Married by Morning (3 page)

     “I do mean it!  You have never loved me step mama and you know it.  I was in your way.  I can only conclude that you will wish to leave the premises immediately.  You can take up residence in the dower house on the country estate.”  He tuned and glared at her for emphasis, relishing his role in this.

     “What are you saying?  That I should leave Town?  When the season is just starting?  I cannot imagine doing that and you are too cruel to say it.”

     “You will have no use for the ton and Town as you are in mourning.  Remember?  How can you talk of going to balls and plays at such a time?”

     Sebastian was ready to laugh out loud with glee when his stepmother stomped out of the library and up the stairs to her room.  It would not be easy getting rid of the old witch but he had to wedge her loose somehow.  He turned to his little blushing cutie pie and wanted to squeeze her all over.  She was so delicious and so innocent. All these horrible relatives might prove too much for her.  Maybe, he should try and talk the bishop into performing the ceremony tonight.  He was after all about to die for wanting her under him. Now!  He wanted to be heaving and sweating and pumping and pushing and loving her whole luscious body.  He turned to sweating gasping stone and looked at the clock in the hall.  It was almost noon.  They could eat and then get married and go to bed.  No, he had to wait for the license.  “Bloody Hell!”

     “What is wrong my love?  Did your mama make you upset?  I am so sorry to distress you so much.  Do you want me to leave after all?  I think there is someone else coming in the room.”  Sebastian looked around and saw no one.  What was she talking about?  He smiled into her eyes and almost forgot about it until the door closed with a bang.

     “As the oldest sister, it is my responsibility to tell you that you brother are acting like a fool.  I have never been so humiliated in my life.  The servants are laughing at you.  We cannot begin the season with you acting like an idiot.  What will the ton think about all this?”  Stella Stewart stood with all her green-eyed, red haired elegance and shouted at Sebastian’s head.  Then she turned lowered eyes to Connie and took three steps toward her with her hand raised.  Sebastian grabbed her arm and spun her around.

      “Not on your life Stella!  Do not think to strike my betrothed. I would hate to break your arm, but I will.  You and my other sisters can go to the dowager house and live with Abigail.  I will not even let you go to one ball.  I do not care if you ever get married.  You would be on the streets before you could be any gentleman’s housekeeper or nanny.  I do not care any more.  You all have made my life miserable for too long.  I am free.  Do you hear me?  I am free of you all.  You can all leave. If you do not like my wife and do not show her proper respect then you can all go to the Devil for all I care.”

     Stella stomped out of the library and into the salon where her sisters were waiting for a report.  It was with expectant eyes that they all turned on her.

      She sighed narrowed her eyes and screeched, “Never mind me.  He will throw us all out on the streets if we do not respect his new bride and treat her with respect.  I have never been so humiliated in my life.  I wish father was still alive to see this betrayal.  He would know what to do.”  Her sisters all nodded in agreement as they always did for Stella.  She could turn on them next and that would not be pleasant at all.

      Horace gripped another scone and swallowed another gulp of his tea.  He had on a pink waistcoat with a white crisp cravat.  His polished boots shown brilliantly with his rose colored and embroidered coat he took great pains not to soak with the tea and crumbs. Brushing at a none existent crumb, he swallowed, looked at his cousins and snickered,

     “I knew this day would come.  I knew he would throw you all out on your ear.”  He laughed and then harrumphed.

     “Us on our ear, are you daft?  He wants us all out on the street.”  Stella screeched.   She marched over to the tea tray and grabbed a macaroon.

    “All you have to do is be nice to the chit.  I heard what he said through the door.  I will be so nice to her that honey will drip from my lips.  I have no place to go and I will not jeopardize my place in society.  You do realize that he is the Earl now and if he wants he can send you all to Bedlam.  I think that would be good for all of you to spend some time there like I did.” Horace munched on his scone and looked at them with wide innocent eyes.  His fat lips were working all the time. “I can be quite agreeable when I have to be.”

     Abigail stomped into the salon pulling at her hair and rubbing her fingers together.  “I will get rid of that chit.  I have a plan if you will all listen to me. We can remedy this situation in no time.”  Diana rolled her eyes at her mama.

     “I am going to marry Robby Thornton Mama!  I have wanted to marry him all this time and you would not let me but now that Sebastian is the Earl, I can ask him and he will let me.”  Diana Stewart declared with a mouth full of scones.  “I do not care what the rest of you do.  Robby is a viscount and will provide for me handsomely.  I do not care what the rest of you do.  I am staying in London for the season.   I have people to see and places to go.”  Stella paced over to Diana and slapped her soundly.

     “You uncaring little cunt!  Do you not care about us?  I will have you know that I have taken care of you for all these years and you will help me.”  Diana rubbed her cheek and then spat at Stella.  “You think that will convince me?  I will have Robby draw and quarter your butt.  You nasty witch!” Abigail grabbed Diana’s arm from a backward glance at Stella and stopped it in mid air.

     “What have I taught you?  This will get you nowhere.  We must ban together and get rid of this chit.  I think we need to get Lady Tracy Penton over here.  I know she will get rid of her and she is one of us.  We picked her for Sebastian and groomed her all these years to be one of us so we could use her.”  Abigail pointed one long bony finger at Diana’s chest and told her in one word what she would do.  “Stop!”  Diana began to wail at her mama.  “I can get slapped but I cannot slap her back and I am supposed to help you?  What do I get for this?  I just want out of this crazy house.”  Diana ran out of the salon and up the stairs to her room.  Abigail laughed as she left.  “At least I have one daughter that knows how to treat stupid chits like you.”  Abigail turned to Stella and nodded her approval.  “I think you have the right idea.  Maybe, we should let Diana go.  She could be a liability since she is so determined and then we can control the situation much better.  Abigail’s sister Mable strolled into the salon. “I just passed Diana on the stairs.  The poor girl was crying her eyes out.  What have you done to her now, sister?”  Mable sat down by the fireplace pulling her shawl up closer around her ears.   Abigail reached over and pulled a chair up to the fire too.  She had a way of controlling her sister that was not sisterly at all.

     “It is of no concern Mable.  The girl is just too sensitive.  She is more like you than me and that troubles me somewhat.”  Mable looked at her with wide eyes and shook her head. “No one is like me.”  Mable looked around the room and started humming to herself.   Abigail grinned to herself.  That was true no one was as simple minded as her sister and all because she had dropped her on her head when she was just a baby. She laughed to herself. Abigail just wished it had been harder.  She hated her sister with a passion.

     While the others were meeting in the salon, Sebastian met with the bishop and tried to get the wedding tonight but the Bishop would not hear of it.  The proper way even with a special license took a certain amount of time.  Sebastian tried bribes of money and power and of anything else he could think.  He even would have sold his mama, his step mama or sisters but he would have none of it.  The bishop left and Sebastian was left gazing upon his bride to be.  Connie turned her gorgeous huge light blue eyes on him and he could stand it no longer.  He strolled over to the door and locked it.  As he turned his back Connie said,

   “Will we wait for the Bishop here?  Thinking to herself that it could get very uncomfortable in this straight-backed chair.  Sebastian turned to her in surprise and chuckled to himself.  “No, sweeting, but I am just a bit wound up inside, and was looking forward to some time alone with you.”  Connie sat up straighter; worried her bottom lip with her teeth, and frowned.  “We are not to do anything tonight.  You heard what the Bishop said.  We could go straight to hell.”  Sy came over to her chair and kneeled in front of it.  “I am not going to do anything like that my sweet.  Now did he say I should not rub your ankles?” “No?” Connie questioned.  “Did he say I could not rub your calf?” “No!” Connie stated.  “Did he say I could not rub your thigh?” “Hum?” Connie muffled.  “Did he say I could not rub your curls?” “Uh Uh.”  Connie grunted.  “Did he say I could not rub your lips?” “That is not my lips!” Connie whispered. “Yes, they are your lips just in a different area.”  He chuckled.  Connie jumped up and went to stand by the fire.  “What are you doing to me?  You know what the Bishop said.  Show me to my room and let me go to bed.” Connie smiled at him over her shoulder.  She could not help herself.  She was so drawn to him but she was afraid.  The Bishop had told her to not let him consummate the marriage.  Now she was not sure what that meant but she thought it meant what he almost did this morning.  Had they already done the bad thing and if so, what was wrong with doing it again.  They were getting married in the morning.  She shivered with delight at the thought.  He had won her heart with just one kiss.  Connie thought that was a good thing but the problem was she did not want to go to hell.  It sounded like and awful place and that is where the Bishop told her she would go if she let him do to her what he wanted to do.  “Now Sebastian, you be a gentleman and stop it.”  Connie could not deny that he was charming and gave a certain level of entertainment and he wound up her insides into little bits and pieces but she had to control him.

      That was what the Bishop said.  That it was under her control.  She had to be the one to say no.  That was so awful.  “Do you not want me to touch you then?”  John whispered in her ear.  “No, I just—she cleared her throat.  I just have to say, no, not tonight.”  Sy whispered in her ear again, “Are you so sure you want to say no to me tonight?”  Connie turned and he captured her lips with his and drugged her senses, softly, tenderly until she surrendered them.  He smiled moved up over her so he loomed only feet from her body.  Then he leaned down placing an arm on either side of her hips trapping her.  He was only inches away . . .so close his breath was a warm, caress across Connie’s face.  She stared at his lips and could not seem to think a rational thought.  He leaned closer, resting his weight on his arms.  She could feel every muscle, every hard bulge, even the hairs on his arms.  Suddenly, Sebastian’s chest crushed her breasts and his thick muscled thighs pressed to her legs.  Oh, Lord, Sebastian’s mouth rested against the side of Connie’s face, the scruff of his cheeks erotically rubbing her sensitive soft skin.  Connie’s lips quivered as she forced her mind to work.  Then without warning Sebastian pressed his lips to her neck and shivers raced over Connie’s skin, her reluctance forgotten.  Connie’s eyes closed of their own accord and she sank back into the flesh of him.  Sy moved upward, his lips attentively hovering over hers, his breath fanning across her bow shaped mouth.  She tilted her lips ever so slightly and their lips met. Oh, it was good, it was so good but the bitter taste of unease coated her tongue.  She should get away from him now.

     Then Connie did the worst possible thing she could do; she reached for his neck, resting her warm fingers on Sebastian’s bare skin, his skin burning with her touch, tingling all the way to his chest.  How long had it been since someone had showed him compassion?  She understood.  Connie knew what it was like to be alone, always alone in a house full of people.  He felt drugged, lightheaded, drunk on the wine of her.

     He was so tired of not feeling.  Sebastian felt so much; he gripped her harder, unforgivably hard.  He did not pause as he cupped the sides of her face and pressed his mouth to hers. Sebastian merely wanted to touch her, to feel her, to breathe in the life of her, to bathe in the essence of her.  He had felt so dead until she walked into his life.  Connie relaxed into his body, her breasts warm and completely forgiving, and such soft breasts.  Then, his hard chest crushed them and her heart was beating so strangely, a heart so full of human possibilities and dreams.  Sebastian had not had a dream in years.  Connie did not push him away, as Lady Penton did but instead her hands slide seductively up to his shoulders and blessed days, Connie wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her lush body into his.

     Connie signed against his lips, a sweet sound to his ears, a sound that stirred his already overheated body.   He let a low growl in his throat escape.  Sebastian pressed her up against the wall, his knee slipping between her thighs and rubbing her mounds.  The gown a forgotten obstacle, he bunched it to her hips and with the movement ran his hand over the forbidden skin of her inside thigh.  She was shaking and he realized it but did not care his passion was so high.  He could have been more charming, seductive, or tender but he could not hold back.  He needed her.  He needed her now. His tongue slipped between her lips while his hands found her smooth thighs so intriguing.  He could not stop himself, could not stop himself from tasting her, consuming her, with a fierce desire he ravaged her mouth. 

     They were supposed to wait but he was so afraid of loosing her, of this just being some sort of dream.  He moved fast, not wanting his rational mind to catch up with his body’s need.  He knew he had promised to wait.  He knew in the back of his memory that this was so wrong but he was determined to ignore his conscience.  This was serious business.