The Marriage Truce

by Ann Elizabeth Cree

  ‘The stream, if you please.’

  He said nothing until they’d reached the same place they had been earlier. ‘Shall we sit?’ he asked. ‘There’s a bench of sorts. Although it may be too rough for your dress.’ He indicated a rough bench made of a felled log supported by two stumps.

  ‘It will do nicely.’ She sat, arranging her skirts. He sat next to her, the hard length of his body pressing against her on the small seat.

  ‘What is it you wanted, Sarah?’

  She glanced at his strong profile. At the moment, she suddenly thought she would like nothing more than to have him kiss her.

  Flushing, she quickly looked away, and strove to keep her mind from such disturbing thoughts. ‘I wanted to speak to you about Cedric Blanton.’

  He stiffened. ‘Has he been near you again?’ he asked sharply.

  ‘No. Not since the ball. In fact, I think he rather dislikes me,’ she said quickly. ‘It’s about Caroline Kenton. I am afraid he may be trying to fix his interest with her. I do not think she likes him much at all, but I fear he may try to force her as he did me. But perhaps I am mistaken in my concern.’

  ‘No, you are not.’ He frowned. ‘You are right to be concerned. You were not the first woman he tried to force into marriage.’

  Sarah looked at him, horrified. ‘There was another? I had no idea. I knew he was dreadful, but…please, Dev, will you speak to Mr Kenton about it? I have already told Caroline he is not very proper, but I worry it is not enough.’

  ‘I will.’ He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a light kiss on her wrist. ‘My sweet Sarah, don’t worry. Caroline will be fine.’

  His touch sent a shiver through her. He dropped her hand. ‘So, what else did you wish to say to me? Last night, that is. Now that we’ve decided to be friends, I rather thought we could start where we left off last night. What did you wish to say to me when you desired to be private?’

  His mood was odd, one she’d never seen before. It was if all the tension had left him. She was finding it difficult to get her bearings. ‘I had nothing particular in mind.’

  His brow arched. ‘Nothing? You merely desired my company?’

  ‘If you must know, yes.’ Her face heated. If she’d had Amelia’s skills, she would have been able to come up with some witty repartee. Instead she felt clumsy and extremely naïve.

  ‘I see.’

  She stole a glance at him. He looked bemused. Then his mouth lifted in a self-mocking smile. ‘I am highly complimented. It is not often that a lovely woman desires my company.’

  Was he about to erect another barrier? She gave him a little frown. ‘I find that difficult to believe.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘For one thing, the gossip says otherwise. And for another….’ Her mind went blank.

  ‘Yes?’ His brow inched higher.

  She was about to give him a set-down when her mind suddenly fastened on another tack. ‘I think you highly underrate your attractions.’

  He stared at her as if she’d suddenly spoken in Greek. ‘What does that mean?’

  She allowed her gaze to drift over him. ‘Well, you are quite dashing. You are tall, very handsome and intelligent, and can be quite agreeable when you set your mind to it. They are attributes most women find quite desirable.’

  A tinge of colour appeared in his cheek. He folded his arms and leaned back against the tree. ‘I’d no idea you had been taking inventory of my appearance.’

  ‘I have,’ she said complacently.

  He looked straight ahead. ‘So, last night you wanted my company so you could…’ He floundered.

  ‘Observe your attractions.’

  He scowled and stood. ‘I fear, Sarah, you are playing games again.’

  ‘Am I? Perhaps.’ She smiled at him. ‘But I do think you are quite handsome.’

  ‘Are you flirting with me?’ he demanded. His brows had snapped together even more.

  ‘Yes. Well, attempting to,’ she amended. ‘You’re making it rather difficult. Besides, I am not very good at it.’

  ‘You don’t need to flirt. You’re too dangerous as it is.’

  She stood up and took a step towards him. He took a step back. ‘Really? You told me once before, but I will own, I have no idea what you are talking about.’

  ‘You are too…’ By now his back was against a tree. He scowled again. ‘Too desirable as it is.’

  ‘Oh? Is that a problem?’ she asked innocently. He looked extremely flustered and the knowledge she had that much power over him was quite heady.

  ‘It is.’ He folded his arms. ‘Stop playing games.’

  She took another step towards him. ‘Why? Are you worried I might decide to ravish you?’

  ‘Hardly,’ he snapped.

  The conversation was so nearly like the ones they’d had before with their roles reversed that she nearly giggled.

  She might as well bring out the full artillery. ‘Actually, you should worry, because I have been trying very hard to seduce you.’

  ‘Seduce me?’ His mouth fell open and he looked as if she had threatened to murder him.

  ‘Well, yes. Do you remember? The night of the ball at Lacey Manor you said—’

  ‘I know what I said,’ he snapped.

  ‘What do you think?’

  He paced away from her, then turned and ran a hand through his hair. ‘Damn it, Sarah! This is hardly the place.’

  ‘I hadn’t really planned on it here,’ she said calmly.

  ‘God, I hope not!’ He stared at her. ‘Another game?’

  ‘No.’ Any embarrassment she might have felt was rapidly giving away to exasperation. ‘I am not playing a game. And I do not pity you. You told me the night of the ball that I had to be certain…’

  ‘I did. But I hardly expected—’ He stopped and frowned. ‘We can’t discuss this here. We will discuss this at home.’

  ‘Yes, my lord.’ They might have been planning to talk about the purchase of new furniture. If it wasn’t for the fact that he looked so confused, she would have been angry.

  He spent most of the trip back in abstracted silence, his gaze more than once fixed on her face as if he hardly knew what to make of her. And when the carriage stopped, he helped her down, then dropped her hand as if her touch burned him.

  She was beginning to wonder if all men were this difficult.

  Chapter Twenty

  Dev yanked his gaze from Sarah’s mouth and forced himself to take a bit of the lobster set before him. He had scarcely registered the first few dishes set in front of him or the conversation flowing around him. His mind was completely on the woman next to him.

  He could think of nothing but her startling words by the stream. Did she really want to seduce him? Or was it some game? Except why would she play such a dangerous one when she knew where it would lead? And there had been something in her face that told him she played no game.

  The thought she might desire him as much as he desired her was driving him mad. He’d hardly been able to concentrate on anything else.

  He wondered if she already regretted her words. She had scarcely glanced his way since they had arrived home. Instead, she had been as preoccupied as he, barely appearing to notice what she ate or when someone spoke.

  He looked back at her again, his eyes drifting down to her bodice where her soft breasts were outlined by the silky fabric of her gown. He could almost feel their fullness in his hand, a thought that nearly made him groan. He reached for his wineglass and Amelia spoke. He started and the wine suddenly spilled across the table towards Sarah.

  She gasped and jumped up, startled out of her reverie.

  He leaped up. ‘Damn! I beg your pardon!’ He reached for the glass and set it upright, heat rising to his face. ‘Did I spill any on you?’ he asked swiftly.

  ‘No.’ She gave him a nervous little smile and he realised it was the first time she had looked directly at him all evening. ‘I am quite undamaged.’

  ‘Good,’ he said. He stared at
her, his pulse quickening. There was a slight cough from behind him and he suddenly remembered they were not alone. ‘A slight accident, I fear.’

  Amelia met his eyes, her own full of laughter. ‘Yes, we can see that.’

  ‘I fear my brother has not been attending at all,’ Jessica said.

  Adam glanced over at Sarah and grinned. ‘At least not to us. I fear his mind is occupied elsewhere.’

  Dev scowled. By now the footman had finished mopping up the spill. ‘Perhaps we should continue with the meal,’ he suggested tersely.

  ‘I am afraid that we are nearly finished,’ Sarah said apologetically.

  ‘I see. So you are about to withdraw, then?’ He felt even more the fool.

  ‘Yes, if you do not object.’ Her face was still suffused with delicate colour.

  ‘No.’

  She carefully avoided glancing his way again as she left, followed by Jessica and Amelia. As he watched her leave the room, the thought occurred to him it must have taken all the courage she possessed to tell him such a thing.

  And his response had been to push her away. As he had the night of the ball.

  Perhaps it was time he went to her.

  Sarah rose from the wing chair. Following the conversation between Amelia and Jessica was nearly impossible, her mind was elsewhere. She glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. If past nights were any indication, the men would join them soon. ‘I believe I shall go to bed.’

  Amelia looked up. ‘So soon?’

  Sarah managed a smile. ‘I am quite tired after today’s picnic.’

  ‘Goodnight, dear Sarah,’ Jessica said with a smile.

  Amelia stood. ‘I will return directly, Jessica. First, I must talk to my cousin.’ She walked with Sarah to the door and then paused, her brow arched. ‘Whatever has happened now? You disappear into the bushes with Dev. When you come out, he appears stunned, as if he’s been hit over the head with a poker and, I must say, you are hardly much better.’

  Sarah knotted her hands. ‘I fear I did the most revolting thing!’ She briefly closed her eyes and then looked at Amelia. ‘I…I told him I wanted to seduce him.’

  Amelia blinked. ‘Well, that most certainly explains it. What did he say after such an announcement?’

  ‘He said we should discuss it later.’ Sarah still felt mortified even thinking about it. ‘I can hardly bear to look at him. He must think I am deranged, or quite brazen.’

  Amelia laughed. ‘I doubt that. Not from the way he was gazing at you all during dinner. Or the way he spilled his wine. I imagine you just took him by surprise which, come to think of it, might be for the best.’ A smile touched her lips. ‘Perhaps this is the time for your discussion.’

  ‘I rather hoped it could be postponed.’ For the rest of the century preferably.

  ‘No. Most certainly not. You’d best do it now while he’s thrown off balance. Men are much more compliant then.’ She gave Sarah a little shove. ‘So, go and have your way with him.’

  Sarah nodded, having no intention of following Amelia’s advice.

  She walked across the hallway, fervently hoping she could escape to her bedchamber before seeing her husband. Her courage was rapidly failing. Not only with fear he might not want her, but with fear he might. It wasn’t that she was completely unfamiliar with the intimacies between men and women. Before her death, Sarah’s mother had gently explained the marriage bed to Sarah, uncertain whether anyone else would think to perform that duty. She had not wanted her daughter to enter marriage completely unprepared. And certainly Sarah’s reaction to his embraces had made her suspect it might not be such an unpleasant duty after all.

  But what if he didn’t really want her? Perhaps if she waited until tomorrow she could think of a rational explanation for her behaviour.

  She walked quickly towards her room, thankful Dev was nowhere in sight. Perhaps the best course of action was to retire early. If for some reason he did want to talk to her, she could feign sleep. She reached her room, shutting the door behind her, feeling as if she’d just escaped an enemy. Merlin, who had been in his basket in the dressing room, came out to rub against her ankles in greeting before disappearing again on his nightly rounds.

  She rang for Liza who helped her undress and into her nightdress. Liza had just departed when there was a knock on the door. She froze, hardly daring to breathe.

  ‘Sarah?’ Dev called. ‘We need to talk.’

  She closed her eyes. Oh, no, why wasn’t she safely in bed? Perhaps if she stayed completely still, he’d go away.

  ‘Sarah, open the door. I know you’re not asleep. Your maid said she’d just left you.’ This time his voice was tinged with impatience. ‘I want to talk to you.’

  It was no use trying to evade him. Pretending she wasn’t here would only make her feel even more foolish. She reluctantly walked to the door and opened it. He stood outside, arms folded. She was disconcerted to see he wore no coat or waistcoat, just his loose linen shirt, open at the neck, over his breeches. ‘Just as I thought. You are still quite awake. May I come in?’

  ‘If you wish. I…I am rather tired so I thought I would retire soon.’ She stepped back, her heart pounding. He’d been in her room once before, but that had been different. Not only did the candlelight make the room more intimate, he had been fully dressed. As she had. With her hair around her shoulders and dressed only in her cotton nightdress she felt completely vulnerable.

  ‘This won’t take too long,’ he said. He shut the door behind him and leaned against it, his eyes on her face.

  Sarah retreated next to the bed, hoping her mind would work better with some distance between them. ‘Is…is there something you wished to discuss?’

  ‘There is.’ He still watched her as if trying to read her mind. ‘I was wondering if your offer was still open.’

  ‘My…my offer?’ Her voice was hardly more than a squeak.

  ‘Yes. The one you made by the stream today. The one where you offered to seduce me,’ he said in conversational tones.

  She thought she would faint. ‘Oh, that one. It…it wasn’t really an offer. More of a…a statement.’

  ‘Then perhaps I should ask if your, er…statement is still open.’

  She looked at him, her mind blank. Why did he want to know? Or did he actually intend to take her up on it? Her knees began to shake at the thought.

  ‘Well? Do you still wish to seduce me?’ he asked. If it hadn’t been for the sudden flicker of uncertainty in his eye, she might have thought it mattered not at all to him.

  ‘I…I don’t know,’ she whispered.

  He moved further into the room, a slight smile crossing his features. ‘I somehow thought that might be the case. Particularly since you have seemed determined to avoid me ever since then. I thought, however, we could take some steps to help you make up your mind.’

  ‘Steps? What sort of steps?’ She backed into her bed so abruptly she sat down on it.

  Suddenly he was standing in front of her. ‘Well, we could start with kissing.’

  ‘K…kissing?’

  His brow shot up. ‘There’s no need to sound so horrified. We’ve tried it before and if I recall correctly, you did not seem to object too much.’

  ‘Well, no.’

  ‘So, if you’ve no objections, we can start there and progress to the next step.’

  ‘What next step?’ she asked cautiously.

  He flashed her a quick grin. ‘You’ll know when we get there. So, should we start now?’

  To her astonishment, she saw a tinge of colour in his cheek. With sudden insight, she realised that, despite his nonchalant manner, he was not at all as confident of her as he appeared. He thought that she might turn him away as Mary had.

  She could not do that to him. And, unlike Mary, she wanted him in every way possible. He was waiting for her reply. ‘I…I suppose we could,’ she whispered.

  He sat next to her. His thigh pressed into hers and a sharp jab of fire shot through her. Her eyes went t
o his firm mouth.

  His eyes darkened. ‘The preliminary step,’ he said. He caught her shoulders and pulled her to him.

  His mouth descended on hers. His lips moved over hers in an exploratory kiss that was completely unlike any of his earlier ones. It was gentle and completely seductive.

  Her arm crept up around his neck and tangled in his thick hair. And when he lowered her to the pillow, and stretched his long, hard body next to her, she made no protest. He gently moved her injured hand and then shifted half on her, so his body rested between her legs.

  Hot, throbbing heat seared through her at the unfamiliar, intimate pressure. His mouth left hers and trailed down her neck in fiery kisses that made her gasp. He pushed the sleeve of her nightdress to bare her shoulder and then his mouth slowly explored the hollow beneath her shoulder, lingering on the small mole above her breast. Her fingers dug into the hard muscles of his neck, her body arching to his.

  He lifted his head. ‘It is your turn,’ he said. His voice was husky.

  Confused, she opened her eyes to find his face hovering above hers, his eyes dark with desire. ‘For what?’

  ‘To have your way with me. To do what you’d like.’ He slowly caressed the small mark where his lips had been moments before. ‘For instance, I have longed to kiss you here ever since the night of the ball. Now it is your turn to choose something you have desired to do.’ A slight smile touched his mouth. ‘It is the next step.’

  She could do what she wanted with him? The thought had never occurred to her. ‘Your shirt?’ It sounded safe, although with his body pressed against hers and the growing need between her legs she wasn’t certain safe was possible.

  ‘You want it off?’

  ‘Yes.’

  He rose above her. She watched as he undid the buttons down to his middle and then drew it off over his head. Fascinated, she saw his chest was muscular and strong and covered with an intriguing mat of dark hair. He lay back down beside her and cupped her face with his hand. ‘Now you may touch me,’ he murmured.

  Shyly, she touched the hair on his chest, then ran her hand over his ribs. His skin was smooth and intriguing and he lay perfectly still as she explored the hard muscles of his stomach. Emboldened, she tentatively slipped her hand further. He groaned.