Текст книги "Truce"

Автор книги: R. L. Mathewson

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Chapter 28

“I’d like a few minutes to discuss the matter with Elizabeth,” Robert said a stunned moment later as he did his best not to grab Elizabeth in his arms and run from this house and this conversation, so that he wouldn’t have to face the fact that he was about to lose the woman that he loved to his brother.

“I don’t think that’s wise,” Lord Norwood said after a slight pause.

“Just a few minutes, Papa,” Elizabeth said, making every muscle in his body tense.

A few minutes…..

That’s all it was going to take to rip his heart out of his chest.

“Very well,” Lord Norwood said stiffly. “We’ll be waiting in my study.”

Robert nodded, but didn’t speak, too afraid that he’d say something that he’d regret later. He’d love nothing more than to yell at the man, but he wouldn’t, not in a million years. Elizabeth would never forgive him, and although he was doing his damndest to resign himself to the fact that he was about to lose her and probably never see her again, he didn’t want her last memory of him to be him insulting her father.

When the door closed with a soft click, he opened his mouth to speak, but realized that he didn’t know what to say. How was he supposed to compete with James? He was older, had a title and a respectable reputation. He would also be able to give her the life that she deserved, that was hers by right. Staying with him would only drag her down, and he loved her too much to do that to her.

If she wanted to save herself by marrying James, then he would allow it. He would sign the necessary documents to end their marriage and then he would leave. He’d gift the forty thousand pounds to her and be done with it. He didn’t want the money, didn’t need a constant reminder of what he’d lost. He would-

“Why are you taking off your nightgown?” he asked, unable to hide his confusion even as he did his best not to look down and failed….about five or six times.

“We only have a few minutes,” he thought she said, but wasn’t entirely sure since all of his attention was on her beautiful breasts that bounced slightly as she leaned over the side of the bed and pulled on the silk rope by her bed.

“Huh?” he mumbled, struggling to focus as her breasts went ahead and bounced again as she shoved the covers off his lap, revealing a rather painful erection.

“Perfect,” she sighed as she threw her leg over him and straddled his lap.

“What’s perfect?” he asked absently, hissing seconds later when the tip of his cock brushed against her wet slit.

Instead of answering him, she laid one hand on his shoulder and, with the other hand, she reached down between them and grabbed ahold of his erection. He opened his mouth once again to ask her what she was doing, but his words escaped him in a strangled moan when she rubbed the head of his cock between the lips of her sex.

Elizabeth released a frustrated groan as she shifted his cock against her once again. When she wiggled, brushing the tip against her core, he was forced to grab her hips and hold her still so that he could focus.

“Elizabeth,-”

“Are you going to help me or not?” she asked, doing her best to wiggle out of his hold.

“Help with what?” he asked, resisting the urge to close his eyes and lick his lips.

“Putting this thing inside of me,” she snapped, sounding frustrated and so damn cute that he couldn’t help but smile until her words registered in his mind.

“What?”

She let out an annoyed sigh as she continued to wiggle, testing his patience and making his eager cock jump. “Look, Robert,” she said, pausing to nibble her bottom lip as she shifted on his lap, “we only have a few minutes to do this if we’re going to save this marriage, so I’d really appreciate a little help here.”

“You want to save our marriage?” he asked, stunned enough to tighten his grip on her hips to stop her maddening movements and focus on what she was saying.

She let out a snort as she released the grip she had on his cock and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “You really didn’t think that you were going to get rid of me that easily, now did you?” she asked with a sweet smile as she leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips against his.

“I can’t give you the things that James can give you,” he felt obligated to point out.

“And he can’t give me the things that you can. So, if you don’t mind I’d really like to consummate this marriage and end the matter,” she said, pulling back just far enough so that he could see her smile as she teasingly wiggled on his lap again.

It took every ounce of strength he had in him to stay still. “You’re sure?” he asked, selfishly not arguing with her or pointing out how much better off she’d be with James since he was a selfish bastard.

“Yes,” she said, leaning in to kiss him again, but he had other plans.

He swallowed her gasp of surprise as he tightened his hold on her hips and shifted to roll her over onto her back. Before her back hit the soft mattress, he was inside her.

“You feel so good, minx,” he groaned, pulling back quickly only to slide in slowly, enjoying the way her sheath coated every inch of him along the way.

“Don’t stop,” she said, reaching up and fisting her hands in his hair and yanking him down for a kiss.

He went willing as he reached down and cupped the back of her knee and pulled her leg up, opening her wider and allowing him to sink further inside her. It was heaven.

It was hell.

“We have to stop,” he said, struggling to pull out, but it seemed that he no longer had control of his body.

“Don’t make me kill you!” Elizabeth growled against his lips, making him moan even as he groaned in frustration.

“If we don’t stop now, the servants will walk in on us,” he said, not really caring if he was caught having sex, but he didn’t want to embarrass his wife or risk anyone else seeing the beautiful body that was meant for his eyes only.

“Good,” she said, surprising him.

“Good?” he asked, leaning down to kiss her simply because he couldn’t help himself.

“Because I plan on keeping you,” Elizabeth said against his lips, taking him by surprise.

“Are you sure?” he asked, deciding once again not to argue with her since he wasn’t an idiot. There really was no need to remind her that James was probably the better choice. She’d figure it out eventually and by the time that she did, it would be too late.

“Yes,” she hissed, panting hard as she wrapped her legs around him and arched her back to take him deeper.

“I’m never letting you go, minx,” he swore against her lips as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him.

“Good.”

“Do you need help getting dressed, my-Oh, my God!” he heard a maid scream seconds before the door slammed shut.

“I guess you’re stuck with me, Mr. Bradford,” Elizabeth said, smiling against his lips and giving him no choice but to smile back.

“I guess I am, Mrs. Bradford,” he said, chuckling when he heard the commotion out in the hallway, guaranteeing that no one was ever going to be able to take her away from him.

Chapter 29

“Your brother left again.”

“I wasn’t aware that he’d returned,” Robert murmured absently, barely sparing his mother a glance as he continued to pace the foyer.

“He returned yesterday afternoon after your father sent for him,” his mother explained with a huff as she gave up the hope that he’d stop pacing and sat down on the chair by the breakfast room.

“He came immediately?” he asked, shooting another glare towards the back hall.

No doubt his brother had been able to come so quickly because he’d been staying with his mistress, but he didn’t bother pointing that out to his mother since it would probably earn him a glare and a whole new lecture.

“Yes,” his mother said as she smoothed down her skirt, “you knew that he was eager to marry Elizabeth.”

“And get her fortune,” Robert pointed out, wondering why it was taking so long for the cook to make the peppermint tea she’d promised would settle his wife’s stomach.

“It’s how things are done,” she said with a resigned sigh.

“Things change,” he said, glancing at the clock by the door before returning his attention to the back hall. If they didn’t have her tea ready for her in five minutes, he was going back there and making the damn tea himself.

“It would have been a safe match,” his mother said quietly, drawing his attention momentarily from the hallway.

“I’d never hurt her,” he said tightly, sick of the bullshit assumptions that he’d ever hurt Elizabeth.

“Not on purpose,” she hedged carefully, “but with your history, I doubt that it will be very long before the two of you are at each other’s throats.”

“We’re getting along just fine,” he said evenly, shooting another glance at the clock.

They were getting along more than just fine. After they’d made love this morning to put an end to any more suggestions that they should annul the marriage, they’d fallen back asleep in each other’s arms. Not too long ago he’d woken up with Elizabeth straddling his lap as she once again tried to ride him. Apparently once his minx got an idea into her head, she couldn’t let it go.

Thank God for that!

It had probably been the most difficult thing that he’d ever done in his life, but he’d managed to force himself to lie there and let Elizabeth have her fun. He’d loved the way she smiled, laughed and made fun of herself as she did her best to figure out the mechanics of riding him.

She’d made him smile and laugh even as he’d been forced to fold his hands behind his head to stop himself from grabbing her and slamming her down on his cock. God, she’d been so wet, dripping on his hungry cock as she rubbed on him, desperate to put it inside her. When she started grinding her wet mound against him as she moaned and panted his name, he’d lost the battle and reached down and gripped himself.

By that time his cock had been completely coated in her juices. His hand slid down his length and he’d moaned. It had felt so good, so unbelievably good. His hand moved on its own as his eyes devoured the sight of her. Watching her watch him stroke himself had nearly undone him so he’d slowed down, teasing them both.

He’d loved the way her eyes became hooded, her breathing quickened, her nipples hardened as though they were reaching for him, but nothing compared to the way that her hips had started to shift as though she was imagining his cock inside her. Just watching her get excited was enough to have his balls draw up tight.

Just as he slid his hand down to the base and held it up in offering she did something that he’d never expected and had never seen another woman do before. She reached down and cupped herself between her legs and released a moan so sweet that he’d honestly been surprised that he hadn’t instantly exploded.

His hand started to move again, his eyes locked on her hand as she slowly massaged her mound. His breathing had become labored as she explored herself, her fingers sliding between her slit, glistening with her arousal and, when she tentatively slid a finger inside of herself, he’d been forced to grip his cock tightly to stop himself from coming.

For several agonizing minutes he watched as his wife learned to pleasure herself. Her expression had been one of pleasure mixed with disbelief and wonder. She’d been so goddamn beautiful and when he told her so, she’d blushed prettily, but didn’t stop.

No, not his minx.

She’d loved the way that he reacted to her, enjoyed it to the point that she started to tease him. She’d caressed her breast with her free hand, slid her fingers slowly inside her core and he’d lost control of his tongue. He told her in detail how much he loved watching her, how badly he wanted to suck on her fingers, lick her clean and fuck her. He swore, used words that no man of his class would use in front of his wife and hadn’t cared, especially since it made her lose control.

When she found her moment, he’d simply watched her, loving the way her skin flushed with excitement, her breasts bounced, and the way she moaned and whimpered with every thrust of her fingers. The moment that she’d finished, she found herself on her back and his cock ramming inside her still quivering sheath.

He hadn’t lasted long, but he’d taken her with everything he had, not holding back until she was screaming his name and he was spilling inside of her. Moments after he’d come, he was still slowly thrusting his softening cock inside of her, wanting nothing more than to take her again, but his minx it seemed had other plans.

With a muttered cry of distress, she’d pushed him away, slapped a hand over her mouth and ran to the chamber pot and proceeded to get sick. Feeling like a bastard for taking her so soon after she’d lost the baby, he got up to go comfort her, but she wasn’t having that. Anytime he came close enough to fuss over her, she would shake her head and let out a pitiful moan that left his chest aching.

He hated seeing her like this and wanted to take care of her, but the damn woman was being stubborn. The only thing that she would allow him to do was to have a bath drawn for her so that she could soak and to come downstairs and inquire about the peppermint tea that the cook had suggested would ease her stomach.

“Robert? Did you hear anything that I just said,” his mother snapped in frustration.

“Yes, of course,” he lied, ramming his fingers through his hair. Where the hell was her tea?

“No, you didn’t,” she said, sighing softly, but didn’t seem all that upset over the matter.

“Sorry,” he said, shooting her a forced smile before he returned his attention to the hallway.

“I don’t want to see you hurt, Robert,” his mother said as she came to her feet and walked towards him, stepping in his path and giving him no choice but to stop pacing.

“I’m not going to get hurt,” he murmured, shifting his attention past his mother and towards the kitchen.

“I hoped that one day you’d make a good match, Robert,” she started to explain, but he was in no mood for a lecture this morning.

“This is a good match,” he said quietly, giving her a smile as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his mother’s cheek. “Better than good.”

“I know that Elizabeth is beautiful and exciting, but that doesn’t make for a good match, Robert. These feelings won’t last forever and when they’re gone you’ll be left with a wife that you don’t want, who makes you unhappy and I don’t want that for you.”

“What feelings are these?” he found himself asking, wondering if his mother realized that he was in love with Elizabeth.

She cleared her throat uncomfortably as she shifted her gaze away from him. “The feelings men have for beautiful women, Robert. I may be your mother, but I know that men often allow their attentions to take control of their lives and I’m afraid that’s what you’ve done, Robert. You’ve married a woman that you hate simply because she’s beautiful.”

“That’s not why I married her,” Robert said, trying to reassure his mother that everything would be okay.

“I know that you married her to do the right thing. That’s how you were raised and I would expect nothing less from you, Robert, but with the baby gone you can fix this mistake. You can end this marriage before anyone gets hurt,” she said, her tone pleading as she reached out and took both his hands into hers.

“You and I both know that an annulment is no longer an option. Not after this morning. By now everyone will know that this is a marriage in truth.”

“Your father and Lord Norwood have taken care of that,” his mother said tightly, looking anywhere but at him and not sounding pleased to have this conversation any more than he was.

“And what exactly did they take care of?” he demanded, pulling his hands away.

“They’ve made sure that none of the servants will talk,” she said, looking up at him. “As you can see, there’s still time to fix this, Robert.”

“There’s nothing to fix,” he said evenly, done with this conversation. “We’re not getting this marriage annulled so you can save your efforts, because they’re not wanted.”

“Would you please listen to reason and-”

“I love her!” he snapped, realizing his mistake only too late. He shook his head in frustration. “Just forget that I said-”

“You love her?” she asked, looking stunned.

“Yes,” he said, realizing there was no point in lying about it. The words were already out and knowing his mother, she would never be able to pretend otherwise.

“Truly?” she asked, her eyes narrowing on him as she waited for an answer.

“Truly,” he said, preparing himself for the tears of joy and mushy sentiments that were no doubt about to follow.

Women were silly creatures when it came to declarations of love, but at least it would gain his mother’s support, he realized. He hadn’t planned on telling her how he felt, but it was probably for the best. She’d put an end to this annulment bullshit and he could focus on more important matters like his investments. It had been several days since he’d been able to get any work done and now that Elizabeth was on the mend he could-

“Bloody hell!” he shouted, moving to yank his hand away from the vicious woman, but apparently he hadn’t moved fast enough, because his mother struck his knuckles with her fan, again.

“That’s for swearing in front of your mother!” she snapped, propping her fists on her hips as she scowled at him, making her attentions for another attack clear if he stepped out of line.

“And the first one?” he bit out, rubbing the back of his stinging hand as he glared down at his mother, but he wasn’t stupid enough to raise his voice at her. She was still gripping her fan after all.

“For lying to me!”

“I never lied to you,” he said, frowning in confusion as he thought over their conversation, wondering what she was talking about.

“If you think that you’re going to manipulate me into taking your side and looking the other way while you continue with this mistake of a marriage, then you have another thing coming, young man!” she said, jabbing that damn fan, that he was going to have to steal, in his chest as she made her point.

“I didn’t-”

“What’s going on?” his father asked, probably saving him from another rap on the-

“Ow!”

“That’s for trying to lie to me again!” she explained before he could ask.

She swiftly turned her attention on his father, who had the good sense to get the hell out of her way as she turned to storm out of the foyer. “You fix this!” she snapped at his father with a glare that clearly said there would be hell to pay if he didn’t.

“Of course, my dear,” his father muttered obediently as he watched his wife storm off.

“Where are you going?” Robert asked, watching as his father practically ran to the door seconds later.

“To my club where it’s safe,” his father said, barely sparing him a glance as he made his escape.

For a moment, he considered following his father, not really caring that it was the cowardly thing to do, but he had a sick wife that he needed to take care of first. After he made sure that Elizabeth was settled, he would consider escaping this madhouse until everyone came to their damn senses.

Chapter 30

“What are you doing?”

Elizabeth chewed on her bottom lip as she dropped her hairpin and picked up the small nail she’d found lying on the floor near where Robert’s jacket hung and proceeded to stick it in the keyhole, uncaring that the owner of the chest was now standing over her, looking amused.

“Stealing your chest,” she said, even though she felt it should be more than obvious what she was doing.

“Do you do this often?” Robert asked, placing the cup of tea that he’d promised her over a half hour ago on the small table to the right before he gently pried the nail from her hand and handed over a small, simple, but still somewhat stunning key.

“No,” she admitted, “but I’ve decided to make an exception in this case.”

“So, you like the chest?” he hesitantly asked, sounding a little nervous.

“I wouldn’t be stealing it if I didn’t,” she pointed out as she slid the key inside the lock and with a satisfied sigh, unlocked the chest that she’d decided was rightfully hers twenty minutes ago when two footmen had carried it into the room.

It was the most beautiful chest that she’d ever seen in her life. She’d never seen a piece of furniture that she’d gladly kill for before. The chest was made from the finest wood, which had been polished to perfection. Black metal strips lined the edges and corners perfectly, making it appear as though the metal and the wood were one instead of constructed together. The design in the wood was leveled, standing out in a way that complimented the black metal to perfection.

She was sorely tempted to beg her father to buy her a matching bedroom set, something that she never would have done before, but she couldn’t. Not only would her father try to use her request against her to manipulate her into ending her marriage with Robert, but she would also be insulting her husband’s pride if she did that. He’d not only forgiven her for lying to him about the baby, offered to give her pin money when she’d brought nothing to the marriage, but he’d also turned down forty-thousand pounds to be with her. Well, so she hadn’t exactly given him a chance to turn down that money, but he could have said something.

“It’s yours,” he said, kneeling beside her.

“I’m glad that we agree,” she murmured absently as she raised the cover and looked inside, surprised to see what appeared to be two doors at the top, acting as another cover.

He chuckled as he reached past her and opened the two doors, revealing two sections; the left half held a small deep tray at the top with three small drawers beneath it and the right half of the chest was lined with what appeared to be light pink silk on the bottom and three sides.

“This is for your slippers,” he explained as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pointed to the tray at the top, “and these drawers are for your hair ribbons, handkerchiefs, books, whatever you wish to place inside them.”

“This is really for me?” she asked, touched beyond words that he would buy her something so beautiful.

“Mmmmhmm,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before he continued to explain the chest. “The silk will make sure that your dresses don’t get snagged on the wood and the doors will prevent them from being bounced around and wrinkled when the box is moved.”

“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered, tracing her fingertips along the silk material.

“You haven’t seen the best part yet,” he said, sounding quite pleased as he gripped the center divider of the tray and pushed it to the side. A small click caught her attention. She watched as the entire left side shifted to the right, sliding over the silk bottom of the right side without touching it and revealing a hidden section of the chest.

“You can hide your money, valuables and anything else that you don’t want to be found in here,” he explained as he once again pushed the small divider, but this time towards the left. With another soft click the entire section slid back in place.

“Oh my God,” was all she could manage, because she’d never seen anything like it before.

“It was supposed to be your birthday present, minx, but since we’ll be leaving in a couple of weeks I thought that you should have it now. I wanted to be here when it was brought to the room, but you weren’t feeling well and I didn’t want you to have to wait for your tea,” he said, rambling on nervously for the first time since she could remember.

“You bought this for me?” she asked, not missing the part where he’d admitted that he’d planned on giving this to her for her birthday. Since he hadn’t left the house since they’d married or her side for that matter, she realized that he’d bought this for her before he found out about the baby.

“No,” he said, confusing her until she realized that perhaps he’d bought this for another woman. If that was the case she didn’t think that she could stomach seeing a reminder that he’d wanted another woman no matter how much she loved the chest.

“This was made for you, minx,” he said, taking her by surprise.

“It was?” she asked, feeling ridiculously happy that he would do something so wonderful for her when he’d professed to hate her. It made her wonder if it was possible that-

“I made it for you.”

---

“You made this?” Elizabeth asked, shooting him a questioning look before returning her attention back to the chest.

“Yes,” he said with dread as Elizabeth looked over the chest, taking her time and studying everything more closely.

“When did you learn to do this?” she asked, running her fingers over the silk.

“When I was fourteen,” he said, exhaling slowly as he sat down on the floor and leaned back until his back was pressed against the foot of the bed.

“I don’t remember you doing this sort of thing when we were children,” Elizabeth murmured, picking up her tea and taking a small sip as she continued to examine the chest.

He shook his head. “My parents would never have allowed me to take up this hobby,” he said, not bothering to mention the reason why since they both knew.

Women weren’t the only ones that were restricted by the rules of society. Men were as well. Even though it was very unlikely that he would ever inherit the title, he was still the son of an earl and expected to carry himself as one. He could own land, run an estate, invest and even join the army if his father bought him a commission, but there were things that he wasn’t supposed to do, never mind like.

Carpentry was one of them.

No man of his station was supposed to work in trade, to be a laborer, but he loved it. He loved working with his hands. He loved creating something beautiful from a pile of wood and nails. It kept him focused and allowed him to calm down when most days all he wanted to do was to drive his fist through something. It had been the only thing that had saved him from doing something truly foolish when he’d been a child.

“Will you tell me?” she asked, placing her cup back on the table.

He shook his head as he looked away. “I’m not sure that you want to hear this story.”

When she gently cupped his face in her hands to pull his attention back to her, he allowed it. “Please tell me,” she said, settling down to kneel next to him on the floor so that she was facing him.

He didn’t know where to start, wasn’t sure that he could share this with her. Knowing that there was a good chance that she would try to run away from him once he started, he took her hands in his and gently pulled her towards him. When she was close enough, he picked her up and placed her so that she was sitting across his lap.

Once she was comfortable, he wrapped his arms around her, pleased when she laid her head against his shoulder so that he wouldn’t have to look at her when he told her what she wanted to hear.

“You turned my life into a living hell,” he began hollowly, allowing himself to remember just how bad his life had been.

“What?” she asked, moving to turn in his arms, but he tightened his hold on her just enough to stop her.

“I can’t tell you this story, minx, if I have to look at you,” he explained, sighing in relief when she stopped trying to move.

She settled back against him and whispered, “Okay.”

“Did you know that my parents had originally refused to let me attend school?” he asked, deciding that the only way that he was going to survive this was to ease into it.

“No, I didn’t know that,” she answered softly.

He shifted against the bedframe, getting comfortable as he pressed a kiss to Elizabeth’s forehead, more for his benefit than hers. When she took one of his hands into hers and entwined their fingers, he knew that she understood.

“They were afraid that I wouldn’t be able to control my problem and that the other boys would find out. They didn’t want me to be humiliated and thought it would be best if I were to work with a tutor until I outgrew my problem.”

“What made them change their minds?” Elizabeth asked, shifting so that she could rest her head against his chest.

“James,” he said with a smile, remembering how his older brother had fought for him. “He was always so damn protective of me.”

“I remember,” Elizabeth murmured with what sounded like a smile.

“He didn’t want me missing out or picked on for being coddled by our parents. He worked on my parents every chance he got until they finally had enough and agreed to allow me to go,” he said, dropping his head back against the frame and closing his eyes as he remembered the day that his parents told him that he could go. It had been one of the best days of his life.

James had taken him fishing to celebrate. They hadn’t caught a damn thing, but it was one of the best fishing trips he’d ever had before or since. His brother had shared stories of all the mischief he’d pulled in school, given Robert tips on how to sneak out after hours and even on how to sneak in sweets so that he wouldn’t starve. When they came home his parents made sure that the cook had made all of his favorites and, for the first time in his life, they hadn’t said a word when he reached for more food. His father had ended the night by giving him his grandfather’s pocket watch, the same watch that was stolen only a few months later by a couple of boys who’d broken into his room to soak his clothes in vinegar.

“Sometimes I wish that he hadn’t been such a good brother,” Robert admitted on a sigh.

“No, you don’t,” Elizabeth said with a soft laugh that had him smiling despite his mood.

“No, I don’t,” he admitted, because he wouldn’t change a damn thing about his brother.

“After the incident in the park,” he said, deciding to just get it over with, “he refused to help me. I begged him to help me convince our parents to let me stay home, but he wouldn’t budge. He was convinced that if I let them push me around, that they would never stop. When I ran away he came after me and gave me the thrashing of a lifetime. It was the first and last time that he’d ever hit me.”

“When my parents realized how miserable I was, they started to reconsider sending me, but James wouldn’t have it. He dragged me to school and made damn sure that I stayed. He told me that it would be okay, that things wouldn’t be that bad, but he was wrong.”