by Marie Force
Her voice caught on a helpless sob, and Derek went to her. “It wasn’t all a lie,” he said, putting his arms around her rigid body.
She fought him with everything she had. “Don’t touch me!”
Derek feared if he let her go now, he might never get this close to her again, so he tightened his hold on her, bringing his mouth down on hers. At first, her lips were rigid, and Derek again mourned the loss of the warmth and love they’d shared only hours earlier.
Even though he suspected he was fighting a losing battle, he kept kissing her, kept his free hand moving over her curves, kept trying. He cupped her breast and ran his thumb over the rigid peak.
Her gasp provided him entry to the sweet richness of her mouth. While continuing to tease her nipple, he stroked her tongue and almost collapsed from the sheer relief when she gave an answering swipe of her own tongue.
Encouraged, he grasped the linen covering her, tugging it up and over her hips while continuing to ravage her mouth. The hands that had been pushing so hard against his chest were now clutching his robe, as if to keep him from getting away. He pulled her night rail higher, breaking the kiss only long enough to draw it up and over her head. Opening his robe, he brought her in tight against him, the heat of their skin incinerating him.
“Catherine,” he whispered against the curve of her neck. “I love you more than anything. I love you more than life.” Using his lips and tongue and teeth, he set out to remind her of what they’d shared for so many days in their little cottage. He never broke the kiss as he backed her up to the bed and came down on top of her, capturing her mouth again. “I’ll take you to Paris, Egypt, Rome.” His lips were soft but firm against hers. “We’ll cross the ocean to New York. We’ll go everywhere you want to go. I’ll get you every book that ever existed.”
Her hands fell to her sides as if she were now unwilling to touch him. That was all right, he decided. He had a long way to go in convincing her to forgive him for the deception that had resulted in her being married to a duke. He was convinced that as long as he could continue to please her here in their marriage bed, he might stand a chance at convincing her to give him a chance outside the bedchamber.
With that in mind, he kissed his way down the front of her, cupping each plump breast and paying homage to the sensitive crests. Almost against her will, or so it appeared to him, she whimpered and pushed her hips against him, seeking him. He’d never worked harder to ensure her pleasure. His lips had never been more pervasive, more determined. He used everything in his arsenal to fire the passion that lived within her. It had been his before. It could be his again. Until then, his every breath would be devoted to reaching the day when she would again look at him the way she had before Lindsey had showed up and ruined everything.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” he whispered as he kissed his way to her soft belly. “Nothing I wouldn’t get for you should you desire it. Nothing at all. You need only to ask, and it shall be yours.”
Her body trembled under him, and he risked a glance up at her face, fearing he’d find tears. Rather, her eyes were closed, and her cheeks were dry. He deduced that the trembling was caused by what he was doing, so he kept it up. Kissing his way to her core, he used his broad shoulders to push her legs apart.
Surrounded by the scent of lavender from her bath, he bent his head to taste her sweetness. His tongue delved between soft folds, drawing a gasp from her as he surrounded the heart of her desire with firm lips. While he stroked her with his tongue, his hands found her breasts, rolling her nipples between his fingers. He sucked hard in time with the pinching action of his fingers until she reached her fulfillment.
Silently.
* * *
Her body had utterly betrayed her. How was she to maintain her distance and think through the implications of all that had transpired if he was going to insist on claiming his marital rights? She could no more resist him here than she could refrain from breathing. And of course, he knew that.
He made slow, sweet love to her, filling her so completely while surrounding her with his scent, his heat and the overpowering presence that had made it so easy for him to deceive her.
Catherine wanted to be immune to him. She wanted to lie there and let him have his way with her without reacting to him, but that was utterly impossible. For she was ashamed to discover that she was no less bewitched by the duke than she’d been by the estate manager. And despite her iron will to resist his overtures, she found herself lifting her hips to better accommodate the large shaft that had brought her such unimaginable pleasure. Against her better judgment, her hands ended up on his back, encouraging him to go faster and deeper. Somehow, she found herself crying out when another shattering peak had her dazzled by the sheer magnificence of the feeling that soared through her heart and body.
The high, however, was brief and fleeting when she remembered how adeptly he’d lied to her. She came crashing down in a painful fall that made her ache all over. Unlike the euphoria she’d come to expect after lovemaking, despondence filled her this time.
As their bodies settled and cooled, he pulled her close to him the way he always did, whispering the words of love and adoration she’d fallen asleep to every night in the cottage. Her eyes burned with tears as she relived every sweet moment with him, thinking of the many clues she’d missed along the way. For one who’d always fancied herself smarter than the average person, she’d been rather easy to fool. Well, she wouldn’t be easy to fool again. While she apparently had no control over her body’s reaction to him, she could certainly control how her heart reacted.
During that long night, she built a wall around her damaged organ that an army of men wouldn’t be able to penetrate. She only hoped her wall was strong enough to keep out one determined duke.
Chapter Eighteen
Derek gave up on sleep just before dawn. He moved slowly so he wouldn’t disturb Catherine, who slept fitfully next to him. After taking a moment to drink in her features in the faint light peeking in through the drapes, he reached for his robe, tied it around his waist and went through the passageway to his own bedchamber. His valet, Gregory, appeared almost immediately. Derek swore the older man had ghostlike tendencies in his ability to anticipate his employer’s every need.
“Good morning, Your Grace. I trust you slept well.”
Since he couldn’t very well confess to lying awake all night next to the new wife who was furious with him, Derek said, “Very well, thank you. Did my cousin arrive?”
“Yes, Your Grace. He and Lady Madeleine are in the west wing. He insisted on keeping her close to him in case of trouble.”
“Very good. Was there any sign of Lord Lindsey on the road?”
“Not that he mentioned, sir.”
Derek was anxious to see his cousin and to make a plan to protect both the women they loved. But the woman he loved was his top priority on this first morning after she’d discovered the truth about him. “I could use your assistance with something, Gregory.”
“As always, I am at your service, Your Grace.”
“The new footman . . .”
“Henry?”
“Yes, that’s the one. I need to borrow some breeches about his size.”
“Your Grace?”
“I’d appreciate if you keep this between us, but they’re for Her Grace.”
Gregory seemed momentarily stunned speechless. Then he rallied. “Of course, sir. I will see to it right away.”
“Please see to it that he is properly compensated for the clothing.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” They moved through his toilet with the usual efficiency. As Gregory tied Derek’s tie, it occurred to him that Catherine would be disconcerted to see him dressed so formally.
Derek reached up to stop his valet. “I’m going without the tie and collar today.”
Once again, Derek could see that he’d shocked his valet. “As you wish, sir.”
Gregory helped him into a dark gray coat and brushed any
remaining lint from the fabric. “And may I say, Your Grace, my heartfelt congratulations on your nuptials. We are all very pleased for your happiness.”
“Thank you, Gregory. I’m quite pleased myself.” Or at least he hoped he would be again.
“We are also quite relieved that you married before your birthday.”
Right in that moment, Derek realized his staff had been as concerned about his deadline as he’d been himself. “As am I. Strange how things happen.”
“Indeed, sir. And a belated happy birthday to you, Your Grace.”
“Thank you, Gregory. Go ahead and break your fast now.”
“I’ll see to those breeches.”
“If you could leave them in here, I’d appreciate it.”
“Yes, sir.” Gregory nodded and left the room.
Consulting the mirror, Derek adjusted his shirt, feeling naked and unfinished without the tie and collar, but he was willing to do anything he could to make Catherine feel comfortable around him.
He went downstairs, and when he stepped into the kitchen, the staff snapped to attention.
“Your Grace,” the cook, Amelia, said. “How may we be of assistance?”
“Good morning, everyone. Could you please prepare a tray for Her Grace? I’ll take it up when it’s ready.”
“Of course, sir,” Amelia said. “But we can deliver it, if you’d like.”
“I’d prefer to do it myself. I’ll be in my study.”
“As you wish, Your Grace.”
“Thank you.” Derek nodded to the others and took his leave. In his study, he found Simon waiting for him.
“Cousin!” Simon said, smiling broadly.
The two men embraced.
“I understand congratulations are in order, Your Grace,” Simon said.
“Don’t call me that,” Derek said, frowning. “It’s enough I have to hear it from everyone else. Not you, too.”
Simon flashed him a cheeky grin. “At any rate, congratulations on your marriage. I hope you’ll be very happy.”
Derek hoped so, too. “Thank you.” He flipped through the correspondence that had been left on his desk, giving it a cursory glance. Today was not a day for work, he decided. “And by the way, I sent you to London for information, not to start a scandal for the ages.”
“I have been brought low by a woman,” Simon said ruefully.
“Never thought I’d see the notorious Simon Eagan hooked and shackled.”
Simon winced at Derek’s choice of words. “Nor did I, but now that we have both been thoroughly hooked and shackled by the McCabe sisters, I need your assistance to make it official as soon as reasonably possible. No doubt her absence and that of her maid have been discovered by now—along with mine—and her father will be on his way here, possibly with Lindsey in tow.”
Derek came around the desk to stand before his cousin. “Have you acquired a special license?”
“Yesterday.”
“Then I shall summon the vicar from the village immediately.” Derek put his hand on Simon’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “You’re sure about this?”
“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.”
Derek nodded, pleased for his cousin’s obvious happiness. “Catherine is very anxious to see her sister.”
“Lady Madeleine was exhausted by the journey and overwrought about leaving home under such conditions. I’m told she is still abed.” Simon averted his eyes, and Derek surmised that Simon had looked in on his fiancée to gauge her well-being personally. He would’ve done the same thing himself.
“We’ll have the wedding right before luncheon if that meets with your approval.” Even if Lord Brisbane had departed at first light, which Derek highly doubted, it would take much of the day to travel to Westwood Hall.
“It does. Thank you, Derek. All the way here I imagined I’d have to convince you of my sincerity toward Lady Madeleine.”
“You need not convince me of anything. If this is what you want, if she is what you want, then I shall do everything in my power to see that it is done.”
“Even if Lindsey brings you up on charges in the House of Lords?”
Derek shrugged. “Let him. I find that I couldn’t give a fig about such things any longer.”
“Not that you ever really did.”
Derek smiled. “Not that I ever did.”
“Pardon me, Your Grace,” Mrs. Langingham said from the doorway. “Her Grace’s breakfast is ready.”
“Very good. Thank you.” To Simon, he said, “I need to take breakfast to my wife.”
“Derek.”
Derek turned back to his cousin. “Yes?”
“Are you happy?” Not even to his cousin and closest friend would Derek confess his inner turmoil. To say it out loud would make it worse than it already was. “I’ve never been happier in my life.”
“I’m so pleased to hear that. You surely deserve it.”
“Does your father know that I’ve married?”
“I’m sure the word has reached him by now. I haven’t had the pleasure of his company in days.”
“I suppose we can expect a visit from him imminently.”
“I suppose so.”
“Let’s get you married before that happens.”
* * *
After he dispatched a footman to the village to alert the vicar about the midday wedding, Derek carried Catherine’s tray upstairs. He was struck by the memory of delivering breakfast in bed to her in the cottage. Then he’d had no doubt she would be thrilled to see him, would welcome him with a warm smile and reach out to him for a kiss. How would he be received today, the day after she learned of his deception?
With a knot in his stomach, he opened the door and stepped into the still-dark room. He placed the tray on the bedside table and opened the heavy velvet curtains to allow in some light. She was on her back, her golden hair spread out on the pillow, her pink lips pursed in sleep. He watched her for a full minute, transfixed by her staggering beauty, before he tore his eyes off her to move forward with his plans.
Traversing the passageway to his own bedchamber, Derek found the clothing he’d asked Gregory to procure and brought it back to Catherine’s room.
Perching on the edge of the bed, he took her hand, brought it to his lips and watched her slowly come awake. Her smile was warm, sweet, loving and welcoming. Then the memory of what had transpired the day before stole her smile. The loss was like a knife to his heart.
“Good morning, my love,” he said as he had every morning since their wedding. “Did you sleep well?”
“Is Madeleine here? Did my sister arrive?”
“She did, but she is still abed.” Derek poured Catherine’s tea and stirred in the lemon and honey she preferred.
“I’d like to see her.” Catherine sat up, and the sheet covering her fell to her waist, exposing her luscious breasts.
Derek swallowed hard, wishing he still had the right to reach out to caress them the way he would have only yesterday. “You will. Shortly.”
Her face flaming with color, she tugged the sheet under her arms and took the teacup from him. “Is it true about her betrothal to your cousin?”
“It is. I’ve just come from seeing him, and I have to say I’ve never seen him in such a state. The vicar will be here shortly to marry them.”
“And my father and Lord Lindsey?”
“We have no word of them, but we’re under the assumption that they will arrive at some point today.”
“We must make sure your cousin and Madeleine are married before then.”
“And we will, my love. Don’t worry.”
At his words of love, she became very interested in her teacup.
“Since we have a couple of hours before the wedding, I have something I’d like to show you.”
“The only thing I wish to see is my sister.”
“You wouldn’t want to wake her prematurely when she was up all night and is to be married today, would you?”
He spread marmalade on the sweet bread Amelia had provided and handed the plate to his wife.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Once again, he mourned the loss of their easy rapport, the laughter, the harmony and the comfort. Patience, he told himself. Be patient and give her time to come to know you in a new way. Derek never before would’ve described himself as an impatient man, but he found now that he was extremely impatient to get back what had been lost between them.
He helped himself to the second piece of sweet bread and poured a cup of the coffee Amelia had brewed for him. They ate in silence, which was so unlike the spirited meals they’d shared since their wedding. Silence had never been so painful.
While they ate, Mrs. Langingham bustled in with clean towels for Catherine’s toilet and left as silently as she had come, closing the door behind her.
When they were done, Derek took Catherine’s teacup, set it on the tray and reached for the borrowed clothing. “Once you are dressed, I will take you to what I wish to show you.”
“That is what you’d like me to wear?” she said of the breeches and linen shirt.
“I thought you might wish to resume your search for the key.”
“But I assumed—”
“That the duke would no longer allow you to look for your grandmother’s key?”
She nodded.
“You underestimate the duke’s desire to please his wife.”
She stared at him as if he’d spoken words she couldn’t possibly understand.
“I’ll leave you to dress and return for you shortly.” Before he left the room, he went to the wardrobe and withdrew the boots she’d been using to work at the dig site and left them by the foot of the bed. When he glanced at her over his shoulder she continued to stare at him.
