by Julia Donner
His fingertips trailed over the skin he’d bared. “No corset. That is so delicious. You’re like alabaster and smooth satin.”
She ducked her head, wishing she could be rounded and feminine. Her body was as lean and hardy as a muscular field laborer. Her life was too active for wearing fine fabrics and lace. She didn’t resist as he removed her clothes, reseating her on the edge of the bed to roll down stockings and unlace her shoes. How different it felt to be undressed by a man, every uncovered bit of flesh admired and touched. She suddenly felt grateful for the bandages that covered the embarrassing roughness of her hands.
Vanity evaporated when his fingertips etched a path down between her breasts. Her stomach muscles contracted when the burning trail glided ever downward. Her eyelids drooped and body relaxed. She heard the slow deepening of her breaths.
There was no reason to resist when he eased her back on the bed, used his mouth on the path he’d made earlier with his fingertips. Her heart felt ready to shatter from the tenderness, so gentle and unhurried. She’d never understood what it meant to be cherished, lavished with a sweet attentiveness that responded to her body’s every need. She almost wept with the care taken, the reverent entry and languid glide of loving strokes. She vaguely realized that he had taken off his jacket but still wore his shirt and breeches. Cambric and twill brushed her chest, abdomen and thighs. She opened herself, sprawled on the coverlet, arms wide, accepting of all and anything until the coiling need for completion built to the point of aching urgency. He continued to move slowly, holding her on the precipice. He soothed her frantic pleas for release with soft kisses. He pulled the pillow from under her head, exposing her neck for the seeking of the most receptive areas to lovingly torture. Finding one, he gently suckled until she sobbed a plea. He pressed her wrists to the bed when she tried to urge him with her hands. His teeth grazed a nipple and he bit, sending a shock to her core. He thrust deep and hard and she flew apart, the intensity of the release blinding white, taking her breath and silencing her outcry.
Still clothed and within her, he carried her with him when he rolled onto his side so they faced each other. It felt odd to be naked and he clothed. Her toes encountered his leather boots. When she shivered, he reached behind her and pulled up one side of the bedclothes to cover her bared back. A clock chimed somewhere in the room. Heat gathered under the cocoon he’d made.
She rubbed the cold tip of her nose against the warmth seeping through his shirt. “Carnall, what does mah-cooshla mean?”
“I thought we agreed that you would dispense with my title when we’re private, but I do like the way you’ve always pronounced it the correct way with emphasis on the last half.”
“Apologies if that’s wrong. I got the pronunciation of it in my head when I looked you up in the peerage directories. The title is Irish, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and pretty much worthless in the eyes of the English. Back to the incongruity of your abysmal formality following an excellent bit of shagging.”
She wrinkled her nose at that. “Am I to construe that as love-talk? And I wish you wouldn’t announce to everyone and asunder that we are to be married.”
He leaned away in order to search her face. “Tatiana, I will not allow you to back out of this, and the servants need to be told. Nuptials will soften the fact that their employer is flesh and blood and not merely a title they can pass off to puff up their consequence.”
Adopting her sternest teacher voice, she replied, “You are too cynical and never did ask me properly. Beyond that, there may be no reason for you to put yourself out on my expense. I may not have conceived.”
“What on earth are you talking about? I desire more from you than propriety and progeny. And if you will note, there is the element of our rather animalistic attraction to each other, demonstrated by the fact that I’m still within you and becoming interested in another opportunity to continue the line. Are you willing?”
She lifted her right knee onto his thigh and inhaled when he pushed deeper. Rational thoughts and arguments slipped away when he rolled onto his back, carrying her with him. She gulped at the internal pressure of the straddle position, while he smiled and groped for the coat he’d tossed on the bed. He draped it around her shoulders.
“There you are, my lady, nude but framed within my coat like a portrait. Are you warm enough?”
Entranced by the thrills rippling up her spine from between her thighs, she mumbled, “What?”
He used the flat of his warm hand to smooth over her exposed flesh. “You asked what mo chuisle means. You are my heart, the beating of my heart.”
Overwhelmed, she stilled, looked down at him and felt burning tears gather. “I don’t understand, Dominic.”
He lifted her off and down to his side. Propped up on an elbow, he leaned over her and brushed escaping strands of hair off her forehead. “What is wrong? Why does that make you sad?”
“I-I don’t know why you should. I mean, think so much of me. It doesn’t seem quite real. All of this. I’m old, a spinster. I have no fortune, only debt. I have no beauty, no lineage—”
“Tatiana, are you mining for compliments and flattery?”
She pressed a palm to her scorched cheek. “No! And stop grinning. This is serious. You could contract a marriage with the most advantageous match on two continents. I have absolutely nothing to offer.”
A look passed over his face, altering his expression from loving to harsh. “No, I’ll hear no more of that. What do I want with an insipid miss with the bloodlines of one of my brood mares? Some spoiled girl who’d lie under me and endure the marriage bed like a dutiful wife. Why would I want that when I have this?”
He was over and in her, deep and thrusting hard, before she could speak. He wrapped his fingers around her braid and held her fixed, caught in his stare. Her body moved with his, rising with a vibrant joy to receive. The gentle sweetness of their prior coupling was replaced with a fierce, unquenchable compulsion. His grip on her head ordered her to not look away, and within his gaze, she saw the pain of the past, a hurt she knew she could ease.
Harsh and breathless, his movements became erratic, uncontrolled. “Do not question us, Tatiana. You are my anamchara. Do not look away. Watch what you do to me and know you are wrong. No one and nothing will take you away from me. Ever.”
She disobeyed, closing her eyes and pressing her head back into the bedding as the exquisite ache spiraled higher, sent her flying up to that place where there were no problems, no questions, no debts, no family to worry about, only the feel of being loved into oblivion.
Chapter 17
Ana woke to an empty bed properly tucked under a coverlet. Candles had been lit and her clothes draped over the foot of the bed. A blush burned her face at the thought of the servants coming into the master’s room and seeing her and it in such a state.
Getting dressed was a fumbling affair with only the tips of her fingers poking from the ends of the bandages. She found the gloves Carnall had asked for with her clothes. No sounds came from the dressing room. She heard no footsteps outside and recalled that his rooms were a floor above where he’d left his sisters. He was undoubtedly with them. She dressed swiftly and left the master bedchamber, cringing from the thought of the manservant discovering her there.
She encountered a white-wigged footman on the next floor. “Please direct me to Miss Charlotte.”
“Certainly, my lady. His lordship and Miss Mary Kate are with her.”
The affectionate abbreviate told her that the footman was one of Carnall’s servants and not one of the temporary ones hired to care for the house when not rented. He gestured for her to follow and tapped on a door at the end of the passage. He opened it but did not go in and kept his attention directed away from the interior.
Carnall immediately rose up from a chair beside the bed. Mary Kathleen, lying beside her sleeping sister, sat up and stretched out her hand. Ana put aside her surprise at the sight of Carnall coatless, wearing a shirt without
neckcloth. The gap showed what she hadn’t seen before and that was a black-haired chest. It struck her as peculiar that they’d made love three times and he’d been clothed every time.
She tried to cast off the feeling that she intruded on an intimate family moment and went to take Mary Kathleen’s hand. This was no time for squeamishness. If Carnall’s sister was not discomforted, then neither should she be.
Taking the girl’s cold hand, Ana whispered, “How is your sister?”
When Mary Kathleen looked to her brother to answer, his hand curved around Ana’s waist. His shoulder pressed against hers. “She’s asked for you. Should we wake her?”
“Please, do not. Rest is what she needs. Mary Kathleen, you and your sister have contracted a fever. I shall let your classmates know that you prefer to stay with your brother until you are both feeling more the thing.”
Mary Kathleen slid off the side of the bed and wrapped her arms around her brother and Ana. “Thank you, ma’am, for saving my sister. Dominic told me how you struck down that horrid man.” She stepped back and swiped her face. “Oh, I’m sorry to have wept on your dress, but I’m that grateful.”
Carnall reached out to rub away a lingering tear with his thumb. He tucked a wayward curl behind his sister’s ear. “Hush now, love. Crawl back into bed with Charlotte. I’m going to see your future sister-in-law home.”
A smile chased the sorrow from Mary Kathleen’s lovely eyes. “I am so very happy that you have accepted Dominic. He’s been rather blue-deviled with worry that you wouldn’t have him. Although, we could never comprehend why not. He’s the best brother in the world.”
Carnall lifted the covers and assisted her back onto the bed. “That’s not saying a great deal since I am your only brother. I shan’t be long.”
Ana said, “He won’t be a moment, Mary Kathleen, because I’m sure there are any number of grooms available to drive me to the academy. Give Charlotte my best when she wakes.”
On the way down the stairs, Carnall said, “I won’t send you out alone into the night.”
“Then have a coachman drive and grooms to escort. Your place is here. I’m amazed that Charlotte is resting so well.”
“I got a glass of brandy down her. She might not wake until tomorrow, which is why I have the time to drive you back.”
At the foot of the stairs she said, “No, you will not.”
“No argument, ma’am.”
“I should think not. It must be nigh on midnight. Therefore, we shall not argue the subject, but will agree that what I’m suggesting makes perfect sense. Mary Kathleen needs you. She tried to put a good face on it, but she is horribly shaken.”
He turned to the footman at the door. “Have the closed carriage brought around, and tell Mrs. Armitage to bring a wrap for Miss Worth. And something warm to drink to the blue drawing room while we wait.”
Ana had no choice but to follow him down the hallway. “That is a very fine foyer. I’d forgotten how well this house is apportioned. It’s been some years since I visited. Lord Loverton was quite elderly at the time, but still enjoyed excellent health until he died at the age of nine—”
He shut the door to the drawing room and captured her head in his hands. Startled by the sudden move, her lips parted, and he made thorough use of her surprise. He released her just as suddenly and went across the room, leaving her blinking.
His back to her, he placed his hand over a chair back. “I had to kiss you farewell now. Servants will show themselves at any moment. It’s bad enough that we had our first disagreement in front of them.”
“It was not a disagreement. It is merely good sense. The fact is that I’ve walked many miles in the dark and can certainly withstand a brief drive of three miles. I feel guilty enough getting servants out of bed when they shall have to be up before dawn.”
He turned and fixed her with a knowing gaze. “You know entirely too much of hardship. Those days are at an end, my girl.” The possessiveness and intimacy of his smile sent a lovely frisson up her arms. “I have many plans for spoiling you, Tatiana Worth.”
She forced herself not to fidget. “Really, Carnall, I wouldn’t know how to accept it.”
The door opened and a footman came through with a tray. “My lord, Mrs. Armitage will be down in a moment with a cape. The carriage should be brought ‘round shortly.”
Carnall poured steaming tea into a cup and brought it to her. “Come, sit down. No sugar, I believe that’s how you prefer it.”
He munched on bread and butter sandwiches as she drank the fragrant tea, savoring its heat spreading throughout her chest. She hadn’t planned to eat but accepted the triangle of crust-free sandwich that he thrust at her. Her stomach rumbled as she ate, making her realize that she couldn’t remember her last meal.
When a footman came to tell them the coach was ready, they found Mrs. Armitage waiting in the vestibule. She draped a cloak around Ana’s shoulders. “Miss Mary Kate sent this one down for you. It is fur-lined with a hood, you see. She was that worried you would take a chill.”
“Close the door behind us,” Carnall said as they went out.
Grim about the mouth, he took her arm and escorted her down the steps. He handed her up into the coach and leaned through its open door. Using a handful of the cloak, he pulled her close for a thorough kiss and said against her lips. “God help me, I can’t get enough of you. Make some time for me tomorrow.”
“I shall try. Go inside. It’s bitter cold and you’re in your shirtsleeves.”
He closed the door and stayed as the carriage rolled away. On the curve of the driveway, she looked out through the window and saw him standing there, watching.
“Bullheaded man. What am I to do with you?”
Since it was after midnight when she returned to the academy, the house was entirely dark. The coach shifted when a groom leaped off the back of the coach, ran to rap the doorknocker, then raced back to let down the steps and hand her out.
A light soon appeared and Elsie’s capped head peaked around the door’s edge.
Coach wheels crunched on the drive as Elsie locked the door and whispered, “Sir Jasper came asking for you. He waited all evening and was quite put-out that we had no room for him.”
Ana picked up a candle from the hall table and lit the taper from Elsie’s flame. “Did you offer the drawing room couch?”
“Certainly but he still went off in a huff to Tunbridge Wells.”
As they climbed the stairs Ana asked, “Did he tell you the reason for his visit?”
Elsie sent her a knowing look but didn’t express her disgust in any other way. Her expression was more than enough. “No. Only that it was of grave importance. He said he’ll be back tomorrow.”
They parted on the next floor, Elsie to climb to the servant women’s quarters on the top floor, and Ana to creep into the room she shared with her aunt, who didn’t notice, judging from her uninterrupted snoring.
Ana quickly shed her clothes and crawled into bed next to her aunt’s warmth. There would be much to explain to her aunts the next morning, which for her, like the servants, was only four hours away.
The usual dread surfaced with the thought of having to deal with her brother but faded when she realized that she might rely on Carnall’s support with this in future. She didn’t want to involve Carnall and felt embarrassed that she must introduce her insufferable brother, but Carnall insisted on making her life easier. This meant she must find the resolve to reconcile her embarrassment and her need to be rid of her brother’s harassment. Carnall would never financially help Jasper but would prove instrumental in evicting her brother and his unpleasant wife from her life if she asked.
The tap on the door to waken came too quickly. Due to the nap she’d had at the Grange, the agony of rising from bed with not enough sleep to freezing morning air was not as discouraging as usual. She started a fire to warm the irons for pressing the gowns of her own and her aunts. By the time the students were wakened two hours later, she’d p
olished shoes and brought in underclothes and stockings from the clothesline on the roof outside their window. The frozen shifts thawed and sizzled under the glide of the iron.
Aunt Thisbe, her frilly cap askew, sat up and stretched. “Good morning, darling niece! Oh, poor thing, you’ve been toiling away for hours, I don’t doubt.”
“Good morning to you, Aunt Thisbe. There is hot water on the hod. I am off to take these shifts to your sisters.”
Her aunt halted her from leaving, saying, “How does poor Miss Charlotte? Is it a dangerous fever?”
Ana wrestled with how to answer and not lie. “She is hopefully much better today. I’m sure she and Mary Kathleen will rally quickly in the company of each other and their brother.”
“I’m sure you are right, dearest Ana. There is nothing quite like the support of one’s family. Although, I am saddened to say that I cannot add Jasper to that list.”
Ana passed a palm over the undershifts draped over her arm. The linen still held the warmth of the iron and the crisp scent of fresh laundry. “Yes, Elsie said that Jasper was here yesterday, and from what I gathered, making something of a pest of himself.”
Aunt Thisbe reached for the robe at the foot of the bed. “He should not importune you so vigorously. Does he feel no shame for the grievous financial position he’s placed us in with his excesses?”
“I don’t believe so, ma’am. I’m off to deliver these to your sisters and then a substantial breakfast. I fear I shall need fortification for the interview with Jasper.”
As Ana opened the door, her aunt sent her off with a loving scold. “And no more selling your treasures, my love. Let that overweening wife of his sell one of hers!”
Aunt Thisbe’s outrage on her behalf buoyed Ana’s spirits as she went down the passage to Aunt Desdemona and Honoria’s rooms. Neither realized that Ana did their laundry but knew about the other chores. When they’d learned, they began to clean their own rooms.
