The Earl of Kent

by Lauren Smith

  “Your father sounds like he was a wise man,” Ella replied solemnly as she imagined how much it must have hurt Phillip to lose a father like that.

  “He was wise, and that wisdom came from living among his people. He took my mother and me on many travels throughout Kent so that I might love these people and towns as he did.”

  They reached the bridge, and Ella saw the river was flowing swiftly, with small chunks of ice amidst the dark waters. Beyond the bridge was the town; a row of timbered Tudor-era houses met with a row of more modern stone structures. Beyond that was the dark shadow of the Norman church’s tower.

  “We’ll head to that first timbered house,” Phillip said. “There at the end of the bridge. That’s the Black Prince Inn.”

  The three of them navigated the snowy bridge and entered the boisterous common room, where Phillip walked over to the bar and spoke with the innkeeper. A moment later, he returned with several room keys jingling in his palm.

  “The innkeeper is sending three groups from the stable to help Henry and Marcus with the coach.” He paused as he looked at Ella, his nose still red from the cold. “There weren’t enough rooms available for everyone, I’m afraid, so I told him we were married. It is a risk, given that I’m decently well known here, but I doubt anyone will speak of it since I’ve asked for discretion. We are to share a bedchamber. Henry and Marcus will have another room, and there’s a third bedchamber for Cora. Our room has only one bed. If someone were to discuss what they’ve seen…” He looked away, then drew in a deep breath before he faced her again.

  “Phillip, I am fine with such an arrangement. I know the risks of ruination, and since I’m considered an old maid at any rate, I don’t suppose I should be overly bothered to find myself ruined.” Ella’s heart raced as she said it, but she meant it. This, being with him and not caring about society, was what she truly wanted. To know him as a man, to fully explore herself as a woman in carnal ways. She would not change her mind about it. Yes, she had been panicked when she’d been abandoned by Audrey at Phillip’s front door, but now she was resolved in her course. She refused to regret anything wonderful that might come, and she would accept any consequences that developed after.

  “I cannot believe we are doing this,” he muttered. “If Graham or Charles ever found out…”

  He didn’t finish the thought, though she knew what he meant.

  “They won’t. You’ve rarely left your house in the last year, and I’m less well known than you. The odds of anyone believing we were both here together is unlikely.”

  He didn’t seem entirely convinced of that as he led her upstairs. Cora took her key and left them alone to settle into her own room.

  “I assure you, my staff will speak to no one of what happens between us.”

  Ella placed her hand on his arm. “I know, Phillip. I trust you.”

  He unlocked the door to their chamber and let her into the room.

  It was a quaint room with a cozy bed, a fireplace, and a pair of chairs. A silk changing screen concealed a large copper tub. She blushed at the thought of disrobing with him so near to take a bath, let alone sharing a bed with him.

  Ella turned to face him when the door closed. She was fully aware of how vulnerable she was with him now, how if he was a different sort of man she would be in danger. But she trusted him. This was the man who had kissed her forehead and broke her girlish heart, the man who had driven her away because he feared his own weakness. He was an honorable man, and she had finally managed to convince him to be a little less honorable with her.

  “You don’t have to share a room with me. Say the word and I’ll sleep in the stables.” She could tell he was partially teasing.

  Ella giggled and shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Truly. I much prefer you here…with me rather than in the stables.” She unfastened her manteau and pushed her hood back before she removed the garment.

  “You’re certain?” he asked as he removed his gloves and laid them on the table. The movement called her attention to his hands. He had lovely, elegant long fingers, yet his palms were strong and muscular. Her mouth ran dry as she pictured those hands upon her body.

  “I am. It’s been years since my debut, and in all that time, I’ve remained alone.” She wanted to tell him that she’d waited for him to come to her and claim her. But she didn’t want him to know how lonely she had been, how much she had longed for him and him alone.

  He crossed the room, his cane tapping softly on the floor as he approached her.

  “You’re so…” He paused, his eyes fixed on her lips as he reached up to touch her cheek.

  “Yes?” Her mind filled with sweet songs of joy as his lips moved in a way that promised pleasure and passion. How could she feel so attuned to him, the way two violins harmonized to create a singularly beautiful melody?

  “I don’t understand it.”

  “Understand what?” she asked.

  “How you’re not married. The gentlemen of London are greater fools than I imagined. You’re simply perfect.” Phillip lowered his head to hers and kissed her.

  She drank in the sweetness of his kiss, and her body quaked at his words. A dozen emotions rolled through her, and she was blanketed with sonorous pleasure deep within as she tasted his happiness upon his lips. He smiled while kissing her, and she had the sudden urge to laugh with the bubbling happiness that grew within herself. This had been the right choice, to be with him and not think about the future or the lonely nights she faced ahead. She would grasp these golden moments while she had the chance.

  Phillip was damned, but he couldn’t stop what he was doing. She was so tender, so full of warmth and youthful excitement. Her kiss made him feel like the man he’d once been long ago. Like the man who’d danced with her in that ballroom ages ago, feeling her spin and twirl back into his arms. How she’d looked up at him when he’d kissed her beneath that starry night sky, and he’d thought in that moment they could have held the entire world between them.

  Now he was kissing her again, and it was different. She was not a young, teasing debutante. She was a woman now, one who’d learned disappointments and heartache and clung to happiness that much stronger whenever she found it. He wanted to make sure their time together now was everything she’d dreamed of.

  Her eager response to the touch of his lips or the flick of his tongue against hers brought back a flood of excitement. He’d thought he was incapable of feeling like this again, but he’d been blissfully wrong. A sweet melody echoed about him, and he groaned, pulling her tightly to him.

  “I hear music,” Ella whispered.

  “As do I.” He nuzzled her cheek, his hands finding a home at the small of her back. He admired her shape, the sweep of her spine and the flare of her rounded bottom that fit perfectly in his hands. Christ, soon he would have her body all to himself to explore. The peaks and valleys of her skin would be his alone to taste in ways that would make her moan and squirm. And then, only then, he would show her what true passion was.

  “Are we both hearing the same song?” she asked as she leaned into him, embracing him in a most tender way.

  “Yes. Wait…” He drew back and glanced about. Music was indeed filling the air. “It must be from the common room.”

  “It sounds wonderful.” Ella sighed dreamily. The look upon her face was filled with unadulterated joy.

  Kisses could wait. “Why don’t we go down for dinner and see about this music?”

  She beamed up at him, and he felt like a hero. “Oh, that would be lovely.”

  Quietly, they returned downstairs. He ignored the twinge in his bad leg and was careful to use the wall to support himself. The melodies of the violin grew louder as they entered the common room. A group of travelers and townsfolk gathered around the tables, eating and drinking. Near the fireplace, a violinist was tapping his toe and fiddling a lively tune. Phillip slid an arm around Ella’s waist as he led her to an open table. He caught the nearest barmaid’s attention to order dinner.r />
  Men and women were singing and clapping to the tune. Phillip leaned his cane against the table and clapped along with Ella. She slid closer to him on the bench of their table, and he took a moment to give her waist a little squeeze, making her grin. Another young couple joined them at the table. By the looks on their faces, they had been recently married.

  “Mind if we join you?” the man asked Phillip.

  “Not at all.” He held out a hand. “Phillip Wilkes.”

  “Lord Kent? A pleasure!” The man’s genuine, honest smile followed his hand as he shook Phillip’s. “My name is Francis Warwick, and this is my wife Bridget. I am still getting used to that, aren’t I, wife?” Warwick teased the young woman, who looked to be close to Ella’s age. He smiled warmly at Phillip and Ella.

  “It’s lovely to meet you. How long have you been married?” Ella asked.

  “Only since yesterday.” Bridget blushed. “We were married at the church on the hill.”

  “How splendid. Congratulations to you both!”

  “Thank you,” Francis said. “And you?”

  Ella glanced at Phillip, her face reddening, so he spoke for them.

  “Married a week ago. Private ceremony. We haven’t told our families yet.” He hoped the man would have the sense to keep quiet.

  “Mum’s the word, Kent. I quite understand,” Warwick said. “’Twill be a pleasant Christmas surprise, eh?”

  “Indeed,” Phillip replied. Quite a surprise, if Ella’s family were to find out, he thought. “Are you traveling beyond Aylesford?” he asked Warwick.

  “We were hoping to, but the innkeeper believes the entire town may be snowed in tonight. I suppose we’ll continue the honeymoon here, eh?” Warwick glanced at his wife, and she blushed and smiled with obvious delight.

  Ella’s face fell a little as she looked to Phillip. “Do you think we’ll be trapped here for more than a few days? I was so looking forward to Lord Pembroke’s ball.”

  “Perhaps the roads will clear by morning,” Bridget added, seeming to sense Ella’s disappointment.

  “Cheer up,” Warwick told Ella. “The town has a whole host of festivities planned, and Aylesford is rumored to have the best Christmas pudding in all of Kent.”

  “My father used to tell me that,” Phillip said with a chuckle. “I’ve never had occasion to try it here before, though.”

  “Would you like to join in the dancing?” Bridget asked Ella. She pointed to a group of young women who had lined up by the violinist and were starting to dance. They were lifting their skirts just above their ankles to show off the clever tapping patterns of their feet.

  “Oh yes, that would be delightful.”

  Ella and Bridget rushed up to join the other young ladies. Phillip watched Ella with hungry eyes. The elegant coiffure that she had arranged came loose in places, and her golden curls bounced down around her face as she danced spiritedly. Her cheeks flushed a strawberry red, and she moved her feet faster than most of the others. Once the violinist realized others were stepping back to watch her, he changed his tempo to match her quick dancing. She began to spin in a circle, holding her skirts to midcalf, uncaring of any scandal this might cause given that most of the people in the tavern were pleasant country folk less likely to fuss. Her blue half boots tapped and pointed as she hopped an elegant pattern that reminded him a bit of a Scottish ceilidh dance.

  Someone with a Scottish accent shouted, “Fetch a pair of swords!” and another pulled down two swords hanging from a wall and crossed them in an X-shape on the ground close to Ella. She hopped easily over them, her feet landing in the spaces between the blades as the violinist played a Scottish tune to match.

  “A talented wife you have,” Warwick praised.

  Phillip couldn’t take his eyes off Ella as she continued to spin and dance. “She certainly is.” The common room broke into song to encourage her. In that moment she was utterly bewitching, a true fae princess who had slipped between worlds to cast a spell over him. To behold her was to love her.

  He loved her. He wasn’t sure when his affection for her had become romantic love. The realization should have given him such unfathomable joy, but instead it cut him deep. He couldn’t act upon his love. He could not ask her to tie herself to a crippled man, nor could he risk losing Graham’s friendship, assuming he hadn’t already lost it. Phillip was too embittered with his own condition to find a way to restore that friendship, but he could not afford to damage it further by letting Graham find out that he had seduced Ella. Not even a marriage would save him then. These few days with her were all he had.

  9

  The night was full of magic. Ella couldn’t stop smiling as she left the dancers and returned to the table with Bridget.

  Warwick poured them wine from a bottle a barmaid delivered to them. “Well done, ladies, well done.”

  The wine was sweet on Ella’s tongue and went straight to her head as she ate dinner. Phillip kept a hand on her waist, so deliciously scandalous, even though they were pretending to be married. She could have floated away without a care in the world.

  “Well, it’s getting late. I think we’ll turn in,” Phillip said at last. “It was a pleasure to meet you both.”

  Bridget smiled. “As it was for us, my lord.”

  Phillip collected his cane, and Ella slipped her arm in his as they headed for the stairs.

  “You were stunning tonight,” Phillip said as they climbed the steps together.

  “Was I?” She couldn’t resist preening a little. She rarely received compliments from men who weren’t her brothers.

  “You were most enchanting.” Phillip leaned against the wall as he unlocked their door and allowed her to enter first. The second he closed the door, she halted as he gripped her hand and pulled her back against him.

  “Shall we continue your lessons now?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Now?” Her head was dizzy as he licked the shell of her ear, and every bone in her body seemed to melt.

  “Now,” he chuckled. “And I have an excellent idea for your first lesson.” He guided her to the wall. “Face here and place your hands against the wall.”

  Ella raised her shaking hands to the wall, feeling the rough texture of the wood beams beneath her fingertips. Phillip stood behind her, and the heat of his body warmed hers.

  “Stay still and feel,” he instructed.

  And then he began to touch her.

  His palms settled on her shoulders and trailed slowly down her arms. Then his hands came back up and moved down her sides. She giggled as he discovered a ticklish spot. He laughed as he leaned in against her and nuzzled her neck. Sharp jolts of need shot down her spine and into her womb. He was barely even touching her, but the feathery caress of his lips against her skin made her shiver and twist with desperate longing.

  She gasped, pushing her bottom back against him instinctively. “Heavens…that spot right there!” She never wanted him to stop, but if he did…she would die.

  “You like that?” he asked, kissing the spot and sucking on her skin. The pleasurable need only magnified until her knees were shaking.

  “Oh yes.” She nodded wildly, and he gently sank his teeth into the soft, tender spot. She almost screamed as her body yearned, stretching toward something she was a little afraid of.

  Cool air caressed her legs as Phillip pulled her skirts up. His body caged hers against the wall, and he slid one hand between her thighs. She yelped as he touched her at the very core of her aching center. No man had ever…

  “Phillip…what…? Oh Lord…” She moaned as he stroked a fingertip through her slit, playing with her while he kissed the sweet spot on her neck.

  “Close your eyes,” he whispered.

  Ella shut her eyes and then rolled up on her tiptoes as he discovered her entrance and slid one finger inside her. That single finger felt so tight inside her, and she wondered how the rest of him would ever fit when they came to that part of her lessons.

  “So hot,” he whisp
ered. “It makes me ache to be inside you.” He pressed his hips tight to her bottom, and she felt his heat and arousal. She’d never encountered anything more powerful than feeling trapped by him and enraptured in such building pleasure.

  “I want you inside me.” She rocked forward, moving against his hand. She wanted to feel his finger move inside of her, and he was quick to oblige, but she still wanted more.

  “Soon, but not tonight,” he promised as he continued to penetrate her with his finger.

  His other hand swept over her bodice, cupping her breasts and then moving down to join his other hand. He touched her mound and the tiny bud that was now almost too sensitive. He caressed it, teased it, and finally, when she was shaking, he pressed down on it in tandem with his thrusting finger, and the world around her simply winked out. For a second she was weightless, blinded by physical pleasure. In time, the world bled back into her vision, and her gasping breaths filled the air.

  Phillip held her in his arms. He dropped her skirts before he cuddled against her as she trembled. She’d never felt like this before, as though her entire understanding of the world and her body had come crashing down and then rose up again in the most beautiful, exquisite way possible. She could become addicted to feeling like this.

  “My God,” she said in a daze as she turned to face him.

  “How do you feel?”

  Ella bit her lip, assessing the languid sense of relaxation that now stole through her.

  “Weak…but wonderful.” She knew she would feel embarrassed later, but she wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him. When she closed her eyes, his arms came around her back and his head lightly settled atop hers. She wasn’t sure how long they stood like that, their bodies pressed so close.

  “Then I taught the lesson well.” He smiled down at her, and she wanted to never leave that room again so long as she was with him.

  Ella lifted her head, suddenly feeling very impish. “Is there a way for a woman to do what you did, but to a man?”