Lords of Passion

by Virginia Henley

  He frowned. “But I don’t think I’d like that at all.”

  “Are you sure? Most men seem to like it, although in my opinion, if that is all they require in a wife, they might as well purchase a parrot.”

  A dimple appeared on Nicholas’s cheek, and Louisa clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry and after I promised to keep quiet.”

  He regarded her seriously. “I can’t see how we can go back to where we were, and, to be honest, would you want to? If I can counter your honesty with some of my own, I confess I haven’t exactly looked forward to sharing your bed.”

  “Oh.” Louisa folded her napkin and looked down at the toast crumbs scattered over the pristine white linen tablecloth. She jumped as Nicholas reached across the table and grasped her hand.

  “Louisa, we can do better than this, don’t you think?”

  “I’m not sure, my lord. What exactly do you require me to do?”

  “To start with, you can stop pretending you no longer have an opinion of your own. I’m quite sure you do.” He hesitated. “I’m not that much of an ogre am I?”

  She looked up at him then. “No, not at all, you have always treated me with respect and kindness and …”

  He squeezed her hand. “And I always will, but, perhaps I have been at fault.”

  She blinked at him. Her father had never uttered those words to her mother, of that she was certain. “You have been at fault?”

  His charming smile flittered across his face. “Don’t sound so surprised. I’ve been thinking about what you said to me last night.”

  “Really?”

  “Indeed.” He released her and sat back, his other hand now curved around his coffee cup. “Mayhap I have neglected you after all.”

  Louisa went still. What had she roused with her impudent questioning? Her mother had always said her quick tongue would be her downfall.

  “In truth, you have offered me an interesting challenge. How should a man seduce his own wife?”

  “I have no idea, sir.”

  His gaze was full of sensual intent, and he patted her hand. “Perhaps I should start by reading that gothic novel you were so enamored of. Do you have it with you?”

  Color heated her cheeks, and she snatched her hand back. “I scarcely think you would enjoy it, sir, or that I would really wish to be manhandled in such a rough and ungentlemanly way.”

  “Would you not? Yet you seemed quite enthused by the novel.”

  Louisa bit down on her lip. “I’m not sure what you mean, my lord.”

  He leaned forward, his elbow propped on the table, his chin resting in his hand. “Did the story make you feel … restless and excited?”

  “It certainly increased the rate of my heartbeat, sir, and I confess that I felt a little strange and overheated after reading it.”

  “That’s good.”

  “But what does that have to do with what passes between us in bed?”

  His smile was slow and raised all her feminine suspicions. “Therein lies the problem.”

  “I do not understand you, sir.”

  He rose to his feet. “You will.”

  “You intend to make me feel those heated emotions for, for you?”

  He bowed. “Why not? I’m certain I can inspire the same feelings in you.”

  Unaccustomed annoyance crowded her chest. “I do not wish to know about your previous conquests or experience, sir. And I doubt that you can inspire such insipid devotion in me.”

  “There’s nothing insipid about it, my dear.” He smiled again. “You’ll just have to trust that I am man enough for the challenge, won’t you?”

  Louisa got to her feet, too. “What challenge?”

  “How to seduce a wife.” He bowed low. “I believe I’m quite looking forward to it.”

  “And what are the stakes, sir? What do you win?”

  He went still and stared down at her. “A wife who doesn’t have to read gothic novels to experience the pleasures of love? A willing bed partner? Surely, I cannot lose.”

  Before she could answer he exited the breakfast room,

  leaving her standing there clutching a hand to her chest. A sudden qualm assailed her. What if she proved incapable of being seduced? She prided herself on her calm good sense, not her ability to drive a man to his knees with lust. What if she didn’t have the capability to enjoy passion?

  She gazed after her husband and then sank back down into her seat. Her plans for a quiet morning at home were overset by the strength of the emotions Nicholas aroused in her. She had to talk to someone about this most delicate of matters, and who better than her husband’s oh-so-sophisticated sister, April?

  Louisa finished off her tea and rose to her feet. She needed help, and she wasn’t afraid to ask for it. She paused at the bottom of the stairs as the clock struck the half hour. April was part of the family; Nicholas could hardly object to Louisa consulting her, could he? She grimaced as she mounted the stairs. Well, perhaps he could, but there was no alternative. She scarcely knew another soul in Town and she was not going to ask her mother anything ever again.

  Nicholas handed his hat and gloves to the doorman at his club and went inside. At such an early hour, there were very few gentlemen in the smoky oak-paneled rooms, so he took possession of the best seat by the roaring fire. Despite the cold, he’d enjoyed his ride. It had afforded him the opportunity to think about his wife and how best to initiate her into the joys of marital intercourse.

  He found himself smiling as he pictured her face at the breakfast table that morning, her horror that her uninhibited discussion about his failings as a husband had inspired him to seduce her. He stared into the flames. But how to approach such a complex matter? How could he help her understand her sexuality without frightening her?

  “Good morning, Lord Stortford.”

  Nicholas smiled up at one of his oldest friends. “Good morning, Captain Gray. Will you join me for a glass of brandy or something warmer?”

  “Mulled wine would be welcome on a day like this.” Captain Gray took the seat opposite Nicholas and rubbed his hands together. “I walked up from my lodgings, and it was far colder than I anticipated.”

  Nicholas beckoned to a waiter and gave him the captain’s order. “And that from a man who has sailed the seven seas, and survived, means it must be cold.”

  Captain Gray smiled. “Or I’ve become soft, chained to a desk since the war ended. That is another distinct possibility.” He smoothed a hand over his windblown blond hair that was tied back in an old-fashioned queue. “What are you doing out and about so early?”

  Nicholas shrugged. “I took my new horse out for a gallop.”

  “Despite the cold?” Captain Gray looked impressed. “You’ve never struck me as an early riser, but perhaps marriage has reformed you.”

  “In truth, thoughts of my wife did propel me out of my front door this morning before I’d really noticed the foulness of the weather.”

  “Don’t tell me you’ve taken to battling over the breakfast table.”

  Nicholas sighed. “Not exactly.”

  Captain Gray lowered his voice. “I say, Nick, is everything all right?”

  “Everything is fine, David, it’s just that…”

  “Marriage is harder than you thought it would be.”

  “That is certainly part of it.” Nicholas frowned. “Although how you would know that, I have no notion.”

  “Just because I’m not married doesn’t mean I haven’t excellent powers of observation and decided opinions as to the wedded state.”

  “Really.”

  David shrugged. “And I’m quite willing to listen.”

  “I’m sure you are.” Nicholas regarded David warily. “I’m not sure if I’m willing to indulge you.”

  “You don’t have to.” David crossed one booted foot over the other and settled more comfortably into the chair. “But I am one of your oldest friends, and I promise I won’t spread any gossip.”

  “I know that.�
� Nicholas kept quiet as the waiter offered David a tall glass of steaming mulled wine and refilled Nicholas’s coffee cup. “It’s just that the situation is a little complicated.”

  David blew on the ruby-colored wine and then sipped it. The scent of cinnamon and cloves drifted across to Nicholas. “I like your wife. She seems intelligent and kind.”

  “She is.”

  “In fact, I was quite surprised you chose her.”

  Nicholas stiffened. “What did you expect me to choose? A flashy debutante with no money and a big chest?”

  David chuckled. “Not at all. After your father’s appalling example, I knew you’d be careful.”

  “My father was no example to me.”

  “Yet, there was a time when you emulated him.”

  “Until I grew old enough to know better and realize that I had no desire to turn into an elderly pox-ridden lothario.”

  There was a short silence as David seemed to reflect on Nicholas’s outburst.

  “What made you change your mind about him?”

  Nicholas forced a smile. “When I saw how he treated my mother, and how he forced her to deal publicly with his mistresses and his bastards.”

  “Ah.”

  “What does that mean? And what does this have to do with your interest in my choice of wife?”

  David sat forward, his glass cradled in his hands. “Because I now understand why you chose her. She doesn’t come from an aristocratic family with no morals, and that makes her more attractive to you.”

  “That’s true, but …”

  “Which means that you hope she’ll remain as faithful to you as you intend to remain to her.”

  “I’ve never told you that.”

  “But it’s true, isn’t it? You’ve been married for almost a year now, and I’ve heard no rumors of you frequenting any brothels, setting up a mistress, or enjoying yourself at Madame Helene’s.”

  “Is there something wrong with a man wanting to keep his marriage vows?”

  David’s eyebrows rose. “Nothing at all. There’s no need to sound so belligerent. It’s actually quite refreshing.”

  “I don’t intend to make a fool out of my wife. I intend to treat her with respect.”

  “And I salute you for that.” David raised his glass and drank slowly. “But I’m sure such resolution brings its own problems.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Nick, I’ve known you since Harrow; you like sex, you like it a lot.”

  “So?”

  “So, going from your rakish ways to one woman and one woman alone must have provided you with some interesting challenges.”

  Nicholas sat back in his chair and studied his old friend. He had the perfect opportunity to ask for advice from one of the few men he’d ever trusted, but at what price? Only his pride and he wasn’t that big a fool. “I find myself in a bit of a quandary.”

  “In what way?”

  Nicholas glanced around the room and leaned closer to David. “My wife is quite innocent.”

  “I should imagine she is.” David nodded as if Nicholas made perfect sense. “Does she find you a little ‘overwhelming’?”

  “She finds me boring enough that she’d rather read a gothic romance novel than entertain me in her bed.”

  David simply stared at him, a peculiar expression on his face. “Boring? You? One of the most sexually experienced men I’ve ever met?”

  “Apparently, I fail to measure up to the exacting standards of the pirate hero from the gothic novel she is currently reading.”

  David started to laugh, his sea-blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “I don’t believe it.”

  “It’s the truth. I think my manly pride has been hurt.”

  “I should say it has.” David studied him. “But what have you done, or not done, to make her feel like that?”

  Nicholas shifted in his seat. “I’ve tried to treat her with respect and restraint, as I assumed one would treat the lady one has married.”

  “Ah.”

  Nicholas glowered at David. “Don’t say ‘ah’ again. It’s infuriating.”

  “You assume that married ladies wish to be set on a shelf like a porcelain figurine and treated delicately, the way your father should’ve treated your mother. Am I right?”

  Nicholas managed a nod.

  “Women are not meant to be divided into categories, Nick. Wives can enjoy sex as well as mistresses.” David sat back and placed his glass on the table beside him.

  Nicholas shoved a hand through his hair. “I’ve already worked that out for myself. Now I just have to think of a way to fix it.”

  “Fix what?”

  Nicholas looked at David with a quelling stare. “Never you mind. You’ve merely confirmed my own decisions.”

  “That’s good to know.” David nodded. “So you’ll be taking her to Madame Helene’s then.”

  Nicholas stood and glared down at his infuriating friend. “Of course I will.”

  David got up as well. “I’m sure you’ll find plenty of pirate heroes there.”

  “Indeed.” Nicholas kept his face as blank as possible as he considered David’s outrageous suggestion. Madame Helene’s House of Pleasure catered to the sexual fantasies of the rich. He’d frequented her premises during his wilder days and had come to consider Madame Helene a friend. He wasn’t sure if his membership was still current. “Thanks for the advice, Captain Gray. Perhaps I’ll see you at Madame’s?”

  David bowed. “I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

  Nicholas nodded again and left, his thoughts in turmoil. David had proved as helpful as ever, and his suggestion of Madame Helene’s was inspired. Now all Nicholas had to do was go and visit Madame and find out if she would let him return to her exclusive establishment in Mayfair—with his far too innocent yet sexually frustrated wife.

  Chapter Three

  “So there I was, darling, stranded in the middle of the ballroom with that obnoxious little toad, Lord Monkfish, on his knees in front of me searching for his false teeth!”

  Louisa smiled obediently at Lady April Fotherskill and glanced at the ornate gold clock on the marble mantelpiece. She’d been at her sister-in-law’s house for over an hour, and she still hadn’t managed a complete sentence. April stopped smiling and stared at her.

  “You seem a little distracted today, Louisa. Is there something wrong?”

  Louisa took a deep breath. “Well, not exactly, wrong,

  but …”

  “Is it my brother? Has he been behaving himself?” April’s handkerchief fluttered in front of her prettily flushed oval face. “Nicholas promised me that he intended to behave perfectly toward you, not like Papa treated poor, dear Mama …”

  “Nicholas always treats me with great respect, April. It’s not that, it’s just …”

  “Are you breeding? Oh, my word, that would be exciting news! Or have you come to ask me if you are? I do have two children of my own.”

  In desperation, Louisa gripped her hands tightly together on her lap. “No, I’m not breeding, at least I don’t think I am. I did want to ask you about something, though. Something quite personal.”

  April’s blue eyes, which were just like Nicholas’s, met Louisa’s. Beneath her artless chatter, Louisa had discovered April was no fool and that her affection for her younger brother ran deep and true.

  “Is something wrong with Nicholas?”

  “No, he’s in perfect health. Please don’t worry.” Louisa groaned. “For someone who prides herself on her intelligence, I’m not making much sense, am I?”

  “Not really.” April leaned forward to pat Louisa’s knee. “Tell me what the problem is. I promise I won’t interrupt this time.”

  Louisa cleared her throat. All at once her idea of confiding in April seemed ludicrous. She wasn’t sure how to approach such a delicate subject without implicating her husband. She had wit enough to realize that Nicholas might not appreciate his older sister being told he was inadequate in bed.
r />   She managed an uncertain smile. “I wondered whether you would mind me asking you something about married life.”

  “Not at all! We’re like sisters, aren’t we?” April rose to her feet and linked her arm through Louisa’s. “Let’s go through into my bedchamber where we can have a comfortable coze without fear of being interrupted.”

  After another anxious glance at the clock, Louisa allowed herself to be drawn away into April’s fragrant boudoir. The lemon-and-silver-colored walls and bed coverings seemed a trifle bright to Louisa, and the amount of lace and ruffles that adorned every surface made her a little claustrophobic. She much preferred her own blue bedchamber, which Nicholas had decorated for her as a surprise on their marriage.

  She studied April’s sympathetic face. She’d grown so used to asking April for advice that she hadn’t thought the matter through properly. How could she have imagined it possible to discuss such an intimate subject as her marital woes with her husband’s sister? Now she’d have to think of something that didn’t involve Nicholas at all.

  But perhaps there was some more general information she could acquire …

  “Well?” April inquired brightly as she sat next to Louisa on a small, yellow-striped chaise longue.

  “It’s just that, I haven’t been married for very long and I wondered …” Louisa stopped talking and gazed at April, who made an encouraging gesture. “I wondered whether other women enjoy the more ‘physical’ side of marriage.” She finished in a rush and felt her cheeks heat up.

  “Oh, my dear, there is nothing to worry about,” April said and patted her hand. “It is perfectly normal for you to enjoy that side of things, don’t let anyone, particularly your mother, tell you any different. If you are lucky enough to have married a man like Nicholas, who had ‘quite’ a reputation as a young man, then why shouldn’t you enjoy the benefit of his experience?”

  “That’s not quite …”

  “I have to tell you, that despite his outward appearance, my Gilbert is a most satisfying companion between the sheets. That man knows passion and I’m a lucky woman because of it.”

  Louisa tried to picture the rather portly Lord Gilbert Fotherskill cavorting in bed and found herself wanting to giggle. April hugged her. “You see? There is nothing to worry about, just consider yourself lucky and pity other wives whose husbands don’t know their way around a woman’s body and couldn’t care less anyway.” She kissed Louisa’s cheek. “And it is also normal if your husband wishes to make love with you more than once a night and actually spends the whole night in your bed.”