Lord Love a Duke (36 page)

Forever begins this very
moment,

Juliet

Jonas rose from his desk oblivious to the
noise of glasses clanking and the verbal jousting of his friends in
his study. He refolded the letter from Juliet, sliding it into his
pocket as he strode quickly for the door.

“Jonas, man, what news? Is it troubling?”
queried Stafford as he rose from his seat as well.

Jonas laid a hand across the pocket
containing the missive, his mouth breaking into a wide and
satisfied smile. “Nothing's amiss. Continue on as you were. I shall
return.” He exited the room with speed, bounding across the hall to
take the stairs two at a time. A hand on his arm stopped him from
wrenching Juliet's door open without knocking or requesting
permission.

“You cannot go in there. Bad luck and all,
you know,” Stafford explained.

Jonas ran a hand through his hair with
impatience. “I just received a note from Juliet, and I must speak
with her. Hang the superstition!”

The Marquis began to unwind his cravat as he
moved to stand between the Duke and the door. “Then speak to her
you shall, just without the benefit of seeing her.” He spun the
Duke around. “Are you sure you cannot be persuaded to give up this
folly of marriage?” teased his friend as he wrapped the long length
of material around Jonas' head.

“You ask me this as you stop me from racing
to see her? Do I strike you as a man unwilling?”

Stafford chuckled,
wrapping the cloth around his friend's head twice before tying a
secure knot. “You strike me as a man possessed, actually. I fear I
dread the arrival of the news in my mother's post, however, as she
will assuredly pounce. You have added another weapon to her
arsenal, my friend, and I can already feel her barb. 'Your
friend,
the Duke
, is now married.
You do everything together. When shall I wish you and your bride
joy, my son?'”

“You do a passable Lady Stafford,” joked the
Duke. “Am I secure? May I see my bride?”

“
No, you may not
see
her, but you may knock for admittance,
now that bad omens have been thwarted.” Stafford released an
overloud and melodramatic sigh. “Fine. It has come to this at last.
You have chosen a woman over your friend. I am resolved in my
suffering, however. Do not worry over me--”

Jonas laughed as he knocked on Juliet's
door. “Believe me, I spare not one thought toward you, least of all
worry.” He turned back toward Stafford, reaching unseeing for his
friend's shoulder but instead finding his face, specifically his
eye. “I am confident you will survive my marriage,” he added
wryly.

“Thank you for your warm words of
consolation, and for blinding my eye as well.” He turned his friend
for the door again. “Have at her, my man.” Stafford opened the door
and gave Jonas a push in the right direction before spinning on his
heel to rejoin his mates below to drown his future
marriage-harassment fears.

“Leave us, Lily,” Jonas requested
succinctly, his head tilted slightly as he listened for the maid's
compliance. She had just begun to dress her mistress' hair but
quickly dropped a curtsey before rushing from the room, brush still
in hand, pins clamped between her lips. Juliet made to rise from
her stool but was stopped by Jonas' hands raking over her arms and
shoulders as he reached out to find her in his blind state. His
fingers ultimately reached her head. Taking stock of her unbound
hair, he groaned.

“You cannot fathom how long I have
fantasized of your hair, wondering after its length, its feel.” He
moved to stand behind her and ran his right hand down its length,
from the crown of her head to the end of the strands hanging just
above her waist. “Magnificent.” He buried his hands in her tresses,
raising them to his face. “So soft. So long.” He breathed in the
scent. “So Juliet,” he murmured.

Juliet took in their reflection in her pier
glass and could not stop her small chuckle. “I thought we were to
meet at the church later, sir,” she stated quietly as she took
advantage of his wrapped eyes to soak up every feature of his face
and person.

“We are and we will, but I received your
note and felt compelled to break with tradition and see my
bride.”

“You have not seen me, but you have touched
me. Shall that suffice?”

He barked out a surprised laugh as he
released her hair to move his touch down her arms, taking her hands
and lifting her off the stool. He placed her right hand inside his
jacket on his waistcoat, directly over his heart. “I told you it
beats only for you. Feel its racing rhythm.” Her fingers flexed
slightly and he drew in a sharp breath. “You undo me, Juliet. Your
words this morning, knowing you prepare for our wedding . . . the
power you hold over me astounds.” He ran a fingertip up to her brow
then dropped it to trace the line of her jaw. She reached up with
her free hand and took his larger one in hers, cupping it to bring
his palm to her lips. She placed a warm kiss in its center and he
sucked in another unsteady breath. Gently she lowered his hand to
her neck, placing it over her thundering pulse.

“
As mine beats for you.
Feel
its
racing rhythm,” she
whispered. He marveled briefly at the likeness of their
reactions.

“I'm going to kiss you now, sweetheart. Not
the way I will kiss you later when we make our vows before God and
man, but rather exactly the way I will kiss you tonight, when we
are alone as man and wife.” Juliet sucked in a breath and
unconsciously licked her lips, the sound magnified in his sightless
state. He groaned as he pictured the sight of her tongue darting
out between her lush lips. “Do that at the church and I may well
kiss you such as this there as well,” he growled as his head
lowered to hers.

The meeting of their lips was explosive and
fevered, mouths straining against each other. Jonas slanted his
head, his tongue lightly tracing the seam of her lips. She opened
her mouth in response and tentatively met his tongue with her own
in a dance that was both innocent and provocative. He deepened the
kiss, sweeping in to claim her mouth with passionate possession.
Juliet moaned and his mind exulted that she wanted him as much as
he did her.

Juliet dug her fingers
into his forearms and clung for dear life, her legs suddenly
declaring they would no longer offer her support.
This
was how one was meant to be kissed
, she
thought. This was how it felt to kiss the one you love. She felt a
warmth rush over her entire body and raised her arms to twine them
around his neck. She buried her hands in the thick but soft hair on
the back of his head, pressing her body to his from chest to thigh.
She wanted to be as close as possible, to feel each breath he took,
every move his muscles made.

Jonas broke their kiss, cupping her face in
his hands as he rested his forehead to hers. Suddenly the door
burst open, admitting both of their mothers, their expressions
startled as they saw first him and then his blindfold. Jonas
chuckled slightly at having been caught.

“I should have suspected just such an
occurrence, but still I am baffled. I would have presumed your note
enough,” his mother admonished. Jonas' brows raised in surprise
over the cloth hiding his eyes. “You cannot be here. There is much
to do and little time before the ceremony.”

“At least he cannot see her,” Juliet's
mother offered. “There is that.”

“They were in my room when your letter
arrived and my aunt snatched and read it aloud despite my protests.
I could do nothing to prevent it,” whispered Juliet in explanation.
He turned his head to glare at the unwanted guests before realizing
the futility of the gesture.

“Juliet may dress in a sack and I would
gladly make her my vow,” he grinned wolfishly. “As it is, however,
I am leaving.” He dropped his head back to Juliet, brushing his
nose to hers, knowing her exact proximity to him as he never
released her from his grasp. “I love you,” he whispered for her
ears only.

“I know,” she replied with a husky breath
that hardened his entire body anew with desire. “I know.”

Lady Juliet Quinn entered the tiny church of
St. Nicolas near Pevensey on the arm of her father. With the
morning sun at her back, her gown of silver silk blazed, giving her
an ethereal glow. Her sleeves of silver tulle sat at the very edge
of her shoulders, the fabric waterfalling down over her upper arms
with pointelle cuts. The bodice was done in the current empire
fashion and trimmed with a ribbon of darker silver embroidered with
tiny crystals that matched the crystals stitched across the squared
neckline of her décolleté. Excess material gathered in soft pleats
at the back of her dress, between her shoulder blades, to fall in a
layer of shimmering silk and form a short train. The crystal and
embroidery accent continued in a straight line down the front of
her skirt to wrap around the hem at the bottom with each facet
catching the light and seeming to glow. Juliet's slippers peeked
from her skirts with each step, their color an exact match to her
dress. Her bonnet of silver silk was intricately pleated and
featured a small brim that framed her face to perfection. A ribbon
fashioned from the same silver tulle of her sleeves decorated her
hat before meeting in a bow tied jauntily askew beneath her chin. A
small and delicate reticule of shimmering silk fell daintily from
Juliet's wrist to complete her bridal
ensemble
.

A collective gasp swirled through the church
as the stunning bride traveled the aisle, her cheeks slightly pink,
her smile beauteous, and her eyes bottomless pools of silver
mercury. Jonas took in a deep breath as he marveled over his good
fortune. “Steady on, brother,” chuckled the Marquis of Stafford
with a supportive hand to Jonas' shoulder. “You don’t want to swoon
and miss any of this, do you?”

Jonas gave a small laugh before recollecting
his composure, although he grinned with boyish delight, the deep
set of his dimples illustrating his pleasure at the sight of his
bride. Juliet raised a quizzical brow, but upon seeing the
whispering of the Marquis and his devilish grin she knew he had
spoken something to ease the nerves of the moment. She smiled
widely at Stafford, and nearly laughed aloud at the stunned
expression that crossed his face.

“Good Lord, man! I may swoon if she looks at
me like that again,” Stafford joked.

“She smiles at you because she knows you
speak folly to ease me, despite her not having heard the words. Now
the way she smiles at
me
, when her eyes
turn molten, now that is a sight that begs for a swoon,” Jonas
murmured quietly.

“Good thing she reserves such looks for her
you, my friend. We mere mortals would scarce survive.”

“Just so.”

Jonas looked over every inch of Juliet with
a heated regard as she arrived to stand on his left. She knew his
pleasure as she saw his eyes color from icy blue to cobalt, their
dark outer ring becoming more pronounced as his satisfaction grew.
It was an intoxicating notion to discover the depth of his desire
for her, doubly so when she knew it mirrored her feelings for
him.

“
Dearly beloved, we are
gathered together here in the sight of God . . .” the Reverend
Handley began, his strong and steady voice not diminished by his
advancing age. Juliet planned to listen to the familiar words but
found her mind soon wandering. From the corner of her eye she
surveyed her soon-to-be husband. He wore a coat of jet black
superfine expertly tailored to his build, emphasizing his broad
shoulders, strong arms, and trim waist. His cravat was a
simple
oriental
with a diamond pin
at its center knot. To her surprise and delight, the embroidery on
Jonas' waistcoat mimicked hers in color and style, although without
the crystal embellishments. Waistcoat, shirt, and cravat were all
blindingly white and set off superbly against his dark coat and
inexpressibles. Juliet saw his stockings and shoes and could not
hold her smile, knowing he much preferred his tall boots to the
delicate footwear he now wore.

She finished her perusal and raised her gaze
to his face and caught her breath when she saw his focus fixed on
her as well. Their eyes met and she saw the desire once again
flare, which she now recognized and returned. Time stilled as
Juliet lost herself in his fiery stare. A repeating, grating noise
broke their concentration on each other and they turned their heads
in unison to the vicar, clearing his throat in effort to gain their
attention.

“Pardon, Your Grace, but I will continue:
Who giveth this Woman to be married to this Man?” he repeated.
Juliet's father snickered under his breath as he relinquished his
daughter's hand to her betrothed. Jonas gave a sheepish grin as a
light tittering traveled through the Nave. Jonas followed the
subsequent instructions and took Juliet's right hand in his,
repeating the vicar's next words.

“I Jonas take thee Juliet to my wedded Wife,
to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse,
for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to
cherish, til death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance;
and thereto I plight thee my troth.”

They loosed their hands so Juliet could take
up Jonas' right hand in hers in a likewise manner and repeat her
vows.

“I Juliet take thee Jonas to my wedded
Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for
worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love
and to cherish, til death us do part, according to God's holy
ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth.”