Her Gift - Bundle Pack

Her Gift – Bundle
Pack

Containing:

Her Gift – The
Duchess

Her Gift – The
Houseparty

Her Gift – The Butterfly
House

Her Gift – the
Wedding

Laurel Bennett

Copyright Laurel Bennett 2012

Published by Night Shift Publishing –
Smashwords Edition

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of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
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Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The characters and events portrayed in this
book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or
dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the
author.

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Her Gift -- the
Duchess

By Laurel
Bennett

Charlotte paced from one side of the
library to the next. If His Grace didn’t arrive soon, she would go
out of her mind with worry. She raised a finger to her mouth and
absently nibbled at a nail. The sun was already setting. Where on
earth could he be? It had been hours since he’d delivered her to
his home. Hours since he’d left her there in the library, with no
more direction than, “Wait for me here. I’ll not be gone long.”
Then, with a quick and rather chaste kiss to her forehead, he’d
left her there. And hadn’t returned. Now she knew why he was
considered to be the disappearing duke. It wasn’t because of all
the hearts he’d broken throughout the years. It was because he
couldn’t be found.

Finally, the rhythmic click of
footsteps in the corridor got her attention. She held her breath as
the library door creaked open. But instead of the dashing duke she
expected, his butler came through the door. Her hopes crashed like
waves against the shore. She may as well have him call a carriage
for her. Obviously, she wasn’t going to get the assignation she’d
hoped for. She had no husband to go home to. Not anymore. Not since
the doddering old fool had finally drank himself to
death.

“I consider it being cautious, rather
than doddering,” the butler said, his nose rising in the
air.

Goodness. Had she said
doddering out loud? “Apologies,” Charlotte murmured. “That wasn’t
directed at you.” She couldn’t very well explain to the duke’s
butler that she had just lost her husband and gone through proper
mourning for the old codger, could she? He was a doddering, mean
old man, not nearly as spry or gay as the butler appeared to be.
Telling him the truth would be a disaster. “Have you any idea when
His Grace will return?”
Or any idea where
he is at all
, she wanted to ask as
well.

“His Grace sent a runner a moment ago.
He has been unavoidably detained.”

Charlotte’s heart sank. This was to be
the very first time she’d had any sort of assignation. And she had
planned so well, choosing the disappearing duke, because he was
known for loving and leaving. And she wanted both. She wanted to be
loved… well, loved was a very broad use of the term…. And left. She
wanted to be pleasured, for one single night. For one single time
in her life. Then she could retire to the country and enjoy her
solitude, her dogs, and her knitting. Charlotte shook away the
errant thoughts. It looked as though she’d been left. But not
loved. What a disappointing turn of events.

“His Grace asked that I show you to
his chambers. He has left a present for you there.” He inclined his
head toward the door.

“His chambers?” she squeaked. At some
point, she’d assumed she’d end up in his chambers. But not when he
was not in residence.

“Yes, my lady.” He started for the
stairs, and she followed blindly, lifting the edge of her skirts so
she could follow his quick strides up the grand
staircase.

When they came to what she assumed was
the duke’s chambers, he stopped, opened the door and stepped to the
side. “Mary will be along to assist you,” he said.

“Assist me with what?” Charlotte asked
as she stepped into the room. Instead of answering, he closed the
door. She wanted to run after him. To bring him back. He obviously
knew more than Charlotte did. Charlotte laid her forehead against
the door with a heavy thump and muttered, “What do I do
now?”

“I believe he means for you to dress,”
a silky voice called from the corner of the room. Charlotte spun
quickly, relieved and not relieved all at the same time to find a
young woman standing in the corner beside a steaming tub of water.
The full bath rested before a crackling fire. “His Grace sent me
for your pleasure,” she said with a smile. Charlotte stopped short.
She didn’t look like a servant. She looked like a lady. One of odd
circumstance, but still a lady. “You are Mary?”

The lady laughed, a soft sound that
moved across Charlotte’s skin like satin. “May I help you
disrobe?”

“May I ask what your position within
the household is?” Charlotte squeaked.

“I am not a member of the household
staff,” she said, shaking her head. Her silky blonde curls danced
across her shoulders. “I am here for your pleasure.” She had a
voice like a siren and a smile that could sink ships. All gracing
the most perfectly proportioned figure.

“Yes, you mentioned pleasure,”
Charlotte murmured. “Do you also attend to the duke’s pleasure?”
She pretended to pluck at an errant string on her sleeve. The words
sounded waspish even to her own ears.

A tinkling little laugh was the lady’s
response. “Do you really want to know the answer to
that?”

Did she? Probably not.

“I didn’t think so,” the woman
continued. She sat down on the edge of what must be the duke’s bed.
“His Grace is familiar with your late husband,” she said
cautiously, watching closely for a reaction from Charlotte. She
refused to provide one, aside from stiffening her spine. The
woman’s voice softened even more. “He was known for being unkind in
bed.”

True fear crept up Charlotte’s spine.
“Who told you that?”

“It’s a well-known fact,” Mary said
with a shrug. “That’s why His Grace thought you might like to spend
some time with me.”

He pities
me
. She buried her face in her hands and
blinked back her tears. She refused to cry in front of this
beautiful woman. When she looked up, the woman was gone. “His Grace
is very good at figuring out what a woman needs and then giving it
to her,” she said from behind Charlotte’s left shoulder.

“I thought my assignation was with His
Grace.” She sighed heavily.

“It will be. Later.” Mary ran the tip
of one well-manicured finger down Charlotte’s arm. A shiver crept
up her spine. “Do I affect you at all?” she whispered.

“In what way?” She probably sounded
like a dolt, but she didn’t know how she was supposed to respond.
“You’re a lady,” Charlotte croaked.

“His Grace thinks you will
enjoy me. And His Grace is never wrong about these things.” She
made a little
tsking
sound with her tongue. “He thought you to be the adventurous
sort. He’ll be disappointed when I tell him he was wrong.” She took
a deep breath. “At least let me help you prepare for later with
Trent.”

“Trent?”

“His Grace,” she said with a laugh.
Then she clapped her hands together. “I’ll play the part of your
lady’s maid, since I’m already here.” She made a spinning motion
with her finger. “Turn around.”

“When will His Grace
arrive?”

“Trent,” Mary said forcefully. “Say it
with me.” She mouthed the word in a dramatic manner.

“He hasn’t given me leave to use his
name,” Charlotte murmured.

She pointed to the room around her.
“He plans to have a liaison with you later. Of course, he will
expect you to call out his name. His real name. More than once, if
the rumors about him are true.” She winked at Charlotte.

Heat crept up Charlotte’s cheeks.
“What do you get out of this?” Charlotte asked as she swept her
hair to the side and exposed the fastenings at the back of her
dress.

“I’d hoped for the pleasure of serving
you,” she said without even stopping to consider her
words.

“That pleases you?”

“Pleasing others? Yes. Because my
master, when I return to him, will want to hear all about my
endeavors. And if I fail to please you, I will be punished. In a
most delicious way, but punished none the less.”

“You’ll be punished if I don’t accept
your… offer?” What else should she call it? Dear God, she was out
of her element.

“I am here to please you. If a bath
and help dressing you pleases you, I’ll do both with a smile. Then
I can tell my master that you were extremely content when I left
you.”

Charlotte shook her head quickly, as
though she could dislodge the errant thoughts running rampant and
put them in order with a gentle shake. It didn’t work.

“Trent, His Grace as you call him, and
my master are good friends. He asked my master for the use of my
services. I am not here against my will. Indeed, I’d looked forward
to tonight.” She shrugged. “But it is not to be.” She took
Charlotte by the shoulders and spun her around, then began to
slowly work the fastenings of Charlotte’s gown. “Forgive me in
advance if I still try,” she whispered against Charlotte’s shoulder
as she pushed her gown down one arm. The hair on Charlotte’s arm
stood up, as did every other hair on her body. Not to mention her
nipples. They beaded into small points. Then Charlotte’s lips
touched her bare shoulder. It was a brief touch, but it made
Charlotte’s belly drop toward her toes. “Mary,” she
warned.

“Beg your pardon,” the other woman
said. But Charlotte could feel the curve of her smile against her
skin. “Trent wanted me to try to seduce you. Without telling you
why I’m here. To see how you would respond.”

“Not favorably,” Charlotte
grunted.

Mary stepped in front of her and
tugged the sleeves of her gown down her fingertips and then shoved
it over her hips. “Your bath will be getting cold. I’ll call for
more hot water as soon as I get you settled.”

“I can do the rest.” Charlotte turned
her back to Mary. She stepped out of her drawers and tugged her
chemise over her head.

“Allow me to help with the stockings,”
Mary said quickly. Then she was on her knees behind Charlotte,
quicker than Charlotte could blink. Mary took Charlotte’s naked
hips in her hands very gently, her fingers playing over her skin
like the lightest breeze. Nothing at all like her late husband’s
groping, gnarly hands.

“That’s not necessary,”
Charlotte protested, stepping away from her. “I can do it.”
I don’t know how to feel about your hands on me.
They make my heart race. I’ve never felt like this.
She slid her stockings down her legs in a quick
thrust and stepped into the still-steaming water. She settled
gingerly against the back and reached for the soap.

“Allow me, my lady,” Mary said, taking
the soap in her own hand. “Sit forward.”

Charlotte supposed this was all right.
Her maid did this for her. But for some reason, her maid didn’t
make her heart pound in her chest the way Mary did.

“I unsettle you.” It wasn’t a
question. It was a statement. A powerful one.

Charlotte nodded, her chin bobbing
against her knee as Mary soaped her back. “Yes,” she
agreed.

“I believe Trent wanted me to teach
you some things…” Mary began hesitantly.