He’d also see to whatever she needed — money or anything else.
“Edmund,” she whispered, and for the first time, he heard the crack in her voice.
Without a word, he took her in his arms and pulled her close. He didn’t care what any of the servants thought or that Annabelle could return at any moment.
“Oh,” Annabelle said, sounding rather rattled as she did return. “I was thinking sherry instead of tea.”
Without a blush or a stutter, Selina pulled back and nodded. “Good thinking,” she murmured, but her eyes watched Edmund.
He wondered what she thought. Wondered what she needed from him.
Anything. He’d give her anything. Everything. All he was, he’d freely give to her.
He needed to tell her that, and tonight. He would not abandon her, no matter what gossip surrounded her or her father. No matter what happened.
The sherry decanter clinked unsteadily against the glasses, and Selina rushed to Annabelle’s side. “I’ll do it, dear,” she whispered and deftly poured each of them a drink.
But Edmund noticed Selina’s fingers tighten around her glass and whiten with the force she gripped the fragile crystal. He accepted his glass and quickly downed it, reaching for Selina’s hand. Her fingers trembled in his, but she sighed and gripped his hand tightly.
“Dear,” Selina said to Annabelle and crossed to where the other woman sat. “We’ll help Father. It will be all right.”
Annabelle drained her glass and stood. “I’ll leave the two of you to talk.”
She nodded to him and quickly embraced Selina. Head high, Annabelle left them alone in the deceptively cheery parlor.
“You believe that, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.
Selina stood, sherry forgotten. “I have to believe it. I can’t imagine my father taken from us like this. He did nothing.” Her voice rose, strident with her belief and anger.
“Mr. Ashworth wasn’t only his partner but his friend. Father trusted him! This is lunacy.”
She stopped and looked behind him to the open parlor doors. Edmund didn’t even think but quickly pulled them closed, giving them a semblance of privacy.
“Father would sooner harm me than harm him,” she added in a low, forceful voice despite the closed doors. “They are mistaken, Edmund!”
He gathered her back in his arms and she went, but did not relax, held herself stiff and tense. He ran his hands up and down her back, offering whatever comfort his touch provided.
“I know they are,” he promised. “We will clear this up. I’ve come to know your father and know Lyndell is a gentle man incapable of such things.”
“He’s incapable of harming anyone.” The words stabbed sharp and held every ounce of belief she had in her father.
Edmund could do no more than agree and hold her tighter. He had no words to comfort her, didn’t know what to say to ease her pain. If there was anything to say.
Selina pulled back just enough to look up at him. One hand unwound from around his waist and slid down his arm to wrap around his fingers. She brought his hand up to her face and leaned into his touch.
With a quick jerk of her head, she stepped back. Her anger and fear all but vibrated off her, made her restless. Edmund watched her open and close her fists, walk a couple steps away only to whirl back to him.
“I’ve already asked Hamilton to seek out the correct barrister,” he added, his voice softening. “And solicitor. We’ll do whatever it takes to free Lyndell of these false claims.”
He stopped, made sure she heard him and vowed, “I promise.”
Selina’s hands cupped his face, and for several long moments her green eyes watched his. The day had dulled their normal sparkle, and she studied him with an indecipherable look. But then her eyes softened, and her head rested on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Edmund pressed his lips into her hair and breathed deeply of her scent. They stood like that for long, long minutes.
“What can we do this evening?” she asked, quietly determined. But she didn’t move from him.
“Who do we need to wake?” She asked, her words rapid. “Who should we call upon for help? I understand you don’t want me to call upon those we know, but is it not imperative to at least call upon Mr. Ramsby for assistance?”
She paused and leaned back, watching him steadily. “Father was insistent I empty the accounts quickly.”
“I will assist you with that in the morning,” he promised, already planning to use his own solicitors and bankers in case Selina’s were untrustworthy. “I’ll see the banker awaits us. There’s nothing more we can do this evening. I want you to rest.”
Selina shook her head. Her hands fisted the back of his jacket, and her voice was steady when she spoke. “I cannot rest. My eyes will not close this night.”
The fire crackled in the fireplace, and the light from the oil lamps flickered dancing shadows across the room. Edmund watched her; he didn’t want to leave her, especially not tonight. But there were rules and decorum, common decency —
To hell with it.
“Come, Selina,” he said, voice muted. “I’ll see you upstairs.”
He’d spent their entire courtship seeing that every respectable role he played could not be construed as anything but proper. He wanted no taint to their marriage, no whisper of malicious gossip as to their reasons for marriage.
He loved her. End of story.
Damn anyone who said otherwise.
Edmund led her upstairs, past the footmen who looked straight ahead and the maid who scurried by. He didn’t care what her servants thought. And he’d sack the first person to hint as to anything indecent about Selina.
Her lady’s maid was already in her bedroom, but he dismissed the surprised woman with a curt nod. To her credit, the woman smiled softly and nodded, offered a deep curtsey, and closed the door softly behind her.
“I don’t want to leave you,” Edmund admitted. “I don’t want to think of you alone through the night. But we’ve taken enough risks. Your servants should see that I’ve only come to take one last private word with you before I leave.”
He brushed his fingers along the smooth column of her throat and watched her carefully. He knew she was angry, knew there was much to do, but he’d promised to help and take care of her when he’d proposed. That wasn’t about to change now. Not ever.
The fire in her green eyes sparked for a moment then tempered, and he wondered what she hid behind her mask.
“I love you, Selina,” he told her, his fingers tangling in her hair, cradling her head. “Nothing will ever change that. Nothing will ever interfere with the love I have for you.”
“Then do not leave me tonight,” she said, her fingers circling his wrists. “My servants will not gossip; they won’t utter a word of this.” Selina stopped and admitted, “I need you.”
With gentle fingers, he unbuttoned her gown and helped her step out of it. Edmund tossed it onto a chair and helped her with her stays and skirts. Once clad only in her chemise, he led her to the bed.
Edmund fully intended to call her lady’s maid back in, leave her, and see her in the morning. But standing before the bed, with her hair still up in the hair combs he’d given her last week, she looked at him.
Selina no longer shook or trembled, but watched him with dark, hooded eyes. He saw her fear for her father, but as she stood there watching him, Edmund also saw the love she felt for him. The depth of her love couldn’t be shaken. He wanted to release her hair, see the long black locks tumble around her shoulders.
If he took that step, Edmund knew he wouldn’t leave her.
“Stay,” Selina whispered.
And he was lost.
His control broke, crumbling at his feet like so much rubble. All that mattered was Selina. Edmund closed the distance between them and framed her face with his hands. Her mouth opened beneath his, her tongue meeting his tentatively.
<
br /> Unlike the increasingly passionate kisses they’d shared before tonight, this one was hesitant and soft. Selina whimpered; her fingers found their way beneath his vest and bunched his shirt.
Edmund pulled back. “Selina.” His voice sounded rough to his own ears. He smoothed back her hair and watched her eyes open. “Are you certain?”
“Edmund, I love you,” she whispered, and her hands pressed into his back, bringing him that much closer. “I’ve never been more certain.”
He shucked off his jacket, letting it fall to the floor unheeded. He quickly unbuttoned his vest and tossed it after the jacket. Selina’s warm fingers skimmed up his back, taking his shirt with her. It, too, fell to the floor, forgotten.
Edmund abruptly pulled back. Selina’s breath came in harsh gasps; her lips were swollen from his kisses, and her cheeks flushed. She looked utterly beautiful.
“Selina,” he whispered.
He didn’t know what else he planned to say. Words seemed inadequate, too flimsy to express all he felt for her. Gently lifting her onto the bed, he climbed up and lay beside her. One hand traced along her cheek, her jaw, down her throat.
The chemise still covered her body from his view, but he had time. He wanted to take his time. They had all night — gossips, servants, Annabelle be damned.
Edmund leaned over her and found her mouth again. He took his time, exploring her taste, the feel of her tongue against his, the way her hands fisted in his hair. Selina rolled onto her side, her body pressed to his. He felt her shudder, heard the catch in her breathing.
Her fingers danced along the band of his trousers, and he caught her hands. “I’ll do it,” he said against her mouth, unwilling to leave her taste.
With quick movements, Edmund stripped naked and rejoined her on the bed. Selina braced herself on her elbows and unashamedly studied him. He stayed still, propped up on one hand, his body facing hers. Her hand reached out and trailed down his chest, fingers brushing through the light hair there then downward, over his hip.
Her hand stopped, and Selina looked back up at him. Rather than uncertain, her gaze was bold, dark, and aroused. And when her fingertips brushed over the tip of his cock, his hips jerked forward.
Once more she stopped, her fingers no longer touching him. Her gaze flew to his, fascinated and curious.
Edmund wanted to give her time, let her explore his body. More, he wanted to explore hers, let her know what this passion felt like. Watch it overtake her as she came.
Selina wrapped her hand around his cock and stroked its hardness. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his belly, tongue flicking out to taste him.
Jaw clenched, Edmund reached out and grabbed her shoulders. Her touch, so innocent yet so erotic, threatened to completely shatter his control. He caught her hands and dragged her against him.
He ran his fingers through her hair, further dislodging the combs and pins. He couldn’t get enough of her taste, of her body pressed to his. He knew his kiss was rough, too hard, too possessive for Selina’s first time.
Her leg slid up his, rested on his hip, and brought her heat into direct contact with his cock. Edmund growled; the harshness of the sound surprised even him.
Kissing down her neck, he gathered her chemise up and yanked it over her head.
“Beautiful,” he breathed, and kissed along the tops of her breasts. “Selina, you’re perfection.”
She gave a nervous sound, but made no move to cover her body from his gaze. Edmund took one breast in his hand and kissed her nipple, already a hard peak. She gasped and arched further into his touch, uttering a strangled cry of his name.
He heard her need in that cry — her need of him and her desire to forget, for a moment, all that happened this day.
Her soft skin seduced him. The lemon balm scent of her soap enticed him. Edmund kissed her body, worshiped every inch of her. His teeth closed gently over each nipple, tugged just a little. Learned her reactions, what she wanted, what she liked.
With gentle hands, he opened her legs wider and settled himself between them. She was already wet, so wet for him, and he took his time tasting her. Flicking his tongue over her nub, he easily slipped a single finger into her.
Selina bucked against his hand and cried out his name. He added a second finger and kept his pace smooth, gentle as he stretched her.
She was close; he felt it in the fluttering around his fingers, in the way her body trembled beneath his. Primal satisfaction surged through him, and he flicked his tongue over her nub once more. Again.
She cried out, her hips arching against his touch. She exploded over his senses, and Edmund tasted every bit of her. He eased her down from her first orgasm, drawing out her pleasure. His pleasure, too. He wanted her like this every night. Spread before him, open to him.
His lover. His wife.
When he looked up, her mouth hung open, her hands curled into the bedding, and her eyes closed.
“Selina,” he said against her stomach.
Edmund felt her breath hitch and watched her eyes flutter open.
“Will—” Her voice broke. Beneath his lips, Edmund felt her breathe in deeply. “Will it always be like that?”
“Yes,” he promised.
With short thrusts, he guided himself into her. Once fully seated, he held himself perfectly still and waited for her to adjust. His arms trembled as they held him over her, but beneath him she watched him with unwavering trust and love.
“Edmund,” she said in a breathy moan.
He moved slowly, long, even thrusts in a steady rhythm. He watched her pleasure build again — wanted to teach her what he’d learned this night, wanted to watch her shatter at his touch again and again.
He felt his own climax build at the base of his spine, and he moved faster. Selina’s thighs tightened around his hips, her nails dug into his back, and she moved with him, arching into each thrust. Her mouth kissed down his neck, his shoulder.
Without warning, she cried out, her body clenching hard around his as she climaxed again. Her teeth sank into his shoulder, and his control completely snapped.
He thrust harder, faster, moving within her even as her body slowed. Edmund threw back his head and emptied himself into her.
His arms threatened to give out on him, but he didn’t want to move from her. Not yet.
Edmund wanted to stay just like this.
Eventually he rolled to the side, bringing Selina with him. She felt her tremble, not only from her first time, her first orgasm, from the day’s events. He knew Selina so well and knew what today had caused her, the deep grief, the fear.
He held her, pressed a kiss to the top of her head, tightened his arms around her. With a silent vow, he promised her he’d do everything in his power to see that she, Arthur, and even Annabelle were always safe. Her lips pressed to his chest but she remained quiet.
“I love you,” he whispered into the silence of the room. “That will never change.”
Her lips pressed to his chest, and she tightened her hold around him, snuggled into his hold, her head against his chest.
He lifted his head and watched her, but she didn’t move, didn’t meet his gaze, but stared off into the distance. This was a special night between them, one that was wholly theirs. Edmund knew he wouldn’t have her completely until the injustice against her father was handled.
Not until her mind was finally at ease.
“And I love you, Edmund.”
Chapter Eleven
“Don’t leave,” Selina murmured in the predawn light the following morning.
“I have to,” Edmund said and leaned over to kiss her one last time. “It’s scandalous enough I spent the night and all your servants know. If anyone sees me on the street, your reputation will be ruined.”
She sat up and looked at him. In the darkness of her bedroom, the fire still banked, her hair was a dark shadow that fell around her shoulders to cover her breasts. Edmund brushed the locks away and kissed the side of her neck.
<
br /> “I have to leave,” he repeated, as much for her benefit as to remind him. “I’ll be back shortly.”
Uncaring of her nudity, Selina slipped from bed and stood. Edmund forgot why he needed to leave. What did it matter when his beautiful lover stood before him?
With his hand on her waist, he kissed her again, drew her to him. Her hands combed through his hair and pressed against his shoulders. The room smelled of them, and Selina’s kisses seduced him back to bed.
“I need to leave,” he said again, but the words made little sense against the scent of her skin, the taste of her kiss.
“I know.” Selina stepped back, and Edmund nearly pulled her back to him.
Oh, right, he needed to leave. Sneak out of her house like a thief in the predawn light.
With one last kiss that lingered too long and not nearly long enough, he finally turned for the door. He didn’t fool the household staff and he knew it, though they’d made themselves scarce, but he had enough hope in their loyalty to Selina and Lyndell that they wouldn’t utter a word.
He’d need to speak with Selina, figure out who was trustworthy and who needed to be bribed. Or dismissed.
The servant’s entrance was already unlocked. A quick look around the kitchens revealed no one, however. The cold October morning bit into him, a stark contrast to the intimate warmth of Selina’s bedroom.
He walked quickly to his own townhouse, ignoring the hackneys that lined the streets and the early servants who walked quickly on their errands.
Confident none of his servants would utter a word against him, Edmund walked up to his front door and entered his own house.
Magnus, his valet, merely raised an eyebrow at the state of his clothes before helping Edmund to change. He quickly buttoned his burgundy vest and shrugged into a matching coat.
“I’ve taken the liberty,” Magnus said with a look that brooked no comment, “of ordering breakfast be taken to your study.”
Improper Match: Scandalous Encounters Page 9
