"Your mother is an incorrigible romantic, Adam," said Allegra. "I fear she thinks this new politeness between us foreshadows other developments."
"My mother had a very happy marriage. She wishes nothing less for us."
"Alas, happy marriages are not easily come by."
"Perhaps not," said Adam. "But I think that if we can continue in amity, perhaps we might achieve such a state."
"Do you? I can only hope you are right." Allegra looked around, suddenly very conscious of the fact that she was alone with her husband. "And now, I too must retire. I have promised to visit the mare and her filly in the morning, and I wish to rise early."
Adam offered her his arm and escorted her through the lengthy hallways to the door of her room. She paused a moment, looking up at him through her lashes.
"Good night, Allegra," said Adam, placing a lingering kiss on her hand.
"Good night," she replied, not knowing whether to be relieved or annoyed that he stopped there. She entered her room and closed the door behind her, leaning against it for a moment as she gathered her scattered thoughts. She eyed the door that connected to her husband's room nervously, but she soon realized she needn't have worried. It remained firmly shut all night.
If Lady Manning haunted the dreams of both the Duke and the Duchess that night, neither made mention of it the next day. Indeed, by the time Adam emerged from his room, Allegra had risen, dressed, and gone to the stables. He found her there, dressed in a simple riding habit, hatless, her hair already coming out of its pins in gentle curls.
He paused at the stall in which she kneeled, caressing the tiny filly she had aided the day before. The foal, a sorrel, with four white socks and a blaze, seemed to be composed of nothing but slightly unsteady legs and an inquisitive face. It nuzzled up to Allegra under the watchful eye of the mare, who, surprisingly, seemed to feel no concern about Allegra's approach to her baby. The foal's soft nose rested against her blooming cheek, and the sorrel coat of the baby horse and the red gold of the woman blazed together in a shaft of sunlight that crossed the stall.
She looked up suddenly to find Adam watching her, and she greeted him warmly.
"Good morning. I see that you have found me out. I beg you not to tell London of my appearance; my reputation as a fashion plate would never survive the picture of me clad in grey, with straw in my hair."
"I will hold it over your head unmercifully," promised Adam. "If you do not do just as I say, I will tell the entire ton of your lack of fashion when in the country."
"You are very cruel, my lord. I may have to become the pattern card of a docile wife."
At that Adam gave a shout of laughter. "You may be a pattern card of many things, Allegra, but a docile wife will never be one of them."
She smiled ruefully back. "I doubt I have the temperament for it."
"I have thought a great deal about how to thank you for your care of my horses yesterday, Allegra," said Adam. "Perhaps you will accept this little filly as your own, in token of my gratitude?"
Allegra's eyes lit up. "What a kind gesture, Adam. She bids fair to becoming a very fine animal."
"What shall you name her?"
Allegra thought for a moment, caressing the foal. "A Sudden Gift, to be sure."
"A perfect name." Adam watched her delicate hands as they stroked the filly, and he felt a sudden tension build inside him. He looked away.
"And now, Allegra, what do you say to a ride?" he asked abruptly. "My mother has ordered that a luncheon be prepared for us to carry out on horseback, and neither of us would want to disappoint her, I think. So we must ride out in order to consume this repast."
"It's a sad task," said Allegra. "But I believe it to be your filial duty to please your mother."
"I'll have the horses saddled then. Are you otherwise prepared?"
"Perhaps I should change into something more presentable..." began Allegra, but Adam cut her short.
"You look utterly charming as you are." Once again the tight feeling in his stomach seized him as he realized he meant every word he said. She was more than charming, he thought savagely. She was alarmingly, even frighteningly attractive. He tried to summon a picture of Louisa before his mind's eye and failed utterly.
"Such flattery," said Allegra, rising and shaking the straw from her skirt. She gave Adam a curious look. He was behaving in a friendly manner, but there was a tension about him as though something was bothering him. She hoped she hadn't done something to annoy him. "I am sure I am a fright. But if you are inclined to be seen with me so, then it can scarcely matter."
Two hours, after a leisurely ride over the estate, the pair reined in their horses by the side of a stream, its green banks scattered with pink flowers that ran down to the water's edge. The water flowed by lazily, lapping over the stones in the creek bed, and disappearing around a wooded bend.
"This looks to be a likely spot to eat our lunch," said Adam. "Does it suit you?"
"It's lovely." Allegra glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "And I have been wondering for the past half hour what's in the basket your mother sent with you."
Adam laughed. "Then we must satisfy your curiosity, I suppose."
He climbed down from his horse, lightly tying its reigns to the branches of an overhanging tree, and then reached up to help Allegra dismount. She slid down from the saddle and his long fingers closed about her slender waist, lifting her easily away from the horse. He was amazed by her lightness and he paused for a moment before putting her on her feet, holding her suspended in front of him. She met his eyes shyly through the curtain of her long lashes.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No, not at all." Adam hastily set her on her feet and stepped back. He swung the basket down from his saddle and looked about for a likely place to sit. "Do you mind if the grass is slightly damp?"
"I'll sit anywhere, if you'll give me food," said Allegra lightly. "I'm famished."
"Then I imagine this will satisfy you." Adam spread a blanket over the grass and then lifted the cover from the basket and began to lift out a selection of dishes. "Mother seems to think we need excessive nourishment."
"Oh, look, strawberries," exclaimed Allegra, leaning forward to peer eagerly into the basket. Her red-gold curls just brushed Adam's forehead and he jumped as though burned. "How wonderful!"
Adam laughed to see her passing up the elegant delicacies packed in the hamper by the artist of the kitchen for the little red berries.
"Society would be truly horrified now, Allegra," he said. "You are passing up the finest viands for pieces of fruit."
"But they are so sweet, and at this time of year, so rare!" said Allegra. She reached into the basket and picked one up, popping it greedily into her mouth.
"My mother has them cultivated in the hot house." Adam watched, mesmerized, as the red berries disappeared between her lips. "She enjoys them almost as much as you do."
Allegra looked up from the basket with a guilty expression. "And I'm being greedy, my lord. I suppose I must share them with you."
"On the contrary, I would be loathe to take them from you. I'll have to content myself with mere quenelles of veal."
He poured Allegra a glass of wine and spread the rest of the food out on a cloth before them as she ate the berries greedily with her fingers. Her motions were quick and delicate, her hands very fine and white. She finished the last berry and took a sip of wine, looking across at him with a hint of embarrassment.
"Now you will think me merely a selfish child," she said. "And I have no one to blame for that except myself."
"Selfish, perhaps, but hardly a child, Allegra." Adam's eyes raked over her face and down to her bosom, resting on the curves outlined by her riding outfit. He felt the now-familiar surge of lust, and an urge to know if Allegra the sensual creature he had caught a glimpse of the day before truly lurked under her perfect exterior.
Allegra looked away from his intent gaze. She suddenly felt very vulnerable, sitting on a
blanket with her hair blowing about her face. She realized that she had never been in such a solitary position with a man before, and that the man she was with was her husband. The knowledge did something strange to her, heightening her awareness of him, reminding her of her childish dreams that they might one day be a happily married couple, sharing all the things that a husband and wife did. Her ease was replaced with tension, and her voice became suddenly artificial.
"So you admit to my selfishness, sir. I fear that I am not the perfect wife for you."
Adam looked up from the glass of wine he was gazing into, a slight frown creasing his forehead. He wondered what had happened to change Allegra's mood.
"I had no hand in choosing you, Allegra, but daily I grow less sorry that you are my wife," he said.
"Less sorry?" she repeated. "How complimentary."
Adam shifted on the blanket so he was closer to his wife. He could smell her gentle scent, and the memory of yesterday's kiss sprang to his mind. "I didn't mean to be unkind, Allegra. I only meant to say that I feel we can deal better together than we have."
"And how shall we do that, my lord?" she asked coldly.
"You can start by relaxing," he murmured, placing his hand gently over hers. "What has happened to make you so tense?"
Allegra flinched slightly when his skin touched hers, and she barely managed to stop herself from snatching her hand away. She felt a tingle shoot up her arm, and bit her lip gently. "Nothing," she said, her voice very small.
Adam watched her worry her delicate lower lip with her tiny white teeth, and cursed inwardly as he felt his heart begin to race in reaction to the sight. She was so intensely desirable, and that desirability was heightened by her apparent unawareness of it. He fought back the urge to seize her, bear her back onto the blanket and draw that trembling lip into his own mouth. With a combination of dismay and stabbing pleasure, he felt himself grow long and hard inside his breeches.
"Don't do that," he rasped.
Allegra looked startled. "Don't do what?"
"Look like that," snapped Adam. His hand tightened on hers, and she winced slightly at the pressure.
"Look like what? What's bothering you, Adam?" Allegra was completely bewildered by his swift change of temper.
Adam cursed softly under his breath. "I can't believe that you don't know what you're doing to me. You are the most desired woman in London, after all."
Allegra gaped at him, her blue eyes astonished. "I'm not doing anything. Why, I'm sitting here in my oldest dress, with my hair in a tangle. You can hardly find me...attractive."
Adam felt a laugh welling up in his chest despite his growing need for her. "Allegra, attractiveness is not simply a matter clothes and well-coiffed hair," he said gently. "And right now I find myself wanting you very badly indeed."
Allegra's mouth dropped open slightly at her husband's words. She wondered dazedly if she had misunderstood him. Over the four years he had been gone she had imagined him saying something like that to her, but since his return it had seemed to be an impossible dream. "What?" she gasped.
"Let me show you." Adam's hand reached up and laced his fingers around the back of her neck, caressing it gently as he drew her towards him. She yielded willingly, still amazed by his words, and leaned towards him, her lips parted.
"That's right," murmured Adam, and then his lips touched hers, gentle yet firm, showing her how gentle yet sensual a kiss could be. She made a tiny noise of surprised delight and his tongue slid into her mouth, ravaging her softness and sparking her desire until she imitated his actions. Shyly at first, and then with increasing need her tongue clashed with his, teasing him, urging him forward.
Adam growled in the back of his throat, a sound of satisfaction and rising need. He leaned forward, urging Allegra back onto the blanket, his hand raking up into her already tangled hair and ripping the pins from it, scattering them across the material and into the grass. He lowered himself next to her, his lips finding hers again as he kissed her with flaring passion. Carefully, he told himself, she's not used to this, but he found it increasingly difficult to rein himself in. Allegra's response was so innocent, yet so strong, that he felt utterly bewitched by it.
Adam's lips left Allegra's and traced a path up her jaw to the delicate skin behind her ear. She gave a tiny wriggle of pleasure as Adam's body pressed into hers, astonished that his weight was not uncomfortable, but rather exciting. She felt as though her entire body was on fire, and a coil of tension built in her stomach, causing her breath to come quickly and her heart to pound. Shyly she raised her own arms to hold him, one hand disappearing in his golden hair, the other arm reaching across his broad back to hold him closer. Adam made a noise of encouragement.
"That's right, darling. God, you're lovely." His lips moved down to her neck, nibbling at the delicate white skin, and one hand slid between their bodies to toy with the buttons at the high neck of her riding habit. Allegra stiffened slightly, but Adam brought his mouth back to hers, and before long she was once again distracted by his hypnotic kisses. Before she fully realized what he was about her bodice was open to her waist, and it was only the gentle touch of Adam's fingers against her lacy undergarments that pulled Allegra back from the delightful world she had escaped to.
Adam felt the tension shoot through her, and hastened to soothe her before she could protest. "Hush, sweetheart. I won't hurt you. You're so beautiful, and I only want to make you happy. I promise you, this will be wonderful. See?"
Before Allegra's stunned gaze, Adam gently pushed aside her camisole and bared one tender breast. His breath caught in his throat at the sight and he barely stifled a moan. It was white as a pearl, the nipple rosy in the afternoon sunlight, perfectly shaped and exactly fitted to the palm of his hand. He looked up at Allegra, but she didn't protest, and slowly his fingers drifted across her skin, causing spikes of fire to shoot through her body. She gasped.
"You're so wonderfully sensitive," murmured Adam. "Do you like that?'
Allegra looked away, embarrassed, but she nodded her head.
"There's more, you know," whispered Adam. His fingers moved to her nipple, just grazing it, and he watched in delight as it immediately tightened. Fascinated and delighted, he lowered his head and took it between his lips, kissing it gently.
"Adam!" Allegra sounded horrified.
"Just wait. You'll love this in a moment, and ask me for more," said Adam in a teasing voice. His lips closed over her again, and he felt her fingers on his head. But instead of pushing him away as she had intended, she gave into the sudden waves of heat flowing over her and she pulled him closer, suddenly in desperate need of his continued ministrations.
Adam obliged her spiraling desire, kissing her breast until it was rosy and then gently freeing the other from its confinement and turning his attention to it. Gently his strong white teeth closed over the already erect nipple, and Allegra groaned as a powerful current shot through her, seeming to pool in her lower body. She moved restlessly, arching up towards him in her feverish need.
Adam smiled gently and circled her aureole with his tongue, bemused by her reaction. His previous amours had been experienced women, and he had always imagined that a virgin would be shy and uncomfortable until coaxed out of the state. But while Allegra seemed surprised by some of his actions, she responded to him with an exquisite sensitivity and passion that startled and even touched him. She roused in him not only the need for her body, but also an instinct to protect her from anything unpleasant. The thought momentarily distracted him, but then Allegra made a tiny mewing noise and shifted up towards him again. Dismissing his wayward thoughts as mere fancy, Adam chuckled and kissed her lips, his hands coming up to cup her breasts, his thumbs plucking at her nipples until they grew distended and long.
"This is going to be marvelous," he promised. "Something neither of us will ever forget."
Allegra heard him through a haze of sensation, unable to believe what was happening to her. In one tiny corner of her mind
she was appalled by her behavior, but rational thought was swamped by the overwhelming need she had for Adam to continue what he was doing. He was so handsome and skilled, she thought dreamily. Truly a magnificent lover.
The thought fixed in her mind, and she gave a tiny gasp, this time of horror. Once again the specter of Lady Manning presented itself to Allegra. The older woman appeared as Allegra had last seen her, at the masked ball, her dark head turned up to Adam's bright one as they danced, her hand resting delicately on his shoulder. She had smiled and laughed, and had not appeared to be a woman who seemed concerned that her companion was married. Allegra knew he had spent the night with her immediately before they had come to Gravesmere; only two nights ago. And here Adam, her husband, Lady Manning's lover, was kissing her with a passion that bespoke something more than friendly interest. Allegra was inexperienced, but she was not ignorant of relations between men and women, and her mind told her that if she continued on this course, Adam would soon be her lover as well as Lady Manning's.
"Adam," she said. She pushed on his shoulders, and turned her head, attempting to pull away.
He tightened his arms around her and attempted to find her lips again with his.
"Adam," Allegra repeated. He paid no attention.
"Adam!" she said again, but more loudly, and accompanied it with a firm pull on his hair.
Adam loosened his hold on her, and looked down with surprised eyes. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"Is something wrong?" repeated Allegra. "Look at us! I should say something is wrong."
Adam laughed. "Allegra, you are my wife. What could be wrong? Surely you are not unaware of the nature of marriage?"
"I am not unaware at all, my lord. Did I not help a mare to birth her foal only yesterday? But I am not a mare for the taking."
Adam looked astounded, and somewhat angry. He shifted himself so he lay next to her, his arm still across her body. Allegra struggled to a sitting position and raised her hands to her hair.
A Duchess Enraged Page 12
