A Haughty Courtesan, page 14
“People will mock us,” Mother said worriedly. “We would become the butt of every joke.”
William’s father turned his gaze towards them. The final decision had now fallen at the feet of the father. He was the head of the household and what he decided would be the final say in the matter.
“Society will mock us for a while, but they will move on to speculate on a new scandal,” his father said with authority. “I think our children’s happiness is more important than worrying about what a few strangers might say about us.”
It was an unexpected turn of events for everyone. Even William was stunned into silence.
“Thank you, Father,” William mumbled.
His father pushed back his chair and came around the desk towards Rose and placed a hand on her head.
“Welcome to the family,” his father said.
Rose had no idea she was holding her breath until his father announced his verdict.
With tears of joy in her eyes, Rose smiled at her father-in-law who in return nodded his head and walked back towards his chair behind the desk.
William turned towards his mother. Her approval was just as important as his father’s.
“I am scared, William,” Mother said tearfully. “I am a mother.”
Rose felt the pain of a mother. Society will shun them and ruin a chance of a good match for her daughter. Rose wished there was something she could do to rectify the situation, but she was aware society was unforgivable towards the likes of her and other misfits.
“I understand your concern, Mother,” William said gently.
His mother turned towards her and once again she held her breath. She desperately wanted approval of the lady of the house but was aware it would not be an easy task, considering a daughter’s happiness was at stake.
“Take good care of my son,” his mother said.
“I will try my best, madam,” Rose said, bowing her head.
His parents left the room in silence followed by his sister who threw a wink her way before going out the door. Rose liked the mischievous girl and could hardly wait to get to know her.
“William.” Rose and William turned towards Henry who was standing in the doorway. “You are not alone. I will share your burdens. You deserve happiness after everything you have done for this family.”
William nodded his head. Henry bowed and closed the door behind him with an audible click.
“Now what?” he asked.
She turned toward William. She raised her palm in the air and he smiled, expecting the gentle caress of her hand.
His expression soon changed to shock and bewilderment as her palm made stinging contact with his face rather than the soft touch of a lover.
“How dare you ask me nonsense questions all the time and hide your burdens from me.”
William stared at her with wide eyes and a palm to his burning cheek. He could not believe a small thing like her could deliver such a stinging slap to his face.
“I… I…” he stammered.
She pushed at his chest and he stumbled back a step. He was utterly speechless. He did not understand how to respond to her. She had caught him off-guard with her fury.
“You what?” she asked angrily. “You thought I would not be interested in hearing your problems?”
He swallowed once and then twice. He hesitated for only a few seconds before deciding to tell her why it never occurred to him to share his burdens with his wife.
“I have never shared my problems with anyone,” he said. “I am not sure where to begin.”
She threw her hands in the air, showing her frustration at his response.
“Begin with, Rose, I wish to unburden my soul,” she said.
He smiled, loving the way she was angry with him for problems that were his concern. He took the few steps that were separating them. Catching her small chin with his thumb and forefinger, he turned her head towards him.
She sighed and tapped his chest with her small fists.
“William, I want the bad along with the good,” she said. “Please, don’t hide your problems from me.”
“I will not repeat the same mistake, my love,” he said.
He wrapped his arms around her. She met his eyes and saw unconditional love and intense happiness. His joy brought peace to her soul.
Chapter 23
Lying on her stomach with her legs bent at the knees and pointing in the air, Rose looked at her husband who was lying on his side and tracing invisible markings on her bare shoulder with his finger.
“Tell me again, you love me,” she said.
He grinned and met her eyes. His smoldering gaze melted her on the spot. Breathing normally was impossible when William looked at her with so much love and desire.
“Only if you address me by my name,” he said.
He placed one hand beneath his head and traced the same markings on the small of her back all the while staring at her, waiting for her to call his name. He loved his name on her lips. It made the same bland name feel special when Rose uttered it from her sensual mouth.
“William, how much do you love Rose?” she asked with a smile on her face.
William wished time would stop right here and right now. He would gladly live the rest of his life at that moment where Rose looked at him with love in her eyes and his name on her lips.
“If Rose can count stars in the sky, she will know William loves her that much,” William responded.
She pouted her lips. “Stars are countless. That was an unfair answer.”
William stopped tracing his name and hers on her skin and grinned at her.
“Now you know how much William loves Rose,” he said. “Limitless and countless.”
Her heart swelled with intense happiness. She leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips. His hand was in her hair and the other on her waist in an instant, holding her in place and deepening the soft kiss into a passionate kiss.
A knock came at the door and broke the spell of love and lust.
“My lord,” his footman called from the other side of the door.
“What!” William said irritably.
“Lord Henry and Lady Beatrice are here.”
William groaned. What were his siblings doing at his house at such an ungodly hour? It was not even noon yet.
“Can’t they wait for a while?” William asked.
The footman’s retreating footsteps put a smile on his face. His servant was clever. He read the command in his master’s query and went out to do William’s bidding.
The smile fell from his face a few minutes later and he rushed to get dressed.
“I thought the extra minutes was for sating our needs.”
Rose was sprawled on the bed lazily. It was almost impossible to resist jumping on the bed and taking a tumble with her.
He pulled his gaze with painful restraint to her face and avoided the parts that were beckoning him to forget about everything else.
“It was, but then a horrific realization made me rethink,” he said. “Henry and Beatrice should never be left alone for long. They will either break the skulls of each other or unearth this house from its foundations.”
She laughed in her sweet and melodious voice.
“Surely you exaggerate, William.”
He shook his head and placed his hand on his heart.
“Alas, my love, I wish that was the case.”
She wrapped the sheet around her body. He was glad she was hiding her irresistible body from him to make it easy on him.
She descended from the bed and walked towards the basin of water. She swayed her bottom from side to side and he groaned. She was torturing him and there was not an ounce of doubt in his mind that it was a deliberate move.
“Rose,” he said in a warning.
“What?” she asked innocently.
Shaking his head, he turned away from her and went out of his chamber.
Beatrice and Henry were waiting for him in the living room. As soon as he appeared in the doorway, Beatrice jumped up from her seat and threw her hands in the air.
“Surprise!” she yelled. “You are going on a trip with your new bride.”
Not understanding a word of what Beatrice just said, William turned towards Henry.
“Henry,” William said. “Kindly, explain to me what she is blabbering about.”
“It was mother’s idea,” Henry said. “She wants you to relax and enjoy your life for some time.”
William was speechless. A trip with Rose was a capital idea. He was amazed he hadn’t thought of it himself.
“A trip will cost you money and time.”
William turned his head and saw Rose in a robe. She came near him and he wrapped his arm around her waist.
He could have asked her to change and dress appropriately in front of company, but he would never force rules on her. As far as he was concerned, she was free to do as she willed. She could dress in controversial clothes and it would still not faze him. He knew her love and body were reserved only for him.
“Nothing means more to me than putting a smile on your face,” he said lovingly. “And if you want to see me happy then you will give me one of those smiles this instant.”
A radiant smile erupted on her face. She had never dreamed of being this happy in her life. William was the best gift life could bestow upon her.
“William can leave everything to me while he enjoys a vacation,” Henry said.
William looked at his brother. “Can I have a moment alone with you, Henry?”
The brothers went to a corner. William did not want Rose to hear what he had to say to Henry. He was also confident that she would not eavesdrop because his sister never stopped talking. Rose would be too busy to pay him any attention.
Once they were far away from the listening range of Rose and Beatrice, William looked at Henry.
“I have invested in a number of businesses,” William said. “I want you to pull all our investments out when you receive my missive.”
Henry’s expression became puzzled and troubled before saying, “I might not be as experienced as you, but that seems like a costly decision.”
William agreed with Henry, but certain things were more important than profit and loss in business. He might lose a lot of money, but what he will get will be worth every penny.
“Revenge is a costly business, Henry,” William said.
Understanding dawned on Henry. A look of pride came over Henry’s face.
“You want to ruin Lord Doris,” Henry said. “You are planning on making him penniless.”
William nodded his head. Rose had forbidden him from taking any sort of action against Lord Doris, but he could never forgive the man who harmed his beautiful Rose.
“You will be pleased to know that Madam Olivia has closed the doors of every brothel and opium den on him,” Henry said, grinning in his usual roguish manner.
William chuckled and shook his head. He should have known that the madam of the brothel would retaliate. He had a suspicion that the madam had been faking her cold behavior during his last visit to the brothel, but there was no concrete proof, until now.
“He picked a fight with the wrong person,” William said. “That woman will chase him to his grave.”
Henry cleared his throat and nodded towards the two females approaching them.
“Where will we stay during the trip?” Rose asked
Henry took Beatrice with him and gave them privacy. They did not leave the living room but were out of earshot distance.
William smiled at Rose and tugged her towards him by her hand. Placing his hands on her lower waist, he met her eyes.
“We will move around a lot, so inns would be a preferred choice,” he said and then leaned towards her ear and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Of course, you will be staring at the ceilings most of the time, so I better choose inns with the best décor on their ceilings.”
She burst into laughter and he joined her too. It took her a minute to grasp the innuendo behind his words. He was referring to their lovemaking while she lay beneath him.
She put her arms around his neck and bit her lower lip. His nostrils flared and his breathing changed at her obvious tactics of seduction.
He was no match for her. She was a master at the game of seduction while he was just getting introduced.
“What if I made you look at the ceilings and I stared at the walls or windows?” she asked.
A glass broke in the distance and their heads turned towards Henry and Beatrice.
Henry was shaking his hand as blood oozed out of his palm. He had a broken glass of water in his hands.
“Lucky bastard!” Henry hissed.
“What did she say?” Beatrice asked.
“Nothing,” Henry and William said in unison.
Beatrice looked at William and Rose with suspicion.
“I heard her saying something,” Beatrice said.
Rose giggled while William had turned crimson from embarrassment. His siblings heard. Henry understood every word in the innuendo used by Rose, but Beatrice was an innocent girl.
“Beatrice, stop asking questions,” William said sternly. “That’s an order.”
Beatrice looked at Henry. Her brother and close confidant.
“No, no, dear Beatrice,” Henry said. “I am with William on this one.”
“Fine!”
Beatrice stomped her foot and turned on her heal.
“I should go after her,” Henry said. “She seems upset”
Once they were alone, William pulled Rose into his embrace and shook his head in mock anger.
“You are a scandalous woman, Mrs. Clifford,” he said.
She stood on her tiptoes and brought her lips near his ear. He shuddered and held her more tightly as her teeth grazed his lobe and her tongue darted out to lick the same lobe.
“I aim to please, Lord William,” she whispered sensually.
He clutched her bottom in both hands and squeezed the fleshy skin before leaning down and picking her up in his hands.
“Let’s go back to our room and work on your skills of pleasing me, Lady Rose.”
She squealed and giggled as William practically ran towards their chamber.
The End
Nancy Wells
Nancy Wells does not reside in one place for a long time. She has the soul of a gypsy and goes where the tides take her. At this moment, she is stuck with her postgrad in RS and GIS, but will be gone the moment she gets her hands on her degree.
Writing has been a hobby and an outlet for expressing her feelings for long time, but on the suggestion of a close friend, she decided to publish her first piece and is keeping her fingers crossed for a positive response from the readers.
Her background is in engineering and she is usually found with a screwdriver in hand and a broken appliance because she has no idea how to fix it. Yup, she is not a good engineer and no one should trust her with valuable electronics. ;)
You can find Nancy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NancyWe66850411
Don’t miss these exciting titles by Nancy Wells and Blushing Books!
Love and Family:
Her Dream Prince - Book 1
A Siren’s Melody - Book 2
Individual Titles:
A Haughty Courtesan
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