Two Notorious Dukes (10 page)

Robert became aware that he was lying on his
face. He opened his eyes slowly expecting to see
Elizabeth’s fiery hair on the pillow next to him. His eyes
took in the vast expanse of white linen, but no auburn
hair. He lifted his head, wondering if she was curled up
further down the bed, only to find himself alone. He
rolled over and checked the room, but it was empty.

Damn! Did I dream it?
He asked himself, but as
he looked down at his body he could see the tell tale
signs of dried sperm on his groin and thighs.
No, it
wasn’t a dream. She was actually here!
He was stunned
as he thought about the night, as he became aware he
wasn’t alone in bed.
Damn me, if she didn’t suck my
cock!
He thought as he recalled the exquisite feeling as
she gently sucked and teased him.
I don’t think any girl
has ever sucked my cock like that.
And then he
recollected how she made love to him and the ecstasy it
was to watch her breasts swing as her body moved. A
laugh spluttered from him.
Some china doll!
He thought
and he smiled as he recollected just how many times he
tupped her and how demanding she was.
What did she
say? I’d released a ravening beast?
He gently massaged
his penis as he thought about her in the night.
More like
a damned Siren!

Burke arrived with a flurry and Robert quickly
covered himself with the sheet. The bath was
manoeuvred in and the servants filled it.

‘Good morning, Your Grace.’ Burke said as he
went to the wardrobe and started to take out Robert’s
clothes for the day. ‘Did you sleep well?’

Robert looked up sharply. He was aware how
much the servants observed in any household, but
Burke was just sedately opening a drawer to get out his
linen.

‘I did, but then I usually sleep well with an excess
of brandy in my belly.’ He sighed contentedly, folding
his hands under the back of his head and staring at the
ceiling.
She is so beautiful.
He thought and smiled softly,
and so damned sexy.

‘Your bath is ready, Your Grace.’ Burke said as he
withdrew from the room. Robert dived out of bed and
plunged his body in the hot water, revelling in the sting
of it. He lay back to soak his shoulder and contemplated
his next move.
Should I creep into her room tonight? No,
I should wait and see how she is today.
He decided. As
he thought about her deep need during the night, he
also started to consider her marriage. Was it as brutal as
her nightmare’s made out?
She’s certainly not afraid of
intercourse. I wonder what went wrong with her
marriage. I suppose I should ask her.

Elizabeth had bathed already and was
downstairs with Mrs. Simmons in the kitchens.
‘Lady Elizabeth, you shouldn’t be in here!’ she
said uncomfortably.
‘Relax Mrs. Simmons. I like being in a kitchen
that smells of fresh bread and frying bacon.’ She was sat
at the huge table, drinking tea. ‘How long have you
known Lord Bosworth?’ she asked evenly.
‘Oh! I’ve known Lord Robert since he was in
swaddling, My Lady. I was a kitchen maid at Roding Hall
when his mother brought him into the world.’ She
smiled contentedly. ‘According to the local midwife, he
was an exceptionally quick baby and easy to get out.
She didn’t need any forceps; he fair flew out on his
own!’
‘Eager!’ Elizabeth muttered.
‘He was indeed, Ma’am. He was always a happy
baby and he grew into a right charmer. He could entice
cook to spoil him, me too! He was so gifted at getting us
wrapped around his finger.’ She smiled benevolently.
‘And then his sister arrived, little Susanna.’ She sighed
deeply. ‘Such a sweet little girl.’ She was quiet as she
fetched the fresh bread from the oven, bounced them
onto the table and tapped the bottoms until the bread
fell out of the tin.
‘He was besotted with her from the moment he
looked in the cradle.’ Mrs. Simmons continued. ‘Nothing
was ever too much trouble for Susanna. He entertained
her every day until he met that little slut Christina!’ she
spat viciously. ‘She was the daughter of a local
landowner, a gentleman of good breeding.’ She said
proudly. ‘Not good enough for Lord Peter, of course, but
ideal for the second son.’
‘Who is Lord Peter?’ Elizabeth asked softly.
‘Lord Peter was the eldest. Heir to the Dukedom.
The old Duke made sure he was educated. Sent him to
Eton and Cambridge. Lord Robert went to Eton, but as I
say he was introduced to that little slut Christina and
everything changed then.’
‘In what way?’ Elizabeth asked curiously.
‘I never quite understood how Lord Robert
didn’t know what she was like. I suppose its necessary
for a young lady to be excessively demure if she’s in the
marriage market. But somehow she managed to hide
from him her sordid past.’ She sighed again. ‘I suppose
we could have told him, but it wasn’t our place to be so
forward. We knew the first day she was there that she
was tupping the groom.’
‘What happened?’ Elizabeth asked.
‘He caught her in the act. She was in the stables,
riding the groom for all she was worth and Lord Robert
went to check on his injured horse.’ She looked as if she
was going to cry. ‘He was so shocked. His father
dissolved the engagement on the spot and she was
unceremoniously ordered off the grounds. His father
was so incensed that he allowed Lord Robert to almost
beat the groom to death. But violence wasn’t the
answer to a broken heart. A week later Lord Robert
bought his commission and was gone.’
‘Where?’ Elizabeth enquired, noticing that she
barely needed to prompt the housekeeper to gossip.
‘Into the Army. He was sent to Flanders at first
and then he went to India and he was in Copenhagen
when his family died.’
‘What happened to them?’ Elizabeth asked with
such compassion, that Mrs. Simmons looked at her face.
‘It was the morbid sore throat. Nearly everybody
in the house had it, including me. I was lucky, because I
survived. Four other servants did too and I was
immediately promoted to housekeeper, because the
housekeeper was the first one of the staff to die. It was
rampant through the village and the Duchess caught it
first, the Duke nursed her day and night and the
housekeeper helped him. He held her while the
housekeeper painted Melrose on her throat.’ She shook
her head sadly. ‘Didn’t make any difference, she was
dead in a week. Then the children got it, both Lady
Susanna and Lord Peter’s children, then his wife
followed by Lord Peter and then the Duke.’ She wiped a
hand over her face. ‘I had it at the same time as the
Duchess and I was getting better when the old Duke
became ill. He sent for me and instructed me how to
send for Lord Robert.’
Mrs. Simmons had been working throughout this
explanation and suddenly she shouted a string of orders
to the housemaids. She turned back to Elizabeth.
‘Breakfast is going up to the breakfast room, Lady
Elizabeth, can I get you anything else?’
‘No. Thank you Mrs. Simmons, for your candour.’
She smiled kindly and went to the stairs, leaving Mrs.
Simmons up to her elbows in breakfast preparations.
She walked slowly upstairs, realising that
Robert’s army career was longer than she’d thought.
She assumed that his campaign in Copenhagen was in
1801, when Lord Nelson bombarded the city, but it was
obviously much later.
He’s not been a Duke for very
long!
She thought in amazement.
No wonder he was
lost, to come back from the army and shoulder those
kinds of responsibilities must be very difficult. He’s now
in the position to help run a war, rather than fight in
one!
In the breakfast room, Johnny Argyll was just
helping himself to tea. ‘Good morning, Lady Elizabeth.’
‘Good Morning, Your Grace.’ Elizabeth replied
demurely as she sat down.
‘I think we have reached the stage where we can
drop formal titles?’ Argyll said softly. ‘It would be much
nicer to have an informal atmosphere.’
‘If you say so, your Grace.’ She said coyly and
looked up at him. He turned abruptly to say something
else, but was captivated by the wicked smile plastered
across her heart shaped mouth.
‘What did you do?’ he asked softly.
‘I gave him a dose of his own medicine.’ She said
softly and smiled again. ‘Just watch him at breakfast.’
‘Good morning!’ Lady Verity said brightly as she
seated herself at the table. It didn’t take long for Lady
Sarah to arrive and then Argyll was waiting with bated
breath for Robert to arrive.
Suddenly he skidded into the doorway and then
he gave every one a good morning and slipped into a
seat opposite Elizabeth.
Argyll desperately tried to hide his mirth at
Robert’s expression. He tried to decide what it was on
Robert’s face,
puppy love? Or maybe it was devotion,
but it was probably lust!
Argyll kept the conversation going and Lady
Sarah was hanging on every word, so Argyll lost interest
in Robert, but Lady Verity did not, she watched him like
a hawk.
Elizabeth spent the whole day with Lady Verity
and Lady Sarah. Robert desperately tried to get her on
her own, but was thwarted at every turn by somebody
else. By dinner, he was quite put out and a little
offended by Elizabeth’s unwillingness to talk to him
alone. He actually wondered what he’d done wrong.
Have I offended her, by going to sleep? But I was
exhausted and couldn’t help it.
Argyll sat and watched him as Elizabeth played
her way through a Bach Prelude and Fugue with such ice
cold precision that it was as if she didn’t have an
emotion in her body. He saw how Robert scowled and
couldn’t sit still, constantly crossing and re-crossing his
legs. At the end of the piece, he clapped with everyone
else and Elizabeth moved onto a Mozart piece, which
was all flair and technique. Her playing was stunning
and in the end even Robert forgot his discomfort as he
watched her hands fly over the keyboard. She finished
her recital with Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. The first
movement passed over their ears as any other music
would, but the second movement made Verity weep. It
was so haunting and beautiful, that Argyll watched the
tears leech out of his mother’s eyes. The last movement
was nothing short of spectacular and all of them were
spellbound as Elizabeth’s fire was felt through the
intensity of her flying fingers. As the last notes died
away, Lady Verity walked over to her and patted her
shoulder.
‘Never have I heard the like.’ She whispered. ‘To
be filled with such compassion and rage, it must be like
a war inside you sometimes.’
‘It is, Lady Verity. Life has a tendency to do that
to us.’ She spoke calmly, but Verity could see the
unshed tears trembling on her eyelashes. She stood up
abruptly. ‘I’m sorry, but I must retire. This has been
quite a traumatic event.’ And she practically ran from
the room. Robert was just going to follow when Argyll
grabbed his arm.
‘Don’t. She needs to settle down. That was music
from her soul, to show you just how tormented she is.’
Sarah had settled at the piano and was singing a
love song with sweet clarity, so the gentlemen gave her
their attention, but Robert was still concerned for
Elizabeth.
Robert and Argyll played their usual game of
cards, but it was obvious Robert was distracted.
‘Do you want to tell me about it?’ Argyll asked
softly and poured more brandy.
‘Elizabeth came to my room, last night.’ He
sighed eventually.
‘Did you fuck her?’ he asked in shock.
‘I think it was the other way around.’ Robert
admitted and washed his hands over his face. ‘It was a
first for me, to wake up being made love to by a
beautiful woman.’
‘Why do you think she did it?’ Argyll asked
puzzled.
‘She said I woke a ravening beast. I assumed her
marriage was loveless and violent, but maybe I was
wrong.’ He murmured.
‘You’ll only know that when she finally tells you
about it.’ Argyll said. ‘But we all know she isn’t an
inexperienced virgin. Maybe she needed, like we do and
you are the best rake around here.’
They played cards, until Robert called a halt,
before he consumed too much brandy. ‘Why are we
stopping now?’ Argyll said indignantly.
‘Because I would rather be sober for her
tonight.’ He said bashfully.
‘Do you know yet?’ Argyll asked him.
‘Know what?’
‘If you love her.’
Robert shook his head. ‘Do you love Sarah?’
‘I do.’ He smiled softly. ‘But I’m waiting for her to
decide if she loves me.’
Robert said goodnight and trudged up the stairs,
feeling quite depressed. The day had gone nothing like
he’d expected. He had anticipated spending the day
somewhere quiet with Elizabeth, where they could talk
or sleep or make love and she had been distant and
uncommunicative.
Burke was waiting outside his door. ‘Thank you,
Burke, but I think I can manage tonight. You get off to
bed.’ He said kindly.
‘Will you need a call in the morning, Sir?’ Burke
asked and it was the way he said it that made Robert
look at him sharply.
‘Do I have company in there?’ he whispered and
pointed at his door. Burke smiled and nodded. ‘Not too
early, Burke,’ he spoke clearly. ‘I think I’d like a lie in
tomorrow.’
‘Very good, Your Grace.’ Burke said evenly,
smiled and departed.
Robert took a deep breath and opened his door.
Lamplight was pooled about the sensuous body
sprawled face down and naked on his bed. Her hair was
down, instead of braided and it washed over her back
and the pillows in autumnal waves. He jerked his first
boot off as he closed the door, the second one hit the
floor as he arrived at the raised dais where the huge
bed was mounted, and his jacket was somewhere
between the two. He stood looking down on her body
as he pulled off his cravat and started to undo his shirt,
his manhood almost bursting out of his britches.
Starting at her dainty feet, her legs were shapely, not
long, but in perfect proportion to her overall size. Her
buttocks were round and firm looking and the dimples
above them were perfect. Her hips were rounded and
they curved gracefully into a small waist and flared up
her flanks to her shoulders, and that’s when he saw the
white scars across her back. He frowned and picked up
the lamp, holding it close to her bare skin as he pushed
her hair aside. Her back was a mass of cicatrices, from
her shapely buttocks to her rangy shoulders.
‘He treated me like an animal, at times.’ She
murmured. ‘But I now realise why. He needed the
violence to arouse him. He couldn’t get hard any other
way.’ She sniffed as he sat on the edge of the bed. ‘I was
his property to do his bidding. And if he wanted to beat
me, there wasn’t anything I could do to stop him. He
would give me the crop first and then he would take
me, but he didn’t really have a clue. That’s probably
where the violence came from, his own inadequacies.’
‘Why did you come last night?’ Robert asked
softly as his lips brushed the largest scar on her back.
‘I needed to conquer my fear.’ She whispered.
‘To be afraid of sex makes you feel like half a woman. To
be afraid to perform a basic need would make me
useless for any other man, I had to overcome it and you
were the catalyst.’ She sniffed again. ‘I wasn’t lying
when I said you released a beast. I have never wanted
so much in my life as I did after I left you at the tree
yesterday. But I needed you to love me, not fuck me.’
She whispered hollowly. ‘And the only way to ensure
that was for me to start it.’
He was shocked to hear her use such a word.
‘Where did you hear that expression?’ he asked softly as
he kissed and stroked more of her back.
‘Edward would use it all the time. “Get in here
bitch I want to fuck you!” or “you’re just a fucking
whore!” He would say things like that every day and I
became inured to hearing it. If he was particularly angry
with something I’d done, he would hit me first, with his
fists and then he would kiss my face and say sorry,’ she
gasped, ‘before he took the whip to me and then fucked
me!’
Robert placed the lamp back on the night table
and stroked his hands over her shoulders. ‘I suppose it’s
easier to see pain when there are scars to show it, but
when there aren’t, it’s very difficult to see them.’
‘Robert?’ he huh hummed as his lips caressed
her spine. ‘Love me again?’
‘I intend to, my love. Just let me finish
undressing.’ He stood up and continued to open his
shirt. She sat up suddenly and turned to him, reaching
for his britches and he found it incredibly arousing for
her to open them. She did it erotically, sliding her
fingers from one fastener to the next and all the time
the backs of her fingers stroked his groin and manhood
as it stood at attention for her. She slowly peeled open
the flap, pulling it down to reveal his engorged penis
with his arousal discharge glistening in the lamplight.
She deftly swirled it around the hood with her index
finger as she looked up at him with innocent eyes, in her
innocent Madonna’s face. ‘Do you wish me to pleasure
you again?’ she asked softly. And he was speechless as
she engulfed him in her mouth again. She slowly
stripped off his britches and then held him by the hips
as she gently sucked on him and then stroked him with
her tongue, up and down, tormenting the head.