One True Love (19 page)

James smirked. Stephen looked away. His father gave him a direct look that never ceased to make his stomach turn. At seven and twenty, he could not imagine what he had done to get himself in trouble. The last time this happened he was still in leading strings.

"You are not happy. What is going on?" The Marquis of Camberley managed the most direct route in any conversation.

"I am perfectly happy. Why do you ask?" William studied his port.

"Humph." His father answered. William did not want to continue this discussion.

"It is the curse." James could not have portrayed himself more serious than at that moment.

William wished he had something to throw at his younger sibling. "I am married, am I not? That knowledge alone should put that ridiculous curse where it belongs –in a storybook."

"Married, yes, but happy?" asked his father.

Could his father pull any harder punches? "It takes time for two people to adjust to living with one another. We are just beginning to learn each other."

"Your mother and I did not have an easy time of it at first either."

William sat his glass down and looked at his father. He noted his father had caught Stephen and James' attentions as well. Their parents never fought, disagreed, or appeared out of accord with one another, at least not in front of their children. He could not imagine his parents having difficulty adjusting to their marriage.
They
were perfect.

"Despite what you might think, we are not perfect. In fact, we fought passionately when we first married. Your mother bonked me on the head once with a crystal glass. Drew blood. She thought she killed me." His father laughed and wiped away tears with the back of his hand.

His sons stared at him.
His mother?
Granted, she certainly wielded a powerful look when needed, but he could not imagine her as violent. The years must have caught up with the old man.

"I will never forget it. The crystal cracked my head open. She had to call for a surgeon to stitch me up. The pain of that glass hitting my head did not compare to the pain I felt in her despair. I loved her. I still do, of course, but in the beginning, I did not realize just how much I loved her until she almost put me in the grave. It was my own fault though."

"Whatever did you do?" William watched Stephen and James who were just as rapt with attention in his father's story. Stephen's eyes grew round while James chuckled in amusement.

"I took too long to realize the gift I had been given." His father finished off his port and stood. "Let's join the ladies, shall we?"

The men entered the drawing room, and the first face William saw was that of his wife. She wore the rose colored dress as when he first met. Somehow her glow seemed deeper, more womanly tonight. Her soft mounds peeked over the top of her bodice, and made his mouth water for her delicious taste. He wanted her
.
Despite her feelings towards him, he still wanted to bury himself deep within her sheath. How could any man not want such a delectable beauty?

He thought of Parker, his cutting remarks and the smirk on his face. The man was an idiot to let her go. And he was damn glad of it regardless of the circumstances. He may not have her heart, but he had her. She was his wife.
His.

He approached Cassie's side and took her hand in his. She startled at the gesture, but quickly relaxed and continued conversing with Anne. He did not miss Anne's eyes flick over their hands before she looked between them.

The family made plans for their upcoming trip to the derby, as well as the ball in Cassie's honor. The Prescott ladies would plan a grand event to titillate the
ton
. He expected nothing less, even though his wife were a mere vicar's daughter, she would take Society's breath with her beauty and charm. And he would secretly revel in his fortune at finding a wife,
despite the damnable curse.

***

Cassie breathed a sigh of relief as the carriage pulled up to their townhouse. The night had been difficult. Her husband constantly changed from hot to cold from the moment he entered the drawing room. When he took her hand she was surprised by his affectionate gesture, and she warmed with the pleasure of it. Did he have something on his mind that had nothing to do with her? It was a possibility. Perhaps she only imagined his displeasure with her. Would come to her tonight? Once they alighted from the carriage, there was no time to consider his plans.

William swept her into his arms and carried her up the stairs. "I believe, my dear, it is time for bed."

Her face burned from embarrassment as they passed the butler, footman, and a maid. She wanted to tell William to put her down, but she could not bring herself to say it. Instead, she buried her face against his shoulder.

Once they entered his bedchamber, he let her down, but held onto her so that her body glided down against his before her feet touched the floor. He tightened his hold against her and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. "So beautiful. So very beautiful."

His voice whispered across her skin and she shivered with the expectation of what he would do to her body. He turned her around and unbuttoned her dress. "I will be your lady's maid tonight." His fingers burned her back, and sent heat throughout her body. The rose silk fluttered to the floor and sent a sweet breeze across her heated skin. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, and more down her back as he wrapped his arms around her front and tugged at her corset strings. She breathed deeply when he released the corset from her body, and left her in her thin chemise.

William quickly divested her of the rest of her clothes.
He pressed
against her back with his rigid erection making itself known against her bottom.
His arms swept
around her and
his hands moved
across her breasts then down her stomach. His fingers reached her mons and
brushed
her curls. He whispered in her ear, "I want to taste you there tonight, to put my mouth on you, to kiss and lick you there until you come apart."

Cassie shivered as
he swep
t her into his arms once again and carried her to his bed. He gently laid her naked form across his bed while never taking his eyes off of her, as he stripped his clothes from his body.
She
met his dark and stormy eyes and followed them to her core, where she lay open and exposed, ready to take him into her body.
The heat and wetness of her mound flowed and throbbed.

She
scanned
his wide shoulders, muscled chest, and followed the line of dark curls until they reached the bulge which would soon fill her. Art did not do a man justice, at least not this man.
He was everything beautiful and her hips rose
instinctively off the bed to meet his offer of gratification.

"Patience, love." William knelt before her, grasped her legs, and opened them to him before he pulled her forward. Her bottom met the edge of the bed as he wrapped her legs around his shoulders.

He could not
be serious? Surely this was a sin.
William smiled
at her before delving between her legs and kissing her there.
H
is tongue swept across her most intimate places, then twirled and suckled until nothing else mattered except his mouth against her.
She wiggled
on the bed, but he held her tight, and continued his torture until something swelled so deep inside of her
she thought
she would burst into flames.

Cassie grasped
his hair and tugged downward to keep him in place until she lost all sense, then wept with the pleasure of it. Her dam burst and sensation swept across her body. Her hips lifted with eagerness off the bed. Tears escaped and flowed down her cheeks.
William left her burning core, then
moved over her and slipped inside to begin another round of exquisite torture.

This time his movements were not as slow and gentle.
He pumped
into her, and slammed against her thighs, then took her to new depths of bliss.
She met
his rhythm thrust by thrust until they reached beyond the stars, and he spilled his seed deep into her body. Their perspiration mingled as he lay over her with his chest pressed against her aching breasts. They breathed the same rhythm as their lovemaking, slowly descending to reality. William pulled out of her and gently cradled her in his arms.

Cassie snuggled against her husband. A few days ago she nearly missed out on this moment. A different decision and she would be in another man's bed. She was glad things turned out they way they did.

Chapter Eleven

"This emerald green would be splendid on you." Lady Camberley held the silk against Cassie.
Such lovely fabric, and so costly.
She nibbled on her bottom lip. She spent more today on one dress than she normally spent on her entire wardrobe for a year.

Lady Camberley looked at her oddly before she handed the fabric to Madame Colista. "Make something stunning from this."

"Of course, my lady. You will be the diamond of the ball when I am done with this dress."

Cassie watched Madame Colista flitter away. Outfitting six women for a season must be an overwhelming task.

"Shall we sit down and enjoy a cup of tea? I would like to speak to you while my daughters are occupied." Seamstresses surrounded the four sisters and measured, pinned, and tucked. Cassie was fortunate they insisted she submit first, so now the ordeal was over.

She sat down on a settee at the far end of the drawing room. She looked over the rim of her cup, and watched her mother-in-law. She hoped whatever bothered Lady Camberley had nothing to do with her. So far, Lady Prescott showed her kindness and open arms.

"How are you and William getting along dear?"

"Fine, thank you."

"Humph."

Did Lady Camberley detect that things were not quite right? How utterly embarrassing! How could she explain something she did not understand herself? Should she ask Lady Camberley about William's mood swings? She feared his constant change in temperature had to do with her. She was stumped as to why he offered for her in the first place.

Granted, they shared two sinful, lustful, intimate moments while she was still betrothed to Mr. Parker. Once near the river and once at Mulberry House. Her cheeks flushed from the memory. "It is rather warm in here."

She could not think of any other reason why a man from such a noble and powerful family would offer for a mere vicar's daughter. William must have felt some sense of honor towards after their scandalous indiscretions.

None of her fairytale made sense. He treated her well during the day. If you counted polite conversation at breakfast and a hurried retreat as
doing well
. The nights, however, were something else. He changed into a different man when he visited her room. She knew not what to make of it.

"Adjusting to marriage takes time. Lord Camberley and I did not get along very well at first. It took awhile for us to come around to each other, but in the end, I could not have been more blessed." Lady Camberley's eyes turned dreamy, and her features softened in such a way she suddenly looked much younger than her actual years.

"William and I get along fine, my lady," said Cassie.

"In bed, perhaps, but what about outside of the bedchamber?"

Cassie nearly dropped her cup. "It really is quite warm in here." Surely she just turned three shades of red.
Good word!
She did not want to discuss bed play with her mother-in-law.

"I have distressed you, my dear. I am sorry, but, I sense things are not as they should be. Call it mother's intuition if you will. I know my William. He is not happy."

Cassie closed her eyes and wished she could do the same to her ears.
Not happy.
Guilt enveloped her and squeezed the air from her lungs. She should not have married William. She brought her shame on his family, and now he regretted their marriage. When William proposed, he seemed to truly want her, want this marriage, but now, she was unsure.