“I’m not ready and I’m not the perfect one for you.” He knew something was not right with her. He felt her touches and caresses.
“There’s something you are hiding from me.” He cupped his hands on her face. She felt weak and wanted to say the truth about Jeremy hiring her but she couldn’t. She wanted to avoid him but not lose him forever. She was waiting for the right moment to tell him everything. She looked like a forlorn waif, huddled on a bench. She looked up at him through tear filled eyes. He spoke to allay her fears. He heard her quick inhalation. He didn’t expect her to cry even though she was guided by her emotions. He didn’t understand why she would not be ready to please him.
“I still don’t understand and I will not force you to do something you don’t want.” He held her by the waist; it was hard for her to talk with him next to her. She felt the heat between them but it was for the best.
“I’m sorry but I can’t commit to pleasing anyone now.” She didn’t want him to leave. He let go of her hands and opened the door. She could see how broken he was. He felt like giving up on her but he knew she was probably going through women issues. He wanted to give her time to think things through. She watched from the window as he climbed the carriage. He was furious. She wiped tears from her eyes as she cursed out Jeremy’s name. She couldn’t do anything; all her happiness was blown out the window. She clenched her teeth as she remembered Jeremy’s words.
CHAPTER FOUR
Prudence, the personal maid to her grace Christine pretended to be wiping the drawings on the wall. She heard the news she’d been waiting for. The Duke's wife would be thrilled to know this. It would earn her a few extra coins.
She crept slowly and left in a hurry for the bedroom. She had no time to waste because no one saw her leave. She knocked on the bedroom door and after a few seconds the door opened and she was let in. Christine stood there with two maids on each side.
“What is so important, that it can't wait?” she asked.
“You told me to tell you anything about Rose, the maid in the main house,”
“Yes,”
“She is the other woman who is pleasing your husband”
“What do you mean?” She turned to look at her.
“All I’m saying is the truth, I heard your husband confess to...”
“Quiet, you may now leave, that's enough. If you hear anything else let me know.”
She left in a hurry avoiding the other maids from seeing her. Christine smiled to the other maids and left to her husband's chambers. She got in and whispered something to the John. He clapped his hand and the maids left at the cue. He showed them the door.
“What is this about?”
“It's about the woman who’s keeping you company.”
“Let me check on the horses.” Marco said as he left them alone
“What about her?”
“I want you to stop seeing her,” she yelled.
“It’s too late for that, she already stopped seeing me.”
“How long have you been seeing her?”
“I will not answer that,” John was stressed and bothered by her questions. He wanted to go and see Rose; he wanted to plead with her.
“I’m leaving,” he said as he left the room.
****
Joseph was hiding from Ethel the shop owner as he owed her some coins and didn't want to face her.
“Luck's on my side,” he thought. He followed Lady Sara and the maid to get a chance to ask the maid to lend him some money. Lady Sara entered the cottage quickly and the maid was left outside.
“Oh no, I'll have to wait until she comes out, or I can sneak in without the lady noticing,” he thought as he peeped through an opening.
Sara uncovered her head and kissed Jeremy. Joseph watched carefully.
“I don't think this is appropriate. I should wait for her to finish with her husband first. As he moved away from the window, something caught his eye as Sara turned around.
“Oh my goodness, It's not the maid but the lady herself in flesh and blood,”
“His grace has to know about this but how. Will he believe me? I don't think so. I know what to do.” he thought as he moved away from the window.
Everything was clear to him now; the maid was protecting the lady all along. This is the news they've been waiting for. Thomas will be delighted to find out the piece of news he has to deliver.
He never cared anymore about Ethel; he'll earn a lot of coins from this piece of news. He also heard what they said. He jumped up and down with joy. He went straight to John.
It was hard not to notice the traveler galloping his horse at full speed towards John’s home. The place may have breathtaking beauty but it was obvious from the Marco's expression that he was not in the mood to admire the beauty.
He furiously urged his horse forward as he rode to the gates of his home. The startled guards immediately came forward as he jumped off his horse.
He stormed towards the entrance not greeting the guards at the gate. He went straight to the house and was blocked with some guards.
“A man is here to see you my lord,”
“Let him in,” he said reluctantly. He was not expecting anyone. Joseph walked towards him smiling. He removed his hat and bowed down to salute him.
“What do you want from me, Joseph?” he asked as he turned to face him.
“You won't be bored with the news I have to give you,”
“What news would cheer me up?” he looked at him anxiously. He was already tired from arguing with Christine and the rejection from Rose, any news would be boring to him at this given point.
“One that will destroy Jeremy,”
“I'm listening,”
“He is having an affair with lady Sara,”
“This is not what I want to hear right now.” He turned to leave.
“It’s getting better, just listen to it.”
“You are not serious, you mean lady Sara,”
“Yes, I just saw them now in her maid's cottage,”
“Aren't you confusing her with the maid,”
“No, they've been changing clothes to confuse people,”
“This is a serious matter, don't joke about it,”
“Let's watch them and prove it,”
“You have yourself a deal,”
“They also said something about hiring a maid called Rose to ruin your marriage.” He felt like boiling, he couldn’t believe Rose would do something like that to him. All along she was just playing with him; she never had feelings for him.
“Thank you for the information, you will be fully rewarded.” He was feeling devastated, he was ready to fight for her. He wondered why she would do that.
CHAPTER FIVE
Rose felt full of energy, nothing in this world bothered her, and she could handle any problem her relationship with John would bring. When she looked in the mirror she could see her skin glow and her eyes sparkle. Everyone including Sebastian commented on it, with his sarcastic humor. She felt like seeing John every day. She looked more beautiful than anything in the world. She heard a knock on her door.
“What do you want? Someone might see you.” She said as she closed the door quickly.
“No one saw me and I don’t care,” he answered. He has never gone to the maid’s cottage and Rose wondered why he was there.
“I want to know if it’s true that you were hired to seduce me,” Rose looked confused. She didn’t know what to say.
“I wanted to tell you but…”
“But what?” he was furious.
“I fell in love with you,” she said in a shaky voice.
“How can I be sure you were not hired to say that?”
“I fell in love that’s why I stopped what we had,” he pace up and down, he loved her too much and he didn’t know if he would ever forgive her.
“I don’t want to keep secrets from you anymore.”
“It’s too late for that,”
“I’m pregnant,” she touched her
belly.
“What?” he didn’t know what to say, he wanted to rejoice and kiss her but he couldn’t.
“I’m going to have your baby.” She repeated.
That was music to his ears. He turned and looked at her, tears rolled down her cheeks. This is what he always wanted and could not have.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner.” He asked.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” he cupped his hands on her face. “We have to tell my wife about the baby, she only knows about the affair. I’m not leaving you, let’s go to the manor and give her the news.”
“What if she throws me out?”
“I will always protect you.” John said as they left the cottage and went to the main house.
Rose entered John’s house. She was nervous. She didn’t know how to break the news to his wife. She was doing this according to John’s request. Things were complicated and she was not ready for more.
The balcony was visible from the foyer. There were hanged sconces with lit candles that surrounded the walls and led to up the stairs. Through the arched doorway to the left, she was able to see a beautiful dining room set on an oval braided rug on a polished wooden floor. There was a brown colored sofa positioned before the fireplace to her right. There was a black piano at one corner and very beautiful paintings on the wall. Tears fell down her cheeks; she couldn’t believe his wife was preparing for a romantic evening.
“What do you want with this maid in my house, after humiliating me like this you still have the audacity to bring your mistress to the house. She is just a maid. You are fired and I want you to remove your filthy things from the cottage.”
“She is not leaving; she is pregnant with my child.” Christine felt a sharp knife cut through her lungs. She was not expecting such news.
“I’m sorry your grace.” Rose said as she knelt down. John held her hand and helped her up.
“I will not forgive you for this.” She said. Rose looked confused but she knew she only had to fight for her child.
“You little peasant. You came to my house and seduced my husband. What do you think the town will say about me?”
“No one has to find out about this,” John pleaded. Christine moved slowly towards Rose, John got between them to avoid a fight.
“You are forgetting that she is pregnant and no one will miss her.”
“It’s time you started being pregnant because she will give us the baby.” Rose froze where she stood; she was not ready to give up her baby.
“I can’t do this, this baby is all I have.” She rubbed her eyes; Christine smiled as she held her husband’s hand.
“Darling, this is the only intriguing thing you’ve ever said. She is a maid and maids do what their superior says. Tell us what you want and we will give it to you. I have an aunt in the Wales who is willing to accommodate you until the time is right for you to bring the baby to me. No one must know about this.”
“I am not ready to give up my baby,”
“You are not giving him up. You will nurse him in my room and you will take care of him until he’s older. But remember this. Not a word of this to anyone, not even him.” Rose touched her belly as she cried. She was not expecting this. All she wanted was for John to propose to her. She felt betrayed but there was nothing she could have done. She regretted not running away as she intended.
“I promise to still keep seeing you as we did, I will not abandon you.” John promised.
“John, you can’t do that. I am your wife and it’s my duty to satisfy you, not hers.”
“I am in love with her, I don’t want to lose you.” He turned to look at Rose. She felt secured again. This was the only word she wanted to hear from him.
“I will not allow you to degrade me in front of the maid, she is just a nobody.”
“We are deeply in love and if you won’t comply with my wishes then I’m afraid to say that I’m going to marry her as soon as possible.” Rose felt happy, John was the man she loved and she was willing to be his mistress for as long as it takes.
“I’m willing to give you my baby under one condition; you must respect me my lady.”
“I can’t believe I’m negotiating with a maid, a servant.” She ran her hand through her hair.
“It’s your choice now and Rose will get anything she wants. She’s no longer the maid.”
Christine had no choice, their marriage was not the happiest marriage, and John stopped seeing at her as a woman several years ago. He stopped loving her the day he found out her parents used him to pay their debt. To him, she was just for people to know they were married, but they were both unhappy. There were times when she felt like having another man to satisfy her needs. She looked at them and then smiled. She was ready to face the truth; all she wanted was to be the lady that every woman envied. She wanted to fulfill her parent’s wishes, to be the wife of John. She always wanted a child of her own. This was what she needed.
“It’s a deal,” she finally said.
THE END
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The Duke’s Love
REGENCY ROMANCE
By: Rita Ryan
The Duke’s Love
The Duchess Priscilla
Priscilla McGuire, the Duchess of Ruthin Castle, looked at her husband, whom she loved very much. He was a tiger in bed, and a ruler who loved his villagers. She could do no better than this man, she thought back to the day they had first met.
She had been a younger lady of only 19, full of energy and just beginning to learn about the world. He had been 25, dashing, and the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on in her life. It was at a dance, they did not attend it together, but across the room, she stood. She felt eyes upon her, and looked up to see this man looking at her.
He was so debonair, so handsome, so much of what she found attractive in the other sex, and she hadn’t even met him yet. When he had come to her and asked her to dance, she felt weak in her knees at his voice. It was rugged sounding, but with so much intelligence in it, she knew he would be someone she could always talk to about anything.
They had gone out on the dance floor, he was graceful, funny, and witty. At points in the night he had her laughing so hard that she literally had tears streaming from her eyes. Priscilla remembered the point in the night where she had wished he liked her as much as she was finding that she liked him. Time had flown by that night and before they knew it people were leaving the dance. They didn’t want to part, but they had too. After all she had a reputation to keep, and spending the night with a man before she was married would sully her family name.
Reluctantly they had parted ways that night, but the next day he was at her parent’s door. She remembered their pleasure at the fact that such a well-known gentleman had called on her, and that he was surely falling in love with their beautiful daughter. Her mother had known it long before Priscilla was sure of his love. Priscilla remembered her mother making a comment about her and Harold marrying one day and she became red hot at the thought. His kisses were something else. He knew how to kiss. He was gentle, yet he demanded her full passion back.
It hadn’t been too long and he had popped the question. She had been on top of the world. Ever since that first night she had dreamed of this moment, and it was there in front of her! The day had been one that was filled with
nerves and joy.
The night though, it had been filled with love making, and some new lessons for her. Of course she was a virgin at the time and had never even had more than kiss. The fact was that Harold had been only the second man she had ever kissed. The first had been about six months before she had met Harold. It was an old friend of hers that she felt maybe she could marry some day. The kiss had been nothing. It was mechanical with no reaction on either of their sides. They knew that the most they had was friendship. So Priscilla went back to waiting for the right man, and then Harold came into her life.
The kisses with Harold had been so different from her first and only kiss prior that she had been shocked. That night though, on their honeymoon, she saw an all new side of him, one that would have her forever in his arms. There would be no way she would ever leave Harold as he was indeed the love of her life, and her soul mate.
Her memories went back to their honeymoon. It had been a night when she was scared, and nervous. He was older than her and he was experienced. What if she was not good in bed? What if he found her boring? So many worries, and she had only just married this man who she adored.
Harold had guided her, instructed her on touching his body. But that would be later in the night. The first thing he did when they got to their room was to remove her clothes and just look at her lovely and naked body.
Priscilla could remember the lust in his eyes, because she still saw it on this day, many years after their honeymoon. That night it had frightened her a bit. He had a look that was dangerous, but still loving.
He touched her naked breasts, caressing them with his hands, touching her nipples and watching them grow. The electricity she felt from his touch was unmistakable. She felt a moistness in her privates that made her want him to touch her more, and he did. After touching her breasts for a bit of time, he lowered his mouth to one of them. He took the nipple into his mouth and sucked it, than he nibbled on her nipple, just a bit.
The Duke's Dilemma: Regency Romance Menage Short Stories Page 64
