by Matilda Hart
Obedient, and hungry for more, Juliana turned over and rose up on her hands and knees. The sight of her bottom exposed for his pleasure made his mouth water. He slapped her lightly once, twice, again, relishing the way her stomach clenched and she hissed in pleasure. He slid a finger into her quivering center and said,
“I have so much to teach you about the art of love, my jewel.”
When he leaned over to nip her rump, and lick it on the way down to her throbbing clitoris. Juliana whimpered and pushed back against his tongue, and he forgot to breathe for a second, wanting to ram her and take her and own her. He drew on all his reserves of patience and said instead,
“Raise your bottom. I’m going taste you there next.”
Her shocked gasp was echoed a few moments later when he licked that tender rosette.
“I love you, my jewel,” he said, plunging two fingers into her core, even as he licked her tender hole.
Juliana whimpered, her body trembling, and that was enough for Gray. He had her surrender, and she had his. Together, they were complete.
THE END
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Charmed by a Duke
Introduction
Emily Lockhart would do anything she could for her older sister, Evangeline, so when she got word that her recently widowed sibling needed her assistance during her time of mourning, she went to the estate of Westminster as quickly as she could. Having married the handsome duke a few, short months ago, the duchess was concerned about maintaining her status and title so she would need her sister’s help to make sure that the new duke fall in love with her. With Emily by her side, Evangeline is confident that after her period of grief that she and the young duke will become her new husband in no time. Evangeline swore to Emily that if she would help keep the duke from falling on love with anyone else before she became available that she would assist her with attaining the independent life that her heart so yearns for, assuring Emily’s participation. It was never Emily’s intention to fall in love with Trevor but when it happens, she has to make sure that she keeps her feelings to herself if she wants the life that her sister promised. Can Emily keep her heart to herself as she helps her sister marry the man she loves or will she finally decide that independence doesn’t outweigh love?
Chapter One
Riding as if demons were chasing his coattails, a courier from the estate of the Duke of Westminster travelled the road to London to deliver an important message to the daughter of Lord and Lady Lockhart. The recent death of the duke has the entire land in a state of shock and sadness and his widow requests only the comfort of her sister during her time of need, so he rides like the wind to ease her suffering. Andrew Grant had been the beloved firstborn son of Franklin and Marion Grant and since Marion was sister to the king, her firstborn son had naturally taken his place as Duke but now at the time of his passing, the title was to go to her second son, Trevor.
Never had Marion seen too more dissimilar brothers than Andrew and Trevor but though they each had their own unique qualities, she loved them both dearly and in their own ways. Andrew had been charming and dashing, tall with dark hair and eyes that gave him a mysterious aura that seemed to draw in all the young ladies of nobility that attempted to win his heart but it was the lovely Evangeline Lockhart that won his heart mere months before his demise. Trevor on the other hand, was soft spoken with light hair and the bluest eyes in all of England but was unused to the attention being thrown in his direction since the passing of his brother. Never had he expected to have to take on the role of Duke and had always tried his best to remain unseen in his brother’s shadow but now that there was nothing to hide behind, Trevor was thrust into the light where he felt most uneasy.
Reaching the Lockhart manor, the rider felt a sense of accomplishment as he felt he’d done well by his duchess and knowing that he’d done his part to get the house of Westminster back in order gave him a deep sense of pride as he delivered the handwritten parchment into Lady Emily’s hand. The courier was taken to care for his horse as Lady Emily read the letter from her sister, begging for her to accompany her during Evangeline’s time of need. Reluctant to do so, Emily feels the loyalty to her sister tugging on her heartstrings and against her better judgement, she bids her parents farewell and leaves beloved London to join her sister at the duke’s estate during her time of mourning, vowing to return as soon as possible. Heading out at first light, Emily takes the journey to London, which isn’t too long but much too boring for her taste as there’s absolutely nothing to see except the countryside so she spent most of the time reading with a slight pause for a nap. Arriving sometime shortly after noon, Evangeline greets Emily’s carriage and the sisters meet in an endearing embrace that has been long overdue. The two haven’t seen one another since Evangeline left home to marry Andrew and it seemed like so long ago when it had only been three, short months. Though Evangeline were the older of the two, Emily towered over her by four inches and though the two shared the same auburn hair, Emily’s eyes were their mother’s deep green while Evangeline had the dark eyes of their father.
“You’re looking well, sister.” Emily smiles as she dotes on her older sister, attempting to lift her spirits during her time of sorrow.
“I suppose so, considering the circumstances.” Evangeline smiles and takes Emily by the arm, interlocking it with her own as the two head up the stairs into the home. “You look tired from your trip, I hope it wasn’t too taxing on you.” Evangeline smiled and Emily could see no sorrow or sadness, not even the slightest hint of mourning other than the black dress that she wore. Emily was immediately reminded that Evangeline was possibly the most selfish and arrogant woman that God had ever placed upon the earth but out of love and duty, she smiles and the two go into a grand sitting room where Evangeline rudely requests tea from one of the servants. Emily smiles as the young girl walks past on her way to do as requested by the duchess and as they sit, Emily places her hands in her lap and looks to her sister.
“Mother and father are well, I suppose?” Evangeline inquires as she tosses her long, reddish locks over her shoulder instead of wearing a veil, which Emily deemed brash if she were in such a state of grief. She nodded and replied,
“Oh, yes. Everyone if wonderful and they send their love.” Emily smiled as Evangeline’s petite frame sat up straight in the presence of her much taller sister. Evangeline was never more aware of her posture than when Emily was in the room. Being five feet and four inches didn’t exactly make her a formidable woman and her much younger sister commanded the attention of every eye when her statuesque figure walked into the room and Evangeline knew it.
“I see your sister has arrived.” The voice came from the other end of the room where a door led to an adjacent corridor from which Lady Marion had made her appearance.
“Yes, Lady Marion. Isn’t it lovely?” Evangeline stood to greet her former mother in law and the two embraced warmly and smiled as though actual mother and daughter. It was comforting for Emily to see that her sister was taken in so graciously by her husband’s family, knowing that the last few months had probably been pleasurable for her, at least. It didn’t seem that there was any dissention between the two and that there
was a real bond over the loss of their beloved, Andrew.
“Yes, well.” Lady Marion looked at Emily as though she were being inspected for market then said, “Evangeline can show you to your quarters, in case you wanted to wash up after your trip.” Looking to Evangeline, she smiled and said, “I’m going to lie down for a while, I simply can’t stand up another moment.” Bidding the woman farewell, Evangeline smiled as she kissed the side of her face and wished her a well afternoon. Watching to see that the woman had departed, she turned to Emily with hushed tones and said,
“She takes a bit of getting used to but she’s actually quite a gem.” Emily smiled and said,
“Must be one of those rare ones I hear so much about.” Looking up to see the young servant, Trudy, walking in with their tea, Evangeline smiles and waves to the table where she wants it to be set-up and waits for her to get done before saying,
“Thank you, Trudy. That will be all.” Trudy smiled politely as she gave a quaint curtsey and said,
“Yes, Your Grace.” Watching the girl leave, the smile remained on Evangeline’s face until she was gone then turned to Emily with a stone face and said,
“There is no way that I can give this all up without a fight.” Emily knew immediately that there was something brewing in her sister’s mind and that she probably wouldn’t like it much once it was presented to her.
Chapter Two
“I must make Trevor fall in love with me and I need your help. If I am to maintain my title as duchess, I must remarry the new duke and I have to do it quickly.” Emily hadn’t doubted that Evangeline would make some kind of play for the new duke but she had no idea that she would be as bold as to attempt it before the proper time of mourning.
“Evangeline, think about the timing of it all. You must mourn the loss of your husband first!” Emily scoffed but her sister only smiled and said,
“Of course, I will grieve for my Andrew but during that time I need you to make sure that the duke’s eye does not fall to another. In the meantime, I will do my best to let him know that I am interested in maintaining what is mine by becoming his in the way I most see fit. You let me worry about Trevor, little sister, you just make sure that while I am unavailable to him that his eye doesn’t wander.” Emily took a breath and thought about all the ways her sister’s plan could go wrong, which Evangeline must have sensed.
“I’ve decided that if you will help me with this, then I will see to it that you are financially sustained for the rest of the days so that you need not marry. I know how much your independence means to you and if you so choose to never take a husband, you will still be well taken care of, I assure you.” Emily had always desired to live freely as an independent woman with no need of a husband but she had no idea that her vain, narcissistic sister had ever paid enough attention to her wants to know such a thing. Should her plan succeed, it would ensure the future for both sisters and there was really no harm in what her sister was suggesting. It was common to marry a brother’s widow and if she managed to win his heart, so be it. Emily surely didn’t want it, for all she yearned for in her heart was a home of her own in London where she was Lord and Lady of the manor, answering to none other than her own desires. She had seen far too many times when women would marry for convenience and they all had the same dead look in their eyes, the cold and empty look that she swore would never befall her own green pools.
“What makes you think I would accept such an offer?” Emily was certain that she’d never mentioned her desire to remain independent to her sister, for it was so foolish for younger women to not want love and children but it was never something that Emily believed was for herself.
“Oh, sister. Please, give me a bit more credit than that. Do you think I’ve not paid attention to you and the words that have come out of your mouth since we were children? Every wedding, every engagement party and betrothal announcement that I can ever remember, all you ever did was scoff and state how you would rather die than let a man rule your life. I believe the first time you made mention of it, you were seven and we were attending the Godwin wedding in Northumberland and you’ve made some sort of snarky remark about love and marriage at every occasion ever since. I pay attention whether you realize it or not.” Evangeline gave Emily a bat of her big, brown eyes and Emily replied,
“It would appear so, sister.” Apparently, her older sister had seen more of her than she thought and Emily was rather touched by the fact that she was actually a person with dreams and feelings other than just a pawn in the story of her sister’s life. With a smile, she turned to Evangeline, took her hands and with the most love in her heart, she replied, “I’d be happy to help you any way I can.” Grinning widely, Evangeline wrapped her arms around her sister, embracing her as hard as she could before quickly stepping back and whispering,
“Thank you, sister. I’m sure it won’t take me long to win his affections once we meet.” Evangeline said with great arrogance.
“You’ve not even met him yet? Was he not at your wedding?” Emily inquired, finding it odd that her sister had vowed to win the heart of a man she’d never even seen just for the sake of title and status. “What if he’s hideous and smells of onion? What then, sister dear? Will you want him still if he has warts and grotesque talon-like claws?” Emily cajoled as Evangeline waved off her sister’s questions and mockery.
“Nonsense. There’s no way that anyone remotely related to my Andrew could be anything other than attractive. Besides, it matters not what he looks like, only that I can get him to the altar,” Evangeline said with a concise nodding of her head to affirm that she meant every word of what she’d just said. Shrugging and giving into her sister’s will, Emily looked to her and said,
“Just tell me what you need me to do, sister and I will do it, for I want nothing more than to return to London and get as far away from the countryside as I can get. My heart yearns for activity and the glorious splendor of chatter of random passersby in the street. I need action in my life, sister, none of this countryside, quiet living with proper manners and “Yes, milord” all day. In my own home, the only person I will answer to is myself and that is to be certain.” Evangeline admired her sister’s desire for independence and the yearning in her heart to be her own woman but she simply didn’t have that type of lust for life.
“Wonderful, I’m so happy!” Evangeline hugged her sister with such gratitude that the breath was nearly squeezed from her lungs as Emily returned her sister’s embrace. The plan for the duke’s heart would ensue as soon as he returned to the estate in the morning and Evangeline couldn’t be more pleased that her sister had agreed to help with the scheme. Whilst Evangeline mourned the loss of his brother, Emily would make sure that Trevor’s attentions belonged to none while her sister had time to plant the seed of love into his heart and wait for it to bloom so that she could return home.
Chapter Three
The only thing that Emily did enjoy about country life is the fact that there is plenty of room to ride horses and since the new saddle that allowed women to place one leg on each side of the horse, it was much more fun than riding sidesaddle. Freedom that came along with being on top of a horse was one that was immeasurable when compared to anything else she’d ever experienced, especially when she was alone and allowed to go as fast and as far as she wanted. Emily woke up earlier than her sister on almost any given day and the morning after the hatching of the plan was no different, so she got up and made her way down to the stables so that she could find a horse and take it for a ride. The stable hand prepared a gentle mare for her and asked if he could be of further assistance, to which she replied,
“No, thank you. I’ve got it from here” before mounting the horse and riding it out of the stable. The hand released the latch to the gate, swung it open and Emily set out on a gentle trot while getting a feel for the horse then urged her into a gentle canter before entering a full gallop. The wind in her face was absolutely refreshing as she felt her body and that of the horse move across t
he English countryside with grace, elegance and candor of a pair that live life by their own terms. She must have ridden for an hour before turning back towards the stable so she could get washed up before meeting with Lady Marion again, hopefully making a better second impression on the woman than the first.
After returning the horse to the stable hand, she began to make her way out of the stable when at the same time, a man was walking towards her with the rising sun at his back. He was dressed in considerably fine clothing which led her to believe that he was not the average stable boy and he looked completely out of place in the dusty stables. The closer she got to him, the more she could make out he features of his face and it was his posture that grabbed her attention the most. He stood tall and proud, walking with confidence and a demeanor that stated he was of somewhat finer raising. As she nodded her head while walking past, she couldn’t help but notice the blue in his eyes and warmth in his smile as he nodded with a,
“Good morning. You had a good ride, I trust?” She stopped in her tracks and turned to him, replying,
“I did, indeed. Might I ask who’s inquiring of my morning?” He smiled widely and turned his head to face her with a step forward and said,
“Please, do forgive my rudeness. I am Trevor, Duke of Westminster.” He could see the blush in her cheeks as she realized that she’d completely overstepped the bounds of proper etiquette when dealing with nobility. She gave him a quick curtsey and said,
“Forgive me, Your Grace. I knew not who you were and it seems that I have ridden your horse without your permission.” He gave her a flirtations glance and took a step forward while she took one backwards by reflex as he said,
