Regency Romance: An Intriguing Invitation (Historical Billionaire Military Romance) (19th Century Victorian Romance) (78 page)

When they
arrived,
the two ladies clambered out of the coach, grateful to be on firm ground. Emily looked at the house. It was a large English manor house with a great lawn in front of it. The oak tree in the
middle
reminded Emily of the tree at their previous home in Kingston. The one her father had made a tree
house in
. A footman in a wig and breeches accompanied them to the ballroom in a side wing to the house. When they went inside, the party was already underway.

The ballroom was the most magnificent room Emily had ever seen. A highly decorated ceiling held six large chandeliers which she noted were swinging gently back and forth as the warm air rose to them. The dance floor was full of couples dancing in rings around each other. Emily so hoped she'd fill her dance card because she loved dancing. Her mother had taught her all the
popular
dances, and on the odd occasion she had gone to a ball, she'd received compliment after compliment about her dancing.

''Emily, look.'' Emily followed Helen's outstretched arm.

''Ah, cousin James. He looks very handsome, doesn't he,'' she said.

''No, I am not talking about my brother, I'm talking about the man next to him. Mr. Dirksen.
He's so handsome.''

Emily looked at him. Helen was right, he was the most handsome man in the room.
Tall, dark and beautifully dressed in a blue tail coat with matching waistcoat and white trousers, he looked so noble.

James saw the two ladies and motioned for them to come over. ''Emily, I don't think you know Mr. Edward Dirksen?''

''No, indeed I do not. My pleasure sir,'' she said curtsying.

Edward took her hand and touched his lips with it. ''The pleasure is mine,'' he said. ''Miss Emily, James has told me a lot about you. He says your dancing is
exemplary
, would you do me the honor of adding me to your dance card?''

''Yes, sir, it would be a pleasure. I look forward to it.'' She noticed how Edward looked at her. It was the look her mother had told
her about
. When a man's eyes drop from your eyes to your chest, it's one thing, but when his eyes travel back again you know he is interested in you, she'd always said. And if her mother had known how women looked at men, she would have seen that Emily was more than interested in Mr. Edward Dirksen.

''I am sorry to hear that your mother passed away recently,'' Edward said. Emily dropped her eyes to the floor. ''I see that I have upset you. I only mention it because the same thing happened to me, five months ago.''

Emily looked up at him sympathetically. If he knew how she felt, he would understand why she sometimes didn't want to get out of bed. ''I am sorry to hear that. It
is a terrible feeling isn't
it?''

''Yes indeed it is. Perhaps I should have expected it at my age.''

''Why, sir?''

''I am
twenty-nine,
and I suppose the older you get, the more likely it is that your will lose your parents.''

Ten years older than me, she thought. Interesting, why hasn't he got a wife? It isn't because of his
looks,
perhaps he has been too cautious and prospective wives had become tired of waiting for him. ''I think whenever it happens it is terrible.''

''Let us talk
of
something more pleasant,'' he said. ''May I tell you how
extremely beautiful
you are?''

''Thank you, sir. I am pleased you find me so. May I ask what you do for a living?''

''I am a gentleman. I support several good causes but mostly I
am involved
with a church group which helps people in need.''

''So you are rich,'' she said with a smile.

''Yes I suppose you could say I am. My family owns an estate in Surrey called Cobham Hall. Perhaps you've heard of it?''

''Yes, I have been there. I am sure my father did some building work there. I used to go with him. It was in summer, maybe three years ago.''

''Yes that's it. I think the firm was called Lucas.''

''Then it was my father. I remember your house. Oh, it's
very beautiful,
and the gardens are fabulous.''

''My mother was the gardener, I'm afraid it doesn't look nearly as pleasant now.''

They danced with each
other,
and he was very impressed by Emily's ability. She was light and graceful, and the sight of her smiling at him as her breasts wiggled made him feel excited. He already knew he wanted her.

*****

Henry Lucas bit into one of the apples his daughter had brought him. It was the only one he had
left,
the others had all
been stolen
, as had the bread and butter. As the sweetness engulfed his palate,
he
closed his eyes and thought of his wife. When her
pretty
face rolled across his mind, he cringed at her last words. ''Look after our daughter.'' He hadn't, he was stuck in this place, leaving her to fend for herself.

''Henry Lucas, are you in here?'' a voice shouted from the front of the cell he was sitting in with twelve other men.

He stood up and looked at the shaft of light coming in as the door opened.

''I am, who wants me?''

''Come out here,'' the warder said, the keys on his belt swinging to and fro. Henry stepped out of the cell and fell to the ground as someone hit him on the skull from behind. He groaned and tried to get up, but a boot on his neck held him down.

''You can go now,
warden
,'' the man said. ''Very kind of you to point him out to me, here's what we agreed.'' He handed the warden some money and the
warden
left them to it. He'd got his money and didn't care what happened to any of his prisoners. As far as he was concerned they were all criminals and deserved to die.

The man bent down and pulled Henry to his feet. He was a big man, probably a hired thug Henry thought. Henry sank to his knees again after the man hit him with force in the stomach. He groaned, resting on his hands and knees. Not finished yet, the man brought his knee down
onto
the back of Henry's head, flattening his face against the ground. As Henry looked along the ground, he saw the feet of another man standing in front of him.

''Henry, how nice to see you again. I'm sure you're enjoying His Majesty's hospitality.'' Henry recognized the raspy voice. It belonged to Benjamin Harvie, the man he'd entrusted with the finances of his business before
Harvie
had robbed him. ''I hear you've been talking
about
me, to the constabulary. Well, I'm here to tell you to stop.''
Harive
nodded to the big man who pulled Henry to his feet once more. He held him by the throat as Harvie continued. ''Stop talking to the constabulary about me or your daughter gets it, do you understand?'' The mention of his daughter drove Henry to kick out at
Harvie
, earning him a punch in the face from the thug. ''Teach him a proper
lesson, then
throw him back in the cell,''
Harvie
said as he walked away. When the big man threw Henry back into his cell, some of the other prisoners wretched at the sight of him. Only one prisoner helped him, the Reverend Peter Wright.

*****

Having been invited to Cobham Hall, Emily asked Helen to be her chaperon. When their carriage arrived outside the stately home, Edward was waiting to meet them. Emily looked out of the window and instantly recognized the place that she had visited with her father a few years ago.

''Emily, Helen, how nice to see you. Thank you for coming to Cobham Hall.''  He took Emily's hand and held it to his lips. They looked each other in the eyes and smiled, a loving smile. ''Come inside and take tea with me,'' he said.

They drank tea and talked about the weather and other mundane subjects until Edward began to find Helen's presence irritating. He called his sister who Helen knew. ''Helen would you like go into the garden with Mary? It's such
a nice
day.'' Helen looked at
Emily,
who nodded her approval.

''Emily,'' he said once Helen and his sister had left. ''How I have longed to see you again. I have thought about nothing else but you since we first met at Carruthers.''

''And I you Edward. I have missed you too.''

He stood up and sat next to her on the sofa. ''I am in love with you Emily.''

Emily pouted at
him,
and he kissed her. When he pulled back, Emily took his lapel and tugged him towards her again for more. ''And I am in love with you, Edward,'' she whispered.

Edward looked out of the window and saw Helen and his sister setting off on a walk
of
the grounds. ''Come with me, my dear,'' he said. Emily looked at him quizzically.

''If you want me to follow you to your bedroom, I will only do so if you promise to marry me.''

''I promise, I will marry you, there is nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life with you.''

Emily stood up and followed him upstairs. If Helen came back, she would have to wait for her, she thought. She was good enough to keep her mouth closed and not tell her aunt.

The bedroom Edward took her to wasn't large or overly luxurious, it was intimate. The fire
was lit
and the afternoon sunlight shone through the window. The bed was a small four-poster covered in white linen. There was room for a
small
chest of drawers and
an easy
chair.

''So this is your private retreat,'' Emily said, impressed by the ambiance.

''Yes, I like this room. Most of all I like the bed, it's very comfortable.''

Emily sat on the edge and tested it. ''
Indeed,
it is, very comfortable.''

He took her hand and pulled her to her feet again. ''I love you,
Emily,
and I want you.'' They kissed, a passionate kiss that left them both gasping for breath. He stepped back and looked at her. Her blue eyes shone in
expectation,
and her face
was slightly flushed
with excitement. He kissed her again, this
time,
his hands snapping open the buttons on the back of her dress. When he'd finished, he pushed the dress back from her shoulders. Her breasts sprang free, and he
bent
down and kissed her nipples. Emily held her breath and closed her eyes. What he was doing was making her more excited than she had ever been before. She had on the odd occasion explored her
own
body, and even brought herself to orgasm, but her climaxes had been devoid of the kind of passion he was creating in her now.

She had never seen a naked man before, and she was curious. When she looked down at
him,
she
could see
his manhood outlined in his trousers. She couldn't
resist,
and she placed her hand on him. She was surprised by how hard it was and how it seemed to move when she touched it. Sensing she was eager, Edward unfastened his trousers and dropped them to his ankles. Emily now had access to his naked
flesh,
and she wanted to explore it.
She
ran her hands over his thighs and onto his buttocks, they felt heavy and taught. As her hands returned to the front of
him,
she
began to play with his balls. She loved the feeling of them. Everything on her body was smooth and delicate but his sack was rough to touch and the hairs coarse. She loved the contrast of their bodies. She moved her hand to his shaft and was amazed how hard it was. She had no idea what to do, but instinct told her to stroke up and down, and when she did his moans confirmed she'd made the right decision.

They undressed each other, taking their time. When they were both naked Edward picked her up and placed her gently on the bed. As he lowered
her,
Emily took hold of his shaft and pulled it towards her. When she licked the
tip,
he
dropped her, turned her to him and pushed her legs open. What he did next, Emily could never have imagined would please her so much. His tongue found her womanhood making her scream. Two minutes later she was straining against his mouth as her orgasm crashed over her. As her breathing slowed down, he climbed on top of her and placed himself at her entrance. When he pushed into her, she moaned and pawed at the bed sheets. When he was fully in her, she felt for the first time in her life what it was like to be filled by a man.

His thrusts took her breath away, and soon she began to pant again. He cupped her face and kissed her. Her complexion
was flushed
with the effort of their
love-making
and her neck damp. As she moved her head from side to side, he increased the pressure of his thrusts and bent down to take a nipple in his mouth. Emily came again,
thrusting
her legs around him and grinding her pelvis against his. She was quite
exhausted,
but the feelings he was awakening in her were so strong and pleasurable that she didn't want it to end. Edward was finding it difficult not to come.
She was so beautiful, he'd had to close his eyes on occasions.
Every time he looked at her face, her breasts and down to the soft thighs that cradled her pubic hair, he felt driven to the edge. Now he was unable to prolong it any longer. Emily gasped as he pounded her harder. When he called out her name, she felt a gush of warmth deep inside
her,
and it felt wonderful. What
she'd liked
most about the whole experience was how much she'd turned him on.