Mary closed the bedroom door as the footmen entered the salon to bring in the copper tub. Soon the maid undressed Mia and slipped her into a dressing gown. A footman knocked on the bedroom door.
“We are done with the water.”
Mary walked to the tub and poured in some lavender oil. “This will make you feel better. Your mother taught me that. She said it will help ease tired muscles and relax a person.”
Mia smiled. “Thank you, Mary. You may go. I will nap after my bath so there is no need to dress me.”
Mary nodded and left Mia in peace. A fire lit the room as clouds darkened the sky. She slipped into the warm water and released a pent-up sigh. Hopefully, the rain would hold off until Simon returned. Would she ever stop worrying about him? After what he did, she should be furious, not fretting over whether or not he gets wet.
Warm lips touched her bare shoulder. “I should have known you would force James to bring you here.”
She started from the contact and his deep voice. How had he entered the room without her hearing him? “I am taking a bath, Simon. Please leave me in peace.”
He chuckled slightly. “I don’t think so.” He moved away and then yanked off his boots and jacket.
“What are you doing?”
“Joining my wife in a bath.” He stripped off his waistcoat.
“No, you are not!”
Simon cocked a brow at her. “Yes, I am.” He unbuttoned his trousers and slipped them over his hips.
She watched his cock rise against his drawers as he pulled off his linen shirt. She had to stop this before he got in the tub with her. “I do not want you here.”
“Stop being sore because I left you behind.”
“I am not sore. I’m furious at you. And not for leaving me behind... although that didn’t help matters.”
Her gaze seemed glued to his body as he slid his drawers over his hips, releasing his burgeoning erection. He walked to the tub and then put one leg in and then the other before slowly easing his body into the water. Mia brought her legs in closer to give him room.
He released a groan. “So, why are you so angry with me?”
“I will not have this conversation in a tub.” Mia grabbed her soap to wash up quickly.
“You might as well. You’re not getting out until you tell me what has you so irate.” Simon cupped water with his hands and splashed it over his face.
“You can’t keep me in here.”
He removed his hands from his face and smirked at her. “Of course I can.”
And he probably could. “Very well. I have decided to become Middleton’s wise woman until Tia returns from her jaunt to London.”
“No.” He grabbed the soap from her hand and rubbed it to a lather.
“No?”
“That’s what I said. A countess doesn’t leave her husband to live on a viscount’s land. You are my wife and you will stay with me. Now, it might help if you told me why you have suddenly decided I am some monster you need to be protected from.”
“Oh, indeed,” she said sarcastically. “You used me. Just like Lambert and just like Paul Smyth. Did you think I could attend a party and not find out about your reputation? I overheard several women talking about how you had no choice but to marry someone from the country who wouldn’t know of your horrible reputation.”
Simon’s jaw clenched and then slowly softened. “I couldn’t tell you about that,” he whispered.
“Of course not. If you had, I would never have agreed to marry you.”
He closed his eyes. “No, Mia. You would have been frightened of me after what you went through at Lambert’s hands.” He opened his gray eyes and stared at her. “That would have killed me. I could never live with myself knowing you thought I could harm you.”
“But you could,” she whispered.
“Any man can hurt a woman. But I would never do such a thing.”
She desperately wanted to believe him. “Then will you tell me what happened five years ago?”
He closed his eyes and released a long sigh. “Very well.”
She waited as he gathered his thoughts. Based on what James had told her, she knew this would be hard on Simon.
“I’ve always had a temper,” he started quietly. “But over the last four years, I found if I exercised, it released the frustration I felt. Five years ago, I was in London with Middleton. He pressed me to play cards.”
“But you can’t play cards well.”
He tilted his head and stared at her.
“I guess you already knew that,” Mia said sheepishly.
“I tried to get out of the game but everyone kept pressuring me to play.”
“So you played.”
Simon nodded. “I did. I figured it couldn’t hurt to lose a few pounds. Only I didn’t lose. I won a substantial amount of money. It infuriated Lewis Baxter, the man across from me. He assumed I was cheating somehow.”
“What were you doing?”
His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I was counting the number of the suit on each card. It is the only way I can play cards.”
“Of course, but how did he think you were cheating?”
“There are some people who can keep track of the cards in play and determine the odds of the next card being drawn.” He looked away. “Not that I would ever be able to do such a feat.
I play so little that I normally just expect to lose. So I was furious that he called me out for cheating. Instead of dealing with it in the normal way of a duel, Baxter wanted to fight bare-knuckled. He was something of a pugilist so he thought he could best me easily.”
“Oh my,” she whispered.
“He had no idea I’d been fighting since I was ten.” Simon looked away. “Once the fight started, Baxter started to say a few things about how he’d heard I was an imbecile who couldn’t even do basic mathematics at Eton. That only increased my anger. Middleton had to pull me off of him.”
Mia closed her eyes, trying hard not to imagine the fight in her mind. “How bad was he?”
“Very bad. It took him months to recover only to die in a carriage accident a year later.” Simon released a staggering breath. “His family blames me for everything.”
“You could have told me this before,” she said softly. “I would have believed you.”
“Not after what Lambert did to you. I couldn’t have you hate me.”
Mia stared at her husband’s tortured face. “Why was that so important?”
“Because I loved you.”
Mia’s mouth gaped as her mind spun. “But... I don’t understand. How could you possibly have been in love with me at that point? I had only been here a few days.”
Simon leaned over and pulled her body over his until she lay on top of him. “Mia, I have known you for years. I have seen how you take care of people but I’ve also seen the kindness in your heart. I have loved and desired you for years.”
“You have?” She still couldn’t seem to comprehend what he was telling her. “Then when you asked me to marry you...?”
He laughed softly. “It had nothing to do with my reputation. It had nothing to do with your protection. Although that made a fine excuse. I proposed because I loved you and thought given time, you might come to love me too.”
Mia thought about how she’d told him she didn’t love him. Was that truly only a few weeks ago? She’d been a fool to think she could leave him and become Middleton’s wise woman. This was where she wanted to be.
“Didn’t you know how I felt about you?” Simon asked.
“No, why would I have known that?”
Simon chuckled. “Apparently everyone around us knew, including the servants.”
Mia stared at him in disbelief. “That’s not possible. Someone would have told me.”
“Not likely. Most people would have assumed I would only be interested in an affair with you. They were trying to protect you.”
Slowly he pushed her away and rose from the tub. Grabbing a towel, he wrapped it
around himself in silence. He walked to the linen press and pulled out a dressing gown. After wrapping it around himself, he turned toward the door. “I will leave you to your bath, madam,” he finally said stiffly.
“Where are you going, Simon?”
“You wanted peace for your bath so you shall have it.”
“But I’d rather have your love,” Mia said softly as she rose from the bath.
“Why?”
Shivering from the chill in the air, she said, “Because you already have my love.”
Chapter 27
Slowly, he turned and faced her. Even from the door, he could see the goose flesh rising on her chilled skin. Her small breasts rose proud, but begged to be suckled. He grabbed another towel and rushed to her. She looked regal and yet terrified as if he would reject her. Not that he could ever do that. He wrapped the towel around her and lifted her from the tub.
He released the pins holding her hair up. She stared up at him with her soulful brown eyes. With her lips slightly parted, she looked like a temptress.
“So you want my love?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“You already have it.”
Her lips moved upward. “Say it.”
“I love you, Mia. I have for years and will forever.”
She reached out and caressed her hand against his cheek. “I love you too, Simon. I have wanted to tell you but thought you didn’t feel the same way.”
He leaned over and kissed her gently. She lifted her arms, wrapped them around his neck and pressed her body against his. He wanted to ravish her. He wanted to make love to her slowly and savor every aspect of it. In the end, he left it up to her.
She led him into the bed with a seductive smile. As they reached the bed, she let the towel drop to the floor.
He gazed like a hungry dog at her beautiful body. Her rosy nipples were drawn tight, waiting for his mouth to tease them. Her slim waist flared at her hips. He wanted to grab her hips and delve into her softness. But he waited for her sign.
She closed the distance between them. Her fingers worked at the knot on his dressing gown. “This is being difficult.”
He brushed her hands away and unknotted the mess. The gown gaped open, revealing his hard cock. He moaned as her fingernails skimmed up the length of him. He closed his eyes until a warm, moist mouth replaced her fingers, drawing him in and out. Pleasure surged within him. Her tongue played with him, circling the top of his penis before sliding back down. He had to stop this now.
“Mia, stop,” he rasped.
As she continued to suckle him, her fingernails lightly scraped his sac almost sending him over the edge.
“Now,” he said. “I want to please you too.”
Slowly, she slid him out of her mouth. “As you wish.”
“You will pay for that,” he warned with a smile.
“I do hope so.”
He picked her up and plopped her on the edge of the bed with her legs dangling off. He leaned over and covered a nipple with his mouth. Feeling her squirm beneath him only surged the passion flowing through him. He moved to the other breast and circled around her areola until she moaned. With a smile, he suckled her nipple until her hips ground against his.
Instead of giving her what she wanted, he trailed hot kisses down her belly until he reached the apex of her legs. Spreading her folds, he found his target. As his tongue touched her, she started.
“Simon,” she moaned.
The pent-up desire he heard in her voice made him hungry for her. He tasted her, licked her and flicked his tongue against her until she shook from the pleasure of her orgasm. Finally, he entered her wetness. He brought her legs up against his chest so he filled her completely.
“Simon.”
He thrust in and out of her. Her fists clenched the coverlet as her inner muscles tightened around him. Feeling her start to quiver and shake, he let go too.
“Mia.”
“Oh, Simon, I love you,” she said in a husky tone.
Thrusting once more, he spilled his seed into her. The pleasure of their lovemaking overcame him. He pulled out of her and then moved them both up to the head of the bed. Drawing her to his chest, he caressed her soft brown hair.
Her fingers splayed across his chest, tangling with his chest hair. “I like your chest.”
He laughed softly. “I like yours too.”
“No, I mean the hard muscle and soft skin. Just the right amount of hair. Not too much and not bare.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that.”
She went silent for a few minutes. At first he thought she might be sleeping but he could feel her biting her lower lip in worry.
“What’s wrong, Mia?”
“What are you going to do when you find Charlie?” she whispered.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I’ve been thinking about that for days. First, I need to know if he was involved. Perhaps it was all a coincidence.”
She raised her head and stared down at him. “Do you really think so?”
“No,” he admitted. “Too many things don’t add up.”
“Are you going to hurt him?”
Could he hurt his brother? Unfortunately, he could if Charlie was as involved as Simon believed. “What do you want me to do if he hired Lambert?”
Mia went silent in thought. Did she want revenge for what happened to her? A part of her did. But another part of her didn’t want her former friend to feel the pain she felt. No one should have to suffer a beating like that. She also didn’t want Simon to have to hurt his brother for her. “I don’t know,” she finally answered.
“If he gives me no choice, I will have to fight him.”
She nodded against his chest. “I know. Are there any other choices?”
“Perhaps.”
“Oh?”
He tweaked her hair. “Do I have to give away all my secrets?”
“There shouldn’t be any secrets between a husband and wife. Unless they involve gifts, then it’s all right.”
He chuckled. “I shall remember that.”
“Now, back to the situation at hand,” Mia said.
“Yes. I could have him arrested but I fear he might hang.”
She certainly didn’t want Charlie to hang for what he did. “So the lesser of two evils may be the beating?”
“I wish I knew what was the right thing to do here, Mia. But I don’t. I won’t know until the moment I confront him.”
“I understand. But perhaps I should be there with you. You wouldn’t be so hard on him if I was there.”
“No. Then I would be distracted. He could use that as an opportunity to either hurt me or you.”
Why did he make so much sense? If she couldn’t be there, she intended that James was there. He might be able to get the two men talking. “As you wish.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Trusting me. Believing in me. And mostly for understanding about my condition.”
She moved up on the bed so she could look into his eyes. “A person can’t help how they are born. I have seen a few horrible births, club feet, cleft lips, and so much worse. You have difficulty performing mathematical equations.” She smiled at him as she caressed his jaw. “That is why you have me.”
“Thank God,” he said. “I will be happy to let someone I trust do the books for me.”
Slowly, she drifted off to sleep content for the moment but worried about what tomorrow might bring.
The next morning, she awoke alone and cold. She scrambled out of bed to find Simon before he confronted Charlie. She dressed quickly in one of her old gowns that needed no one to help her. She raced to the top of the stairs and listened for angry shouts. There was only the sounds of the household, footmen cleaning, the clattering of a dish from the morning room and the soft voices of the maids.
She walked down the stairs and headed for the morning room. Simon and James were both sitting at the table with a newspaper in their hands. For
a moment she said nothing, just watched the two men who looked so similar.
“Anything in that one about him?” Simon asked.
“Just the usual round of gossip. Nothing about Charlie being back in town,” James replied.
“What are you two doing? Isn’t Charlie here?” she asked as she took a seat across from James.
“No, he still hasn’t returned. We thought we’d try the papers and see if there was any mention of him,” Simon said as he folded his paper and placed it on the table.
Harris entered the room with a slight cough. “My lady, you have a caller.”
“At nine in the morning?” Mia said.
“Oh for pity sake, I am not a caller. Now move out of my way, Harris, before I put some poison in your tea.” Her mother blustered past an indignant Harris who turned and left.
“Good morning, my lord, Mr. Blakesworth.”
“Good morning, Mother,” Mia said, offering her a seat. “What are you doing here at this hour?”
“You’ve been away near a fortnight. I wanted to see my daughter.” A footman placed a cup of tea in front of her. “And I have a question for the earl.”
“Oh?” Simon said casually.
“What is your brother doing here?” Mother asked bluntly.
James looked taken aback. “I beg your pardon, madam, but that is hardly your concern.”
“Not you,” she said to James. “Charlie. He arrived almost as soon as you left and has been rifling through Mrs. Perkins’s garden for days.”
“The treasure,” Mia and Simon said together.
“I looked there yesterday and he wasn’t there,” Simon said with a frown.
“What treasure?” her mother asked.
Mia explained about the few trinkets she’d found over the past year. “He must think there is more. But after I discovered Hart’s financial situation, we searched for days and found nothing.”
“There are holes all over her garden. The poor woman can’t do anything about it either. She’s fretting about it and is going to make herself sick. At first she thought she had upset a garden troll. But one night she saw Charlie out there. She didn’t say anything at the beginning because she thought you had given him permission but then she noticed you never came out there.”
Enticing the Earl Page 23
