Two Dukes and a Lady
Page 6
“We’ll see about that,” she said. “I am sure your charming younger brother would appreciate hearing what I have to say.”
Charles clenched his jaw. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Jealous? Good.” Countess Hainaut then turned her wrath on William. “I will not be abandoned like this.”
William chuckled. “My dear Richilde, I am honored that your passion for me is so strong, but I am unable to tear myself away from my duties as Charles’s best man.”
“I can’t believe you are letting this widow tear apart your friendship.”
Charles and William exchanged looks. Charles swallowed hard. “We’ve worked past our differences.”
Tilting her head back, she studied them both a while before speaking. “You truly believe that?”
William nodded. “I do.”
Easing up from the couch, Richilde leaned into him. “So he’s getting married, but that still leaves you free to continue on with me. Surely, you’re not looking for a bride now.”
Charles watched as William shook his head. “I am trying celibacy?” And then he burst into laughter.
Richilde grinned as well. “You couldn’t even get that out with a straight face.”
“My dear, I will be well taken care of. You, however, should look to some younger men to keep up with you.”
Charles came to her other side. “Darling, you are a beautiful woman. There are many men who would love to share your embrace. Like William said, we are old men now. You need a younger lover.”
“Or several.” William shrugged.
“Or several,” she said, slowly. “Darlings, I care for you deeply and I do not ever wish to see you hurt. Please be careful. You are no longer playing for fun. Sharing a wife is a messy business.”
“Who said we were sharing Lily?” William asked, forcing scandal into his voice.
Richilde rolled her eyes. “This is me you are talking to. She isn’t prepared for the two of you at the same time.”
“There is nothing to prepare,” Charles said.
“From what Clara tells me, the girl is one step away from being a virgin.”
“I would appreciate it if you do not gossip about my future wife,” Charles said, between his teeth.
“You’re going to scare her.” Richilde wagged her finger at them both. “Or hurt her with your brute passions. And she will hate you for it. You do not want that.”
“We will go slow with her,” William said, and Charles could have gladly killed him because the confirmation of their status flashed in Richilde’s eyes. The only thing that soothed him was she had more to lose if word of their past dalliances got out. They could trust Richilde to be discreet, if nothing else.
“And what of her feelings? What if she falls deep in love with one of you, but not the other? Could you take that pain?”
“This is none of your concern,” Charles said, worried as William’s face went blank.
“Perhaps. Perhaps not.” Richilde kissed him on both cheeks and then did the same for William. “I will always be here for you. The three of us had so much fun and pleasure. There was no time for angst and self-doubt. It can be that way again.” She turned to Charles. “I am a little miffed you could not have told me of your engagement in person. I’m going to fuck your brother to get back at you.”
The Countess Hainault turned on her heel and sailed out.
William and Charles exchanged a bemused look.
“Should we warn Sebastian?” William asked.
“Hell no.”
Chapter Eight
Lily sat through church with her uncle, who was grinning like a madman. He obviously couldn’t wait to get her out of his house, so his reprobate friends could drink and smoke and gamble in peace. On her other side was Charles and his family. William sat behind them. There was a grim tension between them that worried her. She couldn’t put her finger on what was wrong, but something was off. As the morning sun prismed through the stained glass windows, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Would this sin of lust be unforgivable in the Lord’s eyes? Or because she loved them both, would it be only a minor sin? Or was it even a sin at all?
Charles was a solid, warm presence next to her, and the relief their forthcoming marriage gave her made her want to slump against him in gratitude. The heated looks William sent her under hooded eyes made her eager for the sermon to be over. After the service, they were all going to sneak off together. Everything would be all right once they were together. It always was. She was so nervous, though, she barely could sit still in the pew.
Finally, the minister gave the benediction and they milled outside of the church. Lily took great gulps of air that tasted like freedom. With Charles by her side, they accepted the congratulations of the parishioners on their engagement. William stood off to the right, but close enough to be a part of the conversations.
“Oh, Lily, dear, how wonderful to see the two of you together.” Charles’s mother embraced her. Her son had given her the impression that Lily was now a wealthy widow, because he wanted his mother to be as receptive to the marriage as possible. Lily didn’t like the lie, but she also didn’t want any discord marring their happiness.
Charles’s brother, Sebastian, also offered his grudging congratulations.
“How did you like Boston?” Sebastian asked once the pleasantries had been observed.
Lily didn’t want anyone looking closely at her past hoping to reveal a financial scandal and finding out instead what Charles and William planned for their marriage bed. “It was dreadful,” she said, fluttering her fan. “I am so glad to be back in civilization with stalwart and honorable men such as yourself and your brother.”
Sebastian grunted.
“I’m very happy to become part of your family,” Lily said, from her heart.
“And you,” Charles’s mother said, pointing at William. “You’re next.”
William raised an eyebrow. “Madame, since you are taken, I cannot bear to consider another woman.” He gave a short bow, while Charles rolled his eyes.
Charles’s mother fixed him with a stern glance. “Mark my words, you will settle down shortly.” She tapped him on the arm with her fan. “Count on it.”
After another hour of small talk with what felt like half of London, Charles handed her into his phaeton with William and they took the open-air carriage for a ride. Lily held onto her bonnet with both hands because Charles drove the horses like a madman, but she was having too much fun jostling about to complain. He slowed them down and stopped outside a beautiful small house with a front garden of wild tiger lilies.
“Whose home is this?” Lily asked as Charles helped her down from the carriage.
“It’s yours.” William handed her the keys.
“Mine?” she said, feeling light-headed. Her own home? The small stone and clapboard house she’d lived in in Massachusetts had belonged to George’s family. It had been built by his grandfather, and they’d shared it with the spirits of his dead parents and brother. Even before George’s death, she never felt as if she belonged there.
“You don’t expect us to teach you the ways of debauchery in your uncle’s home, do you?” Charles whispered in her ear.
William helped her to the door because her hands were shaking so much. “Thank you. Thank you both. I think I’m going to cry.”
“No crying,” they said in unison to her.
The door opened up and two servants bowed to them as they came in.
“This is Frances and his daughter, Maeve. Between the two of them, they should provide you with everything you need, but let me know if you need another hand,” Charles said.
The servants bowed to them again. “Shall we serve tea in the parlor, Your Grace?”
“Alas, I have another engagement,” William said. “Charles, Lily, good luck on your engagement. I shall see you soon.” With a wink, he left before Lily could even say good-bye.
“Where is William going?” she asked Charles.
“Yes, Your Grace.” Maeve curtsied. “I’ve already placed them in my lady’s bedroom.”
“Excellent, then. I’ll see if I can catch a ride with William. Until tomorrow, my dear.” Charles gave her hand a chaste kiss and hastened out the door.
“Where are you going?” she asked. Were they bored of her already? This wasn’t fair. They’d promised her a debauchment, not a solo tea party. Lily wondered where they were rushing off to in such a hurry. What games were they playing? If they thought she was going to chase after them down the streets of London, they had another think coming.
Frances and Maeve seemed to be waiting on her, so she asked Frances for some tea and she asked Maeve to show her around the house. The servants’ quarters were downstairs near the kitchen. On the main floor was her parlor and a receiving room and upstairs were two bedrooms and a water closet with indoor plumbing. It was a lovely little place and her head was spinning that it was all hers.
Sitting in her parlor, she had a cup of Frances’s wonderful tea and a biscuit while she tried to absorb everything. In the end, she was too restless to sit in one place, but she had no desire to start a project or go out.
“I think I’ll try and lay down,” Lily said to Maeve.
“Just ring the bell if you need us, Your Grace,” the girl said with another small curtsy.
Lily wanted to correct her because she wasn’t Her Grace, yet. But the little maid had already left the room. Touching the wall and banister as if she were afraid they would disappear into a wonderful dream, Lily went to the master bedroom. She had barely closed the door when Charles popped out behind it, covering her mouth to muffle her shriek.
William stepped out from behind a screen.
“What in the blazes took you so long?” he asked.
“Where did you two come from?” she countered.
“We stabled the carriage down the street and then let ourselves in the back through the secret door,” Charles said.
“I have a secret door?” she marveled.
“Well, it’s not so secret if you know where to look. But it’s covered with ivy and the path leading up to it is strewn with broken stones. It suits our purposes for sneaking in here so no one knows you are being made love to in the middle of the day by two men at once.” William took her into his arms and kissed her.
As usual, all reason fled and she concentrated on relaxing into the sensual coax of his mouth. He smelled like lime and rum. Lily cuddled closer, enveloped in his warm embrace. Heat pooled in her belly. Melting against him, she sighed. William was so comforting and familiar that she was almost purring when he lifted his head.
“Are you sure you’re all right with this, Charles?” she asked, lolling her head over to look at him. Her body was humming with such sweet passion that she wanted to rub herself against both of them and bask in the feeling of being adored.
“As long as the greedy bastard leaves enough for me.” Charles pulled her to him and kissed her with a hungry need that had her up on her tiptoes to meet the demands of his mouth. Need thrummed through her with the quick fire frisson of desire singing in her veins.
“We’ll see who will bring her to pleasure first,” William said.
“It’s the last one that counts,” Charles countered.
“Or all the ones in between. Now, then, my love,” William said, easing off his clothes. Lily caught her breath at the corded muscles of his arms. “We’re going to go as slow as we can with you, so you can get used to us. You just let us know if we’re making you feel uncomfortable.”
Charles stroked her back as she watched William kick off his boots and peel off his trousers. She shivered in pleasure and her head swam as his touch made her swoon drunkenly. “Today will be all about your pleasure,” Charles said, returning her to William’s arms.
“Oh,” she murmured, stunned again by William’s carved muscles. He was a picture of masculine beauty.
“Touch me,” William said. He placed her hand on his chest. The wiry hairs tickled her palm, but she stroked all over his chest and shoulders while Charles took off his clothes. Her throat was parched and her lips felt dry. She licked them and then moaned when William rubbed his thumb over them. This time she did bite him, and he chuckled.
“Our little kitten has teeth.”
“Touch me, too,” Charles said. Lily wasted no time caressing the large muscles of his arms. Her face felt feverish and her breathing was shallow. She tried not to look down at their impressive manhoods, but her gaze returned there of its own volition.
“Tell me,” she said, gasping when they started undressing her. “If I hadn’t asked you to marry me, what would you have done?”
“We would have asked you to marry us.” Charles unlaced the back of her dress with the dexterity of an experienced maid. She sent him a narrowed glare over her shoulder, but then William deftly removed her corset while Charles removed the bustle and pulled her skirt down. He held her hand as he helped her step out of it with a practiced ease that told her they had rehearsed this many times.
“We would have given you the choice of whose duchess you’d like to be, though. We felt we owed you that much.” William’s eyes grew languid as he surveyed her in her muslin chemise and pantaloons.
“We must bring you something more fetching from Paris,” he said, and she could tell he was imagining her in very different undergarments, which made her blush. He expertly helped her shimmy out of her drawers.
“But I do love those black stockings on you,” William said, and Lily suddenly realized they had talked her out of all her clothes.
She wondered why she wasn’t shrinking from their hungry gazes as they circled her like wolves. Was it because they’d all swum naked together as youngsters and were the best of friends until growing up had separated them? Was it because she knew what to expect in the bedroom and had dreamed about their escapades? Lily didn’t know. All she felt was excitement, a little trepidation, and thick desire pooling inside her. Her nipples were taut and aching and liquid heat pulsed between her thighs.
They pressed their hard bodies on each side of her. Lily squirmed in delight, caught between them. Shivering, she rubbed herself over each of their manhoods as they poked into her hips. She slid her hand over each of their firm backsides, giving a pleased sound of approval. Charles kissed her mouth while his fingertips stroked circles over her belly. She twitched and whimpered when William nibbled on her ear and neck, the tiny bites causing her thighs to become damp with desire.
She had not felt any of this with George. Her husband had hardly ever kissed her and barely looked at her undressed. He would call her “My Lady Lillian” and climb on top of her, fumble around her breasts, and be done before she knew what had happened. It was over almost as soon as it began. And once she had become pregnant, and after Edgar was born, he could not bring himself to touch her.
Lily had read books—scandalous books—to fill in the empty places in the bedroom. But she had never thought that one day she would be the heroine in her own salacious love story.
She arched her chest, wondering why they weren’t touching her there, and instead continued their sensual caresses everywhere else until she was shivering and impatient. Charles had moved down to her hip and thigh, while William’s big hand was on her lower back and going lower. They were taking their time with her, treating her as if she were something fragile and vulnerable.
She’d show them they needn’t go so damned slow with her!
Both men gasped when she took their members in each of her hands.
“Lily,” William groaned as she stroked up the length of him.
“Love, you don’t have to do anything but enjoy this,” Charles said, as she pumped her fist slowly up and down his length.
They felt like velvet-covered bars, growing thicker and harder the mor
e attention she paid them. “I am enjoying this,” she whispered. This was better than a dream.
“I do so love a lusty widow.” William thrust into her hand.
“And I thought you would need more coaxing.” Charles sighed. “Your touch is that of an angel.”
“You’d better stop, my love, or I’ll finish on your beautiful hip instead of between your legs.”
William’s words shook her. They took her hands and led her to the bed. It was easily big enough for all three of them.
“Just lay back and enjoy,” Charles said, parting her thighs with his warm hands.
“What are you doing?” she asked when he knelt between them.
“Is this something your husband didn’t teach you? Good,” he said, continuing his soft caress up her legs.
William distracted her. He cupped her face for another languidly sweet kiss, while he lay next to her. She tried to grasp him again, but he was pressed into her hip. So Lily wrapped her arm around his back, hugging him.
Charles stroked down one leg and massaged her foot. He nibbled on her toe and kissed his way up to that ticklish spot behind her knee he knew so well. She shrieked and jerked, but stilled when William dipped a finger inside her.
The world nearly exploded. She tried to close her thighs, but Charles held her open. Still kissing her, William swallowed her gasp whole and flicked his finger over the throbbing bud between her legs. Lily clutched at his shoulders as he played with her until her hips were rising up to meet his fingers.
He dipped them deep inside her and pulled out. “I’m going to paint your nipples with your wetness so Charles and I can taste you at the same time.”
Half out of her mind from his bold and shocking caresses, she could only shiver when he probed her deep and she twisted to give him better access. Delight danced at the edge of her consciousness. The slick sound of his fingers in her body drew her closer to satisfaction. Then he traced the turgid swell of her tightened peak with the dewy liquid of her desire. Slowly he encircled them, going back for more to smooth over the second one. Charles licked up her other leg and she clawed at William. The teasing brushes tantalized her, but left her aching and shaking for more.