Handfasted (To Love a Governess Novella) (3 page)

He marched across the room and slid the panel open and stepped back.
 
The shelf was empty. There was a layer of dust on the shelf in front of where the books should have been, and a thin trail through the dust where the bindings of books had been pulled forward.

Timothy looked to the door. Had Miss Clark known about these books? Had she already packed them up?
 
He glanced around the room. This was the only place they had not packed and the books still lined the shelves, so what had become of the tomes on the secret shelf?

Surely Miss Clark hadn’t discovered them, or had she? If she had, did she read them, maybe destroy them?
 
Maybe someone else had taken them. If he owned a bookstore and had a daughter the age of Miss Clark, he would make arrangements for the books to disappear if something were to happen to him.
 
That must be what had occurred. He certainly could not ask about them because they were never on the inventory.

Disappointment worked its way inside him. He had barely glanced through them before and had hoped to delve deeper. A man couldn’t have too much information when it came to the various ways to bring pleasure to a woman, or offer suggestions for himself he may have never considered.
 

Perhaps one day he would locate a collection for himself and it was probably best he didn’t have them to read now.
 
His own imagination was more than enough for what he would like to do with and to Miss Clark while they traveled. Reading of other ways would only increase his frustration.
 
He would search out similar volumes when Miss Clark was no longer in his life and when he finally had his lust under control.

Timothy slid the panel back in place, grabbed a crate and began boxing more books. Would the wagon he hired to follow him to Middleton be large enough? He could send the books ahead of him so that they were waiting at the estate, but there was no small fortune in books and he loathed to have them too far away. The vast collection was irreplaceable and he had been lucky to come across the advertisement when the store and its contents went up for sale.

* * *

Katrina settled into the middle of her bed and began reading through the secret books.
 
Tomorrow morning she would be handfasted to Strotham and begin their journey. She didn’t want to contemplate the possibility of not being given the position of governess.
 
What would she do if that happened? She couldn’t return here and would need to find another position.
 
But it was something she would think about later.
 
There were more important matters on her mind now.

Strotham knew nothing about the books spread out on her bed because they had not been for sale.
 
She wondered what he would think of a proper lady reading such educational information or viewing such detailed drawings.
 
No doubt he would be shocked but she needed to learn everything she could about seduction. She had only three days to experience everything that could happen between a man and a woman and didn’t want to waste one precious moment of their travel time.

She picked up one of the books that contained nothing but drawings. The first pages showed a naked man and she studied it further. So, that was a cock. It looked rather odd. How did a gentleman hide such a large part of his anatomy in his pants?
 
Never once had she ever suspected it would be this big and wondered if the drawings were exaggerated because if they were accurate, men’s pants would have a bulged front and not be smooth, wouldn’t they?

At least the drawing of the woman was more accurate except Katrina’s hips were not as round; at least she didn’t think so.

Katrina rose from her bed and walked to the mirror.
 
She placed the book open on the dressing table, pulled her gown over her head, followed by the chemise, and stood as naked as the lady in the drawing.
 
Her breasts were just as large, but they didn’t hang as low.
 
Did gentlemen prefer them lower or higher, or did they even have a preference?
 
She placed her hands under each and lifted them up, turning one way and then the other.
 
She hadn’t really examined her body in such detail before and was surprised at the weight.
 
The nipples of the woman in the picture were erect whereas her own were almost flat. She knew they could become erect because it happened often enough when she was cold after bathing or in the chill of her chamber in the winter.
 
Perhaps the artist chose to draw the woman cold.
 
Puckered nipples did seem more attractive than warm ones.

She pinched each of her own with her finger and thumb to see if she could mold them in a more attractive shape.
 
It actually worked and even more surprising, it was pleasant. Would it be this pleasurable if Lord Strotham touched and pinched them?

Katrina turned the page.
 
The man from the first drawing was now with the woman from the second. His cock pointed straight out from his body. She flipped the page back to the woman and studied her a bit more.
 
Katrina’s stomach was flat and her waist narrower.
 
The woman in the picture was rounded and looked as if she would be soft, pillowy.
 
Is that what men liked? Would Strotham not find her attractive?
 
Maybe she should eat more but doubted she could put on the necessary pounds by the time they reached Willanton.
 
At least her womanhood was shielded by the same type of curls though her thighs weren’t as thick.
 
She could only hope the woman in the picture was not the ideal woman for Strotham.

Katrina turned more pages and stopped when she came to the one where the man had his mouth on the woman’s breast and a hand on the other.
 
What would it be like if Strotham kissed her there?
 
She squeezed her own nipple again and a small jolt of pleasure shot to her nether regions.
 
Interesting.

A few more pages in showed the man leaning over the woman, who reclined on a settee. His mouth was still on her breast but his fingers were in the woman’s curls.
 
Katrina had looked at the pictures before, but not really studied them in this manner.
 
She assumed that one day she would marry and her husband would do similar things and she would learn from him. But, given Strotham didn’t even act like he would like to kiss her, Katrina
needed
to learn everything she could. Maybe he didn’t know any more about copulation than she did so if she was going to have to seduce him it was best that at least one of them had an idea of how to go about it.

She slid her hand down her stomach and continued until her own fingers were within her curls. Now what?
 
She knew that the joining took place with his member somewhere between her thighs but why were the man’s fingers and hands there? Katrina explored further and parted her folds. She quickly glanced around the room to make sure nobody could see her.
 
The curtains were already drawn against the dark night and her bedroom door was closed. Not that anyone else was staying within her living quarters above the shop.

Her exploration didn’t clear anything up for her and she removed her hand. Maybe it was different if a man touched her there.
 
Or, maybe the man in the picture had to search for the place where he would join with the woman. That made more sense than anything.
 

Katrina pulled her nightshift o recler head. She knew her own body well enough.
  
She needed to research about a gentleman so she could seduce Strotham good and proper.

Chapter 3

Had he lost his mind? Timothy could not believe he was getting handfasted to Miss Katrina Clark.
   
It seemed like the whole town had turned out for the event and formed a circle around them. The entire ceremony was foreign and he was still a bit shocked the minister was the one who performed it.
 
One would think he, of all people, would insist on things being done right and proper.
 
Instead, he knotted the ribbons around their wrists, binding them together.
 

The guests parted as the couple made their way toward the loaded carriage but they were stopped just before entering the street by having to jump over a broom.

“Normally this would be placed before the door of your house,” Mrs. McGregor explained. “But as you two are leaving town, we thought it best to place it in front of the carriage.”

“Why the broom?”
 

“You just jump it to begin your life together.” She shrugged and Timothy suspected they all knew what was supposed to happen during a handfasting ceremony but no idea as to the reasons. Besides, he wasn’t beginning a life with
Katrina,
he was beginning a year and a day.

Katrina hiked her skirts and when she was ready they both jumped to the cheers of those surrounding them.
 

He helped her up into the carriage and followed immediately behind. There wasn’t much slack in the ribbon and until they were untied he would not be able to move very far from his current and temporary wife.

Someone closed the carriage door behind them and the coach lurched forward.

What had he just done?

Katrina turned toward him and she rested her hand on his leg.
 
“Thank you so much for agreeing to this. I promise to not be difficult on this journey.”

She already was a problem. Her hand burned an imprint onto this thigh.
 
Most well-bred women would not touch a gentleman in such a manner and it only went to prove how innocent she was and that she thought of him as nothing more than a friend or traveling companion.
Certainly not as a man.

“It is my pleasure, Miss Clark.”
 
He shifted, hoping she took her hand away.

“Miss Clark?”
 
She laughed. “Given the circumstances, you really should call me Katrina.”

“Very well, Katrina.” He nodded his head in her direction and wished she would move her blasted hand.

She watched him expectantly.

“Is something on your mind?”

“Do I have leave to address you by your first name?”
 

“Yes, of course.”
 
His throat tightened and he needed to move away from her. His free hand began working at the ribbons.
 
“My Christian name is Timothy.”

A smile burst on her lips. “Oh, I already knew your name. It is strong and suits you. It means God’s honor.
 
Mine means pure.”
 
She made a face as if she didn’t approve.

Timothy latched onto the meaning. If he kept in mind that his temporary wife was pure he would be able to avoid touching and spoiling her. Or so he hoped.

His fingers worked harder at trying to undo the knots but it was difficult with only one hand.
 

“We aren’t supposed to remove them.”

“Ever?”
 
Surely she jested. If not, no wonder the handfasting was
no
longer in practice.

qNot until we retire for the night.”
 
A blush formed across her cheeks.
 

Since he had no intention of retiring
with
her he saw no point in keeping their wrists tied. They were simply a symbol and nothing else.
 
“We have hours of travel ahead of us and if we walk into the inn in Edinburgh like this they will assume this to be a real wedding
ni
. . .” Oh, he didn’t want to use the word night because of what it implied.
 
“That, well, that we are married.”

“We are.”