by Liz Cole
Her maid was waiting when she entered her room. “Your bath is waiting for you,” Harriet informed her and stepped forward to help Prudence undress.
“Oh, thank you, you are an angel. If you would, Harriet, in my smaller trunk is the new soap I picked up while I was away. I would like to have it for my bath.”
“Yes, my lady. I will bring them to you right away.”
***
Prudence lingered in the tub after Harriet rinsed her hair and went to set out her clothes for the evening. Prudence worked up a lather and ran the sponge over her body, enjoying the smell of the scented soap she had purchased while shopping with Amanda in the marketplace in Bath. It smelled of spiced apple as did the cream she found to go with it. Kolton had commented several times how much he admired the scent, and Prudence made a mental note to send for more in the future.
She washed her legs and, as she ran the sponge over her inner thighs, she remembered Kolton’s hands caressing her, his mouth pressed against her in the most intimate of kisses. Her breasts began to tingle, her womb contracting with arousal. She snatched her hand away and concentrated on quickly finishing her bath. There was nothing productive in thinking about such intimacies. It would be weeks, in all likelihood, before they would share a bed again. Working herself to a desperate state of sexual tension would make the separation unbearable.
Finished, she stepped out of the bath, toweled herself off, and went about rubbing the cream into her skin. She was pleased with her purchase; it made her skin silky soft—yet another thing Kolton had commented approvingly upon. Donning her robe, she opened the door to her bathing chamber and entered her room where Harriet had her clothes laid out. She changed into her shift and sat before her dressing table so her maid could brush her hair.
When the tangles were freed and her hair only slightly damp, Harriet went about putting up her hair in her usual, severe style. Prudence stopped her. “I believe I would like to try something different tonight,” she informed the startled woman. “Perhaps something softer, more becoming.” Something Kolton would admire.
“Really, my lady?” her maid exclaimed excitedly. “I have always wanted to style it in upsweep with curls atop and some framing your face.”
“That sounds marvelous,” she replied, curious to see what the finished product would look like.
When her maid was done, Prudence gazed at her reflection. She didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror. The effect was startling. Her features looked less pinched, her appearance much younger.
“You look wonderful, my lady,” Harriet gushed, obviously pleased with her work.
“Thank you.” Prudence blushed, not used to such effusive compliments. “I think I will wear the emerald taffeta gown tonight.”
“Th-The emerald taffeta? The one you hate?”
The gown in question was one Amanda and Victoria had talked her into last season. Prudence hated the thing because it didn’t hide her curves and, up until now, hung unworn in the back of her closet.
“Yes, that would be the one,” she replied, a smile twitching the corners of her lips at her maid’s astonishment. “I thought I would see if I liked it better with my new hairstyle.” The rich emerald green gown fit her perfectly. It had small puffed sleeves accented with white silk rosettes and fell just shy of the edge of her shoulders. The neckline also trimmed with white rosettes, dropped to a deep ‘v’, showing much of her rounded breasts without being too daring. The bodice was form fitting and emphasized her small waist where it met the full skirt which fell to her feet and whose hem was decorated with more silk rosettes. Overall, it was a simple gown, but it did extraordinary things for Prudence.
“Oh, my lady,” Harriet breathed in awe. “You look…I can’t describe how beautiful you look.”
Prudence felt horribly exposed in the gown without loose layers to hide behind, every curve was on display. Pushing aside her self-consciousness, she squared her shoulders. If his lordship didn’t like it, it would serve him right.
“Thank you Harriet. I believe I am all set.”
***
“Is this what Kolton was so cryptic about in his note inviting us to dinner?” Amanda quipped as Prudence entered the hall moments after her cousin and her husband arrived. “You look absolutely stunning! I just knew that dress would suit you.”
“Prudence?” Lord Broadshire exclaimed before Prudence could open her mouth. “By God, you look ravishing.” With a dramatic flourish, the viscount took her hand on which he placed a lingering kiss.
“Christopher! You are an incorrigible flirt. Stop panting after my cousin and escort us to the study,” Amanda admonished with a good-natured laugh.
“As if any woman could replace my wife in my affections. Although,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I have to say; your cousin appears to be giving you a run for your money this evening, darling.”
“Oh, you rat!” Amanda swatted her husband’s shoulder before taking his arm.
“My goodness,” Prudence declared with overstated astonishment, “if I thought I would cause a row between the two of you, I would have worn one of my oldest gowns.”
“Don’t you dare!” ordered Amanda.
“I quite agree with my wife,” Lord Broadshire said with a smile.
Prudence followed them into the study, a bit overwhelmed at their effusive praise. The Countess and her two stepsons were already in attendance gathered at the opposite end of the room and conversing amongst themselves when the small group entered. All conversation stopped abruptly as Prudence swept through the doorway. She stopped short when she noticed three pairs of stunned eyes focused on her.
***
The earl had never seen a more spectacular sight—well, not clothed at any rate, he amended—than the image of Pru silhouetted in the doorway. The dress she wore fit her perfectly, accentuating her alluring curves, the neckline giving a tantalizing glimpse of her full, rounded breasts. The color brought out the green in her eyes. Coupled with her dark hair and fair complexion, she virtually glowed with refinement and beauty. He had all he could do to keep himself from dashing across the room shouting “Mine!” and dragging her up to his bed.
“Though I sympathize with your reaction, gentlemen, you should close your mouths lest you attract flies,” Lord Broadshire quipped with a knowing grin.
Kolton shut his jaw with a click and shook himself out of his lustful daze. He tore his eyes away from the vision in the doorway and glanced at his younger brother. Victor was staring unblinkingly at Prudence, as if she had cast a spell over him as well, his mouth still hanging open. Kolton frowned and nudged him none too gently in the side.
“Oh, Prudence,” his stepmother, Victoria, exclaimed. “That’s the dress, isn’t it? The one you had made then refused to wear for us?” She crossed the room to Pru’s side and took her arm, leading her farther into the room. “Well, what do you think of our dear Prudence, boys?”
“Pru,” Victor said clearing his voice, the look of stunned disbelief still present on his face, “you look…that dress…your hair…I am at a loss for words.”
Pru blushed but lifted her chin. “Come now, Victor, ladling it on rather thick, don’t you think?”
“Not at all, my dear Prudence,” Kolton answered for his tongue-tied brother. “I have yet to see a lovelier sight,” he added, stepping forward and taking her hand for a brief kiss.
“So, is Pru’s transformation the reason you invited us all here tonight, brother?” Amanda demanded, curiosity bright in her eyes.
“Actually, no,” he said, turning Pru to face the assembled group. Draping his arm casually around her waist, he smiled softly down at her, willing her to smile back at him, and was rewarded with a tentative smile in return. “Pru and I have something we wanted to share with you.”
A collected gasp sounded from the group. Even pragmatic Lord Broadshire looked shocked.
“Kolton, are you about to say what I think you are?” Victoria squeaked.
“Well, if you are t
hinking that I have asked Prudence to marry me and she has accepted, you would be correct,” he replied with a broad smile.
“B-B-But you…but Pru …” Amanda babbled, unable to form a complete sentence.
“Yes, I agree with my stuttering sister,” Victor interrupted. “The two of you have never, that is, I mean, I have never noticed a particular attraction between the two of you.”
“What I believe my simple minded brother-in-law is trying to say is; congratulations,” the viscount interceded, stepping forward to shake Kolton’s hand and bow over Prudence’s.
This seemed to shake the others out of their shock-induced stupor. Amanda and the Countess stepped forward, embracing both Prudence and Kolton and offering their best wishes as well.
***
“So when is the happy event to take place?” Vincent inquired over dinner.
Prudence took a sip of her wine and let Kolton answer. “We haven’t set a date yet, but I thought I would post the announcement in the paper the day after tomorrow,” he replied waiving the footman away when he offered to refill his glass.
“Well, I suppose there is no rush,” the countess remarked, “but we must have some idea how long we will have to plan the most perfect of weddings for the two of you.”
“Oh, Victoria,” Prudence interjected anxiously. “I don’t want a lot of fuss, really and—”
“Oh, now, Pru.”
“I won’t hear of it!”
Amanda and Victoria chimed as one. With a sigh, Prudence realized ‘simple’ was not going to be on the agenda.
“Now, before you hens start planning for Pru to wear the crown jewels and scare her off entirely,” Kolton injected with an indulgent smile at his over-eager stepmother and sister, “I suggest you give us a week at least to decide.”
“Take as long as you like, dear brother,” Amanda said flashing Kolton a determined look. “We ladies will begin discussing the preparations immediately.”
“Oh, yes,” declared the countess. “We should visit the dressmakers on the morrow and have a completely new wardrobe and trousseau ordered right away. Oh, and there is the ball we must throw in honor of your betrothal.”
Prudence’s head began to swim as Lady Ravensbrook rang off the list of ‘must do right aways.’ She should have realized all the fuss expected in regards to the marriage of a high ranking peer, but the idea never occurred to her – especially since they may have to marry sooner than anyone present expected.
Chapter Eleven
It wasn’t until after Amanda and Christopher said their goodbyes and returned home that Victor left for the evening and the countess retired for the night, leaving Prudence and Kolton alone in the study.
“I think the evening went well, wouldn’t you agree, my dear?” Kolton remarked stretching his legs out in front of him as he relaxed in an overstuffed chair, and sipped his brandy. He had been studying Pru for the last several minutes, wondering if she was interested in retiring for the evening alone or with him.
“It went much better than I expected, I must admit.” She stared into her glass of sherry as if it held the answers to all of life’s questions.
“Oh, how so?” he asked, just to make the conversation last.
“Well,” a slight frown creased her brow as she pursed her lips thoughtfully, “I didn’t expect them to be quite as…well, happy about the two of us marrying. Not that I expected them to hate the idea exactly.”
“Amanda cornered me after dinner and let me know she was completely in favor of our engagement.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. In fact, she told me she had long thought we would be a good match, but short of throwing us at each other, she had no idea of how to get us to notice one another in a romantic sense. And she said she was almost glad Cecil had his little accident because it forced us to spend some time together on a more personal level.”
“It certainly did.”
Kolton raised a sardonic brow at the note of sarcasm in her tone, but let the comment pass unchallenged. “Have I mentioned how lovely you look tonight, and how well I think that dress suits you?” He stood and took her hand, urging her to her feet.
Pru smiled wryly as she faced him. “I believe it came up quite spectacularly before dinner, if memory serves, my lord.”
“That it did.” Kolton chuckled, recalling Victor’s reaction. “I thought my brother was about to expire on the spot from shock.”
“Well, admittedly, he did appear shocked, but I think one foot in the grave is a bit of an exaggeration.”
“Perhaps,” Kolton conceded, “but I have never seen him in such a state.”
“You were not far better yourself, I must say,” she reminded him with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.
“I will not argue the fact you took my breath away,” he said pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her, “but then, you’ve made quite the habit of that these last few days.”
“If I didn’t know better, Lord Ravensbrook, I would say you are attempting to seduce me with flowery praise.”
“Me?” he asked with false, wide-eyed innocence. “Why I would never– by the by, is it working?”
***
The combination of the child-like hopefulness in Kolton’s expression and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes melted Prudence’s resolve to keep him at arm’s length. She burst out laughing.
“You can be a dangerous man when you want to be, Lord Ravensbrook. I can see I will have to keep that in mind in the future,” she commented when her laughter subsided.
“I don’t know about that, my dear. I like to think of myself as charming.”
“You are at that, and that is what makes you dangerous with the ladies,” she replied primly.
Kolton grinned boyishly, making Prudence’s heart flutter. “I plan to be ‘dangerous’ with only one lady from now on,” he said with a wink, “so I am no longer a danger to society, I assure you, my sweet Prudence.”
“Hmph. As if your flirtatiousness is something that you can control. It comes as natural to you as breathing.”
“Hmm, you may be right,” he said with contrived concern, “but I intend to be wicked only with you.”
Prudence’s last thought before he lowered his lips to hers was that only time would prove whether he actually spoke the truth.
“Kolton,” she pleaded breathlessly a few moments later. “Someone might see.”
Kolton lifted his head from where he had been nibbling at her neck and looked toward the open door to the study. “Something that can be easily fixed,” he replied, striding to the door. He closed and locked it before retracing his steps and lifting Prudence in his arms.
“Kolton! What are you doing? Put me down.”
He ignored her, settling himself in one of the oversized chairs by the fireplace. He cuddled Prudence on his lap. “Now, where were we?”
“This is most improper. There are servants about and Victoria is upstairs,” she huffed indignantly, attempting to move off his lap. “Not to mention the fact we have tempted fate too many times already.”
He tightened his hold on her. “There are ways to find pleasure which do not include the physical act, my dear Prudence,” he suggested as he busied himself with kissing her neck.
Prudence shivered. “Oh?”
“Yes. Would you like me to show you?”
“I don’t know if that is such a good– oh my!” she exclaimed when he reached a sensitive spot which never failed to make her stomach flutter.
***
Kolton chuckled and concentrated on the area. “It is a good idea, Pru. It is either that, or I will go crazy with wanting you.” He slid his hand beneath her skirt and found her hot center. He knew of another way as well to prevent conception, one he had discovered one of his former mistresses used. He would have to go about procuring the necessary supplies on the morrow after he visited Helena to end their arrangement in person.
Prudence gasped and gave a soft moan when he slid his finger bet
ween her damp folds. She was already wet, and it excited him. Already, his cock was straining against his trousers uncomfortably.
“God, I want you, Pru,” he exclaimed hoarsely and lifted her to straddle his lap. He pushed her dress off her shoulders, exposing her breast and took one of her ripe nipples in his mouth. Prudence tilted her head back and moaned, running her fingers through his hair as he sucked hungrily at her breast while fumbling to open his pants and let his member spring free.
“No, Kolton, we can’t.” But her voice held little conviction as he rubbed the tip of his cock along her wet slit.
“Shh, trust me,” he murmured as he moved to take the nipple of her other breast into his mouth. He urged her to lower herself against him and showed her how to rub against him to stimulate them both without entering her.
“Oh my! Mmm. That feels so good,” she breathed.
“Being inside you would feel even better; but for now we’ll have to make do with this,” he told her as he released her nipple and took her lips in a hot, openmouthed kiss.
He became drenched with her fluids as she moved faster against him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rocked his hips. His balls tightened. He didn’t know how long he could last. He’d been suffering a painfully rigid cock stand since he first saw her enter the room before dinner, and couldn’t keep his mind off of how good she’d feel wrapped around his staff since then.
***
Prudence was riding a wave of pleasure that threatened to crash against the shores of ecstasy any moment. “Kolton, oh Kolton I—oh God!” she cried as her climax took her.
“Yes, love, that’s it. Don’t hold back,” he panted, thrusting his hips faster.
Prudence looked down at his face as the ripples of her release began to ease. Their eyes met, and for a moment, it felt as if he could see into her soul, before his own orgasm hit him. A look of wonder flashed across his features followed by heavy-lidded ecstasy. He growled her name, his eyes never leaving hers as she felt the rush of his hot seed between her legs.
He grabbed the back of her head and brought her lips down to his in a crushing kiss, his tongue plunging wildly into her mouth in time with his thrusting cock, and another climax seized her.
