“Hi,” she said as she walked in the door and saw the shocked expression on her father’s face. “How is she?”
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said as he embraced her. “Your mother will be so glad to see you.”
“How is she?” Madeline repeated and saw the look on her father’s face.
It brought out her apprehension, but she set her mind to helping getting her mother better and put the concerns about her marriage out of her head.
Eight
“I don’t need to ask if you’re sure do I,” Madeline’s father said.
“Is it that obvious,” she replied and smiled.
“I know it must have made life difficult for you to come back,” he went on. “But I’m glad you did.”
“Me too,” she told him as she hugged him then picked up her bag.
It was almost four weeks since she left the town of Melrose to come home and her father was right about it making her life difficult. The fact that her mother was getting better meant it was worth it, but now that she was on the verge of boarding a train yet again she wondered just what she was going back to.
The trip to the doctor a couple of days previously brought the good news that the new medication was working to get her mother’s health back to a state where she would be able to enjoy life again. It also brought Madeline some other news and she wasn’t sure quite how it would affect her life.
She said goodbye to her father and let out a sigh as she stepped from the platform to the train. Her old habit of being frugal with money led her to buy just a standard ticket and she was aware that the carriage she was in was nowhere near the luxury of first class.
“Getting airs and graces,’ she chided herself. “Remember where you come from.”
It wasn’t difficult to do that as she found a seat and looked out at her father. He disappeared from view as the train got moving and it reminded her of the trip she made just a few weeks before. On that occasion she didn’t really know what she was letting herself in for. This time she did although there were plenty of complications that might make life difficult or even impossible.
She’d sent Robert a weekly telegram to let him know what was going on with her mother, but she hadn’t sent him one that week and was traveling back unannounced. That was deliberate on her part as she wanted to see what she found when she returned without forewarning of her arrival. She suspected that might make him mad, but decided to risk it.
She was still unsure of what the true situation was between her husband and his gold depository manager. Victoria’s insinuations that she would look after Robert played on her mind often during the four weeks she was away, but there was nothing she could do about it. Now she wanted to find out for sure if there was anything going on between them beyond their professional relationship.
Madeline tried to put the whole situation out of her mind for a while and found a book in her bag she could read to do just that. It helped to pass the minutes and hours of the trip quicker and in what seemed like no time she found herself looking out onto the outskirts of Melrose. There was nobody to meet her this time when she arrived at the station and she went to have something to eat before setting off on the walk to the mansion. When she arrived at the gates, she stopped to compose herself. She’d deliberately got a later train in the knowledge that it would get her to the property in the early evening. It would mean that Robert should be home from work and as she stood at the gates, she played out in her mind the happy scene of her falling in his arms for a passionate kiss.
“Time to find out,” she let out quietly and steeled herself for what was about to come.
Moving quietly through the gates, she walked up the small incline and stopped at the top. The mansion was lit up as expected and she could see the carriage was sitting at the front of the building to show for sure that Robert was there. She walked towards it in the darkness and it was only as she got closer that she became aware of a maid standing by the open door of the mansion.
The carriage blocked the view of her approach and it was only as she walked past it that she was spotted. A surprised expression crossed the maid’s face and she immediately turned to walk inside.
“Stop,” Madeline said as she hurried forward.
The maid halted in her tracks and turned around. The apprehensive look on her face made Madeline suspicious and she watched as the young woman dropped her gaze to the floor.
“What are you doing?” Madeline asked.
The maid shuffled her feet nervously, but said nothing at first.
“You know who I am?” Madeline went on.
“Yes Mrs. Cortege.”
“So you realize if I tell my husband to fire you that it will happen,” she warned.
The maid looked up and this time it was fear that showed on her face. Madeline felt slightly guilty at making the threat and had no intention of seeing it through. She just wanted to loosen the maid’s tongue and find out what was going on.
“What are you doing?” she repeated and found that the threat worked.
“I…, I was asked to keep a watch on anyone arriving at the house,” the maid replied.
“Asked by whom?” Madeline queried.
“The manager of the gold depository,” the maid admitted.
The news shocked Madeline. Not only that Victoria was at the house, but that she was giving orders to the servants.
“Why is she here?” she demanded.
“Mr. Cortege invited her,” the maid answered. “They are in the drawing room and I was to inform them if anyone arrived.”
“Well you’re not going to do that,” Madeline informed her. “Do you understand me?”
“Yes Miss,” the maid replied.
“Go to your room right now,” she told her.
The maid nodded and scurried off in the direction of the servant’s quarters in the property. Madeline watched her go and wondered if anyone heard the exchange that just took place. There didn’t seem to be anybody around, so she made way quietly in the direction of the drawing room. As she got closer to it she began to hear voices through the gap in the door and recognized them as her husband and Victoria.
“The figures look OK for last month’s business,” Robert said.
“We’ve increased the number of clients,” Victoria replied. “That’s being reflected in the bottom line and the monthly profits are improving.”
Madeline listened as the business conversation continued and relaxed a bit. It seemed her fears were unfounded, but she remained in place. She wanted to see what happened when the work discussion ended.
“Would you like a drink,” Robert offered when it did.
“That would be nice,” Victoria replied.
Madeline tensed as the short silence stretched out and she then heard the clink of glasses.
“So no sign of your wife coming back,” Victoria said.
“I haven’t heard from her this week,” Robert replied.
“Are you sure she will come back?” Victoria went on. “It’s not like you really know her.”
Madeline’s mouth tightened as she listened. She wanted to burst in the room and tell Victoria to shut up, but held off doing it as a bad idea and just continued to listen.
“I trust her,” Robert replied. “She’s keeping in touch and I know she’ll be back.”
There was a brief silence before Victoria’s voice sounded out again.
“You know everyone thinks you made a big mistake by marrying her.”
“Is that right,” Robert replied.
“Well…, I think so,” Victoria carried on. “You can do so much better than her.”
“Like you, you mean?” Robert asked.
“Would that be so bad?” Victoria replied. “We work well together and it can be about more than business.”
“What can be more than business?” he said.
“Us,” Victoria told him. “We’re perfect for each other. You don’t need that little whore ruining your life. You can have me
and I promise I’ll do anything and everything you want.”
Madeline’s heart began to sink as she listened and she suddenly wished she hadn’t.
“So what are you suggesting?” Robert asked.
“Your sham of a marriage can be annulled or if not get a divorce,’ Victoria answered. “Then we can be together.”
The silence in the room stretched out and Madeline wanted to cry as the life with Robert she was desperate for appeared to move out of reach.
“You know what I think,” he eventually said.
“What?” Victoria asked and Madeline could hear the expectation in her voice.
“I think you should get the hell out of my house,” he went on calmly.
“But…,” Victoria said.
“But nothing,” Robert went on in a raised voice. “Get the fuck out of my house and don’t bother coming in to work tomorrow or for the rest of your life for that matter because you’re fired.”
The smile spread across Madeline’s face, but she decided to get away from the door before she was caught eavesdropping. She didn’t want Robert to know she’d been listening, so moved to the stairs as quietly as she could and climbed them. As she walked along the hallway towards her room, she heard a door slam and suspected it was Victoria making a less than ladylike exit.
“Good riddance,” she muttered and felt the joy that she wouldn’t have to put up with any more insults.
She walked in her room, closed the door and went to lie down on the bed. She rested her head on the pillows and considered how she was going to let it be known that she was there. The knock on the door five minutes later startled her and she wondered if the maid revealed to Gillian that she was back. She waited for the door to open, but instead a second knock sounded out.
“Come in.” she shouted and waited.
A third knock got her to her feet and she cross the room and opened the door.
“I told you…”
Her words stopped as she found herself staring at Robert.
“This isn’t your room,” he said and walked off.
Madeline’s anxiety flared and she wondered how he knew she was there. Did he know she’d eavesdropped on his conversation? Was she about to be punished? Her pulse accelerated as she walked out of the room and hurried to catch up. She managed it just as Robert got to his bedroom and followed him inside. He went to the large globe and opened it to pour himself a whisky. The silence stretched out and she finally couldn’t stop herself.
“How did you know I was here?” she asked.
He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket as he dropped in his seat and held it out. Madeline moved across to him and took it. Her eyes opened wide as she read the telegram from her father to her husband. It thanked him for being generous enough to let her come home and look after her mother and crucially gave the details of her return.
“It arrived this morning,” Robert said.
“So you knew I would be here,” Madeline said and saw him nod his head. “And the whole thing was a set up.”
She saw the smile flash across his face, but he didn’t answer. There was no doubt that the whole scenario with Victoria was set up for her benefit though. He took another sip of the whisky before he finally did speak.
“I wanted you to know she meant nothing to me,” he told her. “I only want one girl in my life…, and it’s you. I already told you my gut instinct was that I made the right choice with you. I haven’t changed my mind about that.”
“And you’re really going to fire Victoria from her job,” Madeline asked.
“Yes,” he replied.
“You don’t need a bitch like her in your life anyway,” she told him.
Robert laughed, but the noise of it quickly ended.
“You still need to know your place and your duties,” he said.
“I do,” Madeline replied as she dropped to her knees beside the chair. “I promise you will get everything you want from me and I mean everything.”
“It might mean a punishment when you make a mistake,” he said. “You understand that don’t you.”
Madeline was taken back to being over his knee and spanked. She knew it wasn’t all about punishing her. That was made clear by how strong Robert’s erection got when he meted out the stinging discipline and she remembered her own reaction to it.
“Yes sir,” she answered his question.
Knowing that she was the only woman he wanted was an aphrodisiac that brought out her longing and the stirrings of arousal began to take hold in her body. She didn’t want to be punished, but remembered how good it felt to let her husband have full control. It was going to happen again at some time, but not at that moment. It was a kiss that excited her as Robert leaned in close and brushed his lips gently on hers. She could taste the whisky and when his hand slid in the hair at the back of her head the kiss became more passionate.
Madeline let out a quiet gasp as their lips parted and watched as he enjoyed another drink. She could see in her husband’s eyes what he wanted as his gaze roamed over her body and got to her feet without even being told.
“Good girl,” he murmured as she slowly undid the buttons of her blouse to expose her bra.
She teased the top edge down to flash her nipples and saw Robert’s eyes light up. He sat forward on the chair.
“Closer,” he ordered her.
The flush of arousal grew stronger at the hoarse lust she heard in his voice and her chest began to heave as she moved forward. Robert put down the glass he was holding then dragged the sides of her blouse wider apart. Madeline knew what she was expected to do and eased down her bra again to reveal her breasts. She felt a thrill as her husband leaned forward and kissed on one then the other. She rocked her head back as a shiver of delight rippled through her body.
Madeline was back where she wanted to be and she groaned as teeth grazed on a nipple. The gently bite brought out more shivers and her breath rasped out as Robert sucked the erect bud deeper in his mouth. His tongue swirled around it and his lips crushed against soft skin as he enjoyed his fill of pretty curves. He moved his head from side to side before he leaned back and picked up his glass again.
Taking a sip of whisky, he quickly circled his lips around a stiff nipple again. The alcohol spilled from his mouth to run down naked skin and Madeline gasped as he made her stand up. His tongue flicked out to follow the wet trails lower until he was kissing on the naked skin just above her skirt. It made her muscles flutter and the tingle of flickering flames it brought between her thighs began to burn hotter. Her panties were becoming moist at the attention she was receiving and she wanted more.
When Robert glanced up at her, she saw the smile on his face and again knew what he wanted without him even having to say. She reached for the buttons at her left hip and released them to make her skirt slide down her legs. His eyes went to her panties and he looked up again as he reached out to them. Madeline groaned as his touch stroked on the silky material and she moved her legs apart as he slid his fingers between her thighs. Her body weakened as he brushed his fingertips on the wet material to tease her pussy lips. When he pulled his hand free, he grabbed her wrist to drag her back down to her knees in front of the seat then let got to reach out to her face.
There was no hesitation this time. She immediately took his fingers in her mouth and eagerly licked them clean. Robert gently stroked his fingers in and out and she clamped her lips around them. The sensual touch stirred her desire for something bigger, but she continued to suck on his fingers and wait for him to pull them out of her mouth. He slid forward on the seat when he did and she saw the way his erection was already straining to be released from his pants.
Madeline wasted no time in doing it and the sweat prickled at her hairline as the hot arousal taking hold in her petite frame grew stronger. Robert groaned as she squeezed her fingers around his swollen shaft and stroked touches up and down. He squirmed in the seat as she leaned forward and kissed on the head.
“Use your brea
sts first,” he ordered her. “I want to feel your soft skin on me.”
Again Madeline could hear the hunger for her coming through in his voice and she knew she was going to give him everything he wanted like she promised. Grabbing hold of her breasts, she leaned in closer and enjoyed the thrill of wrapping her soft curves around the hardness of her husband’s erect length. He picked up the whisky bottle and poured some alcohol on her upper chest. The smell of it filled the room as it trickled in her cleavage and she gasped as she was made to stroke her breasts along his erect length.
Bent Over A Barrel Bundle: Western Cowboy Romance (Full Length Novels) Page 46
