"Then your quarrel was not solely about the pearl," said Rowena flatly.
"We competed over everything, Rowena. Horses, carriages, clothing...women." Alaric felt his heart sink as her face grew longer.
"But it began with Lady Bingham."
"If it had not been her, it would have been something else. Malcolm and I were destined to want what the other had, I fear."
Rowena swallowed. "Go on."
Alaric hesitated, choosing his words with care. "Marguerite decided she would prefer being the Countess of Brayleigh to Baroness Bingham. She left her husband and demanded that I help her to obtain a divorce and marry her. I had for some time been increasingly disillusioned with Marguerite and her behavior; she encouraged Malcolm and other men shamelessly in an attempt to make me jealous. I slowly came to realize that she cared not for me, but for my name and fortune. I told her to go back to her husband."
"And did she?" asked Rowena.
"She went to Malcolm instead. It seems that Bingham had thrown her out, cutting her off without funds. She was ruined socially and needed someone to support her. Two days later Alfred Ingram was murdered, and when Malcolm fled the country she went with him. I heard later that she soon left him for a wealthier man. I have not seen her since."
Rowena frowned down at the ground. Alaric resisted the almost overwhelming urge to take her in his arms and try to kiss a smile back onto her face. He would have to charm her into a better mood before he could satisfy that desire.
"I am not proud of my behavior, Rowena. It was many years ago, and I hope I have learned my lesson."
"What lesson is that, my lord?" Rowena's voice was nervous and brittle.
"Not to trust other people and to care for what is mine," answered Alaric. "You can be very sure I do not repeat my mistakes, Rowena."
"And Lady Bingham was a mistake?"
"A very bad one." Alaric's voice was rough. He was uncomfortable discussing this with Rowena. He did not want her to know of his previous liaisons.
"And what of Lily Magdalene? She is not a mistake?"
Alaric jumped as though he had been shot. "How do you know about Lily?"
Rowena smiled, a bit smugly. "You activities are very well known, my lord. It took little effort for me to discover the name of your mistress."
"You have gone altogether too far, Rowena. You and I should not be discussing Lady Bingham, much less Lily. That is something a gently brought up female does not know about." Alaric felt as though he was being slowly smothered.
"We only pretend not to know, my lord. I have made it my business to know as much as possible about you. It’s not that difficult, as you are hardly discreet. All of London discusses your affaires." Rowena felt a touch of satisfaction at having ruffled his calm.
"Lily is none of your business, Rowena. A woman like her is a mere convenience"
"Is she so? And what am I, my lord? Am I also a convenience? Or am I just another way of competing with Malcolm?" Rowena set her chin at an aggressive angle.
"Whatever are you talking about, Rowena? I was under the impression that I was here to help you attempt to clear your brother's name." Alaric hoped desperately that Rowena would be distracted by his mention of the mystery she was so intent on solving.
Rowena shook her head. She felt a gnawing sense of uncertainty inside her, and sought desperately to assuage it. "I cannot believe that such a thing truly interests you, my lord. And our earlier discussion would indicate that you might perhaps have other motives for pursuing Malcolm Arlingby's sister."
"I have no intention of seducing you in order to hurt your family," said Alaric abruptly. "You have far too melodramatic an imagination."
"Have I?" Rowena tightened her grip on her shawl. "Then what did you intend by kissing me last night, Lord Brayleigh?"
A gleam of laughter lit Alaric's eyes. "I meant to give myself—and you - pleasure. Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it, Rowena. I wouldn’t believe you."
Rowena flushed. The memory of Alaric’s kisses had kept her up half the night. "That is beside the point," she said.
"No, that is very much the point." Alaric placed his hands on her shoulders, easing the shawl aside and stroking her petal-soft skin lightly with his fingertips. He experienced a flash of triumph when he felt a tremor shoot through her body. She wanted him, he knew. The thought excited him.
Rowena moved away from his grasp. "My lord, we should consider the further course of our investigation. I will agree not to speak to Lady Bingham if you can present me with other areas of inquiry we may pursue. But I reserve the right to question her at a later date, should I feel it necessary."
Alaric let her go, his hands falling back to his sides. He watched the gentle line of her spine as she turned away from him, enchanted by the proud way she held herself.
"My lord?"
Alaric pulled himself back to the garden. "I do have other leads to pursue," he said softly. "I spoke to my lawyer today and he has found me the direction of a laborer on Ingram's estate who was present on the day of the shooting. I will go there one afternoon this week to speak with him and see if some new information can be gleaned from his memories. "
Rowena beamed up at him. "How wonderful. I am sure that he will be an excellent source. What day shall we go there?"
Alaric blanched. "We?"
"Of course I will go with you," said Rowena. "I wouldn’t miss this for the world. It will be far more exciting than a ride in the park or shopping with Aunt Louisa."
"Rowena, I am willing to investigate this matter for you, but I do not wish you to become directly involved." Alaric rubbed his chin absently, his face concerned. He was happy to pretend to search out information in order to have access to Rowena, but he did not wish her to accompany him. He was as likely to find evidence that implicated himself as Malcolm.
"But of course I will become involved," objected Rowena. "Malcolm is my brother, after all. And I am sure you could do with my help. A second mind bent on a task always makes things move along more quickly."
"You aunt will not allow you to ride out so far with me unchaperoned. It is an impossibility."
"Aunt Louisa will be gone for the afternoon two days hence. If you come for me at two-o-clock, no one will be about to stop us." Rowena smiled sunnily. "As you will surely have a groom perched behind, to walk the horses while we talk to this farmer, a chaperone won’t be a problem."
"You cannot wish to be seen driving with me," objected Alaric.
"Nonsense. It will do me no harm. Society gossips about us far too much already. One ride in an open carriage, in the presence of your groom will make no difference. If you do not come for me, I will immediately seek out Lady Bingham and ask her what she knows," she added, to clinch her argument.
Alaric shrugged. It seemed it was impossible to avoid taking Rowena on his visit, and he was beginning to wonder if he actually wished to do so. It would be pleasant to spend an afternoon with her, rather than skulking about in the dark.
"Very well. I will come for you two days from now at two-o-clock. But Rowena, I must insist that you stay away from Lady Bingham. She is potentially dangerous."
"Why would she wish to harm me?" asked Rowena.
"Because it would upset me." Alaric frowned. "Lady Bingham is not always particular about the means of revenge she chooses."
"Oh." Rowena looked concerned. "She might try to harm me because she thinks you are interested in me? Perhaps I could assure her that there is nothing between us except our investigation. That would surely solve the problem."
Alaric smothered a laugh. "Lady Bingham is not so easily handled, Rowena. I fear you are no match for her."
Rowena stiffened. "I do not think that is fair. I am certainly more intelligent than she is, and I believe I can defend myself."
"But, my dear, you are far less duplicitous." Alaric drew near Rowena again, unable to help himself. "Promise me you will be careful."
"Very well. But I think it is a great nuisance that people s
hould talk of us so. It would be so much more comfortable if they would realize we are merely good friends."
"I think we are more than that, are we not?" asked Alaric, his voice deep with frustrated desire.
Rowena gave him an inquiring glance. "Of course, we are co-conspirators," she agreed. "I am grateful for your help, my lord."
Alaric stepped forward, placing his hands firmly on Rowena's waist. He realized that they almost closed around it, and he felt a sudden urge to keep her with him always, to protect her from the world's evil of which she was so charmingly unaware. With a muttered oath he drew her to him and placed his lips on hers, kissing her with the pent-up desire and desperation that had been building in him since the evening before. Rowena's mouth trembled for a moment under his and then he felt her lean against him, giving herself up to the fire that was building between them.
Alaric, feeling her relax, released his tight hold on her waist and pulled her to him gently, as he continued to kiss her, circling her hips with one arm, the other hand rising to stroke the side of her face. Her shawl fluttered to the ground, ignored by them both, and Alaric slid his hand gently down to the neckline of her gown, urging it downwards until one white breast was revealed. He heard Rowena gasp as his finger lightly touched its crown, causing it to tingle with excitement and grow hard.
"You're so beautiful," he murmured, raising his lips from Rowena's and looking down at her. He thought he must be going mad; he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. He lowered his head, taking the tip of her exquisitely curved breast gently in his mouth, teasing the tip with his tongue until Rowena gave a small cry of delight.
Rowena was startled by the stab of heat that struck her as Alaric’s lips closed over her breast, and by the sudden clenching she felt in in her pelvis. As she trembled a little in his arms, he pulled her even closer to him. When she felt his hardness against that sensitive spot it made her push against him seeking something she couldn’t define to ease the tender ache.
"Darling, you're so sweet," Alaric whispered in response. "I can't believe how wonderful you are." He nibbled his way up the side of her neck, stopping to gently nip her sensitive earlobe before his lips returned to hers. He again allowed his tongue to encourage her to open to him, his hand slid from her waist down to her hip, and he crushed the silk of her skirt in his hand, raising it so that Rowena could feel the evening breeze on her stockinged legs.
The wave of novel, frightening, yet strangely pleasurable sensations that Brayleigh's practiced lips and roving hands produced in Rowena began to feel overwhelming. She moved restlessly in his arms, feebly pushing him away, and he soothed her expertly, stroking her back and kissing her more gently until she quivered and returned his kisses with equal passion.
Alaric lifted her foaming skirts still higher, allowing his fingers to travel up the sensitive terrain of her thigh as his lips returned to her breast, flicking her nipple with his tongue until she felt the ache low in her belly grow tighter and tighter. As his fingers moved upward, finally resting on soft curls at the juncture of her thighs, Rowena dimly felt a sudden sensation of warmth and a desperate craving for something to release her tension. She jumped slightly as Alaric slid a finger between the soft folds already drenched with her arousal. As he repeated it, she shook with tamped down passion, and sagged into his arms. Alaric gently supported her with one arm, holding her as he hastily shrugged out of his coat. He released her for a brief moment as he placed the coat on the ground and then he lowered her to it.
"You are more beautiful and desirable than I could ever have imagined," he whispered. "I must make you mine. Trust me, Rowena, and open yourself to me. You don’t know how good I can make you feel yet, but let me show you."
She moaned softly, and raised her hands to his shoulders, drawing him down to her, lifting her lips to his, seeking his kiss. Alaric gazed into her violet eyes, vague with desire, and he drew in a breath. He was dimly aware that this situation was dangerous, but he didn't care. Rowena's untutored yet fiery passion was all that mattered.
He knelt between her legs, slipping her bodice further down to expose both breasts, and teasing them into stiff peaks with his tongue. Then his questing fingers returned to her pussy, slipping in to the moistness that drenched her, and rubbing tenderly over the sensitive flesh. Rowena made an inarticulate sound that hovered between pleasure and alarm.
"Hush, darling. Doesn’t it feel good?" he asked softly, bringing his mouth to her breast again, running his tongue gently along the peaked nipple, enthralled by the scent and taste of her.
"Oh yes, but I don't know...I've never felt anything like this before," she said weakly.
"Enjoy it. I can make it even better," he murmured. "I'll take good care of you."
His caressing fingers, continue to work their magic, as Rowena signaled her pleasure, then he gently insinuated a finger into her slick channel, deftly searching for that sensitive spot within, while pressing gently on her pelvis above. Her tightness increased his excitement still more.
Rowena jumped in his arms, emitting a tiny squeak. "My lord!"
He continued to stroke her gently, not rushing, allowing her to become used to the sensation. He was exercising an enormous control over himself; he thought raggedly that if he was not careful he would embarrass himself like a schoolboy. Rowena's tension slowly washed away, and he felt her hips move, unconsciously seeking more of his touch. Very gently, he inserted a second finger, stretching her gently, so as not to surprise her.
"Good heavens I feel so--so strange," breathed Rowena. "Whatever are you doing, my lord?"
"Alaric," he ground out. "Call me Alaric." She was as tight and welcoming as he had thought she would be, and the sensation that shot through him as he gently spread his fingers further in her slick sheath was exhilarating. She tightened around him and he groaned, wondering feverishly if he would be able to contain himself. It had suddenly become very important to him that he satisfy Rowena as well as himself, that he be the one to give her pleasure, and that her pleasure should match his own.
Rowena moved gently under his hand and made a small sound deep in her throat. As Alaric gazed down at her, her brilliant violet eyes opened wide, an expression of surprise and wonder in them.
"Relax, darling," her murmured. "Open yourself for me."
Rowena's thighs tightened convulsively around his hand. Sweat broke out on Alaric’s brow as he leaned over her and took her rosebud pink nipple between his lips again. He trailed a string of kisses across her bosom, moving his fingers gently deeper into her, reaching for the pearl of pleasure above with his thumb.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of you. Let me inside, Rowena. You won't regret it."
She relaxed slightly, opening her legs for his questing hand, and he gently stroked her, listening with delight as her breathing quickened and became ragged. Soon, Alaric could control himself no longer, and without thought he found himself unbuttoning his breeches. He moved his thumb gently, and stroked back into her with two fingers, gently widening her as she writhed in pleasure, her breath coming in little gasps. Unable to resist, Brayleigh withdrew his fingers and grasped his powerful erection, gently fitting himself at her tender opening, pressing gently inward.
Some part of his mind stood apart, wondering how he could have progressed so far, and visualizing a wedding in his future, but nothing seemed to matter more than possessing this captivating creature, who moaned under his tender caresses. Then Rowena bucked against him, seeking more, and he sealed his lips to hers, caressing her breasts, until she was again controlled by the pleasure he gave. He slid gently in, slipping a hand beneath her hips, to tilt them up towards him slightly, and felt the delicate barrier within her give way. She gasped a little at the sensation, but then as he gently moved inside her, Alaric could see her desire rise again.
As Alaric entered her, Rowena felt a foreign sensation of fullness; as he filled and stretched her, the unsatisfied passion that she had felt began to coil and build, and she g
asped, pushing against him, striving for satisfaction with which she was as yet unfamiliar. Alaric, smiling at her passion, moved a little faster and deeper, and inserted a finger between them to ensure that her first taste of him brought her a sensational climax. At the sensation of fullness she trembled, and Alaric felt the beginnings of the tiny ripples shoot through her body. He pressed against her clitoris, gently pulsing with her clasping muscles, and as he felt her tip over the edge, removed his hand thrusting into her deeply a few times as he let his control slip.
Rowena stiffened, her entire body quivering in reaction to her release. Alaric watched in satisfaction, stunned by her womanly beauty as she shook in its power. He pressing his lips to hers, silencing the cries of pleasure that escaped her.
"Wonderful," he murmured as she collapsed on his coat. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her to him tightly, eager to hold onto her.
"Alaric?" she whispered, opening her eyes and looking up at him. "I didn't know anything could feel like that."
"Neither did I," he said frankly. "We will have to try it again soon."
Rowena gave him a wary look as reality crowded back in on her, and with it anxiety about her situation. "Soon?"
Alaric swore to himself. He should have had more control than to do this here, outside in her aunt's garden. But he had been unable to help himself, and he could not bring himself to actually regret it when he remembered Rowena's sweet passion.
"Soon, darling," he answered. "You will see."
"Rowena!" They both jumped at the sound of a voice coming from the house. "Rowena, are you out there?"
Alaric blanched as he recognized Lady Belmont's voice. Discovery meant certain scandal, and, considering Rowena's disheveled state, probably a special license. He glanced down quickly at Rowena, who looked equally alarmed.
"My aunt," she whispered. "Let me up."
He watched as she moved quickly out from under him, hastily adjusting her bodice and smoothing her skirts, snatching up the white shawl from where it had fallen.
A Collector's Item: Rowena's After Dark Regency Romance (The Arlingbys Book 1) Page 8
