His Michaelmas Mistress (12 page)

“Freddie, what are you doing?” If he was taking his clothes off, she would scream! And yet, while the thought didn’t scare her, the consequences of them being found in such a compromising position did. Of course, they were as good as married, and she wanted him to procure a special license without delay so they could marry as soon as possible, but still, she was quite tired. She didn’t think she had the strength to play with him tonight.

“What am I doing? I am…” He bashed into something else. Her beautiful furniture just might be broken come the morning. “Blast it! Who the hell put that chair there, a bloody idiot?”

“I did,” she whispered. “If you continue to clatter about like a bloody oaf, you’ll wake the whole house up.”

“Not bloody likely. This place is so big, I’d have to shoot a cannon off to wake the whole house up, and even then, I’d wager that some would remain asleep.”

“You had better not be naked.”

“Why shouldn’t I be? It is my natural state, and I’m not that bad looking, if I do say so myself. You would like it, if it wasn’t so dark in here, I would let you get an eyeful. It would take your breath away, honey.”

“Freddie, I am not jesting. I am not amused by your antics. It is not to be borne!” Her heart hammered in her chest so loudly, he could probably hear it. She couldn’t bear the thought of him climbing into her bed, naked as the day he was born. She wouldn’t be able to resist him then, and he knew it.

“Say it again in that haughty tone. Like you’re a bloody Princess, Julia. I like it when you’re sexed, I mean, vexed.”

She groaned. He was as drunk as a wheelbarrow, and continuing to engage him like this was only riling his passions, and she didn’t need to do that as they were already riled!

“Frederick Hamilton, you’ve been making indentures,” she sighed.

“I know…I had a jolly good time. Your brother and I, and the Duke…we all had a rollicking good time. Your brother certainly knows how to entertain, and he’s generous to a fault. ‘Course he’s not that skilled at Billiards, but hey, a bloke can’t be perfect.”

The hairs on the back of her neck rose. “Are you telling me that you…that you have been here at Castleton Court drinking yourself into a bloody stupor?”

“I have my wits about me, Julia. I know exactly what I am doing. I didn’t drink myself into a bloody stupor, my dear. I’m not that much of an elbow-crooker. I’m merely a mite jug-bitten. I still know what I’m doing, you needn’t fear.”

“You are ape-drunk. You bloody buffoon,” she scoffed.

“No. I am only a trifle disguised, love,” he said, a caress in his voice. Her stomach twisted in a good way.

God, how she adored this man!

“You are incorrigible,” she muttered.

“And you love me for it, Julia,” he said softly.

“How did you know how to find my bedchamber?”

“I say, your brother was most accommodating. His lips get awfully loose when he’s had a tipple or two.”

“And where is your father?” she asked tiredly.

“The Duke is passed out in the bedchamber that Richard showed us to earlier. It had gold wall hangings, and the covers on the bed were gold…”

“He showed him to the Gold Bedchamber.”

“Aye, I suppose so. He went there after we carried your brother to his bedchamber…and the Duke became all mawkish, embraced me…and…” he grunted, as he bent to retrieve something, “Gave me a bloody signet ring that is supposed to go to the Hamilton Fair…” 

“Hamilton Heir,” she corrected, chuckling.

“Aye, that,” he sighed. “I have never been so shocked in my life, Julia. I never thought he was going to let me go. Apparently, I have to wear the ruddy ring on the pinky finger of my left hand. Now, where was I?” 

She groaned. “Don’t even think about. Cast whatever you have spinning in your head, aside. I see your intentions. Naughty as they are. You are not getting into bed with me, and that is final. Do you hear me, Freddie?”

“’Course I do. There’s nothing wrong with my hearing, and there’s nothing wrong with your voice, either. Lower your tone, or you’ll be the one to give us away,” he said, making shushing noises.

She felt the bed move, as he sat down on it. “You had best be wearing something, Freddie. If you are naked…”

“I kept my drawers on, so you needn’t be so peeved. It’s not like I’m going to attack you…I plan on adoring you like the lady of my heart you are,” he said, his words slurring into each other. “But to warn you, I usually like to sleep naked, with all of my wobbly bits hanging out,” he chuckled.

Well, at least she knew he wasn’t a mean drunk, which was a relief.

“Freddie, put your clothes back on, and take your drunken arse out of here! You are starting to talk like a bloody poet, and that is not good—it is bad tidings for me and for you. So off with you. Leave my bedchamber now, you silly fool!”

“I don’t…I don’t feel like it,” he drawled. “I want to be with you. I felt as if you needed me, and if you need me, I can’t leave, can I? I mean, how much of a knight in shining armour would I be? Eh?”

“I know what you felt like you needed, and you shan’t get it, Freddie. You are being intolerable. You will act like a gentleman, and you will wait for our wedding night.”

“We should have already been on our honeymoon,” he said, dejection in his voice.

“And you know who you can bloody well blame for that rubbish,” she muttered. Now, he was lifting the bedclothes, and climbing under them.

“Oh, aye. I know. I am a cretin. I am a blockhead. I am an imbecile…I am an oaf…what else do you like to call me?”

“I don’t call you any of those things. You make me sound like a shrew.”

“Oh, no. You ain’t no shrew. I have met shrews, and seen the poor sods married to them. They always looks so bloody defeated. No. You are a paragon of virtue, Julia. You are the sweetest woman in all of Christendom.”

“I think that might be taking it a bit far…”

He shifted in the bed, and made the mattress rock. However was she going to move his huge arse? He was too big for most men to move, if he didn’t want to be budged, and she certainly couldn’t move him, and he definitely didn’t want to be moved.

“Freddie, I am warning you…if you don’t get off this bed at once, I shall…”

“What shall you do, ring a fine peal over me?” he asked, chuckling. “You’re not going to do any of that, love. You’re not a shrew. You are an angel.”

His bare leg touched hers, and she let out a little scream, and pulled away. He was mad! He couldn’t think to continue on like this. It was sheer madness! And yet, his touch had given her the good kind of goosebumps. She knew where the night would end. He would have taken her maidenly honour, and she would wake up completely ashamed.

“Freddie, shove off! Or I shall be forced to push you.”

“Hush up, Julia…you’ll wake up your dragon slayer of a mother, and I don’t think I can take her right now. She can be awfully shrill when she’s in high dudgeon, and my head is already a little sore.”

“It serves you right! If you come any closer, Freddie, I shall make your head even sorer. I shall club you with my clock.”

She was reaching out for the clock that sat on her nightstand when she felt him inching closer to her, and before she could move out of his way, he’d pulled her into his arms.

“That’s better,” he murmured.

He’d wrapped both arms around her, and pulled so she was securely cuddled against his chest.

Damnation.

How could he do this to her? It was putting her in a most vexing situation.

She was doomed.

Freddie would make love to her, and she wouldn’t even fight him. She couldn’t fight him. Not when he started to kiss her. His kiss and his touch, lit her world on fire. If he did kiss her, she would let him have whatever he wanted from her.

Giving into temptation seemed the only option, as his breath moved the hair on her head. She would become a ruined woman, and while the thought should have caused shame to well inside of her, she didn’t feel ashamed at all. She only felt aroused. He always had this effect on her. He caused her to act so wantonly. He made her do things she never thought possible.

“Please, Freddie,” she whispered.

“Please, what?” he sounded sleepy now.

She tried to move out of his grasp. His arms were too strong for her. He had his hands resting right below her chest. If he moved them just a little North…she licked her lips, and swallowed thickly. She was becoming quite heady with the possibilities of what he would do to her on his path to making her a fallen woman.

Her mind stopped wandering as his snores filled the room. He had bloody well fallen asleep holding her in his arms.

Wonderful.

She didn’t know if she should be offended, or thankful.

She closed her eyes, and attempted to fall back asleep. Sighing, she placed her hand over one of his. He stirred in his sleep, mumbled something she couldn’t quite make out, and then, said, “I love you, Julia. I love you so much, I’d take you to the ballet, theatre, or opera.”

Smiling, she closed her eyes. She didn’t know if she wanted him to continue to behave, or if she wanted him to wake up after a few hours, and pick up where he’d left off.

God give her strength.

She prayed he would wake up and pick up where he had left off.

*****

Freddie woke slowly.

He smiled as he remembered the previous night. It was still fairly dark, though dawn was probably right around the corner. Fortunately, the scullery maid hadn’t made an appearance yet. The morning wasn’t that chilly, so she might not even come in to tend to the fire. If he was lucky, she’d stay away, because he knew there would be hell to pay if Julia thought someone else had spied them together in bed. Even though nothing scandalous had happened…well, nothing that he thought was scandalous, tongues would wag, and Julia would be humiliated.

She still slept soundly. Her breathing was even and deep.

God, she felt good wrapped in his arms. She smelled good too. It would be so easy for him to wake her up and turn her onto her back and have his way with her. She wouldn’t fight him. He knew that, and yet, he couldn’t do that to her. The first time for a woman was hard enough, he didn’t want to rush her through it, and then have her feeling guilty afterward. No, he would have her coming to him as his wife.

Nevertheless, he had to get out of the bed because as his mind was waking, so was his body. Groaning, he let her go, and slowly retreated from the bed. Standing for a moment, he looked toward her large window, and moved to look out it. The sun was rising, and the sky was a glorious shade of pink. He liked being up before dawn. The best day for him was when he saw the sun come up and the sun go down.

He moved the curtains back in place, and used what little light he had, to have a scavenger hunt for his clothing. He really had been pissed last night. His clothes were all over the bedchamber floor!

He picked them all up, and then sat in a chair while he pulled on his trousers. He didn’t think he could balance with the sort of headache that tore across his head. Why he had he drunk so much goddamn whisky?

“Freddie, what are you doing?” Julia asked sleepily.

He heard the bedclothes rustling, as she sat up. She looked so damn delightful. He wanted to return to the bed, and grit his teeth together to keep himself right where he was.

“I am slipping out of the room, before your scullery maid happens by.”

“You are not going to go out the window, are you? I don’t want you breaking your neck.”

He smiled. “I am not that much of a Harlequin…I mean, Hamilton. You needn’t fear. No, I shall leave the same way I came in.”

“I…”

“I shall be careful not to be discovered. Despite my size, I do have the ability to sneak in and out of places undetected.”

“I have no doubt. Isn’t that how you earned your barony?”

He chuckled. “Aye…something like that.”

He watched her bring her knees up to her chest, and cross her arms over them. Her hair was mussed up, and she still looked a little sleepy, and damn it all, all of those things made her look bloody delectable. She was testing the limits of his self-control. He would remain steadfast. He had most of his clothing on. Now he had to locate his greatcoat, and his other riding boot. Where the hell had he thrown it? It looked as if he’d had a grand old time while in his slightly foxed condition.

“If you are searching for your other boot, it’s over here,” she said, pointing to her side of the bed. He found it on the floor. One end peeking out from under the bed. He’d tossed it with such force that most of it had slid under the bed.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, pulling it on.

She sighed. “I still don’t think you will get out unnoticed. The servants here are…well, they are everywhere.”

“Don’t fret, love. I’ll pull it off.”

She looked a little wistful—perhaps even forlorn.

“Freddie,” she began, chewing her lower lip nervously. “How quickly can you procure a special license for us? I don’t want any limits. I want us to be married whenever we wish, and as soon as possible. I want us to be married by Michaelmas.”