Always the Chaperone

by Murdoch, Emily E K

  “I am always a chaperone, and never the bride,” she said. “Gentlemen requested my company because I gave them the chance to court beautiful women.”

  “I do not believe there is anyone more beautiful than…” began William, but Charlotte gave him a sharp look, and he immediately stopped.

  “Then I met you,” Charlotte said simply. “You saw me for me. Sought to spend time with me because you actually like me—care for me.”

  Yes, he did, and so much more. He reached for her, hungry for her warmth and passion. Desperate to connect with her, to marry her. “I love you,” he said so everyone could hear him.

  The crowd gasped, and Charlotte and William smiled at each other. Their devotion for each other undeniable.

  “I love you,” Charlotte said. “Though it has taken me far too long to realize it, I know we can make each other happy. If you will marry me.”

  William had watched her lips move, but it was hard to believe what she had said. Had Charlotte really proposed?

  She was watching him anxiously. “Marry me?” she whispered.

  Some were shaking their heads, others looked scandalized, and William saw Mrs. Bryant fan herself rapidly.

  She truly loved him.

  William took a step forward.

  “I have been in Bath a few months, and in that time, I have met over a hundred young ladies,” he said. Charlotte was still kneeling on the floor, looking up with anticipation. “Of all the women I have met, none have compared to you. Charlotte, you are the most beautiful, intelligent, and witty one of them all. Of course I will marry you.”

  He was ready for the world to know what he thought of her.

  “I am tired,” he said softly, “of seeing you relegated by society to the role of chaperone. You were always meant to be my bride. Perhaps even the mother to my children, if God is good to us. I want you, Charlotte, today and forever.”

  In a swift movement, he closed the distance between them, took her by the hand, and pulled her into his arms for a passionate kiss.

  The world could collapse all around them, and William would not have cared. His soul was overwhelmed by Charlotte.

  He wanted to lose himself in her forever.

  He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. “You proposed to me.”

  “I even told you how it should be done. To ask someone in a public place, where a refusal to the question would be very embarrassing.” She laughed shakily. “It made sense for me to show you after I realized how much I loved you, and that fear kept me from accepting you before.”

  “I love you so much.” William tightened his grip on her. “And we are to be married! I have no idea how to celebrate. I can barely think.”

  Charlotte smiled, and it was a different smile than before. Leaning up to his ear, she whispered, “I do.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Charlotte clung to Will’s hand, knowing she would never have to let go again. His fingers felt strong around hers, comforting, with the promise of something more.

  “How much further?” Will sounded impatient, and she laughed as they turned a corner. The night was dark but not cold. They had anticipation to keep them warm.

  “Not far,” she said. “I thought you knew where my rooms were? You have been there before!”

  He stopped abruptly, pulling Charlotte into his arms and kissing her deeply.

  Fire existed between them, hot and wild. They controlled their feelings while still at the ball, but once they had left… It was a long way back to Number Fourteen, Queen Square.

  Will tilted her head back to deepen the kiss, and Charlotte moaned at the intensity.

  “I want you, Charlotte.”

  “Not here,” she said breathlessly. “We have the rest of our lives to…”

  “I have waited my whole life for you,” growled Will with a wicked smile. “I cannot wait much longer.”

  Charlotte hesitated, then pulled his hands away and took a step back. “You will have to. Chaperone’s discretion.”

  Will groaned. “Fine, you temptress, but you promised me it was not far.”

  She laughed as she led him down the street by the hand. After so many years of being alone, ignored, and unwanted, she had finally found love and happiness. After so much confusion between herself and Will, they were to marry—and she had plenty of ideas of what to do in the meantime.

  Charlotte had not exaggerated. They were about five minutes away from her rooms, but that was evidently too much for Will. After turning another corner and seeing it was not her street, he groaned.

  “No, this is too much,” he said, and without warning, pushed her against a wall, thrusting himself against her and pouring kisses down her neck.

  “Will!” She did not know whether she meant it as a halt or encouragement. All she knew was every place his lips touched burned like a brand.

  “Charlotte,” moaned Will, his fingers playing with the ribbons on her gown.

  “Will—no!”

  He chuckled as one of the ribbons holding her bodice together came undone. She twisted away, reveling in the feeling and knowledge he wanted her so badly.

  His eyes were on her, and she laughed.

  “You are fortunate, Your Grace, that there is no one out on the street, or my reputation would be ruined!”

  “Good. That is exactly how it should be.” Will moved closer. “Christ, Charlotte, if we don’t hurry, then I am going to have you against this wall.”

  The thought of it made her shiver with pleasure, but she was not going to be tempted by such wildness. No, she was going to make him wait, and it would all be worth it.

  “Down here,” she said breathlessly, walking hurriedly. “Here.”

  They made it to her home, and she nearly tripped up the stairs to the front door.

  Once inside, he reached for her. “At last, I can touch you.”

  His hands moved slowly and purposefully down her waist to her hips. He caressed her gently, his eyes filled with desire.

  “Yes,” she murmured as he trailed kisses along her neck.

  As his hands moved to her breasts, she sucked in a breath, consumed by heat and need.

  “God, Charlotte, you want me,” he moaned in her ear. “You want me badly.”

  “Yes.”

  But as his fingers started a gentle rhythm, he stepped back.

  Will was standing in the hallway, looking around nervously. She leaned against the door, staring at her future husband. Hers alone.

  “What is wrong?” she asked.

  “What about the servants?”

  Charlotte smiled. Not answering immediately, she removed the tiara, throwing it to the floor. “What servants?”

  He grinned. “Come now, Charlotte, you know who I mean. Matthews, the others. Where are they?”

  She shrugged. “I gave them the night off.”

  Will’s wandering eyes moved quickly back to her. “All of them?”

  “All of them.”

  He took a step toward her. “The whole night?”

  Charlotte licked her lips. “And tomorrow.”

  With a growl, he took her in his arms. “Good.”

  His quick fingers made light work of the few ribbons and pins keeping her gown up. They both scrambled to remove each other’s clothes—the mutual desperation growing.

  She belonged to him more than she belonged to herself.

  After removing her shoes, Charlotte straightened up, completely naked but for the diamonds.

  “I will need help,” Charlotte whispered, taking in his superior form, his manhood erect and glorious. “Taking the rest of the diamonds off, I mean.”

  “No. Let’s keep them on.”

  They moved at the same instant. Their lips met as his hands reached for her bottom, and she clung to him as though he was the one real thing in the world.

  “Upstairs?” she managed to say.

  She had expected him to eagerly accept her suggestion, perhaps to take her by the hand and lead her there.

&nb
sp; But instead, he smiled wickedly. “No. Here.”

  Before Charlotte could refuse, William picked her up.

  “What are you doing?”

  He stepped over to the hearthrug and gently set her down.

  Charlotte looked up at the most handsome man she had ever known. For an instant, she felt embarrassed and vulnerable. But she trusted him.

  “Will,” she said, reaching out a hand.

  He did not need encouragement.

  Will had moved to join her on the rug, but instead of kissing her lips, he pushed her legs aside and kissed her most intimate place. “Oh!”

  Was it even possible to survive such pleasure? As his tongue flickered across her most sensitive skin, she squirmed against him, wanting more.

  “Yes, Will, yes!” She tried to hold in her cries of pleasure.

  He raised his head and grinned, his hands stroking her inner thighs gently. “I don’t know why you are bothering to be so quiet, Charlotte. There is no one to hear us.”

  “I know,” she panted through a haze of desire.

  “So, next time, I want to hear you.” He was serious. “I want to hear you shout out. I want to hear the pleasure I am giving you. I want you to scream my name.”

  “Next time?”

  He nodded, then moved over her, his gaze unmoving. “Once I give you this.” He thrust inside her, groaning.

  She squirmed at the intrusion, but her body accepted him—wanted him—needed him more than ever. After several long moments of soul-stealing kisses, he withdrew from her, and said, “I want to see you on your knees before me, Charlotte.”

  Barely understanding through her haze of pleasure, she turned and kneeled on the hearthrug. It felt strange, facing away from him, and she did not like it at first.

  His warm hands caressed her backside and inner thighs. “Trust me, Charlotte.”

  She did, so much.

  He entered her slowly, and it was deeper and more intense than it had ever been before—wonderful.

  The indescribable pleasure heightened as Will reached for one of her breasts, teasing her nipple between his fingers.

  “Say my name,” he growled as he started thrusting deeper inside her. “Say it.”

  She sobbed with pleasure. It was too much, all too much—who could ever have known such ecstasy was possible between two people?

  “Say it!”

  “Will,” she whispered, almost unable to speak as he plunged deeper and deeper.

  “Louder.”

  “William!”

  It may have been mere seconds, but she climaxed, and so did he, and she could suddenly no longer support herself. She collapsed onto the floor with Will next to her.

  “That…”

  “I know,” he growled, pulling her into his arms.

  Charlotte could barely think, barely breathe. If this was married life, she was not going to tire of it ever.

  “I love you,” she murmured into his chest, her body still throbbing with pleasure.

  “I love you,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. “My own chaperone for the rest of my life.”

  Epilogue

  Charlotte took a last, lingering look at herself in the mirror, adjusting her diamond earbobs. She had worn them the night she and William had made love in the hallway of her home—many times. That caused her to smile. Today she would become Charlotte Lennox, the Duchess of Mercia.

  To marry the man who had given her so much pleasure and made her feel like the most important woman in the world was a dream come true.

  “You look beautiful.”

  The voice was timid, and Charlotte turned to smile at the nervous girl who had helped her into her gown. Lady Prudence Lennox smiled awkwardly.

  Had it been three weeks since she had first met Prudence and been so unpardonably rude? How Charlotte regretted it, but she had the rest of her life to make it up to her.

  “Thank you for helping me get ready this morning,” she said.

  Prudence smiled. “You are to be my sister—something I have missed.”

  Charlotte understood but would not allow sadness to overtake them. “I think I am ready,” she said hastily. “And if I am not mistaken, I think everyone else is, too.”

  The sash window in her bedchamber was open, and along with a warm breeze, there came the peal of church bells.

  Prudence nodded and picked up the posy of flowers and handed them to Charlotte. Bluebells and anemones picked in the garden at Stonehaven Lacey that morning. Charlotte felt the smoothness of the ribbon. She took a deep breath. This was no longer a fantasy!

  As she stepped down the sweeping staircase, Matthews was standing there along with the entirety of the servants in a line, waiting to wish her well. A send-off for the daughter of the house of Axwick.

  Charlotte’s eyes filled with tears. They were, in a way, as much her family as Richard was.

  “Congratulations,” said Matthews quietly. “I know I speak for the whole household when I say we are all proud of you and pleased for you, my lady. Your Grace.”

  Inclining her head in silent thanks, Charlotte squeezed Matthews’s hand and stepped through the front door. Sunshine poured onto her. There was not a cloud in the sky. It was a perfect day.

  “There you are!” A deep voice boomed as her brother, Richard, strode forward with a top hat on his head and a scowl on his face. “I know it is tradition for the bride to be late, but Lotty…”

  He stopped speaking as soon as he reached her, his eyes wide.

  Charlotte felt the creep of concern tighten her shoulders. “Is there anything amiss? Do I have something in my teeth? Is my hair falling out already?”

  Richard was staring as though he had never seen her before. “Lotty…you look beautiful.”

  Charlotte laughed and looked at the flowers in her hands. “Goodness, Axwick, you are not going to get emotional, are you?”

  Richard shook his head, but his eyes were brighter than normal. “No, no, it is…Mother would have been so proud of you today. As I am.”

  She could have borne anything without tearing up, except that. The mention of their beloved mother stirred up many feelings. She felt her throat tighten.

  “I know,” she murmured, quietly, taking his arm. “She would have been proud of both of us. She is proud of both of us, especially you, another Axwick on the way!”

  “Halfway there,” he said breathlessly, clearing his throat. “But he’ll be here before we get to the church at this rate. Where’s that slip of a thing?”

  Charlotte blinked. “Slip of a thing?”

  “Ah, there she is—keep up, Pru!”

  Trust her brother to be on familiar terms with her sister-in-law already. He never was one to stand on ceremony. She turned to see Prudence tripping down the steps to join them.

  “My apologies, Lady Charlotte, Your Grace!”

  “No need for apologies,” said Richard. Charlotte beamed, he always did have such a way with people, a charm she had never learned. “The church is only next door.”

  As they walked around the corner, Charlotte saw the church decorated with festoons of flowers.

  “Oh, beautiful!” she pulled away from Richard as she stepped toward the church, mouth open. “Axwick, did you know…”

  “Wasn’t me,” he said hastily. “Matthews said the villagers came to ask him about it, whether we would mind, yesterday. Apparently, you are a popular person here in Stonehaven.”

  Charlotte stared. It must have taken them hours to pick all the flowers to transform every inch of the church walls into a bower. Her heart swelled. There was so much goodness in the world.

  “Come on, there are people waiting for you in there,” said Richard good-naturedly, offering his arm once again. “One of them is most eager to see you.”

  Yes, William, her love.

  As she entered the church, Charlotte could not pretend she did not see the stares from women on both sides of the aisle. Were they truly shocked she was finally marrying?

 
; They could not hurt her now. Charlotte smiled as she looked straight ahead. William Lennox, the Duke of Mercia, stood there in his military uniform, which made him look even taller than ever before.

  When she finally reached the top of the aisle, she turned to hand her posy to Lady Prudence, who blushed at the attention and scuttled away to join Tabitha in the pew.

  As the ceremony began and the vows went by in a rush, Charlotte could not stop looking at Will. Her lover. Her husband. Every time she admired him, she found something new to love.

  He was hers. She was his.

  “I now pronounce you man and wife!”

  Charlotte jolted from her reverie to stare at the vicar who was beaming.

  “May I be the first to congratulate you,” he said. “The Duke and Duchess of Mercia!”

  With her hand in his, Will led her down the aisle and squealed with delight as the village children met them at the door, throwing flower petals over them.

  “Huzzah!” They cried as one. “Huzzah for the Duchess!”

  William and Charlotte turned to each other, and she thought she saw a touch of sadness in his eyes. “What is it?” she asked.

  “I wish…” he started but simply shook his head.

  “Your sister?”

  “I am determined we will find her one day,” he said.

  “Yes, we will,” she promised with all her heart.

  “But today,” he said, kissing her tenderly, “we celebrate our love and joy.”

  The first guest to approach them was a friend of Will’s. “I wish you both well,” said Josiah Stanhope, Earl of Chester.

  “Have you thought about it, Chester?”

  Josiah frowned. “Marriage? God, no. I am exhausted enough with politics.”

  William grinned at Charlotte. “I do not believe there is anything so simple as finding the person you love and being with them.”

  “I would say you are right,” retorted Josiah as other well-wishers started to get restless. “As long as you can find the person! I cannot tell you how tiring it is, all these ladies trying to catch an earl. I’m tired of the whole blasted game, the interfering mothers, and the trickery—the wigs! Mercia, you will not believe it when I tell you about this one girl I…”