by Vikki Vaught
Jonathan lay between her slender thighs as he kissed the soft flesh of her inner thigh. Kathryn was shocked as he licked his way up her thigh to her mound and silky curls. He caressed the moist, pink folds with his mouth and hand. At first she started to tense up, but then she relaxed as wonderful sensations filled her body. As he licked her tight bud, her escalating cries filled the air. His tongue circled the sensitive flesh around the entrance to her tight portal. The pressure kept building until she shattered into a million little pieces.
As Kathryn gently floated down from the clouds, Jonathan kissed his way back up her body and rolled to the side as he kissed her delectable lips. She tasted her essence on his lips as she reached for his chest and rubbed his taut male nipples. She heard him gasp and knew that he enjoyed the touch. She slowly trailed kisses down his shoulder and chest, nuzzling her nose through the silky hair on his chest until she licked his nipple, mirroring what he had done to her. She laid her hand on his chest as she suckled, and felt his heart pounding at an astounding pace.
Jonathan rubbed Kathryn’s back and pulled her close as she continued to suck his flat male nipples into her mouth. Then his throaty cries of passion filled the room. His hand covered his shaft as he jerked from the explosion of his loins. Kathryn watched in amazement as Jonathan slumped back against the pillows. She was stunned by what had just happened and gloried in the expression of sheer bliss on Jonathan’s face.
As Jonathan sighed, he said, “Kathryn, my love. I’ve wanted you to touch me for so long. You’ve brought me great joy. Thank you, my darling.”
Kathryn blushed. “You’ve sent me to heights I never imagined, and I hope that, in some small way, I’ve given you pleasure that you so richly deserve.”
Jonathan pulled her close, kissed her tenderly. “Pleasure beyond my wildest dreams.”
As she watched his handsome face, his blue eyes slowly closed. His breathing grew steady and deep as he fell asleep. Kathryn lay there in shock at what had happened. She knew she had given him immense pleasure and that he had experienced his release. She never expected that just fondling his chest as he had done hers could cause this to happen. She was immeasurably pleased with herself.
As Kathryn watched him sleep, it dawned on her that she…was in love with Jonathan. Her heart swelled with emotion, and she felt tears of joy roll down her cheeks. Part of her wanted to wake him up so she could tell him that she loved him, but then fear raised its ugly head, and images of her uncle kept her silent.
Oh Lord, please help me overcome these fears so that I can be a true wife to Jonathan.
While she continued to ponder the events of the night, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
When Jonathan woke up the next morning, Kathryn was still sleeping beside him. The love he felt for her swelled his heart to bursting. He couldn’t believe that Kathryn had touched and fondled him last night. It amazed him that he had experienced such a powerful release from so little, but then it had been so unexpected. When she had allowed him to give the most intimate of kisses last night, his desire had risen to fever pitch. He could still taste her essence on his lips. They had crossed a line of intimacy that he had expected would take months to reach. He just needed to continue to have patience, and eventually she would overcome all her fears and give herself to him completely.
Jonathan slipped from the bed, leaving Kathryn to her dreams, and went back to his room. Hatton was already there to help him get ready for their trip. Soon he was clean and shaved, so he headed downstairs to breakfast. He told Goodman to send Sarah up to help Kathryn get ready. When he entered the breakfast room, he went to the sideboard and filled his plate high with kippers, sausages, coddled eggs, and thick slices of toast slathered in butter, and took his seat at the table. As he ate his breakfast, he perused the morning paper, more relaxed than he had been in years.
Elaine entered the room, filled her plate, and sat down next to him. “I still think you should let me come with you and Kathryn. You’re bringing Frankford and Jane, and they’ve been avoiding their studies as well. It’s not fair that you’re making me stay behind! I want to come too. I promise I’ll behave, and I’ll even help with the children. Please…let me come!”
Jonathan sighed as he laid down his fork. “We’ve been through this several times. This is not a holiday. Kathryn’s going to her sister’s to work. As you know, she’s painting a portrait for the Marquess and Marchioness of Ralston. Frankford and Jane are coming because Kathryn doesn’t want them left alone so soon after the death of their parents, and Helen’s daughters want to play with Jane. I know you’re good with the children, but there shan’t be anyone your age to keep you entertained. Miss Tilton feels you have fallen behind in your studies and you need to catch up.”
“You’re taking the children’s governess with you, so why can’t we take Miss Tilton too?” Elaine pleaded. “If she comes, I’ll still be able to do my studies. I’m going to be so lonely here without you. I miss Roderick and Allison too. I shouldn’t be left alone either.”
Tears rolled down her pretty pink cheeks, and Jonathan felt guilty. Obviously, the thought of being alone was quite distressing for her. Maybe it wasn’t fair to leave her behind. Helen and Matthew would be fine with her coming. Jonathan just didn’t want her to think that she was getting her way all the time. Then again, if they left her feeling so resentful, she might get into mischief.
“All right, you can come,” Jonathan relented. “But Miss Tilton comes with us, and you’ll do extra studying every day. This will not be a holiday. Now, if you’re coming, I need to let Kathryn know, and tell Miss Tilton that she’ll need to pack for both of you. Hurry and finish your breakfast and get changed into your travel clothes. We’re leaving in an hour.”
As Jonathan left the breakfast room, Kathryn arrived downstairs. “Against my better judgment, I’ve allowed Elaine to talk me into letting her come with us. I’m going upstairs now to tell Miss Tilton so she can get them ready. Elaine is finishing her breakfast, but then she needs to hurry upstairs and get ready for the trip.”
“Jonathan, I really do think it’s for the best. She misses Roderick and Allison dreadfully, and she would have been so lonely here without any of us. Helen and Matthew will be delighted to have her. She’s very good with all the children, so she’ll help keep them entertained. I’ll hurry and eat my breakfast, then help her get ready to leave. Sarah has everything well in hand, so I didn’t have anything to do until we leave. See you out front in an hour.” Kathryn smiled back at him as she entered the breakfast room.
There was quite an entourage ready for the trip when Jonathan finally got everything organized. Jonathan and Kathryn would ride in the main carriage, while the governesses, children, and Elaine rode in the second, and then Hatton, Sarah, and Elaine’s maid, Kitty, were in the third carriage. He knew it was probably going to take four days to get there instead of the three they had originally planned. At least the weather was clear, if a bit cold. By the time the coaches were loaded, they were thirty minutes late leaving. Once all Kathryn’s art supplies and canvas were loaded into the third coach with the servants, they were off.
The coaches traveled for four hours before they made the first stop to have a light repast at a coaching inn that Matthew had recommended. Jonathan had the entire trip planned out based on information shared with him by Matthew.
By the time everyone had seen to their basic needs and had something to eat, they had lost another thirty minutes of valuable time. Jonathan tried not to let it bother him, but he didn’t like the way the sky was looking. The clouds were dark, and he could already feel dampness in the air. And of course, his knee was killing him.
Once they were back on the road. Jonathan relaxed a bit, and he and Kathryn took turns reading some of Shakespeare’s sonnets to each other. Kathryn was pleasant to travel with and made few demands.
About an hour after they left the coaching inn, the rain started, and it was torrential. It made travel exceedingly slow. The coaches we
re slipping and sliding in the mud. It became so bad that they had to make an unplanned stop, hoping the weather would break and they could continue on their way. It began getting dark, and the weather showed no signs of improving, so Jonathan made the decision to stop for the night. It could have been worse—at least the inn was clean, and the rooms were spacious.
The governesses settled the children and Elaine for the night, and after Kathryn and Jonathan told them goodnight, Kathryn and Jonathan had dinner in the private parlor. The food was plain country fare, but well prepared, and soon they finished the meal with their appetites appeased. Over dessert, Jonathan said, “Thank goodness. It looks like the rain is finally stopping. It’s slowed us down quite a bit. At this rate, we’ll not get to Matthew and Helen’s until Wednesday. If the weather is fair tomorrow, we may be able to make up some of the time.”
Covering her mouth, Kathryn yawned. “I’m sure you’ll be able to make it up tomorrow. Well, I’m quite tired, so I’m off to bed. Are you ready to come up?”
“I’ll be up in a moment. I’m just going to relax here in this chair before I turn in. See you in a bit, my dear.” Kathryn smiled at him, then turned and left the room.
Jonathan’s knee was bothering him terribly because of all the rain, so he took his laudanum with a glass of port, but before he realized it, he’d drunk an entire bottle and was feeling the effects. He was feeling so pleasantly mellow that he called for another bottle. Eventually he passed out and never made it up to bed.
When Hatton found Jonathan the next morning, he shook his head. His head was pounding, but he refused Hatton’s offer to fix him his old remedy. He was quite nauseated at his stomach, and, figuratively speaking, kicked himself for his own stupidity.
When Kathryn came down for breakfast, she looked concerned. “What happened last night? You never came up to bed. I was worried when I woke up this morning.”
Hanging his head, Jonathan answered her with embarrassment in his voice. Kathryn deserved better than this. “Kathryn, I’m not feeling very well this morning, but I’ll be all right soon. I’m going up to our room to change. Go ahead and have breakfast without me. Can you handle getting everyone organized so we can leave in an hour?”
“I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well. I’ll take care of everything. I hope you get to feeling better soon. Are you sure you’re up to traveling today?”
“I’ll be fine, once I have a wash and a shave. Don’t worry about me. Thank you for handling everything this morning. I’ll see you outside in an hour.” He turned and slowly made his way upstairs.
God, why did he allow himself to slip like that?
It had been so long since he last drank himself into a stupor!
Once they were back on the road, Kathryn asked, “What really happened last night? You look as if you haven’t slept in a week, and your eyes are all bloodshot.”
Jonathan felt terrible remorse and knew he needed to tell her the truth. It was the only fair thing to do. “I behaved very stupidly last night. After you went up to bed, my knee was bothering me terribly, so I took a dose of laudanum with a glass of port. The next thing I knew, Hatton was waking me up this morning. I overindulged on port, so I have a sore head this morning. I thought I could handle a few glasses of port, but obviously, I couldn’t. I’m sorry. I shan’t let it happen again.”
“You should have told me your knee was bothering you so badly. I would have been happy to massage it for you. Next time, instead of drinking too much, let me help you. You need to get some sleep. Come over here and lay your head on my shoulder and rest. I’m sure that with some sleep, you’ll feel better soon.”
Jonathan looked at her with gratitude in his eyes. Moving over beside her, he put his head on her shoulders and closed his eyes, then fell asleep. His last thought before sleep took him away was that he’d married a saint. Jonathan slept for three hours, and when he woke up, he felt much better. He was so ashamed of his behavior. Obviously, port was too strong for him to drink, and he knew he would have to leave it alone, along with the whiskey and brandy.
Travel was easier that day, and they were able to make up some of the time they’d lost the day before. By the time they stopped for the night, everyone was famished. The governesses took their charges upstairs and had trays sent to their rooms.
Kathryn and Jonathan dined and then retired together to their room. He played maid for her, and she rubbed his knee and wrapped cold compresses around it while he lay on the bed. There was a screen in the room so Kathryn went behind it to undress. When she joined him in bed, Jonathan pulled her into his arms, kissed her, and then felt sleep begin to take him away. He was exhausted from the day’s travel, but so grateful to have such an understanding wife. Before sleep completely took him away, he sent up a silent prayer thanking God for bringing her into his life.
When Kathryn woke up the next morning, Jonathan had already gotten up and left the room. There was a knock on the door, and Kathryn let Sarah in the room. While dressing, she thought about Jonathan’s problem. He’d been so embarrassed over his slip. Her heart just went out to him when she saw his distress. She could understand how it happened, what with the amount of pain he had to be experiencing.
Traveling had to be incredibly difficult for Jonathan, because he had to sit for such long periods of time. He was too much of a gentleman to stretch out in the carriage to take some of the strain off his knee. Today, she would convince him to recline on his seat, which should help. After dismissing Sarah, she headed down to breakfast.
When she entered the dining parlor, Jonathan was already eating his breakfast, so she filled her plate from the sideboard and sat down across from him. “Did you sleep better last night? I must say you look much better than yesterday. How much further do we have to travel? Are we halfway yet?”
“We’re more than halfway, and if we make as good a time today as we did yesterday, we should be there by early Wednesday afternoon, well before dark. I slept very well last night, how about you?”
Kathryn took a sip of her tea, then sat it down. “I felt very well rested when I woke this morning. I stopped by and spoke with Miss Mills, and the children are doing fine. She told me that Elaine has helped to keep them entertained. I’m pleased you allowed her to come with us.”
“I’m sure Elaine’s been very helpful with the children. I guess it’s better that we brought her. I just hope she continues to behave when we get to your sister’s house. I’m going outside to make sure everything’s ready for our departure. I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.” Kathryn finished her breakfast and went upstairs to see if Elaine was ready.
The weather held out, and they arrived at Helen’s house at two o’clock on Wednesday. As they pulled up to the house, Kathryn caught her first view of the ocean, and the magnificence of it took her breath away. She could understand why Helen loved it here so much. As they were getting out of the carriages, Helen and Matthew hurried out to greet them.
Helen hugged Kathryn and kissed her cheek. “I’m so pleased that you’ve finally arrived. Did you run into bad weather? It took us longer to get back last week because we had terrible rain part of the way. Did the children travel without mishap? Oh, and I talked to Cassandra, and she’s excited about you coming to do their portrait. We’re supposed to go there tomorrow for tea. That way you can discuss when you want to have them sit for you.”
As they walked to the house, Kathryn said, “We had bad weather the first day, but the rest of the trip the weather was clear. The children did well. We brought Elaine with us. I hope that’s all right. I look forward to meeting Lady Ralston and her husband tomorrow. I’m anxious to get started.”
Once they entered the house, Helen introduced her to the butler. “This is Wells, and he’ll get you anything that you need. Let me show you to your rooms. I’m glad you brought Elaine with you. She’ll help entertain the children. My children adore her.”
Helen showed them to a suite of rooms, which were lovely. As Kathryn looked around her room
, she admired the lovely royal blue counterpane on the bed, which matched the upholstered furniture. Sarah arrived and soon had all her belongings put away. There was a dressing room that separated their bedrooms, which was very spacious. She went and knocked on Jonathan’s door, then entered his room.
Jonathan had taken off his shirt and his pantaloons, and he was standing in just his smalls. “Oh, excuse me. I didn’t realize you were changing.”
“That’s all right, sweetheart. I’m always happy to see you. Come here and give me a kiss. I feel as if it’s been a week since we’ve really kissed.”
Kathryn tentatively approached him and he pulled her to him. He gave her a slow, hungry kiss that curled her toes. She ran her hand across his chest, burying her fingers in the silky hair. She loved to run her fingers through his chest hair.
Jonathan must have liked it too, since his smalls tented up from his erection. She found it to be titillating, rather than frightening, as she felt it probing her belly. It amazed her that she had come such a long way. Two weeks ago, she would never have believed that she would find Jonathan’s erection arousing.
“Sorry, my dear, but you cause this reaction all the time. I’m usually able to hide it from you. I hope it doesn’t frighten you. I was just getting ready to put some ointment on my knee when you walked in.”
“Since you explained what causes it, I’m no longer frightened when it happens. I’m actually…flattered.” Then realizing what she had said, she looked down, saying hurriedly, “Why don’t you sit in that chair, and I’ll take care of your knee? I’m sure it has to be stiff from traveling the last few days.”
