Penniless Until the Earl's Proposal, page 20
In the light of a single candle and the sanctuary of their bed, he had gloried in her beauty—her tiny waist and rounded hips and full breasts. He had lingered over his wife of two days as he had begun to seal their vows securely in a physical knot of passion, determined that he would make her body sing with rapture before he was done. But it had been no easy matter ignoring the urgent heat and throbbing in his loins, and as gentle fingers had shyly explored his naked body, slowly gathering courage, they had ignited too many fires for his rapidly splintering restraint.
When he had entered that most intimate part of her, she had gasped at his invasion, and with the blood pouring through his veins like molten lava, he had gloried in the joy of the woman in his arms, feeling her yield to his caress.
* * *
Juliet sensed the presence of a warm, naked masculine form pressed against her as she floated in a comforting grey mist, drifting in and out of sleep. Lying soft and acquiescent beside him, she could smell his skin, his hair, and he was drawing her to him like a magnet.
‘Good morning,’ Marcus murmured. ‘I trust you slept well.’
Opening her sleepy eyes, she gazed up at him. His tousled hair was dark against the snowy whiteness of the pillows, and sleep had softened the rugged contours of his handsome face. She thought of the times that he had made love to her throughout the night. The first time he had loved her with wild abandon, but thereafter he had exercised more control, lingering over her, holding himself back while he guided her to peak after peak of quivering ecstasy, caressing and kissing her with the skill and expertise of a virtuoso playing a violin.
With these memories occupying her mind, she felt her lips, swollen from his kisses, part in a smile. ‘I seem to recall you gave me little time for such luxury,’ she answered, her voice low, throaty and warm. ‘How long have you been lying there watching me?’
His smouldering gaze passed over her naked shoulders, lingering on the twin peaks straining beneath the sheet. ‘Long enough to come to the conclusion that you are too much temptation for a man not long away from the battlefield and starved of a woman’s company. In fact, my love, if you were not already married, after our night making passionate love, I would have to marry you,’ he teased, kissing the tip of her nose.
‘Then it’s a good thing I’m a married woman,’ she purred, trailing her finger slightly across his chest, ‘although I shudder to think what my husband will have to say about it. Why, he might even insist on divorcing me.’
‘You may strive at times to drive him to it, being the stubborn and temperamental female that you are, but I can promise you that he will never divorce you,’ Marcus stated. His voice still held a hint of teasing, but his eyes were dark and deadly serious.
‘What time is it?’ she asked, stretching like a sated cat, her gaze going towards the window. Seeing the brightness of the sun penetrating a crack in the drawn curtains, she sat up. ‘Heavens, it’s daylight. I’m ravenous and ready for my breakfast.’
Laughing softly, Marcus swung his legs over the side of the bed. ‘Then I will leave you to your ablutions and see you at breakfast shortly.’
Left alone, Juliet felt as if she were a different person from the day before. Marcus had awoken feelings inside her that she had not known existed. She was no longer a naive innocent but a woman, with a woman’s wants and needs that could match those of any other, and she knew that only one man could fill those needs.
What she had felt for Thomas had not been like this. That had been warm and gentle and pure, whereas what she felt for Marcus she couldn’t begin to analyse or understand. It was dark and mysterious and all-consuming, a highly volatile combination of terror, danger and excitement, and the force of it terrified her.
Last night he had come to her room to seduce her, to make her want him, and he had succeeded. Her face exploded in a blaze of scarlet when she thought of how she had lain with him and kissed him, had let him fondle her in the most intimate places, exploring her body with the sureness of an experienced and knowledgeable lover, and she felt the pleasurably wanton feelings tearing through her again at the memory.
The smell of his elusive scent still lingered, and she could still taste his kisses and remember how urgent and hungry his mouth had been on hers. Not even in her wildest dreams had she imagined that a man could make her body come to life like that, and she doubted that anyone else ever would but Marcus. It was instinct with him and, being a demanding male, with a dominating sensuality, it was the most natural thing in the world for him to make love.
She gazed at herself in the dressing table mirror, seeing her lips slightly swollen from Marcus’s kisses, and her skin seemed to glow from his touch. At the transformation, a sense of triumph swept through her, for the face reflected in the mirror was the face of a woman, all trace of innocence having disappeared, and when Daphne tapped on her door and entered, smiling broadly, one look at Juliet’s face, and she too noticed the transformation and welcomed it. Never had her maid seen her look so radiant, so happy.
* * *
Later, when Juliet was dressed, she went down to join Marcus in the breakfast room. She entered in a state of spiralling apprehension at the thought of seeing him again. In the cold light of day, how would they react to one another after the intimacies they had shared in her bed, and how could she appear calm and matter-of-fact when she could remember every intimate detail of what she had done with him? She found him already seated at the table. On seeing her, he rose.
‘Ah, here you are, Juliet. I waited for you.’
‘There was no need.’
‘Yes, there was.’
Juliet found it difficult to hide her treacherous heart’s reaction to the deep timbre of his voice. Why, she wondered desperately, did she feel different from the way she had felt yesterday? Why could she still feel his hands on her bare flesh and his kisses on her lips? Slowly, she walked toward him, trying to still the trembling in her legs. He seemed extraordinarily tall and broad-shouldered to her this morning, his face more striking and handsome than ever.
As he stood looking down at her, there was a small quirk of a smile on his lips, and though his gaze travelled leisurely from the top of her bright head, lingering meaningfully on her soft mouth, it lacked the roguish gleam that often brought a flush to her cheeks. She felt heat in her face, felt it spread at that naked, desirous look. It was a look that spoke of invitation and need.
‘I was thinking of you. How lovely you look this morning. I was half afraid you were not real but a ghost of the night.’
Juliet laughed. ‘I assure you I am flesh and blood.’
He nodded and smiled knowingly. ‘So you are. Come and sit down,’ he said, pulling out a chair. ‘Cook has prepared a breakfast fit for a king, so I hope you will do it justice.’
Which she did. As she began to eat her eggs and delectable little mushrooms done in butter, she was amazed by how hungry she was. They made small talk until Juliet laid her napkin down after finishing her last piece of toast and slowly drank her coffee.
‘I have certain important matters to take care of today, Juliet. It will be a good opportunity for you to familiarise yourself with the house and servants. It’s a skeleton staff at present, but we can employ more when you have taken stock of things.’
‘I will. I plan to speak to Mrs Cherry and ask her advice on staffing matters. I would also like to spend some time with Adele. I thought we would go for a walk.’
‘She will like that. I expect she is eager to explore the house. When I was in Spain, I would think of Mulberry Hall, remembering how much I loved the house when I was a boy. I want Adele to feel that way about it.’
‘The war must seem very far away now.’
‘It is. I spent a long time there.’
‘What was it like?’ she asked, taking a sip of her coffee as she tried to envisage him as a soldier, thinking how handsome he would look in uniform.
‘Hot for the most part, dusty, although the winters, especially in the mountains, could be freezing. Food was frequently in short supply because resources failed to get through.’
‘Did you see much fighting?’
‘A great deal, as a matter of fact.’
‘And did you suffer any injuries?’
‘Several, minor ones. I was lucky.’
He hesitated. Thinking of the scar she had seen on his shoulder, Juliet was strangely sensitive to his thoughts and understood. ‘You don’t have to talk about it, Marcus. I have spoken to several soldiers who have returned from the Peninsular, so I do have a picture in my mind of what it was like.’
‘Unless you were there, at Albuera or Badajoz, you can never know, and it’s as well that you don’t. Thank God we’ve almost seen the last of it. But there were times when I saw the real Spain, and at times like those, when the sun set over the brooding mountains and crimson lit the sky, like it does now, in a way that belongs to the radiance of late summer, we saw the beauty of the country and it felt good to be alive.’
* * *
As one day passed into the next and the wonderful shades of autumn began to colour the trees, Marcus was kept extremely busy with estate affairs and Juliet saw little of him during the daylight hours. He would ride off in the early morning with his steward or someone else, and she would often not see him again until late afternoon. On occasion he would ride over to Endcliffe House to see how Richard was managing his affairs, giving advice where necessary and reporting back to Juliet that he was working hard to put things right.
Juliet made a point of getting to know the servants and familiarising herself with the house, which was run efficiently by Mrs Cherry. She also spent a great deal of her time with Adele, realising that she had a talent for entertaining the child that surprised her. In spite of her lack of experience with children, she had no trouble winning her trust and arousing her eager curiosity for most things. Adele loved to draw and paint and play simple games. But her greatest love was to be outdoors. They would walk together in the grounds of the house and often go beyond to the surrounding deer park and sit by the lake and feed the ducks that clamoured for the bread they brought.
But there were times when Adele could be difficult. Often, she would be quiet for long periods and unable to concentrate for any length of time on any one thing. She was quite wilful, and there were tears if she could not get her own way. But on the whole, she brought much pleasure to Juliet.
It was Marcus who, knowing of her love of reading, proudly gave Juliet her first glimpse of the library. It was vast, a treasure trove of books, of precious tomes of history, religion and theology, the gems of poetry and fiction. It was as she perused these books that Marcus placed a small package in her hands. She looked at him in puzzlement.
‘Is this a gift for me?’ she asked.
‘It is indeed. One more book to be added to the poetry collection, one I know you will like.’
She unwrapped it carefully, expectantly, gasping when it was revealed to be the book of sentimental lyric poetry by William Collins. She stared at it with delight.
‘Oh, Marcus, how did you know?’ and then she recalled the day they had met in Mr Marsden’s bookshop, when she had gone there in the hope of purchasing this very book. She looked up at him, seeing in his eyes the pleasure it gave him to present her with this gift. ‘You remembered.’
‘I did. I managed to find it in another bookshop in London. I hope it will give you many hours of pleasurable reading.’
‘It will. And thank you, Marcus. I will treasure it always—more so because you gave it to me.’
‘I know you will, and who knows,’ he murmured with a roguish quirk to his lips. ‘What you read on the pages of Mr Collins’s book of poetry just might spill over into our bedroom.’
Juliet laughed at his teasing audacity. ‘Are you telling me that I need educating in the arts of making love, my lord?’
He smiled an amiable smile and lightly touched her cheek with his finger. ‘You’ve learned a great deal. I am proud of you, my love. On the whole, you’ve been a marvellously satisfying student.’
‘Are you saying that I have still more to learn?’ she asked, her eyes sparkling with humour, thinking how wonderfully attractive he looked, his hair still a bit damp from his bath and smelling of pine-scented shaving lotion. He really was the most appealing man she had ever met.
‘There are more delightful things you have to know, and between Mr Collins and myself, I am certain we can improve matters.’
‘Thank you, Marcus. Every girl likes to be called inadequate.’
‘You are never that,’ he said, laughing quietly. ‘And I guarantee you will not find your lessons too difficult a task.’
‘I sincerely hope not, otherwise I shall be too exhausted to do my daily chores.’
‘Then you shall have the day off.’
Tossing her head, Juliet laughed and walked toward the door.
‘Where are you going?’
‘To the garden to read Mr Collins’s poems. His words happen to be more subtle than yours.’
‘Ah, but not nearly as interesting,’ he said, following in her wake.
‘You, my lord,’ she said, turning and poking him in the ribs with her fingertip, ‘are outrageous.’
‘Utterly,’ he agreed, taking her arm and escorting her into the garden, where they would sit and together read Mr Collins’s delightful and informative poems.
* * *
They had not been at Mulberry Hall a week when the invitations to visit neighbours began to arrive. And so began the endless round of social events as Juliet was swept along as if on a tidal wave. She never failed to look stunning, and Marcus proudly escorted her to all the events. They were the much sought after attraction at any event they attended and were received warmly. Never had Juliet believed she could be so happy.
The lives of the people in local society in which they mixed were varied and full. Most of them managed their estates, visited their neighbours, hunted, danced and gambled, making frequent visits to the city, and many of these privileged landowners also engaged in politics, dominating society and local government, the titled gentlemen taking their seat in the House of Lords. New to the area and committed to the management of his estate with the help of his stewards, at this present time, Marcus was not as deeply committed to British politics as some of his neighbours. This would come later.
* * *
Feeling restless and longing to stretch her legs and maybe ride out on one of Marcus’s fine mounts, she entered the dim interior of the stables, the smell of hay, horses, manure and leather strong, though not unpleasant. Juliet observed several people at work. Her gaze became focused on a man forking straw out of one of the stalls. Her eyes opened wide. Tall and thin, the man was in his late thirties. He also had a wooden leg upon which he seemed to manage very well. She hurried towards him.
‘Joe? Joe Ruskin—I am glad to see you have found work.’
Joe stopped what he was doing and looked at her, a wide smile breaking on his face. ‘Lady Juliet! I can’t tell you what a relief it was when Lord Cardell came to see me and set me on. It upset me, it did, when I was accused of poaching, but that was a mistake and His Lordship was quick to show how sorry he was to have believed the rumour and told me that I had you to thank for making him find out the truth of the matter.’
‘I only did what I thought was right, Joe. I knew you were innocent.’
‘Aye, I was, though it caused Rose a lot of grief at the time.’
‘I know. And you are happy working here?’
‘More than that. I love working with horses. That’s what I was doing out in the Peninsular—taking care of the horses—until I lost my leg when I got too close to the battlefield. I thought I would never work again and shuddered to think what would become of Rose and the bairns. But Lord Cardell told me that since he was to expand his stable, there was always a need for an extra pair of hands.’
‘I’m so happy to see you settled, Joe. You...are aware that Lord Cardell is my husband now? We were married in London.’
‘I do know that and wish you both every happiness. It’s good to know you won’t be leaving the area.’
‘Yes, that is one of the advantages.’
Having heard the voice of his wife, the man in the next stall jerked erect. ‘Only one?’ his voice rang out. ‘I shall be interested to learn the rest.’
As Juliet turned her head, their eyes met instantly, and so abrupt was Marcus’s appearance that Juliet started. Then she laughed. ‘Marcus! I might have known you would be lurking somewhere. I’ve just been having a word with Mr Ruskin. I was surprised to find him working here. You should have told me.’
‘It slipped my mind. Joe is a welcome addition to the stables—knows all there is to know about horses apparently, having looked after them for the army in Spain. Is that not so, Joe?’
‘It is. Thank you, sir,’ Joe replied. ‘I was just telling Her Ladyship.’
Looking from one to the other, Juliet knew that because Marcus had given him this chance, Joe would be his servant forever. Grateful to Marcus for doing this for Joe, she regretted all the bitter words she had accused him of on their first encounter.
Walking into the stable-yard with Marcus, she said, ‘Thank you for finding work for Joe. I am grateful to you for giving him a place, although now that Richard is home, and when things begin to improve at Endcliffe House, I am sure we could have found work for him.’ Juliet looked at Marcus and smiled, meeting his gaze directly. ‘You do realise that by treating Joe with courtesy, you have engendered his respect, and you can be assured of his lifelong devotion.’
‘Which is what I strive to do with my wife,’ Marcus remarked on a teasing note.
Juliet ignored his remark and averted her gaze. ‘I came to see if I could find a suitable horse to ride. It’s such a lovely day.’
