so strong, Elijah was almost weak from it. He was determined to keep things that way.
Josie was so confident in herself, it was easy to forget she did not like to try anything new under the view of someone else. Whether it was riding, archery, drawing, she practiced in private until she was competent. Only then did she seek out a teacher. Of course, that had been impossible in this sphere. Elijah would be her teacher from the beginning, and in doing so, he would wipe every thought of his brother from her mind.
Feeling her give way to his kiss, lips parting to receive him, supple body softening against his, Elijah backed her toward the door to her room. While there were no servants in the hall at the moment, he preferred not to be interrupted or seen. An audience had never bothered him in the past, but he did not know how Josie would react, and now that they had started, he was determined to finish.
Every part of his body was throbbing, aching. His cock dug into her soft stomach as his desire ran rampant through him. Elijah moved them into her room with only a small degree of difficulty, then began undoing the buttons along the back of her dress. Josie gasped beneath his kiss, shivering as her dress parted.
Breaking from the kiss, Elijah moved his lips over her jaw, and her head automatically tilted back, giving him access to her neck. Her low moan encouraged him as her hands clutched his shoulders, keeping her balanced.
Though he might not have her heart, he had her body and her promise of faithfulness. Elijah would use those and his knowledge to seduce her to bind her to him. He did not question this sudden desire to claim Josie for his own. She was his wife now. He wanted her devotion and would want that regardless of who his wife was.
Josie
Utterly breathless, Josie whimpered as Elijah’s hot mouth moved over her skin, stirring sensations she had never experienced. No mere kiss of the lips could ever match this—his hands moving over her body, his lips on the sensitive flesh of her throat, and the fabric of her dress slowly sagging as he undid the buttons holding it together.
She could barely think. When her dress dropped to a pool of fabric around her fee
t, exposing her chemise, corset, and drawers, she whimpered at the loss of a shield. Elijah’s hands felt twice as intimate, moving over barely covered skin, and when his lips moved down her chest, she gasped. Fingers caressed her breast, deftly delving into her corset and pulling them up, exposing the nipple behind the thin fabric of her chemise. She grabbed his hair as his mouth closed around one turgid bud, suckling. Her knees went weak, and only his strong hands held her up.
Every part of her body was awash with sensation, on fire with a need she barely understood. She had tried to touch herself between her legs, and there had been times she had achieved some small pleasure, but even those times, she had not felt like this. Could anything quench the surge of heat and aching passion throbbing through her?
Something hard pressed against the back of her legs, and Josie’s lips formed a small ‘o’ of surprise. Elijah had backed her against the bed. Without speaking, he turned her around, so she was facing away from him, staring at the bed where he would soon divest her of her virginity. Something hard pressed against her buttocks, the ridge settling between her cheeks. His cock. That was what Evie and Mary had called it.
“Good girl.” Elijah’s warm breath moved over the back of her neck, making all the little hairs stand on end. “Put your hands on the bed.”
In a daze, she obeyed. Not that she never followed Elijah’s instructions, but she rarely did so without question if she even obeyed. Now, though… she felt as though she was in a dream, under his compulsion. Even though she could no longer see him, look at him, she was so acutely aware of him, it did not matter.
The corset loosened, and she sucked in a breath of shock. He was going to undress her entirely, leaving her completely exposed to him. For some reason, that sent excitement running along her skin, similar to her emotions when she was riding a particularly unruly horse, yet different. The danger was not the same, and neither would the end result be, but she had nothing else to compare to how her heart raced, her senses heightened, and everything else in the world melted away.
