The Duchess perched on the edge of Hannah’s bed and said, “I wanted to occupy all of your time so that Mr. Albertson didn’t see you. That way, when you arrive at tonight’s ball, he will have missed you so much that you’ll look even more stunning to him.”
“Mother, how cunning of you.” But Hannah couldn’t deny the soundness of such an odd plan, nor could she deny how excited she was to see if it worked the way her mother wanted it to.
“My dear, there are simply a few things you learn when you aren’t restricted to living in a manor.”
Hannah laughed, silently agreeing. Her mother had not grown up a part of the gentry like her father did. She lived a different life, as a Traveller. Her nomadic lifestyle, moving around England with her camp ever since she was young, had taught her a great many different things along the way. It never ceased to amaze Hannah the store of knowledge her mother harbored.
Hannah also liked to marvel at the fact that, had her mother not been a Traveller, she might not have met her father.
“Well, Mother,” Hannah said as Lily stepped back and examined her work. “Let’s hope your plan works.”
“It will,” Her Grace said confidently. “Are you ready?”
Hannah nodded. She raised the ends of her gown and made her way through the door with her mother by her side. Despite the distance between her bedchamber and the ballroom, Hannah could hear a tremor of noise, as the ball slowly started. She wasn’t early but she wasn’t quite late, knowing that when she arrived, there would already be others filling the room.
The noise grew louder as Hannah grew closer and she could hear a jaunty tune being played. The ball wasn’t very large, not nearly as large as the ones she had attended during the Season, but it was still big enough to have many people attending. Most of those people were already dancing, swirling around the room in tune with the music, while those who weren’t stood to the side and socialized.
She was happy to see that all the planning had paid off well. The decorations were modest yet beautiful and there was a long refreshments table by the farthest wall. A few people already milled around the table, some with drinks in their hands.
Hannah’s eyes roved throughout the room, looking for one person. She spotted him standing a short distance away, his eyes already on her.
Chapter 28
Hannah watched Rowland as he made his way over to her. His presence parted the crowd of people, eyes watching him as he went by. Women looked appreciatively at him, then enviously at Hannah. Men stood taller when he walked by, as if that would help in brightening their presence despite the fact that they had fallen within his shadow.
Rowland eyes were trained solely on Hannah, his steps taking him to her as quickly as he could. When he arrived, his eyes were dark, just as she liked them. She could see the battle in them, in his body as he fought not to give in to the urge to kiss her. Hannah felt the same. She wondered if, like her, he had tried to put as much effort into how he looked this evening, because she was simply amazed.
“Lady Hannah,” he breathed.
“Good evening, Mr. Albertson.” Hannah was much cooler than he was, which delighted her. He seemed to be having a difficult time finding words and keeping his eyes on her face. “Are you enjoying the ball?” she asked companionably.
He swallowed and nodded, mutely. She tried to suppress her smile. “I had hoped to talk with you a little before,” he said. “But now I don’t think I can resist asking you to dance with me.”
“I don’t think I can resist accepting, either.” Hannah gleefully placed her hand in his. Rowland made sure to respectfully give the Duchess another nod before he led Hannah out onto the dance floor.
The guests parted ways for them to pass. Everyone in attendance was aware of the reason for the ball, to celebrate the betrothal of the Duke of Gresham’s eldest child. In consideration of that, they were given the dance floor, allowing Hannah and Rowland to feel as if they were the only two people in the world.
Ball or not, it always feels as if we’re the only two people on Earth.
“You look absolutely beautiful, Hannah,” Mr. Albertson whispered in her ear. He didn’t need to whisper. With the noise of the music, it might have been better if he had shouted, but Hannah heard every word.
“As do you, Rowland. Can you believe that this is our first dance?”
“And it most certainly won’t be our last.”
“I hope not.” She loved being with him like this, pressed closely to his body as she was. Before, when she had curled into him at their spot in the woods, she had been at peace. This was a different feeling, a different type of serenity that fell over her as she allowed him to lead her through the dance.
The serenity was burdened by her screaming want. His body heat seemed to envelop hers…or perhaps that was simply the blood rushing in her ears. With his body so close to hers, Hannah couldn’t help feeling the effects down there, where no gentleman had gone before. She knew he could feel it, too, with the way he tightened his hand on hers.
“Do you know what I learned recently?” he said, his voice thick.
“What is that?”
“When I was on one of my walks through the manor, trying to get used to everything, I happened upon a room I didn’t think would be there, in the west wing. It looked like a library of some sort.”
“A study,” Hannah corrected. “There are several in the manor but my father prefers the one his father used. It’s much bigger.”
“Ah, I see, I see. That proves my suspicions then.”
“What suspicions?”
“That it is less likely for someone to happen upon us if we are there.”
Oh my.
Hannah’s heart thumped painfully against her chest. After a week of barely being able to see him the way she wanted to, it was all building within her—the need for this gentleman that went beyond everything she thought was possible.
“It wouldn’t take us very long to get there,” she murmured herself.
“I doubt it will. And once the ball is in full swing, no one will even notice that we’ve disappeared.”
“I think you may be right about that. Such a devious mind you have.”
“I do learn from the best.”
Hannah smiled just as the dance came to an end. They stepped away from each other and she prepared herself for the coldness that enveloped her without his body so close to hers. But she would bide her time.
Before she knew it, the ball would be livening up, with everyone in attendance. Rowland was right, they would be able to slip away, but not for long. Only long enough for them to do whatever it was they wanted to do while they were alone.
She already had a few ideas.
They danced a few times, and Rowland stayed by her side. People Hannah recognized and didn’t approached them with their congratulations and Hannah remained the happy bride-to-be she was expected to be.
In truth, her mind was barely present. It was somewhere else, in a small study where no one would think to look for her.
Hannah decided to leave first. There was a small break in the people trying to congratulate her and so she feigned tiredness and stepped away, heading toward the door. She didn’t look back to see if anyone was watching. She knew Rowland was.
The quietness of the hallway was a great relief to the noise she just left behind her. Looking both ways to ensure that no one was around, Hannah picked up her skirts and began making her way to the study.
She saw a few servants on the way there, and she quickly adopted a tired look, making it seem like she was merely going on a walk to get away from the festivities. She was happy to see that no one gave her overly curious looks as she passed and soon enough, she left them all behind. Just as Rowland had said, there was no one at the study and she quickly slipped inside.
It looked a lot like the Duke’s current study, but much, much smaller. The intimate space was filled with bookshelves and a sizeable desk in the corner, sitting beneath a window. Hannah made
her way over to that window and looked up at the sky as she waited for Rowland to arrive.
She didn’t have to wait very long. Before she knew it, the door opened and Hannah stood at attention as he slipped into the room.
Sizzling through the air was something Rowland didn’t think was possible for him. Never in all his years did he think he could have this sort of passion for a lady. Even with Miss Flynn, he had always been able to rein in his desire, to be respectful to her as he knew ladies preferred gentlemen to be.
And try as he might, he couldn’t do the same for Hannah. He simply couldn’t.
She truly must be a witch, because this level of hunger for her has to be borne out of magic.
Their lips met with fire between them. She was as frantic for him as he was for her, which only spurred him on. He supposed it would have made it much easier to contain himself if she had also asserted a measure of control, but she didn’t hold herself back. She seemed to be controlled by her needs as much as he was. Rowland didn’t think he would have wanted it any other way.
The beautiful gown wrapping her figure was slowly being discarded. It was a long process, with all the different things that needed to be tugged and unhooked. Rowland reminded himself that he couldn’t take things too far. He couldn’t allow the raging beast inside him to come out completely. He wanted to treasure Hannah, to treat her the way she should be treated as a lady, though she clearly couldn’t care less about that right now.
But he also wanted to see her—every bit of her. The taste he had gotten not so long ago only sparked more of his thirst for her. He wanted to feast his eyes on her mesmerizing body again.
She barely said anything and neither did he. When he had walked into the room to find her standing by the window, he had been struck dumb by the beauty of the sight. Her face, tilted slightly to meet the moonlight and look at the stars, had been filled with a soulful expression. For a brief moment, he had wondered what she was thinking about but then she looked at him and the deepness in her eyes gave way to a vibrant glee. She had flung herself at him and he had welcomed her into his embrace.
Now, they couldn’t break apart even if they wanted to. He had longed to kiss her again all week but had been unable to. Now, they were alone. Now, they could do whatever they wanted to and no one would be any the wiser. The thought scared him and Rowland silently hoped he would be able to stop himself when he needed to.
Hannah didn’t look ready to stop any time soon. She tugged at his clothes, another hand on his neck. She nibbled on his neck the way she had the last time they went to their spot in the woods, because she knew how much he loved it. Even now he was trembling at her touch, unable to keep himself on his feet.
“You are riskier than I thought you were, Rowland,” she said against his lips. Her hands were traveling all over his body, but she knew the destination she really had in mind.
Rowland pulled her closer to him so she could feel the bulge against her leg. She gasped. As much as she liked to speak as if she was used to this sort of thing, her blush showed him just how innocent and inexperienced she was.
“You bring it out in me,” he said. She was trembling with hopeful need and she looked down, beholding the stark evidence of what she did to him. This time, when she reached for him, Rowland was much more prepared.
The sensation was the same, however, and he knew how dangerous such a move was. He couldn’t trust his own mind.
“Marry me tomorrow,” he rasped.
Hannah’s giggle cracked the haze in his mind just a little bit. “Would you like for us to go to the magistrate’s office tomorrow?”
“I’d like that very much, thank you. I know you think I’m merely joking but I’m not.”
Even so, she laughed again and kissed him on the cheek. This time, she was the one who ended it, stopping the fire before it grew too large to control. He was grateful for it and incredibly disappointed.
“I would love that as much as you would,” she said. She kept a hold on his hand, her body close to his, but that was as far as she went. “But I would also love a very grand wedding.”
“Oh, is that so? And here I thought you were a simple lady.”
“I am a simple lady,” she agreed. “There isn’t much that I require … except a grand wedding.”
Rowland laughed. He reached down and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Then a grand wedding you shall have, My Love. As grand as you can make it. Will next week suffice?”
Her response was simply to wrap her arms around him. They stood like that for a while, holding each other and waiting for the embers of their fiery passion to die down. It was easier said than done for Rowland when he had her in his arms, her glorious smell wrapping around him.
“I wish we can be happy forever,” Hannah murmured into the silence.
“As do I,” he responded, with all the conviction he could put into the simple whisper. “As do I.”
Hannah didn’t know how long she stood there in his arms. It might have been hours, or perhaps it was just a few minutes. In truth, her mind couldn’t focus on the reality of time while she was being held by him. All she thought about was how badly she wanted his hands to touch her, not in this gentle way but in a way that showed her how much he wanted her.
She knew he was holding back. She could feel the tension running through his body when he pulled himself away, clearly trying to think rational thoughts again. It was nearly as strong as the disappointment that rushed through her when she saw that he was once again taking a step back.
It's because he cherishes me and wants to ensure I am not dishonored. But why does he think that I care about such things? Not with him I don’t.
She knew he wanted more, just as much as she did. All she had to do was look at him to see that he was hanging by a mere thread, desperate to touch her the way he really wanted to.
Hannah was filled with such need, that she didn’t care about anything else but him.
Slowly, she turned to face him, putting her back to the moon. She held his face in her hands, watching as confusion lit his eyes.
“Hannah?”
She didn’t say anything. Trembling with such yearning, Hannah didn’t think she would have the strength to. She gently leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.
The shift was instant. His hands tightened on her waist, a low groan sounding deep in his throat. But she could feel him holding back, taking care not to let himself fall in too deep.
He broke the kiss and said, “They’ll be missing us. We should go back soon.”
She did nothing but place a finger to his lips. She knew he wouldn’t do anything more. All she wanted for now was to hold him and kiss him, to take up as much time as she could before they had to go back.
So, she kissed him again, as gentle as she was the first time. He responded in kind, deepening the kiss just a little. Hannah expected him to break it after a while, choosing his duty over his lust.
But he did the exact opposite.
Rowland pressed her against the window, turning from a man into a beast. Hannah’s heart leapt at the movement, accepting him as he deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth. A fire roared deep in the pits of her stomach at the way his hand gripped her side, the way the other hand snaked up to her neck and brushed the pad of his thumb over her throat.
Then, once again, his lips were on her neck. Hannah gasped at the feeling, unable to hold it back. He nibbled on her flesh there, his hand working its way down to her breast. When he gripped it in his hand, she rested her head against the windowpane.
He’s…he’s licking me!
The realization came a second late, when Hannah was already in the throes of ecstasy. This wasn’t like anything she’d felt before and she didn’t think for a moment that having a gentleman’s tongue curving around her ear would make her tremble so violently. Yet, here she was, gripping her gown to try and contain herself, while her husband-to-be ran his tongue from her ear, to her throat, and down…
She tensed in anticipation. Her gown was already half undone so it took no time for him to get it free and cover his mouth over her nipple. Her back arched in response and she grabbed his hair, digging her fingers in. She was gasping now, unable to stop herself.
The wetness between her legs grew out of control. There was no stopping it now, especially when his hand continued to venture lower.
“Rowland!” she gasped, but he didn’t stop. His tongue made quick work of her nipple, biting and licking until she was feverish with need. The feeling was so intense that Hannah didn’t know whether to tell him to stop or to keep going. But she couldn’t let it stop now, not when it was getting so good.
When he slipped his hand underneath her gown, she thought she saw stars. No one has ever touched her there, ever, and she was happy that Rowland was the first. She was happy to know that she was in the hands of someone who not only loved her and cared for, but knew how to do the right things.
Courteously Seduced by an Enigmatic Duke: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 19
