Gentleman's Guide 01 - His Impetuous Debutante (19 page)

Clearly confused, she accepted his
words. Still, Taylor remained still, staring down at her. “Are you
sure you are okay?”

“
Yes, why? Is it
over?”

“
Because I…oh, God,
Phoebe, I can’t remain this still, and we are far from
done.”

Before she could comprehend, Taylor
began moving. He watched her face and eyes as he entered and
withdrew, over and over, until the tempo increased. Phoebe tried to
match his motion with her own body, awkward at first, unaccustomed
to this new activity, but enjoying the feelings as much as she had
enjoyed what his hands brought forth before. As the feelings grew
Phoebe realized what was going on. “Taylor.” She panted. “It is
going to happen again.” She clutched his shoulders.

Taylor didn’t have to be told, he
could feel her body’s response and wanted to bring her to that
climax again. He never imagined she would be so responsive the
first time. Overcome with his own body’s need, Taylor decided to
take complete control. “Oh, Phoebe, just wrap your legs around me
and hold on.”

Phoebe arched her neck and threw her
head back, screaming much as she had done a short time ago. Hilted,
Taylor groaned and finally let go of the sweetest, purest and most
powerful release of his life.

Taylor rolled to his side and pulled
her into his arms. He was much quicker to recover, while Phoebe
still lay in shock of what had just occurred. Dazed was the word
that came to Taylor’s mind, and he couldn’t have been more
thrilled. Never had he been so deeply affected, nor felt his own
release so strongly, to the point that it curled his
toes.

He stroked her hair, waiting for her
to totally return. He couldn’t believe he had been so fortunate to
have her. Phoebe planted a kiss on his chest, then lifted her face
to his, eyes glowing with mischief and aftermath. “I think I
understand now.”

Taylor chuckled. “I would be greatly
disturbed if questions still remained, my love.”

Bags packed and loaded, Phoebe and
Taylor headed for his country estate. Relaxing against his
shoulder, Phoebe’s eyes drifted shut and she was asleep as soon as
they were away from London. Taylor held her constantly, knowing how
badly she needed her rest since she hadn’t gotten much the past two
evenings. Smiling, he closed his eyes as well, surrendering to
slumber.

A few hours later, Phoebe came awake
slowly to lips against her neck, body on fire with need.

“
Phoebe.” Taylor was
whispering in her ear then tracing it with is tongue. “It is time
to move onto lesson two.”

“
We are in a carriage,
Taylor,” Phoebe mumbled sleepily.

“
Exactly. The perfect
place for this particular lesson.”

She opened her eyes, wanting him
desperately at the moment. “Really?”

“
Trust me.” He smiled
wickedly at her again.

“
What if someone
sees?”

“
Who is going to see? Look
out the window. We are in the country. The horses are much too
noisy for anyone to hear.” He lowered the shades.

“
Who am I to argue?” She
was willing to do anything he suggested at the moment.

Kissing her, he unbuttoned his
breeches, freeing himself before lifting her skirts. He had asked
her not to wear pantaloons and she had only laughed at him. Clearly
she had obeyed, feeling only the stocking and garter surrounding
her thigh. Lifting her, he placed her on his lap and his desire
rubbed against her.

“
Turn towards me, Phoebe,”
Taylor instructed. She did, reluctantly, not understanding his
intent. Shifting, he lifted her skirt slightly and placed her
thighs on either side of him. Slipping his hand further up her
body, he found the place she desired to be touched, already damp
with desire. Taylor brought her hips closer and his member brushed
against the inside of her upper thigh.

Her eyes lit with mischievous passion.
“Like this?”

Taylor merely smiled at her wonder as
he brought her down on him and Phoebe gasped. It took a moment to
recover from the shock, but shortly she was moving, imitating the
same thrusts he had used on her body. Except now she was in control
of the tempo and it was an incredible feeling. She kissed him
deeply as she slowed her movement. Then kissed his neck as she
increased her tempo, wondering if she was driving him as mad as he
had driven her. If his moans were any indication, she was. Moving
as her own body demanded for fulfillment, she brought them both to
climax simultaneously, without Taylor ever having to utter a word
of direction or make any movement on his own.

Finally she raised her head and looked
at him. “I think I like lesson two. But perhaps we should practice
a few more times before moving onto three.”

Taylor was just about to kiss her when
they hit a bump that sent her flying from his lap. The carriage
turned and he screamed her name.

Phoebe hit the bottom and the wind was
knocked out of her. Taylor came to rest on top of her, which didn’t
help her breathing much at the moment. When the carriage settled
she began to worry that perhaps he had lost consciousness, but
after a moment he raised his head, looking at her with
concern.

“
Are you all right?” He
asked intently.

He looked so worried that she smiled
back at him reassuringly. “I will be fine when I can breathe.” She
pushed against his chest.

Taylor raised himself from her and
looked around. The carriage was on its side and there was no sound
from outside. He stood and pushed against the door above, then
stuck his head out. Phoebe came to a sitting position and found it
difficult to take deep breaths, but she wouldn’t mention it to him
at the moment.

“
Taylor, before you leave
I think you should adjust your clothing.”

He stuck his head back in the
carriage. “What did you say?”

“
I said you should fix
your clothing.” She pointed to his unbuttoned pants and exposed
member.

For the first time in many years
Taylor blushed. “I guess that could have been quite
embarrassing.”

“
Quite.” Phoebe nodded and
chuckled, stopping quickly because of the pain it
caused.

Leaving her alone in the carriage for
a few minutes, Taylor checked on the driver, who he found lying at
the side of the road. His neck was at an unnatural angle. Taylor
suffered a pang at the loss of the servant who had been with the
family since he was a child. He bent and closed the lifeless eyes
and waited until he recovered his composure before he stood and
assessed the situation. The horses had broken away and were long
gone from what he could tell. There was no one around and they had
little choice but to walk until they came to the next town. Of
course, they could wait and hope another carriage came along, but
he did not want to be on the road in the dark. It was best to
continue moving forward.

At least his wife was no shrinking
violet and would not balk at the necessity of walking part of the
journey. If she could walk almost a mile on an injured ankle, this
would be a walk in the park in comparison. Thank goodness she
wasn’t injured, otherwise he didn’t know what he would
do.

Taylor returned to the overturned
carriage and peeked in the door. Phoebe sat upright inside, her
arms wrapped around her middle. Was he wrong in assuming she was
uninjured? At that moment she glanced up at him, worry marred her
brow.

“
I am afraid we will have
to walk to the next town. The horses have bolted.” He didn’t want
to tell her about the driver, but knew she would see for herself
after she was out of the carriage.

Phoebe stood and brushed out her
skirts. With her hands above her head she grasped the frame and
attempted to lift herself. A groan escaped her lips and she let her
arms fall.

“
Here, let me help.”
Taylor jumped back into the carriage and boosted Phoebe out the
opening with his shoulder. She settled on the side of the carriage.
“Wait there.” Taylor pulled himself out once again and jumped to
the ground before he lifted Phoebe by the waist, lowering her until
her feet touched the dirt road. Her face was pale and she was
completely white around the mouth.

“
Phoebe?” He let his
question linger. She turned from him and marched into the road. “We
should be on our way if we wish to reach the town before darkness
falls.”

“
In one moment.” If Phoebe
were in pain he was certain she would tell him. She was simply
frightened, that was all. Truth be told, he was a bit shaken
himself. Taylor walked around the conveyance and stopped where the
wheel had come loose. He would need to inspect it further at a
later time. Right now, they needed to get to the town. “Are you
sure you can walk a few miles?”

She smiled reassuringly. “I believe I
can manage it.”

Starting off down the road they didn’t
speak. Taylor was wondering about the wheel. It was a new carriage
and the wheel should not have come loose. They had hit a few bumps
in the road, but still, the wheel should have stayed on. Was he
paranoid, or had someone tampered with the carriage? He didn’t
voice any of his concerns because he didn’t want to alarm Phoebe.
At least not until he had a chance to check on the matter. As soon
as they were settled, he would have the carriage brought back to
the house for inspection.

Phoebe concentrated on keeping up with
him and on her breathing. Each breath caused a sharp pain. She
clenched her teeth, praying they would arrive soon. Tears formed in
her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

Taylor stopped and Phoebe did the
same. He placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face.
“What is wrong?”

“
Nothing,” Phoebe
responded pasting a smile on her lips.

“
Don’t lie to me. I detest
lying.” An edge came to his voice. “Something is wrong and I want
to know what.”

The tears that had been threatening
came to her eyes. She stiffened. Now was not the time to cry. “I
have a little discomfort.”

“
Good God, you are in
pain. Why didn’t you say something?”

“
Would it have changed
matters?” She bit back, hating to be yelled at or
patronized.

“
No. Still you should have
said something.”

“
I didn’t see the
need.”

Taylor shook his head with
astonishment and stepped closer. “What hurts?”

“
It only hurts when I
breathe.”

He muttered a curse under his breath
and gently touched her ribs. His eyes came up to hers. “Dear wife,
you are not wearing a corset.”

Phoebe giggled, then suddenly stopped
herself due to the pain. “When you told me not to wear pantaloons,
I wasn’t sure what you had in mind. Besides, I’ll grab any excuse
to go without the blasted thing.”

“
I admire your
forethought. Had I known…” His voice trailed off as he felt her
ribs and was rewarded with a gasp. “We need to get you to a
doctor.”

“
I was going to mention
that as soon as we arrived at our destination.”

“
I don’t think you should
walk that far.”

“
Do you intend to leave me
stranded by the road?” She asked mildly.

“
No.” Pausing he looked
around. “I don’t know what to do.”

“
I can walk. I promise to
let you know when I need to rest.”

“
Are you sure?” Taylor was
unconvinced.

“
I promise.”

“
I don’t like this, but I
see little choice.”

Slowly they began to walk down the
road and Taylor kept the pace almost to a stroll. He watched her
closely for any discomfort. Hours later they finally arrived at the
small town, and Taylor sought out a doctor before anything else.
She had three injured ribs, and though they did not appear to be
broken, it was possible they were cracked. Whether it was from the
fall, or Taylor landing on her, the doctor wasn’t sure. Binding her
tightly, he showed Taylor how she should be wrapped. The doctor
assured him that she would recover in no time at all.

They finally arrived home well after
dark, to a house of worried servants. While assisting Phoebe up the
steps, he explained their delay and his wife’s injuries. He didn’t
miss the looks that passed between the servants, but it wasn’t
something that hadn’t gone through his own mind several times since
the accident. After ordering her a hot bath, he escorted her to
their chambers. There he assisted in disrobing her before wrapping
one of his robes around her. He did not want to take the time to go
through her belongings. By this point, Phoebe was beyond
exhaustion. He would slip a bit of laudanum in the tea he had
requested and give it to her once she was in bed.

Helping her into the tub, he assisted
with her bath with none of the seductive attention he had shown the
day before, much too concerned with her state. Binding her once
again, he kept apologizing as she grimaced. Pulling a nightgown
over her head, he helped her into bed and handed her the
tea.

Phoebe thanked him with heavy lids and
was fast asleep before the tea was gone. As soon as she was resting
peacefully, he returned to his worried servants. He knew they would
still be about, waiting for word from him. He found his entire
staff in the large kitchen. When he explained what had happened,
his men set out to retrieve the carriage and its parts to bring
back for inspection. The only person who didn’t seem upset by the
occurrence was Holly, Phoebe’s maid.