The Countess (12 page)

Clearing her throat, she pointed out gently, “I
was
a virgin.”

Richard groaned and dropped his face into her neck.

Thinking he was feeling unmanned by the news that he had not consummated the wedding as he’d apparently thought, she patted his back soothingly. “You were quite drunk on our wedding night. I am sure you would have consummated it otherwise.”

“I’m sorry,” he muttered into her throat. “Had I known I would have gone more slowly, taken more time to better prepare you.”

Christiana wasn’t sure what he meant by better prepare her, but didn’t say so. She simply lay there and patted him again. However, now that the excitement that had possessed her for the past several minutes was fading, she was having second thoughts about what she’d done. And what she was doing. Dear God, she was soothing the man who had made her life so miserable for the last year. Worse than that, she’d actually consummated the marriage. It could not be annulled. What had she been thinking? Unfortunately, she suspected she hadn’t really been thinking at all, at least not clearly. She wanted to blame it on the spirits she’d had to drink, but Christiana had felt pretty clearheaded when debating what to do while he was removing his breeches and suspected she hadn’t been as affected by the drinks as she’d thought. She’d been more affected by his kisses and caresses. Of course, she hadn’t known then that the end would be so disappointing. Really the first part had been lovely, but this last bit rather spoiled the rest.

Sighing, she stopped patting his back, and tried to decide what to do now. Surely it was over? Should he not get off her and leave her to sleep? If she was able to sleep, Christiana thought with a grimace. Rather than sleep she would probably lie here fretting about what she was to say to Robert when next she saw him. Perhaps she could just leave out the bit about the marriage no longer being annullable, and simply say she had decided to uphold her vow, and yes, he has the birthmark. She had seen it. Well, at least she’d managed a glimpse of a somewhat red spot on his behind anyway. It was probably the birthmark.

Christiana frowned, suddenly worried that it might not have been. It had been a brief glimpse and she couldn’t say for sure it was a strawberry-shaped birthmark she’d seen. She supposed it could have been a red mark caused by his leaning on the windowsill as she’d disrobed him.

That thought made her frown and she raised her head to try to peer along his back to see if she could see his behind, but of course she couldn’t. Her wiggling about in an effort to do so, however, roused Richard. It also had the rather startling effect of resurrecting some of her own passion that she’d thought gone.

Christiana was trying to ignore that, but Richard just made it worse by shifting slightly against her as he raised his head to peer down into her face.

“I am sorry,” he said solemnly. “You deserved so much better than what you’ve had this last year.”

Richard sounded incredibly sincere and Christiana looked into his eyes and did not see the cold emptiness she’d become used to. Instead, she again saw the warm concern and sympathy she’d seen in him at the ball. The combination brought the unexpected sting of tears to her eyes. She closed them quickly and turned her head away, swallowing a sudden lump in her throat as well, and then Richard pressed a gentle kiss to each of her closed eyes, the tip of her nose and then finally to her closed lips.

Christiana remained still for a moment under the caress, but then turned her face back and let her lips drift open, inviting him to deepen the kiss. She wanted to experience the passion again, she wanted to forget if only for tonight how miserable he had made her this last year and pretend for a few hours at least that she’d gained the happy ever after that she’d wanted.

Much to her relief, Richard did deepen the kiss, he also began to move, withdrawing from her and then easing back in. At first he was gentle, giving her body the chance to adjust, but then he slid a hand between them and began to caress her again, reinvigorating her already awakening passions until she was again the trembling mass of hunger she had been earlier. Once he’d achieved that, his gentleness gave way to a more vigorous tempo as they both strained for the release she’d just experienced moments ago. This time when Christiana found it, Richard joined her, and they shouted out their pleasure together.

Richard stared at the drapes over the bed, his mind replaying what had just happened. He had kissed Christiana, partially to silence her, and partially because he just couldn’t resist doing it. He was only human after all and her unintentional caresses as she’d stripped off his clothes had been rather arousing. Once he’d kissed her, however, that hadn’t been enough. He’d been like a house on fire, the flames raging through his body and ravaging his good sense. His only moment of clear thought had been when he’d set her on her feet and bent to finish removing the breeches she’d undone. He had almost put an end to things then and sent her back to her room. However, by then, Richard had wanted her with a passion he hadn’t enjoyed even during his first experience as a callow youth. By the time he’d straightened, he’d concluded that if the only way to have her was to uphold the marriage George had initiated in his stead then so be it. It would protect all three women from scandal and he’d have a very passionate partner in his marriage bed. It was more than some men enjoyed.

Richard hadn’t expected her to be a virgin, however. Bedding an experienced woman who thought she was your wife and whom you intended to allow to continue to believe that was one thing, slightly inebriated or not. But her virginity had put a whole new slant on things. It meant she’d had a choice. The marriage could have been annulled and probably with a minimum of scandal for her, since as the man he would be the one thought lacking for not bedding her this last year. But he’d taken that choice away with his actions.

Christiana murmured sleepily and shifted slightly where she lay snuggled half on his chest. It was where he’d put her after finding a cloth and water to clean them both after their exertions, an action that had seemed to embarrass and subdue her, which he found rather charming after what they’d just done.

Richard peered down at her with a little sigh. He may not have thought her attractive on first sight, but once she’d got that bug-eyed horrified look off her face she’d been attractive enough, still too thin for his taste, but passable. And when she’d smiled and laughed with Langley and the others as they danced, she’d been more than passable. But she’d been downright irresistible on her knees with his manhood waving in her face, he thought dryly and knew it was that very manhood that had thought so.

Still, looking at her now, her face softened in sleep, Richard acknowledged that Christiana was an attractive woman, adorable even, and he was briefly tempted to rouse her with soft caresses and kisses and take her again. However, there was the little matter of a dead George in the carriage outside his townhouse.

The thought made him grimace and ease out from beneath the woman who would now definitely remain his wife.

Christiana stirred and murmured sleepily, her hand drifting down to his hip as Richard shifted, and then sliding across his groin in an unconscious caress as he slid out of the bed. The touch was enough to bring his manhood back to life and he had to grit his teeth against the temptation to simply crawl back into bed and forget about George. But that just wouldn’t be a smart thing.

His clothes were still in the master bedroom and Richard made his way silently through the connecting door, grateful for the light cast by the dying fire to guide his way. He found the clothes by the window and started to draw them on, but paused as a glance out the window showed an empty street. Daniel’s carriage was gone. Shifting his feet, Richard frowned, wondering why the man hadn’t come in search of him, or at least waited for him to meet him by the carriage. He then worried over what Daniel would do with the body and briefly considered following in his own carriage to find out, but that would mean rousing the servants and waiting while a carriage was prepared, and really he had no idea where Daniel would take his brother. He wasn’t likely to take him to his own townhouse, which meant he would go somewhere else and Richard had no idea where. He could head to Daniel’s townhouse and wait to find out, but depending on where Woodrow took the body, he could be waiting for hours. It just seemed better to let the matter go until the morrow. He would go see Daniel first thing and find what he’d done with George, Richard decided.

Satisfied that this was definitely the smartest course of action and that a naked soft and warm woman in the bed in the next room had nothing to do with the decision, Richard dropped his clothes and slid back through the connecting door to Christiana’s room. He moved to the side of the bed and peered down at her briefly, noting the way the fire cast light and shadow across her face in slumber, and then she sighed sleepily and rolled onto her back, the bed coverings sliding down off her breasts.

Richard stared at the pale globes briefly, unconsciously licking his lips, and then bent down to catch the edge of the bed coverings and draw them slowly down her body, revealing inch after pale inch of flesh. She
was
too thin and he would have to see about fattening her up, he decided, but she was still mouthwatering and he found himself climbing onto the bed intent on tasting to see if she was as delicious as she looked.

Christiana woke slowly, her body stretching and small mewling moans slipping from her lips before she was even conscious of what was causing them. All she was aware of at first was the pleasure coursing through her body, originating somewhere in her nether regions and sliding out to all points.

Groaning aloud now as she came fully awake, she found herself stretching again, her body arching on the bed and hands reaching blindly for Richard because surely he must be the source, for it was only with him she’d experienced this sweet torture before. It took her a moment to find him, however; the man was not directly atop her as expected and she had to open her eyes before she saw that he was further down her body. It took another moment for her mind to accept what he was doing. The man was not caressing her with his hands or his hardness as he had before, instead it was his head buried between her legs and while she wasn’t quite sure what he was doing, it was delicious.

Still, it was also rather embarrassing. The man had his face buried between her legs as if searching for treasure. No one had ever even seen that part of her let alone at such close proximity and it just didn’t seem ladylike to recline there while a man examined her quite so thoroughly. Biting her lip, she reached for him, intending to urge him away, but her hands never made it to his head. Instead, they stopped and grabbed for the bedsheets to hang on as something, his tongue she thought, rasped over the center of her excitement. The shock of it had her hips bucking off the bed and a small “ieeee” of startled pleasure slipping from her lips.

Richard chuckled softly at her reaction, the sound vibrating across her tender flesh and sending her scrabbling in an effort to escape the undignified and yet frighteningly exciting whatever it was he was doing. He didn’t allow her escape however, but merely caught her thighs in his strong hands, urged them further apart and redoubled his efforts.

“No—Rich—Oh—” The words came out broken and gaspy as Christiana collapsed back on the bed and twisted her head, her fingers pulling at the sheets so violently she feared she would rip them. That fear wasn’t enough to stop her tugging, however, as he did things to her Christiana had never even imagined.

Did all husbands do this? Was this what the marriage bed consisted of? Dear God, she’d been missing out on so much, Christiana thought dazedly, finding herself alternately grinding herself into his caress and still struggling to escape it. The depth of passion he was pulling from her was almost terrifying this time, perhaps because she didn’t have him to hold on to in this position and as much as her body responded, her mind was looking for an anchor in the storm.

There was no anchor to be had, however, and when he slid a finger inside her to join his tongue’s caresses, Christiana screeched and bucked like a wild thing, her body suddenly exploding as wave after hard wave of pleasure tried to pull her under.

Much to her relief, Richard moved up her body after that, crawling to cover her. Christiana immediately wrapped her arms around him, holding on for dear life as her body shivered and quaked beneath his. She groaned and held on even tighter when she felt him enter her, her legs instinctively wrapping around his hips, and her heels digging into his behind to urge him on as he began to build a new fire in her even before the last waves of the first had died. Spent as she was, all Christiana could manage at the start was to cling to him like seaweed, but as her excitement built anew, some of her energy returned and she began to move with him, shifting her hips to meet his thrusts, taking him as deep as she could manage.

While Christiana had been wholly uncertain she liked this part of the consummation when he’d entered her the first time, she now reveled in it, enjoying the way their bodies joined, how he filled her, how her body clung to him, trying to prevent his escape and then welcoming him back at each return. She thought they should do this all night and kept thinking that right up until they both found their release again, and even as she drifted off to sleep once more, satiated, spent and smiling.

Chapter Nine

R
ichard had been pacing Daniel’s parlor for several minutes when the other man finally made his appearance. Before he could cry out the “Finally!” that was trembling on his lips, Woodrow rushed forward, saying, “What is it? What’s happened? My valet said you told him it was an emergency and urgent that you speak with me.”

Richard nodded. “Where is—” he paused to glance toward the still open door and then almost whispered, “—the
you know what?
”

Daniel came to a shuddering halt, his face going blank for a minute before he asked, “You mean—” he too paused to glance toward the door, and then whispered, “—the
you know who
?”

“Aye,” Richard said impatiently.

“That
is your emergency?” he asked with disbelief. “You had my valet roust me from a dead slumber to ask me
that
?”

“Well
you know who
’s whereabouts is rather important to me,” Richard said stiffly, and then pointed out, “And I wouldn’t have had to wake you from a dead slumber to find out where he is if you hadn’t left without me last night.”

Daniel dropped into the nearest seat with disgust. “Well what else was I to do? Sit about in my carriage while you gave
you know who
’s wife a tumble?”

Richard stiffened. “She is
my
wife, thank you very much.”

“My, we’ve certainly changed our tune this morning,” Daniel said dryly. “Last night you weren’t sure you wanted to keep her.”

“Yes, well, I changed my mind.” He paused to scowl at the man. “How the devil did you know I tumbled her?”

Woodrow’s eyebrows rose. “Was it supposed to be a secret? If so, you shouldn’t have done it in the front window for anyone on the street to see.”

Richard’s eyes widened in horror as he realized they
had
been in front of the window at first. How much of Christiana had been on display? Good Lord, what had he been thinking? Richard knew the answer to that well enough. He hadn’t been thinking at all, his manhood had been the one in charge last night, his presently very content, well spent manhood.

Richard had woken this morning thinking that marriage to Christiana might be a very fine thing indeed, and he’d been reaching for her again when he’d realized sunlight was peeking through the bedroom curtains. Then, suddenly his brain had managed to speak loudly enough to drown out his manhood and remind him of certain problems that needed dealing with. His brother’s body, for instance.

Recalling his intent to hunt down Daniel this morning and find out what he’d done with George, Richard had leapt from the bed, found some clothes in the master bedroom that his twin had obviously purchased, and reluctantly donned them. George had always favored bright, flashy colors while Richard preferred more somber attire. He would have to see about a whole new wardrobe, he thought now.

“Well?”

Richard blinked his thoughts away and glanced to Daniel in question. “Well, what?”

“Are you really planning to keep her?”

“Yes, of course.” He settled in a chair with a sigh, and then admitted, “She was a virgin until last night.”

Daniel blew out a silent whistle. “That was very remiss of
you know who
.”

Richard grunted, not bothering to mention that he’d heard a thing or two in the past that suggested it wasn’t so much that George was being remiss in not consummating the marriage, but that he was incapable of it. He hadn’t paid much attention to the gossip then, but now supposed it must be true.

“So after a year of misery with
you know who
, whom she thought was you, she just forgave all and fell into your arms last night?” Daniel asked quietly.

Richard heard the reprimand in his friend’s voice and scrubbed his face guiltily. Daniel had been there listening at the door when the women had gone past. He too knew about the drink and how it had affected Christiana, so knew exactly what state she’d been in. And while it hadn’t seemed that important last night when he’d thought her an experienced woman, now, in the bright light of day with his manhood finally quiet, it seemed rather shameful behavior.

Shaking his head, he muttered with self-disgust. “I took advantage of an inebriated virgin.”

Woodrow did not let him off the hook, but left him to wallow in his guilt for several moments before finally clearing his throat and saying, “Well, at least you are going to do the right thing and stand by the marriage.”

“Which isn’t even a legal one,” Richard muttered, and then his eyes widened suddenly. “What if she is pregnant from last night’s tumblings? Technically, the child would be illegitimate.”

“Well, one time isn’t likely to bring about a child,” Daniel said soothingly.

Richard grimaced. “True, but it wasn’t one time.”

“Well even two . . .” He paused as he noted his expression and then said, “Three?”

Richard merely stared back.

“Four?”

Richard remained silent.

“Oh,” Daniel said, looking impressed. “Well, she must be very . . . er . . . inspiring. We must just hope she is not equally fertile.” When Richard’s shoulders slumped, he added, “Or you could marry her to ensure everything was legal.”

“We are already supposed to be married,” Richard pointed out dryly. “How the devil do I explain the need to marry again?”

Daniel opened his mouth, but then glanced to the door. In the next moment, he’d risen and crossed the room to close it. As he returned to his seat they exchanged a grimace at having said so much before thinking to close it, and then Daniel suggested, “Rather than present it as a need, perhaps you could suggest to Christiana that you
want
to do it again, as a sort of fresh start to the marriage to make up for this last very bad year. She will think you are the most romantic bugger alive, and you will be assured that any heirs are legal.”

Richard raised his eyebrows. “That is actually a good idea.”

“I
have
been known to have a good idea or two on occasion,” Daniel said dryly, no doubt a bit insulted by his surprised tone.

Richard merely grunted, his thoughts on what exactly he would say to Christiana and how he could convince her.

“And then you could travel to Gretna Green with Suzette and me when we head off to do the deed.”

“Yes, we could leave—” Richard paused and blinked. “You and Suzette?”

Daniel cleared his throat. “Er . . . yes.”

“You’re marrying Suzette?” he asked, just to be certain he wasn’t misunderstanding.

“I haven’t quite made up my mind, though I am leaning that way,” Daniel muttered, picking imaginary lint off his trousers.

Richard considered him silently, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the passionate embrace he’d stumbled upon and the fact that the man hadn’t rejoined him as he’d expected. Just how long had Daniel been in Suzette’s room in the end? He tried to work it out, running through the events of the evening.

“I haven’t tumbled her,” Daniel snapped, apparently reading his thoughts, and then he sighed and admitted, “But it was damned close, and only
you know who’s
presence prevented it in the end.”

“You know who
was in the carriage,” Richard said at once.

“Yes, well, so were Suzette and I,” Daniel muttered.

“You had Suzette in the carriage with
you know who
?” he asked with horror. “Did she know
you know who
was there?”

Daniel grimaced. “Can we not think of another name for him? This is getting annoying.”

“Answer the damned question.”

“Well, of course she didn’t know. Hell, I didn’t know until I got in. In fact it was my attempt to distract her from his presence that led to the ‘damned close’ bit.” He sighed and added, “So it’s ironic that it was also his presence that brought an end to it.”

Richard almost asked how that could be, but then decided he didn’t really want to know. Running a hand through his hair, he asked, “If you haven’t bedded her, why consider marrying her? It’s rather sudden, isn’t it? You hardly know the chit.”

“Well, I know her as well as you know Christiana and you’re marrying her.”

“Christiana is a special woman and our situation is not a common one.”

“Well Suzette is just as special and our situation is not common either,” he shot back, and then sighed. “She proposed to me at the ball, and then when she found me in her room thought I had come to tell her yes. Rather than explain my real purpose in her room I let her believe it because I couldn’t come up with an alternate explanation for my presence there. I am still trying to come up with one. But I am also considering her proposal seriously in the meantime.”

“Why the devil would she propose to you?” Richard asked with surprise. “She wants a husband in need of money who will agree to her terms.”

“Yes, well, I may have misled her as to my financial status,” Daniel muttered.

Richard raised his eyebrows. “Why?”

“Because when she asked me about my income I assumed she was just another fortune seeking debutante and lied,” he admitted wryly. “You can imagine my surprise when rather than scaring her off, it prompted a proposal.”

No doubt he’d also been a little fascinated, Richard realized. They were both used to fortune seeking debutantes and their mothers chasing them about. Other than this last year and a half when he’d been absent, it had happened on a regular basis. A woman who wanted just the opposite would make an interesting change.

“So rather than just tell her that you have money—”

“I have no intention of telling her that, and you’d best not either,” Daniel said grimly. “And don’t even think about offering to pay off the father’s gambling debts. I shall attend those myself whether I marry her or not.”

More than a little fascinated
, then, Richard thought with amusement, and asked, “Why should I not offer to pay them off? It would remove the pressure the women are under.”

“Suzette is not enthralled with the idea of marrying after all she’s learned about Christiana’s experiences this last year. She may very well bury herself in the countryside and eschew marriage altogether should she learn it isn’t a necessity, and I can hardly get to know her better if she is at Madison Manor and I am at Woodrow.”

“Ah,” Richard murmured, understanding more than his friend was telling. Whether he knew it or not, Daniel had already decided to marry the girl. At least that was his opinion, “Fine, I shall refrain from offering to pay . . . for now.”

Daniel relaxed at once. “Thank you.”

Richard waved his gratitude away and changed the subject. “The good news is that since I’ve decided to uphold the marriage to Christiana, we can simply dispose of
you know who
. I was considering our options on the way here—”

“That might not be the best idea,” Daniel interrupted quietly. When Richard raised an eyebrow in question, he added, “I think perhaps it would be best not to dispose of him at all yet. At least not until we sort out this business of who killed him.”

Richard sat back with a frown. “Why? It is not as if he can be a witness in his own murder.”

“No, but we cannot prove murder without a body,” Daniel pointed out and then added, “Whoever poisoned him will soon think they failed, if they don’t already. They will try again.”

“Then I shall have to be careful,” Richard said grimly. “But I see no need to keep
you know who
around until we catch his killer. We can charge whoever it is with attempted murder when they try to kill me.”

Daniel frowned. “It just seems to me to be smarter to keep
you know who
around until we have it all sorted out.”

“Very well,” Richard said finally. “Have you hidden him somewhere safe?”

“Er . . . well, actually no,” he admitted, looking uncomfortable. “I placed him in the pavilion in the back garden for the night.”

“In the . . . ?”

“It was the only place I could think of. I needed somewhere cold but covered, and that was all I could come up with at the time. But he shall have to be moved before too much longer.”

“Yes, he definitely needs to be moved,” Richard agreed grimly.

“I had an idea about that too.”

“Do tell,” Richard requested dryly.

Daniel ignored his sarcasm. “I thought it might be best to put him back in the master bedroom.”

“What?
You—”

“Now hear me out before you protest,” Daniel insisted, and then explained, “The girls have already seen that ‘Dicky’ is gone and so believe you are you . . . which of course you are. They also know the bed is now in ruins thanks to the ice they packed around who they thought was you. So, we dump him back in the bed, you keep the windows open to cool the room, and then lock off the doors and keep the keys. Then you say you have ordered a bed to replace the ruined one and that no one should bother entering the room until it arrives and the chamber can be set to rights.” He sat back with satisfaction before adding, “That way he is close at hand if we need him for proof of anything, and yet out of the way of being found.”