Tristan looked at her, gauging her mood, and realized that he should not press her now. Instead, he smiled warmly, and ran a finger lightly down her arm.
“Very well,” he said. “Though I regret that we will not share the comfort of this bed longer. Shall we get you dressed?”
If Caroline was disappointed that he acquiesced so quickly, she did not show it. She watched as he slid out of bed and picked her dress and chemise up from the floor, and brought them to her. He then took her hand and helped her out of the bed. They stood face to face on the thick carpet, naked.
“Are you sure?” he asked gently.
She bit her lip. “Yes.”
He shrugged and handed her the chemise, helping her to slide it over her head. His fingers lingered on her breasts as he adjusted it for her, but he did not try to convince her to stay. He reached down for her petticoat, and laughed when he saw it in tatters.
“You won’t be wearing these home,” he said, holding them up for her to see.
“I can’t wander about without my petticoats! And Beckham will notice!” gasped Caroline.
Tristan dropped a kiss on the side of her neck. “No one will know but you and I that they are missing, and I must admit the idea is quite appealing to me. And, Beckham, who I surmise is your Abigail and not your butler, will surely also notice that your coiffure is tousled and your clothing is rumpled. But she won’t say anything. She might even be happy for you. Do you imagine that she spends her nights alone as you do?”
Caroline shivered, thinking of her cold bed after the warmth of this afternoon. She resolutely put the thought out of her mind.
“Very well, I obviously can’t wear them. I will have to change when I get home anyway.” Caroline reached for her dress and began to struggle into it hastily. Tristan stopped her, and gently eased her into it, fastening it with what Caroline felt was unseemly skill. He not only knew how to undress women, but how to dress them swiftly as well.
He smiled, guessing her thoughts, and turned his attention to her hair. “I believe I can help with this as well,” he observed, and gently tweaked a few curls into place. He stepped back and surveyed her gravely. “It will do. But I don’t suggest paying any calls on your way home.”
That wrung a reluctant laugh from Caroline. “No, I don’t think I will do that,” she said. “And now I must go.”
Tristan shrugged again and took her hand, leading her to the door. Caroline stopped when he opened the door and stepped out into the hall.
“Your clothes?” she said.
“I have no need of them here,” he said. “There are no servants in the house.”
She looked faintly shocked, but decided that he was trying to vex her, and stepped bravely out into the hall as well. “Suit yourself,” she said.
“Oh, I shall,” he responded. They moved down the stairs to the hall, and Caroline turned to face him with a smile, doing her best to ignore his distracting nakedness and the growing evidence that he found her very appealing.
“Thank you so much, Lord Gresham. My carriage is here, and I must be going. I believe I will attend the opera tonight. Will I see you there?”
“Perhaps.” Tristan raised a hand to stroke her cheek. “You are so formal.”
“We must be formal,” she said. “This cannot be repeated.”
“That is up to you.” He picked up a key from a table and, opening her reticule, placed it inside.
“What is that?”
“The key to this house. For the next week I will have the servants open the house every day, light the fires, and warm the bed. They will leave before noon. All you need to do is send me a summons and I will meet you here. But this is only for a week. If I don’t hear from you in that time, the house will be closed up.”
A tremor shook her at the thought of returning and seeing Tristan, of feeling him inside her again. “I can’t,” she breathed. “My mother’s niece, Miss Ashdown, will be arriving in Town tomorrow or the next day.”
“Ah yes, the child from the county. And you must wait for her at home until she arrives, and then spend every moment dancing attendance on her every day after?” he asked sardonically.
“Of course not,” Caroline replied. “But she will be unfamiliar with how to go on, and will certainly need new dresses. It will take time to for her to be ready to make her debut.”
“I have excellent taste in female dress,” Tristan remarked. “You should allow me to escort you and Miss Ashdown to the modiste one day.”
Caroline looked both amused and aghast at the notion of allowing one of London’s greatest rakes to provide advice on the wardrobe of a girl just out of the schoolroom. Amusement won, and she laughed. “You are entirely too provoking.”
“You would find the expedition far more entertaining in my company,” he observed. “But you have yet to address the question of why you cannot join me here.”
“Miss Ashdown will keep me very fully occupied,” Caroline said.
“Can no one in your family find a few moments to assist you in launching this child upon the ton? Must you always set your own desires aside to convenience others?” he inquired.
Caroline spent a moment contemplating the memory of how well satisfied those desires had so recently been. “I don’t know, I must see how well prepared she is,” she said hesitantly.
“Very well, I will not plague you. But neither will I wait forever, Caro.” He noticed, but did not mention, that she did not return the key.
“I must go.” She sounded indecisive.
“Must you?” Tristan raised his hand to her cup her cheek, and then allowed it to slide down her neck and come to rest on the swell of her breast. “You’re so lovely, and so warm.”
Caroline shook her head, but didn’t protest when he lowered his head and took her lips in a demanding kiss. He was not gentle this time, but fierce and hard, and he pressed her back against the door.
“See what you’ve done to me?” he said, and she felt his hardness against her stomach as he leaned into her. “Damn it, you’re too alluring,” he muttered. With quick hands he lifted her skirt and urged her legs apart. Swiftly, he bent his knees and then plunged up into her.
“God, you’re ready for me,” he said gratefully. “Are you always like this?”
“I didn’t think so,” murmured Caroline, amazed at the strength of her reaction to him. She leaned up to him for a kiss. The wooden door behind her should be uncomfortable, she thought, but instead it felt completely right as Tristan slowly raised her and then lowered her again on his shaft. The hardness against her back, and inside her, left her feeling ensnared by his desire, and she melted willingly into her craving for him.
She pulled her fichu away from the neckline of her gown, and lifted her breasts up out of her bodice. With a groan, Tristan bent his head to suckle first one, then the other, as he continued to stroke deeply into her liquid core. Caroline wrapped her legs around his waist, clutching his head as he bit and sucked at her nipples. She felt the rush of her climax overwhelm her without warning, and cried out in the stillness of the hall, her pleasure echoing faintly in the open space. Tristan drove into her once more, and then stiffened, as he joined his release with hers, and Caroline felt him pulsing within her, as he leaned his head against the door, gasping.
The hall was enveloped in a momentary quiet. Tristan lifted his head and gently raised Caroline off him and let her slip to the floor, then tenderly helped her adjust her bodice, and replace the discarded fichu before taking her in his arms and kissing her gently.
When he stepped back, Caroline shifted uncomfortably. “I really must be going. My carriage has been waiting quite a while,” she said in a small voice. “Thank you again, Lord Gresham.”
“There is no need to thank me. I’m only too glad to be of service,” he replied, with a meaningful smile. “You may call on me at any time, and for any reason.”
She gave him a speaking glance but said nothing. He put his hand on the doorknob, and she made a littl
e noise. “You’re naked,” she said.
“I will make sure your servants don’t see me,” he replied. “And then I will think of you sitting primly in your carriage with no petticoats and my come on your thighs. I hope you will think of me, too.”
Caroline made a little noise of exasperation and opened the door, flouncing outside and storming down the stairs. Tristan closed the door behind her with a quiet smile.
Chapter 5
Two days after her tryst with Lord Gresham, Caroline, for reasons she did not care to examine too closely, felt disinclined to engage in the usual round of social activities. She informed Bunton that she was not at home to visitors, and joined Jonathan and the nursery maid in the schoolroom. She was in time for breakfast, and enjoyed her tea with toast as Betsy provided porridge and eggs for six-year-old Lord Eskmaine.
Caroline found the simple furnishings of the nursery calming, and the sunlight streaming in the windows seemed to make her concerns about the impending arrival of her cousin inconsequential. After all, how much trouble could one young woman cause? Unfortunately, the serene scene did little to help her resolve her tangled emotions regarding her desire to once again see Lord Gresham, and the concomitant wish to avoid any chance of discovery.
As she pondered these thoughts, Jonathan’s governess joined them, and Caroline pushed her worries to the back of her mind. “How were you planning to start the morning, Miss Wilton?” she asked.
“With geography, Mama,” Jonathan interjected. “I like the maps and globes.”
“He is fascinated with distant places, Lady Eskmaine,” Miss Wilton added, then turned to the little boy. “You will be an explorer when you are grown, will you not?”
“Yes, in tall ships, to faraway lands,” he enthused.
“Perhaps we should settle for exploring Green Park after Miss Wilton is done with the geography lesson,” Caroline laughed. “Will the interruption be a problem, Miss Wilton?”
“Not at all, my lady,” she replied, an unexpected hour of leisure being a rare event in the life of a governess.
Caroline joined the lesson, and found herself charmed by the enthusiasm her son brought to it. Before long, she too was immersed in Miss Wilton’s display of Captain Cook’s South Pacific maps, and tales of his discoveries, as intrigued as her child.
When the geography lesson had finished, and Jonathan had been buttoned into a jacket, Caroline draped a cape over her morning dress and they walked the short distance to Green Park, with the nursery maid in tow. It was an unfashionable park, and an unfashionable time of the day, so Caroline was able to enjoy tossing a ball and playing with her child in the spring sunshine without interruption, and the nursery maid earned an hour of rest from her toil. Eventually they turned their steps towards home, and as they walked up Brook Street, a post chaise drawn by four horses clattered by and could be seen slowing further down the street.
“Perhaps that is your cousin, Cecilia, arriving to visit us, Jonathan,” Caroline said.
She walked a bit more quickly, and Jonathan trotted ahead. They arrived in time to see Bunton open the front door of Caroline’s house, and watch a footman emerge to open the door of the carriage and pull down the steps. Caroline sent Jonathan into the house with Betsy, and waited for her new charge to emerge.
When Cecilia stepped down, Caroline had to repress a sudden burble of laughter. Her cousin reminded her of nothing so much as a kitten, lost in the great wide world. She was tiny and delicately built, and an enormous quantity of artlessly tumbled black curls clustered about her piquant, heart-shaped face, the major feature of which was an enormous pair of puzzled blue eyes. Caroline’s heart went out to her immediately, and she stepped forward to take her hand.
“How lovely to finally meet you. I am your cousin, Caroline,” she said. “I hope your trip was pleasant.”
“Oh. Oh, yes, thank you, it was.” Cecilia looked up at Caroline’s front door. “Is this your house?”
“Yes, it is.”
“It’s very grand,” breathed Cecilia.
“Not at all. For London, it is quite a small house,” said Caroline. “My late husband bought it because we had no home in town. Soon you will see Gravesmere House; that is a grand house indeed.”
Cecilia’s eyes widened, if that were possible. “Oh, my. I’m sure I shall feel quite overcome here. “
“Nonsense,” said Caroline briskly. “You will quickly become accustomed to it.”
“Never,” said Cecilia with conviction. She followed Caroline up the steps to the house while the servants busied themselves with her luggage.
“It very soon seems less exciting.” Caroline waited while a footman took Cecilia’s cloak. “You must be tired and thirsty. I will have tea sent to the drawing room, if you’d like.”
“I’d love some.” The prospect of refreshments seemed to raise Cecilia’s spirits. While Cecilia’s trunks were carried to her room, Caroline led her to the drawing room, where the tea tray was soon carried in. Caroline poured a cup as Cecilia sat down gingerly on a satin covered chair. She accepted the tea gratefully and took a delicate sip.
“When shall we begin to attend parties?” she asked as she returned the cup to the saucer.
“I beg your pardon?” Caroline blinked at the question.
“Parties,” repeated Caroline. She took a tiny cake from the plate Caroline extended to her. “If I wish to meet gentlemen, I must attend them. When will we go to one?”
“As soon as you like,” said Caroline. At least the girl seemed to be aware of why she had come to London. “Perhaps the day after tomorrow?”
“That will do nicely,” said Cecilia.
“I thought perhaps we would purchase you some gowns before introducing you to Society.” said Caroline. “I’ve made an appointment with my modiste.”
Cecilia nodded. “How kind of you; Mama told me that you had offered to dress me. I have enough gowns for a few days, though I’m sure they are not as fine as those made here in London. Still, they should suffice until I have something more fashionable.”
“You seem very eager to meet Society,” said Caroline.
“I am,” said Cecilia. “You must know how important it is that I find a wealthy husband.”
Caroline raised her eyebrows. “A wealthy husband?” she repeated. “I understood you wished to marry and there are no suitable gentlemen in your neighborhood. But I did not know wealth was a requirement. Your mother married for love.”
“And very uncomfortable it is, too,” said Cecilia. She glanced up at Caroline, whose surprise was reflected on her face. “Oh, you are shocked. I did not mean to sound selfish. My parents are very happy together, but it is not a comfortable life. We live in the wilds of Yorkshire with no entertainment, no friends, no amusements; Mama and Papa are quite happy to be alone together, but I wish for something more. I want gaiety, and lovely gowns, and to go to the opera. Do you understand at all?”
Caroline nodded. “I understand that you feel that you are immured in the wilderness, far from the delights of the world. But you must remember that your mother knew all those delights and turned them down to marry your father. It may be that she has experience that might benefit you.”
Cecilia shook her head impatiently. “Love may be enough for my parents, but I want more, for myself and for my sisters. I am the eldest, and someone must go out and make a way for us. We cannot all live together in that house forever, and love doesn’t buy dresses, or dancing lessons, or carriages, or pay servants. It is all very well for someone like you to think of marrying for love, for you live in this spacious house, and I daresay you have another in the country, and you have lovely dresses and do anything you wish. You don’t know what it is like to be shut away in a dark house, with only your parents and sisters for company, while enduring the Yorkshire winter.”
“I can hardly do anything I wish,” said Caroline, coloring slightly as she thought of her hours with Gresham. That had been an afternoon of abandonment, but was not something that
could be repeated. “But I think I understand. You believe the things your mother turned away from are more valuable than what she has now. And, for you, perhaps you are correct. But I urge you not to marry only for money. Affection has an important place in any marriage.”
“Oh, I mean to find someone handsome as well, and it would be lovely if he were kind,” said Cecilia blithely. “But if I can have only wealth or only affection, I will choose wealth.”
Caroline surveyed her cousin with a touch of asperity. She had expected Cecilia to be an innocent, but she appeared to have thought out this trip quite thoroughly.
“Tell me, my dear, was this visit to London your mother’s idea, or yours?”
Cecilia had the grace to look slightly ashamed. “It was mine. I almost forced my mother to write to the dowager duchess. Mama would never have thought to send me to London.”
Caroline nodded. “You’re very resourceful.”
“I’ve had to be. Mama and Papa are so impractical. I daresay they would be happy to have me marry the farmer down the road.” Cecilia shrugged. “I hope you don’t think ill of me. I truly do not mean to impose upon you. I will do my best to find a suitable gentleman as quickly as possible.”
“There’s no need for that,” Caroline assured her. “You are quite lovely and despite your lack of fortune, your mother comes from a very well connected family. I’m sure you will have many suitors. But I hope you will choose well, rather than swiftly.”
“I will do my best,” said Cecilia. “I hope not to be much of a burden to you and to be engaged by the end of the Season.”
In the face of such determination, Caroline felt she had no choice but to concede the point. Apparently her cousin’s visit to London would proceed on a different track than she had anticipated.
“If you are determined to sally forth tomorrow to purchase some appropriate gowns, you will want to rest,” she said briskly. “I will show you your room, and then we will have a quiet dinner at home. The next day, we will introduce you to Society.”
“Thank you so much,” said Cecilia sunnily. “I feel so lucky to have someone as experienced as you to guide me. I feel sure that you will be able to help me find a husband.”
Sense & Sensuality: Caroline's After Dark Georgian Romance (The Gravesmeres Book 3) Page 6
