by Lucy Langton
He couldn’t quite make out her face, but when he was able to conjure up the image of her tantalizing, entrancing body once more, he stroked himself beneath the covers. His erection was so stiff it was almost painful this morning, and so he edged himself close to release rather quickly.
He focused on what her breasts might look like when he tore off her corset, or how her lips might feel as he slipped inside of them to ease her begging for his throbbing cock. Then, at last, he imagined bringing her so much pleasure that she wrapped her legs around him to draw him the deepest she could inside of her. He envisioned feeling her intermittently clamp down on him and release when she reached an orgasm, and that made him groan noiselessly and release.
When he had finished, he felt clammy and cold as he usually did, but there was a lingering thought in his head. While he could not place who the young woman was when he was pleasuring himself, he could now see her face very clearly but could not recall her name.
She was the daughter of the family who’d been disgraced by their connection to Nathan Fennett. She had such an enchanting face that as Isaac cleaned himself up and got dressed, he could not get her off of his mind.
By the time he went down for breakfast, Isaac had his mind sharpened and ready for the day. He was not the type to fixate upon a young woman, for he always had far more serious, scholarly pursuits to think about. He had finished his tenure at university not long ago and was now working to become a well-respected lawyer.
He specialized in business affairs, as he had learned a great deal about their dealings from his father when he was growing up. Now that his father was gone, he and his brother were determined to do well by their family’s name and to assist their mother, Agnes.
When Isaac reached the dining room, Gregory was reading the paper at the end of the table and Agnes had pulled her chair over to the window. She was gazing out it into the sunlight as she sipped her morning tea. When he entered the room, Gregory looked up from his paper and said rather obnoxiously, “Well, well, GOOD AFTERNOON!”
“Oh, Gregory,” Agnes had scolded him, “do not tease your brother like that. He was up very late last night studying your father’s books again, and so I am glad to see that he is well-rested.” She placed her teacup on the windowsill and looked at Isaac lovingly. “Good morning, Isaac, how did you sleep?”
“Quite well, thank you, Mama,” he responded politely. “Might I look in the paper when you’re done, Gregory?” His older brother had been taunting him since the day he was born, and so Isaac had learned to deal with it by utterly ignoring it and trying to take the high road. It only rarely worked, but when it did, it made Isaac feel very high and mighty.
“Mmmm ...” Gregory said thoughtfully, “you could, but there’s nothing interesting in it. Oh, except this home for sale on the rough side of town. You said you were looking for investment properties, right? This one would be PERFECT!”
Gregory said everything so sarcastically that even though Isaac sometimes had difficulty reading social cues, he knew he was continuing to taunt him. Gregory handed Isaac a part of the paper, and Isaac looked over it seriously.
The excerpt described the property as An elegant, modestly sized home with excellent amenities. Well-kept with a great deal of potential. There were a few other descriptions of it, but what interested Isaac the most was the address.
“Mama,” he tried to say casually. “Where did that woman who you acquired some pieces of art from reside?”
Agnes looked to her son with her brows knitted. “I can’t recall exactly ... was it not somewhere near the Lamberton farm?” she asked him.
Isaac had to resist smiling. That was precisely what he had wanted to hear, as the woman in question was the mother of the young woman he had dreamed about, and this advertisement was for the sale of her house. “Yes, I believe it is, thank you,” he replied.
“Why do you ask?” his mother enquired.
“No reason … it was just a memory I was having difficulty placing,” Isaac lied. Thanks to this interaction, Isaac could now remember the beautiful young woman’s name: Louisa Pelham. Isaac decided that he would go and enquire about this property this very morning so that he did not have to wait another minute to see her.
He wolfed down the big breakfast that Mrs Iver had made for him and then excused himself from the table. “I must go into town to enquire about a ... position,” Isaac lied again to his mother and brother.
“Oh how exciting!” Agnes cried, clapping her hands. “I am certain that they will accept you, Izzy. Who wouldn’t want to have a well-bred young man like yourself in their firm?”
“Yes, Izzy,” Gregory teased him, “it makes no difference that you’re a bona fide genius; all that counts is your excellent breeding for a position such as this!”
Agnes glared at her elder son and said, “You know that isn’t what I meant, Gregory, and I should ask you to speak to your mother and brother more kindly. I did not think I would need to give you this talk at your advanced age.”
Gregory suddenly turned bashful and mumbled, “Sorry, Mama.” While the boys did enjoy tormenting each other, they also knew the importance of trying to rein it in around their mother.
“Thank you, Mama,” Isaac said pointedly, “I shall see you both when I return.” With that, he rushed out of the estate and into the waiting carriage so that he could go and hopefully see the beautiful Louisa who had been quite literally haunting his dreams.
When he arrived in front of the quaint house, his heart soared. It was much prettier than he had been expecting, which genuinely made him want to purchase it. He now did not have to lie when he was introduced to Louisa’s parents, for he had a real reason for being interested in the home, outside of courting their daughter.
He descended from the carriage quickly, actually, a little too quickly. When he reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped towards the front gate, he collided with someone who was carrying a basket of eggs. They flew into the air, and even though Isaac reacted rapidly enough to catch some of them before they hit the ground, four or five of them were still ruined.
“Watch where you’re going!” came a gruff voice from beside Isaac, and when he finally turned to face the person, he discovered that it was Louisa.
“I ... I do apologize,” he stuttered, having been surprised by her sudden appearance. She looked just as beautiful as he remembered, and he could not stop himself from being rendered speechless.
Thankfully, though, Louisa did not continue being mad once she realized who was standing in front of her. She looked him over and then said, “I ... believe I know you, don’t I? But I cannot recall your name, I apologize.”
“No need to apologize,” Isaac reassured her, his voice finally finding him again. “We have met so infrequently that I would have been more surprised if you had remembered my name. I’m …”
“The younger brother of ... a duke, are you not?” Louisa asked, hoisting the egg basket she was carrying onto her other hip.
“Yes,” Isaac replied happily, “Gregory, the Duke of Grenfell. I’m Isaac Quince, and you are ...” He trailed off, trying to make it seem like he was also struggling to remember her name. Of course, he remembered it perfectly but did not want to appear too eager or odd, knowing that he tended to do both when meeting someone new.
“Louisa Pelham,” she said, giving him a curtsey. He fumbled to return it with a bow; he couldn’t believe he’d been so caught up in her that he had forgotten to do that.
“How delightful to re-make your acquaintance, Miss Pelham,” Isaac said politely.
Louisa gave him a weak smile. “Actually, I’m just Miss Louisa,” she corrected him.
Isaac could have kicked himself. How could you have forgotten about her older sister?! he cursed. She knows that everyone in town is aware of her sister’s actions, and now you made her bring up her position in the family!
“Of course, I am so very sorry, Miss Louisa,” Isaac corrected himself, thoroughly embarrassed.
/> Thankfully, however, Louisa just chuckled. “You apologize a lot, don’t you?” she asked him, brushing a hair that had fallen in front of her face out of her eyes. Isaac knew that he couldn’t gaze upon her for long as that would be improper, but when he went to respond, he was struck by her delicate face. It made him want to walk towards her and kiss her passionately, but he controlled himself and focused on their conversation.
“I really do,” Isaac joked. “I suppose that was one of the first things I learned at university: when you don’t know what else to do, simply continue apologizing until the situation resolves itself.”
Louisa laughed harder, which delighted Isaac to no end. When she laughed, her eyes squinted almost shut, her cheeks became cherubic, and two adorable dimples appeared. She was so breathtakingly beautiful that Isaac’s heart started beating faster just because he was looking at her.
When she stopped to take a breath, Louisa responded, “You went to university? What for?”
“I am very nearly a lawyer,” Isaac responded proudly. Immediately, however, he lost his confidence. He did not want to come off as a stuffy, dull man to this fascinating, engaging young woman. “That must sound rather serious and boring, though, in addition to being a surprising pursuit to remove myself from society for.”
Louisa cocked her head to the side. “Not at all,” she assured him. “Are you passionate about it?”
Isaac nodded emphatically. “Very much so indeed,” he responded.
“Then you have nothing to be ashamed of,” Louisa responded. “I think that whatever one is passionate about …”
“Lulu!” someone called from inside the house, “Did you have trouble finding the eggs, darling?”
Isaac looked to Louisa and could not stop himself from repeating, “Lulu?” When he did, Louisa went bright red and began trying to say something, but she was stopped when her mother came out the front door.
“Oh!” Louisa’s mother said, “You have a gentleman caller! In that case, I shall just …” and she began going back inside the house until Louisa called her.
“He is not – no, Mama, that is not what is going on here!” Louisa said. Her mother stopped in the doorway and turned around again.
“Then ... who is he? Why are you speaking with him out in the garden? Invite him in!” the older woman called, beckoning both of them inside.
Louisa turned to Isaac. “Why are you here, exactly?” she asked him quickly.
“Oh yes, right, sorry,” he stammered, hating himself for apologizing again. “I came to enquire about the purchase of your house.”
Louisa looked shocked, but then her expression changed to pleasure. “Well then,” she said, pointing towards the house, “I suppose you’d better come in and speak with my father.”
And even though Isaac knew that he and Louisa had absolutely no romantic connection, he suddenly felt incredibly nervous at the thought of having to be introduced to this beautiful young woman’s father.
Chapter 3
When Louisa and Isaac entered the house, Louisa found herself feeling rather anxious. Although she hardly knew this man, she felt immediately drawn to him. He was quite handsome in his own quirky way – he had a blond mop of hair atop his head with chestnut brown eyes that seemed to dart everywhere when he spoke.
He was extraordinarily tall, but despite this, his limbs still seemed a little too long for his body. However, this did give him a rather endearing look, especially when all of this was coupled with the most adorable smile that Louisa had ever seen on a young man.
If Louisa remembered correctly, Isaac was the same age as her. He came from a very respectable family, but they had been struck by tragedy a few years ago when his father died suddenly. However, judging by his comment about attending university, Louisa assumed that Isaac was doing well enough that he could leave his family to complete his studies.
While other people may have been put off by Isaac’s apologetic nature as well as his somewhat awkward social mannerisms, Louisa found them both utterly charming. Before her sister ruined their family, she had been introduced to far too many young men who thought so highly of themselves that they never took notice of Louisa’s miraculous qualities. She was done with gentlemen like those, and so speaking with Isaac was a breath of fresh air.
“You have a lovely home, Mrs Pelham,” Isaac said sweetly.
“Oh please,” Louisa’s mother said, “call me Martha. “Anyone who is going to purchase our home gets to refer to me by my first name!”
Isaac immediately looked uncomfortable and said, “Well, thank you, but I should mention that I have not yet made up my mind about this property, so …”
“Who is this?” Archie said a little too gruffly when he walked into the sitting room and saw Isaac sitting there. Louisa had to stifle her laugh, as she knew Isaac had felt uncomfortable because her mother had insinuated he was going to automatically buy the house, but Louisa knew that Isaac had nothing to worry about. If she knew one thing about her mother, it was that she was so forgetful that she would likely forget why Isaac was even visiting them in the first place in just a few minutes.
“This is Isaac Quince,” Louisa introduced him, “and …”
“Did I forget that you were bringing a gentleman caller here today?” Archie said, looking worried, “because if I did, I apologize profusely.”
Louisa could feel her cheeks turning red once more, and her eyes subconsciously flicked over to look at Isaac. She expected him to look rather confused or embarrassed by the repeated questions about him being her guest, but instead, Isaac simply looked ... happy. And then, when he noticed she was looking at him, their eyes met very briefly, and then they both looked away.
Louisa’s heart was pounding, and she could feel her hands beginning to shake, which was a dead giveaway that she was beginning to feel something for a man.
“I am here to enquire about the purchase of your home, Mr Pelham,” Isaac said politely but also a little too loudly. He cleared his throat and then continued at a much more reasonable volume. “I can imagine that a fine home such as this one must already have a great deal of interest.”
Isaac’s comment was met with silence from all three of the Pelhams, and Louisa felt momentarily bad for him. She wondered if he knew the full story of her sister’s elopement, and if he did, why was he pretending that it had no impact on how well their house would sell?
“Would you like to see the house and the grounds then?” Archie asked, shifting the subject so as not to have to respond to Isaac.
“I would enjoy that a great deal; thank you, sir,” Isaac replied, and then the two gentlemen set out towards the back garden.
When Louisa heard the back door shut, she turned to her mother and said, “Mama, why did you have to make that comment about the gentleman caller?!”
“What else was I to think, darling?” Martha asked, putting her hand on her daughter’s chin. “I saw my gorgeous youngest daughter standing out in the garden with a terrifically handsome young nobleman, and I thought that …”
Suddenly, the mother and daughter were interrupted by a young woman with wild red hair and green eyes bursting through the front door. “Louisa!” Sophie Flaherty, the family’s young Irish maid, cried, “Why didn’t you tell me you were having a young man ’round this mornin’? I would have cleaned myself up if I knew he and your father would be traipsing around the garden. I wore my dirtiest clothes today because I thought the only things who’d be seein’ me were the earthworms and the slugs!”
“Not you too, Sophie!” Louisa cried, putting her face in her hands. “He’s not my young man! He’s just here to see the house,” she mumbled into her palms.
Sophie looked at her queerly and put her hands on her hips. “Here to see about the house?” she asked, her voice laced with confusion. “But ... he’s such a handsome fella, I thought for sure he would be yours.”
