Lord Scandal (17 page)

Is the new head of the Darling family the latest man to be scalded by scandal broth of the Portrait Divorcée's brewing? Numerous people seem to think so…

Tête-à-Tête, 26 October 1789

Quivering with a combination of nerves and the chill of a crisp fall night, Imogen sat by her fire, waiting for Gabriel. After dinner, while they'd all played cards and smoked on the terrace, he'd bent his head and whispered “Unlock your dressing room door before you go to bed.” Then he'd wandered off again to play billiards with Lord Drake.

The decision in her own hands, she'd dithered over it all evening; locking and unlocking the door in question no less than four times before leaving it unlocked and forcing herself to retreat to the fire.

Her stomach twisted into knots. Her head swam. Succumbing was easy, making a choice much, much harder.

Hearing the sound of male laughter from down below, she stood up in a panic and moved to lock the door again. Locked was much wiser.

She had barely stood up when she heard the dressing room door creak open, and Gabriel, already attired in his banyan and slippers walked into the room.

“Change your mind, love?” he inquired, stopping in the doorway and leaning up against the door jam.

Imogen smiled a bit wildly, and bit her lip in consternation. He'd known exactly what she was doing. She blew her breath out and laughed softly. “Over and over.”

Over and over…but she'd already inserted one of the sponges he'd given her.

“Last chance,” he said, not moving from the doorway. “Shall I turn around and go back to my own bed?”

Imogen shook her head no and Gabriel smiled back at her, relief flooding through him. For a minute there he'd been convinced she was going to take him up on his offer. The thought was intolerable.

He was going to have to do something about her reticence. He just couldn't figure out exactly what. He'd never had a lover before who was unsure about her choice. Hell, he'd never even had one he'd had to really pursue.

But for the moment he was content to simply pull her into his arms and offer the most obvious kind of reassurance. What his nymph needed was further proof that she belonged to him, and that he belonged here with her.

Moving carefully, but with decision, he untied her wrapper and slid it off her shoulders, amused to find she hadn't bothered to don a nightgown. He could feel her blush as her skin heated beneath his hands more than he could see it in the fire lit room.

Imogen followed his lead and loosed the frogs of his banyan. Her fingers fumbled. She made a disgusted little sound and broke off their kiss momentarily as she tugged the final one free. Gabriel chuckled and let the garment fall to the floor, he wouldn't be needing it for hours yet.

She tugged him to the bed and fell back, taking him down with her onto the coverlet. Overly eager in a purely selfish way Gabriel rolled her to the center of the bed and slid one hand between her thighs. She was already slick and swollen. Her excited gasp when he slipped two fingers into her sheath was all the encouragement he needed to nudge her thighs further apart and ease himself into her.

He moved slowly, teasing her, rolling his hips with each thrust. He wasn't sure how long he could hold out, he was too pent up from hours spent picturing being with her, planning exactly what he wanted to do to her. Remembering the sound of her crying out in his cousin's cabin, and wishing to hear it again.

Genuine abandon was a rare and precious thing.

He paused when he felt the first rush of his climax, he could fell the ache of his building orgasm all the way to his toes. He couldn't put it off, though he was loathe to bring their play to an end.

Beneath him Imogen strained, urging him to go faster, to go deeper. Her knees drawn up to tightly grip his ribs, her feet braced against his buttocks. He kissed her again, exploring her mouth, nipping at her lips, and then when she shivered, and made a soft whimpering sound that she quickly muffled by biting down on the heel of her hand, he gave in, and propping himself more securely on his forearms and knees he turned his attention to bringing them both to fulfillment, surging in and out of her with long hard thrusts that shook the entire bed.

Imogen threw back her head, clutched one of the displaced pillows in one hand, while she continued to hold the other one over her mouth, afraid she was going to scream and bring the entire household down upon them. It felt as if she were actually coming apart. Her vision flickered, and she felt her climax explode, making her whole body clench and throb.

Gabriel filled her, driving himself into her as deeply as possible before collapsing on top of her. Having him atop of her was heavenly. Imogen let out a long breath she hadn't been aware she was holding, practically sobbing with the aftermath of her orgasm. It didn't even seem possible that something could feel so good; that someone could make her feel so good.

She took a deep breath, ran her foot down the back of his leg, cupping his heel with her toes. Her legs shook. She almost felt sick.

Gabriel chuckled softly and lifted his head to kiss her again. He rolled off her and flung himself onto his back.

Too sated to move far Imogen curled up against him. Let herself enjoy the feeling of lying there, comfortably intertwined, until the room's chill seeped back in and she started to shiver.

Gabriel pushed her off him and twitched the covers back, holding them up while they slid beneath them and settled back into their previous positions. His arm tightened around her and he dropped an absent kiss on top of her head. Imogen gave a sleepy murmur and snuggled into his side, her face half-buried into his chest.

 

Half-awake Gabriel nuzzled the back of Imogen's head, burying his face in her hair. God how he loved her hair.

He'd woken already hard and impatient, but it was rare that he woke with a woman at hand, and he had every intention of taking full advantage of the circumstance. Such luxury. He almost never slept the entire night through at any of the houses he rented over the years for a flurry of different mistresses, and he'd never taken any of them home to his own bed.

Imogen was still asleep, but she made a little contented noise and wiggled back against him when he ran his hand possessively over her hip. Even unconscious she was remarkably attuned to him.

Her change in position caused his shaft to slip between her thighs. It was cradled against her slick folds rather than being pressed against her.

He clenched his jaw as his breath hissed out of him. He desperately wanted to simply roll her over, and thrust himself in, but more than that he desired to put a further seal on her seduction. To brand her as completely and utterly his. The more he saw of her, the more he wanted to see of her…it just never seemed to be enough.

He kissed her shoulder, nipped softly at her neck, bit the lobe of her ear, all the while moving gently against her, rousing her with a multitude of soft caresses. He knew he'd succeeded when she sighed and moved her leg up and along his, opening herself to him. She hooked her foot behind his calf and pressed herself back against him.

“Morning,” Gabriel whispered, sliding his hand down from where it had been teasing one nipple to hold her hips steady.

Imogen murmured something, that might have been a rejoinder, and then gasped when the head of his shaft brushed the already tight peak just inside the valley of her thighs.

“Ummm is right,” Gabriel answered her, moving against her with a little more force. He returned his attention to the back of her neck and shoulders, and gave a stuttering gasp of surprise when she reached down and cupped his shaft, pressing him securely against her, so that each shallow thrust of his cock brushed over her clitoris.

He pulled back, ready to swivel his hips against her and urge her on to the next level when she suddenly arched her back and repositioned her hand so that his next thrust buried him inside her, his shaft entering her as deeply as the position allowed. She put her hands out, splayed against the bed for balance, and Gabriel dropped his head to rest in the hollow of her neck and shoulder.

She moved against him, thrusting herself back, and he gave up any plan he might have had, and simply moved. The position only allowed for small, shallow thrusts, but she was so hot, so tight, and so damned willing that the slight movement was more than enough. He slid his hand down over her so that his fingers were pressed against her clitoris. She climaxed almost instantly. She made a strange little sound in her throat and went momentarily rigid.

Gabriel stilled, thoroughly enjoying the sensation of being caressed by her release. When she sighed and went limp he slid her leg down off of him, and without withdrawing from her, slid his own leg up and over hers, and rolled her over onto her stomach.

He ran his tongue up along her spine, nuzzling her neck with his lips and teeth. She wiggled, and moved her arms up over her head, while he pulled back from her until just the tip of his shaft was still inside her, marking his place. She mumbled a protest and he smiled into her shoulder and slid home, filling her completely.

Imogen moaned and arched her back, throwing herself into the rhythm he established. Everything he did was perfect. He knew just how to touch her, just where to touch her, and just when to touch her.

She gasped for air, half-trapped beneath him, and threw her arms out higher so that she could brace herself against the headboard. Her new purchase allowed her to push back with more vigor, and Gabriel responded by raising himself slightly onto his knees and changing the angle at which he entered her, his every thrust raising her up off the bed. He bit her hard on the back of her neck, just above the hairline, where any marks wouldn't show, and she gasped, amazed at how good such a thing could actually feel.

After a few more wild thrusts he buried his face in her hair and collapsed, his breathing ragged and uneven. Imogen bit her lip and moved against him experimentally. Was he actually finished? Or was this merely a break?

Spending hours making love with abandon had never been William's style, and Imogen suddenly found herself rather sorry for her staid ex-husband. He had no idea what he was missing, and if he hadn't thrown her off, she would never have known either.

Smiling, she wriggled against Gabriel again, then she peeked up at him over her shoulder. He was laughing silently and shaking his head.

“Wanton,” he teased, raising himself off her, and withdrawing from her in the same motion. He reached down and flipped her over, simply using one hand on her hip to roll her over onto her back.

“Cad,” she replied, pulling him back down to her.

“Jade,” he growled back at her, sealing his mouth over hers for a searing kiss, while sliding back into her. He whispered “Now, love. Now.” and she let herself go, just as he gasped and buried his head in the pillow beside her head, his release leaving him incoherent.

He rolled off her, breathing hard, and Imogen rolled onto her side, turning to face him, sliding one hand across his stomach. She folded up her arm, and pillowed her head upon it, gazing up at him sleepily, enjoying this unguarded chance to look at him. When his breathing steadied, but he still didn't open his eyes, she ran her tongue up along his hip bone. He jumped as though scalded, reached down and hauled her up so that she was lying prone beside him.

“You're going to be the death of me, woman,” he said, wrapping one arm around her, effectively trapping her where he'd put her.

“That's certainly not part of the plan,” Imogen replied, settling her head into the hollow of his shoulder, and snuggling up to him. “It would be most inconvenient.”

“Inconvenient,” he retorted. “I'll show you inconvenient.” And he did so, rolling her beneath him again, and pressing his already tumescent shaft into her yet again. “It's inconvenient, my beautiful nymph, to not be able to be in your company outside of this room, for fear of being seen sporting this. It's inconvenient to want you so badly I can't sleep. It's inconvenient that you're mired in the country at George's beck and call.”

It seems not even her delicate condition can prevent Lady S——from enjoying her mannish entertainments. Or so reports say…

Tête-à-Tête, 2 November 1789

Curled up before the fire a week later, Imogen smiled to herself and glanced up at the clock. Four o'clock. The group which had left early to go and witness a prize fight would be back in another hour or so.

The last few days had been filled with entertaining activities and amusing banter during the day, and even more amusing activities at night. Life at Barton Court had been the most pleasant she'd ever experienced, her short marriage included, but this was almost sublime.

Gabriel appeared each night, though the hour differed, depending on when the party below broke up. She no longer bothered to wait up for him, he had proven himself more than capable of waking her. She smiled again and stretched her feet out towards the fire.

In another few days the party would break up. Imogen shook her head and laid her book aside. She didn't want to think about it, but it was encroaching upon her thoughts more and more. Another three days, and then who knew when they'd see each other again?

She didn't, like her friend Helen, have a house in town to go to. A residence from which she could discretely carry on with their relationship, and no matter how she struggled with it, she simply couldn't picture herself as a kept woman. It would be too dangerous. Her family would never stand for it.

Not that Gabriel had made her any such offer, or ever indicated in any way that such an arrangement was in the offing. In public he teased her in the same vein as the countess's other friends, and in private they rarely spoke of anything concerning the next day, let alone the next month, or year.

Irritated with her line of thought, she went upstairs and grabbed her redingote, muff, and hat. A walk was what she needed, she'd been cooped up too long. Outside the gardeners were busy preparing the garden for winter. Studying what they were doing here would be just the thing to distract her.

Riding back from the prize fight, Gabriel watched a bit enviously as the Earl of Somercote lounged at his ease in his wife's phaeton, George laughing beside him at whatever he'd just said. In that instant, he found himself overwhelmingly jealous.

Jealous of the fact that the two of them needed only each other. You could have dropped them on a desert island and they'd have been perfectly sanguine about their isolation. To put it bluntly, they were happy. Disgustingly so.

He knew other happy couples, but none of those couples was quite the same as the Somercotes. George and Ivo did everything together, from planning their estate's improvements, to parties such as this. And that was what he suddenly found himself wishing for, a companion who suited him the way George suited her earl.

He'd always been so certain that love ruined everything—look what it had done to his father's life; to his own—but George had swept that certainty away. Damn her.

It had occurred to him last night, as he lay snugly in Imogen's bed with her curled up asleep against him, that he'd never been so content in his life. It had been a perfect moment. And it had started him thinking.

Why couldn't this continue? Why couldn't they make it permanent? It wasn't as if her divorce was the bar to him that it would be to many men; he wasn't a pillar of the ton, and he didn't have any parents to please. He was a wealthy man, with a large house in town, and a small country estate not far from his cousin's.

There was no reason he couldn't just marry his nymph.

None at all.

She wouldn't even object to his friends, or his way of life, since she was already a part of it, and to all appearances, enjoyed it immensely. And they certainly wouldn't object to her.

Perhaps they would even begin breeding race horses together, or if her inclination turned to travel, they could sail to Italy, visit his grandfather in Constantinople even. Their options were endless.