by K. Webster
“Dear girls, the fire consumed her entire family. Later, it was determined the boy from the mill was so distraught that her family had refused to let her marry him. In an effort to eradicate them so they could run away together, he burned their estate to the ground. But he hadn’t expected my niece to be inside, as she was supposed to be waiting for him at his home. At the last minute, she had gone to warn her family and was taken by the fire as well. The boy from the mill took his life that night. It was all a tragedy.”
Elisabeth and I can no longer hold our sobs in. She clutches my hand, and it reminds me when I had to hold both her and Ella for countless nights after our mother died.
“My point, beautiful girls, is that no grudge is worth holding on to. I loved my sister, and events put a wedge between us. But they weren’t events that were more important than the love we shared. We made mistakes, but in the end, I still loved her. And I know she loved me. Our last moments were stolen from us, and I’d do anything to get them back. Elisabeth, I’m sorry for what Edith has done to you. It may seem unforgiveable, but it’s not. She is your sister.
“Edith is very much in love with my son, much like you are with Jasper. The William you told me of earlier was just as much to blame. I know that the betrayal you feel from your sister is too much to bear. Believe me—I was in your shoes. However, it is mud in the water now. You two still have the rest of your lives to mend this relationship. Soon, you’ll have babies, and it will be important to have your sister’s support. Please promise me that you’ll learn to forgive and let love back into your heart.”
Ma is simply an angel.
I turn toward Elisabeth and tearfully state my piece. “Dear sister, I am so sorry for what I did to you. It was awful, and I’ll always feel the guilt of it in my heart. But know this—I never stopped loving you. After Mother passed, I wanted to protect you and care for you like she had. Clearly, I fell short and lost my way. Please give me another chance. I’m not the same person I was during those times. When Mother died, a piece of my heart became jagged and ugly. Alexander has helped mend my heart. I want you to know that I am truly sorry and I want nothing more than your forgiveness, Lissa.”
Elisabeth sniffles and dabs her red nose with her handkerchief. “You broke my heart, Edith. I looked up to you.”
I nod. “I know and I’m so sorry.”
She purses her lips together but finally flashes me a small smile. “I have been bursting at the seams with wanting to tell you all about this pregnancy. It was my hope that we could shop together and find things for the baby. Each time I go to speak to you, I have to remind myself I’m angry with you, and then I’m only angry with myself. I’m tired of fighting. I want my sister back.”
The words are barely out of her mouth before I leap from my seat and launch myself at her. We hug like we used to and cry like a couple of babies. When our sniffling subsides, I slide my palm over her swollen belly and feel my niece or nephew like I’ve been dying to since the moment I discovered she was pregnant.
Her baby moves in her belly and we giggle. Then I finally break away to take my seat and see that Ma is no longer smiling. Her face is ashen, and her mouth is slightly hanging open.
“Ma!” I scream as I collect her in my arms when she begins to fall from her chair. “Lissa, get help!”
Elisabeth scurries off as I hold Ma up from falling into the floor. Tears stream down my cheeks as I mutter reassurances to her.
“Stay with me, Ma. Wake up!”
Several moments later, she flutters her eyelids and blinks them open. “Darling,” she purrs as she lifts a shaky hand to swipe a stray hair out of my face. “Why are you crying?”
I squeeze her to me and sob into her chest. “You fainted again. What is going on with you?”
She pats my back but doesn’t answer. We stay glued to one another until we hear a collection of stomping feet toward us. I’m suddenly pulled from her as Alfred takes her in his arms. Then I find myself tight in Alexander’s embrace. He’s recently bathed again, and he smells like the lavender soap that we found in the washroom. His scent comforts me and I snuggle my face into his chest to inhale him.
“Shhh. Don’t cry beautiful,” he coos as he strokes my hair.
His presence is soothing, but my worry for Ma doesn’t dissipate. “What’s wrong with her, Alexander? We can’t lose her too!”
“We’re not going to lose her. Alcott, alert me of the doctor’s findings. I’m going to take Edith to our room—she is a bit distraught,” he calls out over my shoulder. Then he slides an arm beneath me and scoops me into his arms.
I rest my cheek on his shoulder as he carries me to our room. I’m lost in thought as he walks and don’t completely rid myself of my daze until he sits me down on our bed.
“Did you eat anything?” he questions as he crosses his arms over his chest.
Warmth surges through me as understanding hits me. This man cares deeply for my wellbeing. His mother is ill, yet here he is fussing over if I’ve eaten or not.
“I managed a little,” I lie.
He cocks a dark eyebrow at me. “Edith, the corner of your mouth twitches when you fib. You’ll never be able to trick me. I’ll bring you something to eat. Until then, get comfortable and lie down.”
I scrunch up my nose at having been caught.
He chuckles. “Do as you’re told, woman.”
Before I can argue, he strides from the room, his laughter echoing down the hallway with him. If he weren’t so good-looking, I could be angry with him for being such a smug arse. Luckily for him, I’ve seen him naked and I know that his cock has the uncanny ability to make me forgive him.
The moment I’m alone, I shed myself of my clothes and climb on top of the bed. I’m lying on the bed, tracing patterns along the duvet with my finger when Alexander reenters the room carrying a tray. When I hear the dishes rattle, I glance up and see that he’s glaring at me.
“What?” I question with concern. My thoughts immediately go to Ma.
“You. I can’t think straight around you—especially when you distract me with your naked flesh. You’ve afflicted my mind, wife.”
I smile at his words and sit up as he places the tray on the bed. It’s filled with pastries and fruit. We both chuckle when my stomach growls at seeing the foods.
“I passed by Alcott on the way back, and apparently, Mother is doing well. He was on his way to the garden with a large basket to fill it with lemons for her. She’d already created a rather long list of chores he is to complete before our reception this evening. If he weren’t such an insufferable idiot, I might have felt sorry for him,” he laughs. Then he sits down beside the tray and watches me as I begin devouring a small cake.
“I’m glad she is well. I hope the doctor will treat her accordingly for her symptoms,” I tell him with a worried tone. “It isn’t natural for her to faint so often.”
He nods in agreement as he picks a strawberry up by the green stem and brings it to his lips. My chewing halts, and I swallow my food down as his lips surround the fruit and he bites into it. A small, pink dribble of juice rolls down his chin, and I do exactly what feels right. Leaning in, I drag my tongue along his stubbly face and lick him clean.
When I pull away, his eyes are clouded and seemingly angry.
“What?” I ask with feigned innocence. The bulge in his trousers indicates what I’ve done is far from innocent.
“Lie back. Now,” he growls as he picks up another strawberry.
With a cocked eyebrow and a smirk on my lips, I do as instructed. His eyes peruse my body, not missing an inch of my flesh. When they land on the small pelt of hair at my pubic bone, I spread my knees apart and award him the rest of the view I know he wants to see.
“My God, woman.” His voice is gruff and one would almost think annoyed. But I know better. He’s very much aroused by my body.
He brings the strawberry down to my belly button and trails it all around in circles with no pattern. It tickles, yet it also tu
rns me on. I feel myself becoming increasingly wet as I wish for him to bring the fruit lower. I’m not exactly sure what I want him to do with it, but this teasing is simply not enough.
“Alexander,” I whine.
He lifts a dark eyebrow up in question. “Yes, sweetheart?”
“Stop—don’t stop—yes, stop—oh my goodness,” I gasp and snap my eyes closed when he drags the tip of the strawberry between my legs. It barely nudges against my clitoris, and I see stars.
He chuckles in a deep timbre that vibrates down my thighs and to my core. Then, when his mouth finds the inside of my thigh and he begins kissing me toward my center, I nearly become unhinged.
“Alex—ahhh!” I cry out when his tongue replaces the berry.
“So goddamned sweet,” he murmurs as he tastes me.
Everything disappears aside from the way his tongue owns this part of me. My hands have long since tangled themselves in his hair and are tugging and pushing him to continue the delicious assault he’s begun on my body.
When I finally can’t take any more of the tantalizing tasting, I succumb to a shuddering climax, all the while repeatedly screaming his name out. The moment I relax after having come down from my high, he pulls away and grins at me. His lips and chin glisten with my arousal, and I swear to God I might come from the sight of it.
“Darling,” he tells me with a mischievous tone, “I think I shall spend the rest of the day feasting upon your decadent flesh. I want my lips and tongue to learn every inch of you. My hope is that you’ll be sore and achy from the pleasure I want to give you but somehow still crave more.”
His words work their way deep into my womb and have the exact effect he desires. He thinks he’ll have to pleasure me to get me to crave him. Well, he’s incorrect in that thinking.
I’m already hopelessly addicted to him.
“YOU LOOK LOVELY THIS EVENING, Edith,” I praise as I enter our bedroom. Earlier, I left her to dress while I fetched the gift I planned on giving her for our reception. I also have a couple of surprises for her.
Her face lights up when she sees me, but she frowns when she looks back down at her dress. “Thank you.”
I can’t hide my smile as I carry the box behind me. “I bought you something.”
She lifts her eyes to mine and rewards me with another breathtaking smile. “You did?”
Pulling the box in front of me, I walk over to the bed. Then I set it down. “Open it.”
“Oh, Alexander, you shouldn’t have,” she gasps as she approaches the box. With tentative hands, she grabs the ends of the black ribbon and tugs. Once the ribbon has been loosened, she pulls off the lid. “What is this?” she whispers.
She knows what it is.
“I thought we could renew our vows, darling. We’re quite different than we were when we first said them. My feelings for you have grown into something special and unique. It would be my honor to vow to care for you in front of our family.”
I watch with a grin as she takes the cream-colored gown from the box. When Mother informed us that we were going to have a reception, I wanted Edith to be the belle of the ball. This gown is proper for a wedding—and fitting for a bride as beautiful as she.
“It’s exquisite,” she murmurs as she inspects the detailed beadwork.
The dress cost a fortune to have it rush designed, but it didn’t matter. All that matters is it’s here now and she’ll wear it.
“It pales in comparison to your beauty, Countess.”
She flashes me an embarrassed smile. “Where’d you put that fellow I first married? Maybe we should find a thick chain and shackle the door so he doesn’t ever come out again.”
I toss my head back and full-belly laugh. “He’s still around. I’m pretty sure you’ll want to keep him because he’s the master with his tongue.”
“Oh, then, by all means, we’ll keep him too. He just won’t be allowed to speak. His place will be right between my legs,” she purrs as she slides a hand up the lapel of my waistcoat and into my hair. “But this guy? He’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Dipping down, I attack her lips with mine. She tastes like honey from her midday tea, and I can’t help but want to devour her.
“Maybe I don’t want to share,” I growl and then chuckle against her lips for the mere fact that I’m jealous of myself.
She giggles and tugs away to stare at me saucily. “Then maybe you need a little more practice doing his occupation. Once I feel you’re a master, we’ll get rid of him.”
“Alexander Phillip Dumont! You’re not supposed to see her in the dress! Now, get!” Mother chides from the doorway.
Reluctantly, I release my wife and step away from her. “Mother, I’m not a child and we’re already married,” I groan.
Edith is properly amused as my mother swats me out of the room.
“Goodbye, my love,” I call out before the door is slammed in my face.
“Goodbye, my love,” she returns in a muffled voice through the closed door.
I grumble as I stalk down the hallway to search for Jasper to ask if the other part of my surprise for her has been fulfilled yet. I’m passing by one of the empty guest rooms in our wing when a voice from within calls to me.
Confused as to who would be in the room, I halt my steps and enter the room. “Nicolette?” I question as I walk inside.
The door clicks behind me, and I swivel around to see the naked blonde batting her eyelashes at me.
“Oh, Alexander, don’t tell me you haven’t missed this.”
My eyes aren’t even tempted to glance at what I used to be so familiar with, so I easily hold her gaze with an angry glare. “What in the fuck are you doing, woman? It is the evening of my wedding reception and you dare throw yourself at me? I should have you terminated from our employment and kicked onto your arse for presenting yourself this way to me!”
She gapes at me in horror but rushes for me. “I know you’ve missed the way I would suck this”—she grabs my flaccid cock through my trousers—“until you were dry. I could do it right now to relieve some tension.”
“Let go of me,” I snarl.
Her lips quirk into a feisty grin, and she squeezes me. “We could be quick. Our little secret, Alexander. Nobody would have to know.”
I’m about to physically shove her away from me when the door clicks open and Alcott peeks in. His features harden once he sees our position.
“It’s not what you think,” I grumble and this time I do push her away.
Before she stumbles too far away, she slaps me across the face then runs past Alcott and out of the room.
“What I think is that you aren’t in love with the countess. What I think is that, had I not intruded, you would have done some regrettable actions, brother. Please tell me why it is that Nicolette was naked and grabbing your cock,” he snaps.
I run my hands through my hair and grip at it. “Oh, what do you care? You think now you’ll prove to Father once and for all that I don’t love Edith? It’s a fucking lie, Alcott. I love her so goddamned much, and I won’t let you or Nicolette stand in the way of my happiness with her. Do you understand me? Breathe one word of this to her and I’ll rip your head off and dump it in the river. Edith is my life, and I cannot lose her. Are we clear, brother?”
He’s furious—his jaw clenches in rage. “Crystal clear. But let’s get one thing straight. I don’t give a rat’s arse about proving anything to Father. As of earlier, I thought we’d come to an agreement, you and I, that had nothing to do with him. What I do care about is your hurting Edith. She’s the best damned thing that’s happened to our family. So you, brother, watch your head, because if you break her heart, it will be yours floating down the river.”
I sling my hand toward him, and he flinches as if I’ll hit him. “Deal. Make the deal, brother. I won’t hurt my wife and you never speak of what Nicolette has done. I’m not at all interested in that maniac of a woman. And I want father to release her of her duties t
o our estate in the morning. I won’t have her meddling in my affairs and pining after me when I very clearly have a wife I love and adore.”
Alcott scowls but slams his palm into mine. “You know what a deal means to the Dumonts. Don’t betray me.”
“Likewise, brother.”
I scan the guests who have all taken their seats on the lawn of our estate and are facing myself and the officiant as we wait for Edith to emerge from the house. When I see an older man and young, blond woman seated beside Jasper and Elisabeth, I smile. The other surprise I planned for my Edith has come through. After the vow renewal ceremony, I’ll properly introduce myself to her father and youngest sister. I had sent for them because I wanted her family to be a part of her big day.
On the other side of the aisle is my family. Father remains stoic beside Mother, their hands threaded together tightly. I may despise him most days, but his fierce love for her has always been his most endearing quality. Mother, even though confined to her seat most of the day, still managed to pull off one of the most stunning events of this family’s history. She catches my eye and smiles broadly at me. With a grin of my own, I nod back my thanks. Of course without us saying anything, she understands our nonverbal conversation well.
My attention is drawn from the crowd to the back door of our estate when it opens and the string quartet begins playing a lovely song. Edith emerges and my eyes widen at how beautiful she seems to grow with each passing second. The moment my wife fully steps onto the porch and the late afternoon sun catches the beads and stones on her gown, my breathing ceases.
I’ve never seen her more stunning and elegant during our entire time of knowing one another. When her eyes lock with mine, she flashes me a smile full of love and promise. It baffles me how this woman was just as lonely and lost as I was six months ago.
And now?
Now, we’re each other’s everything.
My attention should be drawn to the distractions all around us. Sounds. People. Smells.
But it all fades into the background. All that remains is her.
