Libertine's Wife (21 page)

Arianne lay dazed upon the pillows. She
sighed in contented satisfaction, felt him slide her ankles and
wrists free finally. She was sprawled against his sweaty chest;
some instinct telling her not to remove the mask.

Garret left it on a good while longer.
The startling revelation his wife enjoyed such erotic play
intrigued him. The feelings it evoked in him made him hold her
tightly. Suddenly the fact he had a wife didn’t seem the burden it
had before.

His secret desires were only known by
the few women he sought to ease his hidden torment, women skilled
in such arts, not those like his innocent wife. These were
professional courtesans who knew exactly what to do to arouse him.
Then there was Arianne, whose very instinct seemed to give into
him.

His arms crushed her to his chest,
feeling elated and repelled by this need to dominate his partners
in such ways to find his release. Arianne didn’t see him as lewd,
nor did she object to his form of entertainments in bed.

Garret never understood why he needed
more stimulation than other men to achieve pleasure. He attributed
it to his lonely miserable childhood, his lack of trust in women’s
feelings, or some part of him that was forever broken by Miriam’s
depravity.

“
Don’t send me away again,”
Arianne whispered hoarsely as her head turned towards him, the mask
keeping him from seeing the pleading in her gaze. “Keep me with
you, Garret.”

He reached out and removed the mask,
seeing the stark emotion in her eyes, the desperation there. He
reached out and traced her cheek where the imprint of the mask
reddened it. “Wherever this takes us both is unknown. I can’t
promise you anything, Arianne. This is all very new to me. I want
you with me, but you must learn to hold nothing back from me. Can
you do that?”

“
Yes,” Arianne said and
kissed the fingers that stroked her cheek, biting at them eagerly
as she drew him down with her against the pillows. “I will do
whatever you wish, just don’t send me away again.”

Garret watched as she sucked upon his
fingertips, aching from her impassioned words. He wanted so badly
to believe her, fall into the spell she wove around him the minute
he saw her. He was lost in those deep blue eyes as they stared up
at him so trustingly. He stroked her hair, holding her tightly. “I
have another game for you, my sweet,” he whispered at her ear,
making her tremble from the look in his eyes. “Do you trust me,
Arianne?”

“
Yes,” Arianne said without
hesitation, her eyes filled with eagerness. “Show me
everything.”

~ ~ ~

Arianne rolled over and
sighed with delight. Suddenly her eyes flew wide, sitting up,
seeing the light glaring into the room from the part in the
draperies. She glanced at the mantle clock above the fireplace and
her eyes widened.
One o’clock in the
afternoon
!

Blushing, she recalled the way her
husband kept her awake until nearly dawn. She grabbed his robe and
tiptoed back to her own rooms. Once there, she didn’t have long to
wait and a maid arrived to help her with her bath and
toilette.

As the girl did her hair, her
expression grew dreamy to recall the hours spent in her husband’s
arms. The passion left them both weak and sated. Even when she
would have slept, he kissed her awake, refusing to allow her sleep
until he took back years worth of husbandly rights. The missed
years of his rights kept her up until dawn, her body aching with
unimaginable delight.

Arianne dressed carefully, wanting to
please him. She wore a cheerful sprigged yellow muslin gown,
fretting over her hair and appearance. Thoughts of him filled her
mind, a soft smile in place as Ginny helped her.

She was eager for her last fitting
today before her new clothes were delivered. Eustace handled all
her needs before and grudgingly doled out funds to gown her
appropriately. After years in the country, they had all seen better
days. Some were unfit to wear and more suited for a rag
bag.

A breakfast tray arrived with a single
rose left for her. A maid smiled shyly as she told her it was from
her husband. Arianne sniffed the rose appreciatively as she thought
of how very thorough their reuniting was. High color rode her
cheeks.

Thinking of his sneaking down to the
kitchens to bring back more of the chocolate desert made her smile.
The fact he ate it off her body nearly drove her to fits. She
giggled to think of what the servants would think when they cleaned
the destroyed room from the evening revels. She sobered at once to
think they were used to their employer’s scandalous, unconventional
ways.

Once she ate and was dressed, she went
downstairs. Elliot informed her that her husband awaited her in his
study. She knocked upon the door and entered. Garret sat behind his
desk writing a letter, looking up as she came in.

The slow appreciative look in his green
eyes reminded her the night before was no dream. Her body trembled
to recall the sensual pleasure between them burned the hottest
before dawn, when he made her nearly scream her release to the
rafters.

His green eyes were soft as they met
hers. “I trust you slept well? The day is half over, my
dear.”

“
Yes, I slept very well,”
she informed with an impish grin. “Once I was allowed to, that
is.”

Garret grinned fondly. “You have only a
reprieve, my lady wife. Our son is at the park with his nanny. Here
is a letter of credit,” he said as he handed it to her. “You need
to see the dressmaker today for your final fitting. Purchase
whatever else it is you ladies need. The shops should keep you busy
today. As much as it would please me; we can’t have you running
about naked.”

Arianne giggled at his words, feeling
silly and giddy. The intimacy they shared the night before made her
breathless, hanging on his every word.

“
Oh, and another thing, my
dear,” Garret said with a slow lazy grin. “We will take dinner in
my room tonight. I believe I only got only half of my missed rights
restored to me; if I do recall.”

She raised an eyebrow, her body
quivering in anticipation. “Your wish to make up for lost time is
going to ruin my son’s morning schedule. He will be quite put out
if I fail to get up with him tomorrow too.”

“
I assured him your needs
had to be met before his,” Garret said with a teasing smile. “He
was fine with me there to see to him.”

Knowing Garret stayed up after she fell
asleep in exhaustion startled her. He got up with Jaime that
morning, allowing her to sleep. Another lump formed in her throat.
She seemed to get those more often, seeing firsthand how he latched
onto their child.

“
Thank you, I won’t be
long,” she said with a lingering smile, fearful to lose the growing
affection in his gaze.

“
Don’t buy too many more
clothes though, my dear,” Garret ordered softly, a sensual smile
curving his lips. “I like the image of you running around naked,
come to think of it. We must try that—stay unclothed all day. That
could be amusing.”

Arianne latched onto his sultry words.
Her eyes grew darker, recalling the carnal lust that made her sob
and claw the bedding as her handsome husband pillaged his rights
with hungry abandon, nearly devouring her with his ardor. “I shan’t
buy more than necessary,” she promised huskily, rewarded with his
slow, lustful stare. “If you continue to look at me that way, you
may get your wish. You make it hard for me to leave.”

Garret’s smile deepened. “Go, or I
won’t get anything done. I’ve a million things to do today. The
sight of you makes me forget them all.”

Arianne left the study hanging on his
last words, a smile plastered on her face. She was humming under
her breath as she sought out her maid and driver. All the way to
the shopping district she was lost in a pleasant daydream. Ginny
chatted at her side, but she hardly heard her. Her thoughts were
distinctly focused on her husband. She felt like her feet hardly
touched the ground since she woke up; floating about with a sense
of joy she refused to name.

Arianne enjoyed the day of shopping,
buying her favorite perfumes, scented oils, and fragrant soaps for
her bath. She was nearly done when she saw to her final fitting.
She exited the dressmaker’s shop after trying on the exquisite new
wardrobe.

Ginny was asleep in the coach already.
She took pity on the maid and didn’t make her endure the hours she
spent in the shop.

Arianne was excited to get back home.
So much, she didn’t see the man moving in her direction on the busy
walkway, crowded with other pedestrians. She was cut off and
gasped, stepping back to see it was Eustace. He wore a dark knit
cap pulled over his head, and looked around, nervous of being seen
during daylight.

“
It’s good to see you again,
Arianne.” He smiled nervously, his face filled with obvious
desperation.

“
Eustace, how did you know I
was here?”

He smiled pleasantly as he moved
closer. “I made it my business to know my sister was back. I waited
and followed Ravensford’s coach here.”

She was alarmed to know he was no doubt
stalking her husband’s residence to have followed her. A feeling of
unease came over her as he came near. He was thinner than she
recalled. Her heart clenched to see his gaunt cheeks. He was
unshaven and unkempt, making her question her promise to her
husband. She recalled his words of warning on the return trip back
to London.

“
What is this I’ve heard
that you’re back into trouble again?” She fumed, glaring up at him
in blatant disapproval. “Will you never learn, Eustace?”

“
Come, walk with me. Your
driver is paying no attention.” He guided her away from sight of
the liveried footmen talking on the coach’s perch. “We have to
talk, little sister.”

Arianne dreaded breaking the promise to
her husband the minute she saw her brother. She followed him down
the walk to an alleyway.

Once there, hidden from the sight of
others, he leaned against the brick wall. Her brother regarded her
with a look of worry. “The men I owe money to know you’re married
to Ravensford.” He grimaced, avoiding her accusing gaze. “That is
probably the only reason I’m still alive, and no other.”

Arianne could immediately see where he
went. “If you think Garret will bail you out again, Eustace; you
can forget that! My husband threatened to ship me back to his
estate if he caught me even talking to you!”

“
You don’t understand.
They’ll kill me this time, Arianne.” Eustace whined with pleading
in his blue eyes, his words twisting her heart. “Please, you have
to help me. You’re my only hope.”

“
Eustace, I have no access
to Garret’s funds.” She knew her husband was right. Her brother
wanted money, nothing more. He didn’t even act like he hadn’t seen
her in years, but leapt at getting funds to feed his gambling
addiction.

Eustace glared at her then, his eyes
turning ugly. “You lie! Ravensford has more money than he knows
what to do with. Were you to try; you could get me out of
this.”

“
I can do nothing for you,
Eustace.” She gave a frustrated sigh, staring at him with a shake
of her head. “I hardly have my husband’s full trust after what we
did to him. If you think he would just open his purse to me, think
again. You saw to that when you forced me to go along with
you.”

“
I had a run of bad luck
since then,” Eustace said defensively. “Ravensford’s money
disappeared and I lost heavily trying to get it back. I can get it
back. I just need an advance, a small one, to try.”

“
You won’t ever get it back,
Eustace.” Arianne’s heart twisted to see what had become of him.
“You’re sick and you have to stop this madness. I can’t help you
anymore.”

“
Can’t or won’t, little
sister?” He had a nasty gleam in his eyes now. “If not for me; you
wouldn’t even be married to Ravensford, but that poor bastard,
Vale.”

Arianne made an angry noise, her eyes
flashing in outrage. “If not for you; I wouldn’t have spent the
last years banished to one of his estates while the man got over
his anger! No, I can’t help you, Eustace! No one can!”

Her brother regarded her with a
speculative look. “I heard you had his brat during your exile,
little sister. Giving him an heir should please him well enough to
be generous with you.”

“
My husband has warned me
with threats to take away my son should I try to help you. If I’m
caught, I’m to be shipped back there without my child. If you think
I’ll risk his wrath so you can recoup your losses, you can forget
about it!”

“
Does Vale know you were
expecting his bastard when you married Ravensford?” Eustace asked
pleasantly, making her gasp at his words.

“
The child is Garret’s! I
can assure you my son isn’t Julian’s.” She felt her heart plummet
when she saw his insolent smirk.

“
Come now, Arianne, I’m your
brother. You need not lie to me. Your maid informed me of your
condition before we left for London. If you must know; it was the
only reason I let you marry the man. I planned only to demand money
to keep silent of his night in your bed. You would have done me no
good after that with Vale’s bastard in your belly.”