Rollo passed the ax over to Aaron without a second thought and started for the house. “I’ll see you all later.”
“Or tomorrow sometime,” William said with a chuckle.
Rollo grinned and hoped his friend was right. If he were lucky, it wouldn’t take him long to lure the lady’s maid into a private room. His body warmed even with the cold that surrounded him.
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Genie struggled with the clasps at the back of her dress and now wished she’d waited for one of the other girls to accompany her to the room. The kitchen had grown hot with the fires that were going and simply the thought of lighter fabric had made her sigh with relief.
While they’d begun a small meal of stew and bread, the women had discussed their plan for the future of the Spinsters’ Society. A few weeks ago, after Sophia had nearly frozen to death and as Morris had held her in his arms while speaking to the other men present, she’d overheard their plans while everyone thought her asleep.
The men had sworn to not leave Gretna Green without their respective spinster becoming a bride. It would be one ceremony for everyone. Lorena would become the Countess of Ashwick, Alice would become Mrs. Calvin Lockwood, Sophia would become the Duchess of Cort, and Genie was set to be Duchess of Valdeston. It was what the women wanted but in their own time.
Apparently, for the men, however, time had run out. They would use every trick up their sleeves to see the women wed. Most of their plans consisted of melting their reserves under skilled fingers and other parts and while the women had resisted for nearly fourteen days, they all knew that eventually they would succumb. It was inevitable.
But Alice had heard it was possible that her father would be returning from his time with the navy and dearly wished him to be present at the ceremony. So, for her sake, they would wait.
Or at least try.
Genie groaned as she fought with another button. She jumped when hands swatted hers away and began to undo her dress with deft fingers, the material falling away within seconds. Sure it was one of the girls, she smiled. “I didn’t even hear you come in. Are you changing as well?”
The voice that greeted her was not feminine in the least. It was hard and sent a slight thrill through her body. Only one man could do that to her. The Duke of Valdeston. “I’ll change for dinner, but I’m more concerned with having my clothes off at the moment.” Genie’s dress gave way, and she quickly spun around to meet Francis’ playful blue eyes.
Genie licked her lips. She held her dress in her hand. “What are you doing in here? This is the ladies’ room. Only the women are allowed.” The girls had all volunteered to share the same bed. It would be a tight fit, but they were determined to remain together.
For the last few months, four of the Spinsters had become engaged, and while they each loved the man they were betrothed to, everyone had their own reason to wait.
Genie had loved Francis ever since she was a little girl. Genie had grown up with Francis in her life and had never hidden her affection from him. Then, last year, she’d found out that he’d always felt the same, but a contract he’d signed with her father had kept them apart until Francis paid off the large debt that he’d owed her family. Even though Francis had been tricked by her father into signing, the contract was still in effect even though her father was dead. Fortunately for them both, Francis now owned a very lucrative trading company and once the funds were untied from other ventures, they would be released from her father’s hateful contract and free to wed. Genie wanted to be his wife but had joined a pact with the other Spinsters that she would not marry Francis until they were all ready.
But what she suspected they all knew was that Genie was the weakest of them all when it came to her fiancé and his wishes. Her love for Francis had started over a decade ago and whenever he looked at her the way he was doing now, every bone in her body melted.
Francis wrapped his powerful arms around her waist and the butterflies in her stomach took flight as he pulled her close. Sometimes, it all still seemed like a dream when he touched her, when he looked at her with longing. He was the most handsome man she knew, her Duke of Valdeston.
But she had to stay strong. “Francis.”
He moved, ducking his head, and without pretense licked a trail up her throat before biting softly into the skin right under her ear.
Scorching heat bloomed and spread through her, dissolving all thought and snatching every word, leaving her only capable of a moan.
He lifted his head and only when he was sure she was his did he kiss her, slowly, his lips soft yet commanding, telling her to yield in the most tender way.
She shivered at the sensations that skipped across her skin and placed her arms around his neck, encouraging him to deepen the kiss, encouraging him to do more. Yes, her body cried. It had been so long. Boldly, she licked his lower lip, causing him to groan. In the next second, she was up in his arms. A moment later, her back fell onto soft sheets with his warm body falling over hers.
Her fingers shook as she undid his shirt, his hands already moving up her thighs, moving closer to the heart of her arousal.
“Sweet Evie.” His voice was dark with longing. He kissed her deeply. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted. Marry me before the month’s end.” His fingers stroked the curls between her legs.
She shook violently and tried to move her body closer, begging with her actions for him to touch her. “Oh, please, I can’t.”
“Say yes.” He opened her folds and rubbed her most intimate part gently. Her body was ready to come apart. She was on the brink, but the touch wasn’t enough to push her over. It wasn’t nearly enough.
She gripped his shoulders. “Francis, please.”
“Swear it.” He cupped her and rubbed in short circles.
Genie threw her head back and convulsed in pleasure.
And far in the back of her mind, she apologized to the other spinsters before she whispered, “Yes. God, yes.”
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CHAPTER FOUR
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“What?” Elipha hissed in a sharp whisper, excitement making her eyes grow wide. “The Men of Nashwood are here?” She spoke low as to not be heard throughout the house.
Florence took a breath. “And the Spinsters’ Society.” She’d just finished relating in detail what she’d found downstairs, as Elipha would have it no other way. Like Florence, Elipha had her favorite, the Duke of Cort, but from the little Florence could recall from the bickering downstairs, the duke was engaged to wed Sophia. This, Elipha didn’t like, but she’d quickly returned to her good cheer simply knowing the Men of Nashwood planned to stay under the same roof as her. Thankfully, Elipha had never been a woman to go after a man who already belonged to another.
“Five women accompanied them. They’re in the kitchen.”
Elipha shuddered at those last words. “It’s not surprising that the daughter of the Duke of Valdeston would know how to cook. Her father was so impoverished I heard that they rarely had servants.”
Florence had heard the rumors as well and wondered how such an experience had shaped her. “She seemed very kind.”
Elipha waved her hand dismissively as she started to pace before the fire again. “Never mind them. The brotherhood is more important.”
Florence wasn’t sure she agreed. The women had seemed genuine, and she’d enjoyed the obvious friendship they’d shared with one another. However, she knew better than to argue with Elipha. It would be of little use. Instead, she remained quiet as Elipha paced back and forth obviously with a million thoughts running through her head.
She stopped and covered her mouth, her eyes staring at the far wall before turning to Florence. There was an expression on her face that Florence had never seen before, a mixture of hope and something else. She immediately knew what it was the moment that Elipha smiled. Gratitud
e.
Had her lady ever been grateful for anything? She’d never truly had the need to when she’d always gotten her way… until recently. Yet even still, when Lord Rakefield had proposed, Elipha had been more relieved than anything else and when the Turnbulls adopted the baby, there had been simply relief again but never gratitude until now.
“Don’t you see it, Florence?” her lady whispered. “It’s a sign.”
Since Florence was being spoken to, she said, “A sign?”
“Yes, from heaven.” Elipha pressed her fingers to her mouth and barely managed to hold back a high-pitched squeal, her eyes glittering with happiness. “I’m to marry one of the Men of Nashwood. I’m next in line to take one of London’s most prized bachelors.”
Florence wasn’t sure if what Elipha said was true but did find it strange that ten men and five women without chaperones had arrived at a house alone at Gretna Green. It was scandalous, and the last thing Elipha needed if she wished to get back into her father’s good graces. She told her ladyship so.
Elipha frowned. “You can’t possibly expect me to pass on an opportunity such as this?” She laughed. “Certainly not.”
Florence inclined her head, knowing when she’d been defeated, not that she ever truly gave her lady a fight. “All right, which man would you prefer?” She moved toward the wardrobe to begin getting Elipha ready for the evening.
“It doesn’t matter. Any one of them would do.”
Florence stilled her head from shaking. Thankfully, Elipha had dresses ready for any occasion. Since Rakefield hadn’t married her, Elipha had not worn some of the dresses she’d had created before leaving London to arrive north. This meant they were still pristinely pressed and once Florence tied a corset to Elipha’s body, she would be excused until Elipha needed to undress later in the evening. This meant Florence would not have to entertain her, which also meant she’d finally get a measure of rest. Elipha usually excused Florence when she was in the company of other ladies, not wishing Florence to sit around for reasons Florence didn’t know or care to know.
She smiled at the days to come, days where she would be unbothered.
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CHAPTER FIVE
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The lady's maid was not at dinner.
Rollo tapped his fingers on the table and chuckled. Of course, the maid wasn't allowed to attend. He'd been away from polite Society for so long that he'd forgotten their customs. No titled gentleman or lady would allow servants to dine with them... unless that lady was Lorena. Lorena treated everyone as though they were part of her family. Rollo had even visited her home once on an errand for her brother to discover Lorena having tea with a delivery boy. The child had been gripping his cup so tight that the white of his dirty knuckles had been visible even through the filth. His eyes had been wide as Lorena went on and on about some book she'd read, and Rollo had witnessed the child eventually calm and become wrapped in a tale of soldiers and the rise and fall of kingdoms. When Rollo had made his presence known, the boy had jumped from his chair, put down his cup, excused himself, and ran from the room.
Lorena's closest servants were Mr. Zedock Sudsworth and a Miss Jane Haskett, both of whom she'd hired right off the street without asking for a single reference. Both had also proven themselves as loyal and were accompanying Aaron's solicitor north in the company of Helsby's daughters.
He looked around the table and noticed a slight tension in the air but knew it didn't stem from the sole stranger at the table. Elipha seemed very comfortable amongst the group, laughing at jokes and taking part in conversations that ranged from politics to the latest happenings around London. When Aaron had asked her why she was here, she'd told him that she'd simply felt the need to get away and that Helsby had given her leave to use the house. Since Helsby was gone, her story couldn’t be verified, but Rollo saw no reason for her to lie. Since she was not in the company of a man, he didn't believe her to be wed, and while she was subtle, she did flirt with whom she knew to be unwed. Thankfully, Rollo had been positioned on the other side of the table.
But the tension seemed to be coming from Genie, who he noticed kept fidgeting in her chair and refusing to meet anyone's eye, including that of her smiling fiancé. Whenever a joke was made, no one laughed louder than Francis or seemed happier. There was an added color to him, Rollo thought, but he wasn't sure what truly seemed different about it. Not a single dark hair on his head was out of place.
His eyes moved to Sophia and witnessed her direct a quick glare at Genie. Genie caught the look, and her cheeks turned the bright red of her hair.
Rollo was struck with a thought and laughed. Thankfully, another jest had been made so that his laugh simply blended in with the others, though it did draw attention from Elipha, who fluttered her eyes before Lorena pulled her with another question.
Francis and Genie were getting married. Genie had given in. It was there on her face, the shame of letting down her friends and the effort she took to fight the small smile that kept appearing on her lips.
One down, three to go.
"Where is your lady's maid, Miss Crew?" Lorena asked.
Elipha shrugged. "How should I know what a servant does in her own time?" She laughed and then realized she was the only one laughing. She looked around before reaching for her wine glass. "I mean, Florence’s time is her own when I don't need her." She took a heavy sip.
"Oh, of course." Lorena smiled. "But surely she doesn't wish to eat alone?"
Elipha frowned. "Well, there's no one else for her to eat with."
Lorena blinked as though confused.
Sophia put a hand over Lorena's and directed a sweet expression at Elipha. "Forgive us, Lady Elipha, but we are not like the rest of the ton. Lorena has been known to invite street urchins over for dinner."
Elipha reeled back as though the street urchin were sitting at the table with her. Then she let out a quick laugh. "Surely, you jest, Miss Sophia."
"It's Lady Sophia," Morris corrected while taking Sophia's other hand that sat on the table, a move that he'd never do in London. "She's the daughter of the Viscount of Dovehaven."
Elipha frowned and looked down to where the couple held hands. "You are?"
Sophia smiled at Morris before turning back to Elipha. "Yes, though it makes sense that you've not heard the news as of yet. My station is new to me." Sophia's father had switched destinies with his twin brother when they were young for love, only to return to their true selves when Sophia fell in love with Morris Kidd, the Duke of Cort, making them a great match in the eyes of the ton, which would further Morris' political career. And, as of last week, the brothers had found a way to be pardoned for the trick, though it had cost Sophia's father dearly.
Staring at Sophia and Morris holding hands directed Rollo's mind back to Florence. He wondered if she were awake and what she was doing. He also wondered why one encounter with the girl had managed to weave her into his mind so firmly.
When the meal finally ended, the women went to the sitting room and Rollo decided he'd look for the lady's maid as opposed to joining the other men in the parlor.
"Where are you going?" Julius stood at the door to the parlor and tilted his blond head in Rollo’s direction. "We're meeting in here. Apparently, Francis has something he wishes to share with us." He grinned.
Rollo smiled. "We all know what he's going to say. I'll join you all before you rejoin the women."
"Where are you going?" Julius asked again.
Rollo didn’t know how to respond. He didn't want to give himself away or seem too interested in the lady's maid, yet there it was. He was very interested and didn't wish to spend a minute more in Julius' presence.
Julius crossed his arms as a knowing grin spread across his perfect face. "You're off to look for the lady's maid, aren't you?"
Rollo shrugged. "I'd
enjoy some entertainment if she's willing."
Julius inclined his head. "Let me know if she is." Then with the swagger of the lord that he was, he entered the parlor.
Free from his friend's scrutiny, Rollo moved down the hallway and checked the main rooms before wandering down the halls. If she were in her room, he would leave her be, but... He smiled as he found her in the library.
The library was small, doubling as an office with books only lining a single wall. The thing that stood out most about the room was the size of the fireplace, large and grand with great dancing flames that bathed the room in golden light and warmth. Overhead hung a portrait of a man who had to be an ancestor of Lord Helsby’s, but at the fire's heart sat the person who held the most interest to him at the moment.
She sat in a wingback chair, her attention in a book and while at first, he thought her to be reading, he noticed her hand moving and decided to sneak over to discover what she wrote about. His presence startled her, and she looked up with fright before standing.
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CHAPTER SIX
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Florence took Rollo in from head to toe. His ink black hair had been pulled back, his eyes seemed to become even darker in the firelight's shadows. A black jacket emphasized his arms and wide expanse of his chest and narrowed waist. He wore a blue waistcoat, white shirt, black breeches, and polished boots, all of it worn in a way that put every other man she'd ever met to shame. At his throat, a diamond pin winked from his cravat, glittering like the onyx in his eyes.
Florence’s Stupendous Spinster’s Society Page 4
