Reese's Bride (26 page)

E
lizabeth stood still as Gilda pinned the last of her heavy curls in place, letting the shiny black strands nestle softly against her shoulder.

“Ye look lovely, milady.” Gilda gave her a wistful smile. “His lordship will be on fire for ye tonight.”

Elizabeth fought a blush and prayed that Gilda was right.

She smoothed the skirt of the scarlet velvet gown Reese had chosen, the bodice cut low, exposing a portion of her bosom and the deep cleavage between. Gilda had corseted her waist so tightly Reese’s long-fingered hands could fit round it. Which meant, Elizabeth could barely breathe.

It didn’t matter. If her seduction worked, the price would be worth it.

“Gor, such a sight ye are,” Gilda said, reaching out to touch the folds of heavy red velvet. “The color is perfect with milady’s black hair and gray eyes.”

Elizabeth smiled. “I hope Lord Reese likes it as much as you do.”

“Oh, milady, he’ll be over the top for ye.”

Elizabeth hoped so. She had gone to great lengths to please her husband tonight. She wanted him to see past the hurt she had dealt him, see her as the woman he had married, the woman he desired.

Earlier, she had asked him if he would be home for supper and he had promised that he would. He was down there now, she knew, waiting to escort her into the dining room. And the extravagant meal she had planned included his favorite dishes—some of which, thanks to Lady Tavistock, Elizabeth now knew, along with an accompaniment of fine French wine.

She took a deep breath and opened the door, walked out into the hall. Reese stood at the bottom of the staircase, incredibly handsome in fitted gray trousers, a black, velvet-collared tailcoat, and snowy white cravat. Against his dark features, his eyes looked as blue as the sky over Briarwood, his hair as black as sin.

Her heart beat faster, began to pound against her ribs. Inside her lacy, front-closing corset, her nipples stiffened into tight little buds. She thought of the night ahead, of seducing Reese into making love to her, and damp heat slid into her core.

She flattened a hand against her abdomen, took a deep breath, and started down the stairs. Reese stood military-straight in front of her as she reached the bottom, and for the first time in days, his blue eyes burned with heat. They made a slow perusal of her body and came to rest on the soft mounds above the low cut bodice of the gown.

“You’re looking particularly lovely tonight, Elizabeth.”

She could feel the warmth of his gaze as if he touched
her and her breasts swelled inside the lacy corset cups. She managed a smile. “Thank you. You’re looking very handsome tonight yourself.”

His mouth edged up. She took the arm he offered, let him lead her into the dining room, toward a seat at the long, polished mahogany table. With a low-burning crystal-prismed gas lamp overhead, twelve ornate high-backed chairs, and candles flickering in the silver candelabra in the center of the table, it was the most elegant room in the house.

Tonight the table was elaborately set with silver-rimmed porcelain plates, gleaming silverware, and long-stemmed cut crystal goblets.

One of Reese’s black eyebrows cocked up. “Have I missed something? I would have dressed more formally had I known this was a special occasion.”

“We are celebrating the news you brought this afternoon—that your friend, Captain Greer, has been cleared of all charges.”

It was as good an excuse as she could come up with and certainly reason to celebrate. She couldn’t help wondering if the captain hadn’t so desperately needed his help at the same time as she and Jared, whether Reese would have married her.

“I’m happy for him,” Reese said. “And of course it is one less problem to deal with.” Moving behind her, he pulled out her chair and waited until she was seated, his gaze dropping down to the deep cleavage the gown exposed. Elizabeth’s heartbeat quickened.

She drew her white linen napkin across her lap, giving her time to compose herself, hoping he wouldn’t notice her hands were trembling. “Do you…do you think Col
onel Thomas will press charges against Lord Sandhurst and the other men involved in the spying?”

One of the servants came forward and poured wine into their goblets before Reese had time to answer. “I’m sure of it,” he said as the man left the dining room. “The more the colonel digs, the more evidence he is going to find, and that is going to be Sandhurst’s undoing. Then the others will get what they deserve, as well.”

“I suppose I should feel sorry for them,” she said, “but considering the soldiers who lost their lives because of what they did, I’m afraid I cannot.”

“The lad, perhaps, deserves your pity,” Reese said. “For falling prey to his sexual appetites.”

She lowered her eyes. “At one time or another, we are all guilty of that.”

His eyes locked with hers, hotter than before. “Even you, Beth?”

The name washed over her, filling her with hope. “You showed me desire, Reese. You turned me into a woman, with a woman’s wants and needs.”

His nostrils flared. He might have risen at that very moment and led her upstairs if the first course hadn’t arrived just then. He picked up his spoon and began to eat, but she noticed he consumed even less than she, though the soup, a creamy asparagus and lobster, was one of his favorites and quite delicious.

“Travis has been seeing Lady Annabelle Townsend,” he remarked as a servant removed their bowls and another course was set in front of them. “Though I am not sure if it is supposed to be a secret.”

“I shan’t say a word.” She took a bite of the turbot in lemon sauce they had just been served. “I like Lady
Annabelle a great deal. I think they would make a very fine couple.”

Reese took a sip of his wine. “Travis claims he is not the sort to marry.”

“What does Annabelle say?”

“She’s a widow. According to Travis, she claims she also has no interest in marriage.”

Elizabeth’s gaze found his. “That is what I thought before we were wed.”

Reese didn’t look away, just kept those penetrating blue eyes on her over the rim of his goblet. “And now?”

“Now, I have discovered a number of benefits to the wedded state. Particularly being wedded to you.”

His mouth took on a sensual curve. “And what, if I may ask, would those benefits be?”

Elizabeth sipped her wine. Her heart was beating so hard she wondered if he could hear it. “To begin with, there is a certain security one finds in being married. And companionship, of course. But the greatest benefit is passion.”

The silver fork in his hand paused halfway to his lips. Just looking at them, remembering the feel of them moving hotly over hers, sent a curl of heat into her stomach.

Reese swallowed the bite he had taken. “When we were first wed, you were afraid of passion.”

“Yes, but you taught me not to be frightened but to enjoy it.”

His eyes darkened to nearly black. “And would you enjoy it tonight?”

Her stomach contracted. She purposely moistened her lips, then wiped them delicately with her napkin, drawing out the moment. “I’m certain I would.”

She could read the hunger in his expression. He was
breathing more rapidly, and so was she. And yet she could see he was enjoying the moment, the heightened sexual awareness sparking between them. “And what, exactly, would you have me do?”

She hadn’t planned for the conversation to go so far and yet she refused to back down from the challenge she read in his face. Elizabeth tilted her head, as if she pondered the notion.

“First I would have you kiss me…not just once, of course, but over and over again. I would want you to use your tongue, as it always feels so good when you kiss me in the French fashion.”

His jaw clenched so tight a muscle bunched in his cheek. He slid back his chair and started to rise just as a servant arrived to remove the second course and set another plate down in front of him.

He returned his chair to the table and waited for the servant to leave. When he spoke, his voice came out husky. “What else would you have me do?”

Elizabeth took a breath. She couldn’t imagine herself speaking as boldly as she was, but it seemed to be working. She forced her embarrassment away. “I would want you to kiss my breasts. Even now my nipples are hard inside my corset, aching for you to taste them.”

He stood up so swiftly, his chair toppled over. “If it weren’t for my bloody leg, madam, I would sweep you into my arms, cart you upstairs, and do exactly what you require of me. As it is, I would have you take my hand and we shall make the climb together. What say you, my lady?”

She felt strangely giddy. “I should be delighted to join you…unless of course, you would rather stay here and finish the meal.”

His jaw flexed. She had never seen such blatant hunger on his face. “I believe I would rather dine on you, my lady.”

Her breath caught and a sharp pulsing began between her legs.

In minutes, they were upstairs in his bedroom, a place she had never been before. In the past, he had always come to her, unwilling, she imagined, to allow her into his private sanctuary.

It should have taken longer for him to undress her, since he kissed and fondled each part of her body he exposed. But soon both of them were naked. Elizabeth had only moments to admire his lean, powerful build, the width of his shoulders, the bands of muscle across his chest. Ridges of sinew rippled across his flat stomach, and a powerful erection rode high and hard between his long legs, promising the pleasure she craved.

Standing next to the bed, Reese kissed her deeply, then lifted her into his arms and settled her on the deep feather mattress. It occurred to her that none of the old fear remained. Reese had banished them entirely. He was her husband. Her lover. The man that she loved.

The bed was wide and the mattress soft, the sheets of fine spun cotton and the pillows filled with pure white goose down. A fire burned in the hearth to keep out the chill, while outside the windows, a light rain had begun to fall, pattering gently against the panes.

The sound was far softer than the patter of her heart against her ribs, the gentle breeze mild in comparison to the storm of passion raging inside her. Reese kissed her deeply, again and again, nibbled and tasted and took her with his tongue, just as she had commanded. His mouth
moved to the side of her neck, then lower, ministering to each of her breasts.

He cupped them, laved and suckled until she was writhing beneath him, her nipples aching, her body on fire for him.

“Reese, please…”

“Not yet, love. There is more about passion that I wish to teach you.”

She knew enough, she thought desperately, aching to feel him inside her, eager to reach the pinnacle of fulfillment he had brought her to before.

Instead, he continued to kiss his way down her body, over her rib cage to her navel, whirling his tongue round the small indentation and making her quiver. Settling himself between her legs, he drew a finger through the tight black curls above her sex, parted the slick folds, and set his mouth there.

Elizabeth cried out as pleasure shot through her, unlike any she had known. She laced her fingers in Reese’s silky hair and arched upward at the feel of his tongue gliding over her most sensitive place. Sensation rocked her. Heat and need burned through her. Her bottom lip trembled and she bit down to stifle a scream.

“Reese…!” she cried out as the first climax shook her, her body quaking with the force of her pleasure. Another swiftly followed, then a third.

She was languid and pliant as Reese rose above her, his hard length brushing the entrance to her sex. In a single deep thrust, he filled her and fresh need spiraled out through her limbs.

Dear God!

Desire rose swiftly. Heavy strokes stirred the banked
fires to life. Deep, penetrating strokes had her writhing beneath him. Hard, driving thrusts had her begging for more. Elizabeth locked her legs around his, taking him deeper still, giving herself up to the fierce, pounding rhythm, the thrust and drag of his potent erection.

Release hit her, shattering her senses, spinning her out of control. Her body clenched around his hard length, and the muscles in Reese’s shoulders tightened as he reached a powerful climax, his head falling back, his teeth gritted as if he were in pain.

For several long moments they remained joined together, breathing heavily, their bodies covered with a fine sheen of perspiration. Reese kissed her softly one last time. Lifting himself away, he lay down on the mattress beside her.

Groggy and sweetly fulfilled, Elizabeth traced a finger through the black curls on his chest. “Will you…will you stay with me tonight?” she asked, praying he would say yes.

Reese chuckled softly. “I don’t have much choice. The bed is mine. And I would like nothing more than to share it with you.” He came up on an elbow, bent his head and softly kissed her. “Besides, now that I know your fondness for passion, I have a good deal more to show you.”

She braced a hand on his chest. “I want you, Reese. But I won’t…I won’t share you with another woman.”

Reese tenderly kissed her. “You’re my wife, Beth, the only woman I want or ever will.”

Relief trickled through her. Reese was a man of his word. He would remain true to his wedding vows. And clearly, whether he loved her or not, he still desired her.

Elizabeth gave herself up to the passions he stirred and told herself that it would be enough.

R
eese walked toward Hyde Park, his small son gamboling along beside him. Mr. Gillespie accompanied them, a few paces to the rear. Jared loved to watch the fancy carriages roll past, along with the riders on their expensive, high-stepping, blooded horses.

Reese wished the horses they were watching were his own. He wished they were back at Briarwood, where Jared could ride Dusty and Reese could ride Warrior.

Absently, he rubbed his leg. He and Timothy had continued working the muscles, and the leg pained him less and less. Once they got home, he would attempt to ride again and this time he would not fail. Soon there would be crops to plant, barley to grow and harvest. There were tenants to manage and a score of other responsibilities he needed to handle. He needed to be able to ride into the fields, to survey his property and what needed to be done, and horseback was the best way to see it done.

He might have been forced into becoming a gentleman farmer, but now that he was, he intended to be a good one.

Somewhat grudgingly, he admitted that country life had changed him. The hustle and bustle of a crowded city had never appealed to him the way it did his younger brother. But he hadn’t found city life distasteful, as he did now. After spending time at Briarwood, he chafed for the fresh air and sunshine, the sight of the rolling green landscape stretching around him.

Only a few more days
, he told himself.

In a few more days, Pinkard had assured him, the courts would make their decision to grant the abdication.

Then Jared would be truly safe and they could go home.

They stopped at the edge of the gravel path to watch the daily procession of expensive carriages, flashy horses and elegantly dressed riders moving round the park. It was cold today, but the sun was out and people were dressed warmly.

“Look, Papa! See that big white horse? Isn’t he beautiful? If he had a horn, he would look just like a unicorn.”

Reese chuckled softly. The big, powerful stallion with its white coat blending to gray along its strong legs was, indeed, magnificent. One of the finest animals Reese had ever seen.

He settled a hand on the little boy’s shoulder. “He’s something, all right, son. Not just showy, but powerfully built in all the right places. You’ve a good eye for horseflesh, lad.”

Jared beamed at the compliment. It took so little to make the child happy, Reese thought. Just a kind word here and there. It angered him to think how little kindness the boy had been shown by the man who had raised him.

He thought of Elizabeth and expected the familiar
rush of anger, but surprisingly none came. All of them had suffered. And lately he had begun to see that part of the blame belonged to him. If he had been more settled, less determined to seek adventure, Elizabeth might have come to him instead of running into the arms of another man.

Whatever had happened, it was all in the past. It was time for healing, not recrimination.

The stallion grew closer and Reese could make out the faint gray dapples beneath the horse’s sleek white coat. Standing at least seventeen hands, the horse drew the eye of everyone in the park.

Watching the stallion approach, Reese felt the sudden tension in Jared’s slim shoulders as the child backed a little behind him. Reese looked up to see Mason Holloway seated on the magnificent stallion’s back.

“Nice morning for a ride,” Holloway said, the breeze ruffling his thick mustache and the brown hair beneath his tall beaver hat.

“Fine animal,” Reese replied, his features hard. “I didn’t know you were interested in horses.”

“Mostly I just like watching them race, but this one I couldn’t resist.”

“Planning to pay for him with Aldridge’s money?”

Mason’s lips thinned. “The horse and a whole lot more. And I’m getting tired of waiting.”

“If I had my way, you wouldn’t be waiting, Holloway. And you wouldn’t need the money. You would be dead.”

Mason’s whole body stiffened. The stallion’s nostrils flared and he started to dance, sensing the tension between the two men.

Turning his back on Holloway, Reese led Jared away from horse and rider. He didn’t look back, he knew the man was livid. Perhaps Mason would call him out and Reese would have an excuse to kill him.

Reese scoffed. The man was a coward. Reese wouldn’t be that lucky.

A gust of wind blew leaves across the street and rattled the branches of the huge sycamore in front of the rented town house. Walking next to Jared, Reese paused on the porch as he spotted a familiar conveyance bowling down the street, and Travis’s carriage rolled up in front of the house.

Reese turned to his son. “You and Mr. Gillespie go on upstairs. I’m sure Mr. Connelly is here by now and eager for you to get on with your studies.”

Jared looked up at him with dark, solemn eyes. “You don’t like my uncle Mason.”

There was no use lying. “No, I don’t.”

“I don’t either,” Jared said.

Reese’s jaw tightened. The bastard had made his wife and son’s life miserable. All those years and Reese hadn’t been there. It made him feel powerless in a way he never had before. He settled a hand on Jared’s shoulder and returned his attention to the street.

Travis strode up the walkway to the porch. “Good morning, Major.”

“Morning, Trav.” He looked down at Jared’s dark head. “You remember my son, don’t you?” He couldn’t keep a note of pride out of his voice. “You met him out at the stable at Briarwood.”

“Of course.” Travis went down on one knee, putting
him eye to eye with the child. “It’s good to see you, Jared.”

Jared eyed the empty sleeve of Travis’s coat. “What happened to your arm?”

Reese’s grip tightened on Jared’s shoulder. “It isn’t polite to ask those kinds of questions, son.” And in the past, the boy had been too withdrawn to ever ask. Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad thing.

Travis just smiled. “It’s all right.” He looked down at the boy. “The same thing happened to me that happened to your father. We were wounded in the war. Your father’s leg got hurt and I lost my arm.”

“You were heroes. My mama said so.”

Travis grinned. “Did she now? Well, I don’t know about that. We mostly just did what we were expected to do when we joined the army.”

Jared’s dark eyes swung to Reese. “Maybe I’ll join the army some day.”

“And maybe you’ll go to university and learn to be a doctor or something,” Reese grumbled.

Jared made a face and Reese laughed. “All right, maybe you’ll be something else. Whatever it is, you had better go on inside and get to work or your tutor will be assigning you extra lessons.”

Grinning, Jared raced into the house, and Reese felt a tug at his heart. He had a son. It was the most wonderful feeling he had ever known.

Jared was gone from sight by the time Reese led Travis down the hall to the study. “Drink?” he offered, moving toward the sideboard.

All the energy seemed to drain from Travis’s body. He blew out a breath. “I could use one.”

Reese poured his friend a glass but refrained from pouring one for himself. Travis accepted the brandy and sank down heavily on the sofa.

“I have a feeling this visit has nothing to do with Sandhurst or Colonel Thomas,” Reese said.

Travis took a long swallow of his drink. “As far as I’m concerned, that problem is over. In fact, I start my job at the
Times
in the morning.”

“Congratulations.”

Travis sipped his drink, and for the first time Reese noticed the dark circles behind his spectacles, the weary lines across his forehead.

“You like you’ve just come off a thirty-day march.”

“Yeah, well, that’s just about the way I feel.”

“Then your visit must have something to do with a woman and that woman could only be Annabelle Townsend.”

Travis leaned back wearily against the sofa. “She ended the affair.”

Reese cocked an eyebrow. “Did she tell you why?”

“She says she loves me too much.” He sat forward and raked a hand through his hair. “You ever heard anything so insane? She doesn’t want to be with me because she loves me too much.”

Reese sat down on the corner of his desk. “You said she wasn’t the sort for an affair. I guess you were right.”

Travis shook his head. “I tried to tell her. I tried to warn her away, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“Women are like that.”

Travis sighed. “The thing of it is, I didn’t realize how much I would miss her. I mean, I can’t sleep at night. I can hardly eat. I considered paying a visit to Madame
Lefon’s, but the thought of actually taking one of her women to bed made my stomach turn. Anna’s the only woman I want and I can’t have her.”

“Why, exactly, is that?”

“You know why. Because I’m not the kind of man to settle down. Anna’s sweet and loving. She’s strong and determined and loyal. She deserves a lot better man than I am.”

“I think she’s made it pretty clear she doesn’t want another man.”

Travis looked up at him. “In time she’ll change her mind.”

“Will she? She was married before. She ought to know what she wants. And if she does change her mind, how will you feel? Are you ready to give her to someone else? Are you willing to stand by and let another man take your place in her bed?”

Travis’s face went pale. “I’ll kill the first bastard who touches her.”

Reese laughed. “You’re doomed, my friend. Why don’t you just go ahead and marry her?”

Travis grunted. “You’re as mad as she is.”

“Am I? You’re in love and you don’t even know it.”

Travis shot back his drink. “I told you, I’m not husband material.” He rose from the sofa, set the glass on the sideboard and started for the door.

“Give it some thought, Captain.”

Travis just shook his head, opened the door, and walked out of the study.

Reese felt sorry for him. But he wasn’t in a much better place himself. He was bedding his wife on a more than regular basis, but it always felt as if something were missing.

Elizabeth was withholding some part of herself from him, just as he withheld some part of himself from her.

He didn’t know what to do about it. He told himself it wasn’t important. All that mattered was their son and keeping him safe and providing a solid, loving home for him.

Love
. Somehow that was the key.

Reese had no idea how to turn the rusty lock that would open the door to his heart.

It was late afternoon, an icy wind blowing outside, a weak sun threading its way through the clouds. In the drawing room, Elizabeth sat on the sofa next to Jared, helping him read a children’s story called
The Little Gray Mouse
. After luncheon, Reese had received a note from his solicitor, Mr. Pinkard. The note hadn’t mentioned why the man wished to see him. Elizabeth wouldn’t stop worrying until her husband returned.

She pasted on a smile, hiding her worry from her son. “Go ahead, read the last page.”

Jared did so only a bit haltingly. “And so the little…little mouse lif…lif…”

“Lifted.”

“Lifted his nose and sniffed the air. “I’m hungry,’ he said. ‘And I smell a sli…ce…’”

“Slice,” Elizabeth gently corrected.

“‘And I smell a slice of cheese.’” Jared laughed, the sweet sound rolling over her.

“Go on,” Elizabeth urged.

“Smil..ing, the little mouse…raced off…to join his…friends…and they…lived hap-happily ever after.”

“Very good! You are getting to be a marvelous reader.”

Jared beamed.

It was true. His reading was improving every day. She thought it might have something to do with how much more comfortable he was in his surroundings, no longer accountable to Edmund or Mason for his every move.

Elizabeth urged him up off the sofa. “I think that’s enough for today. Why don’t you run upstairs and play for a while?”

He looked up at her with his big dark eyes. “What are we having for supper?”

“Roasted partridge.” She smiled. “And almond pudding for dessert.”

Jared grinned, raced across the room and out the door. Almond pudding was one of his favorites.

Elizabeth’s heart tugged softly. He was such a dear little boy. Picking up the embroidery she had been working on before her son arrived, she tried to focus on the stitches. She wished Reese would come home. She hoped whatever news Pinkard had to tell him would be good.

A noise sounded down the hall and Elizabeth glanced up. In the entry, she heard Jack Montague’s voice, then the sound of Reese’s familiar, masculine, uneven gait as he walked toward the drawing room. An instant later, he stood in the open doorway.

Elizabeth looked at him and the bottom of her stomach dropped out. Reese’s jaw was set, his expression so grim fear sliced through her. She shot to her feet, her embroidery hoop tumbling to the floor.

“Reese, what is it?”

“Our petition was denied. The court wouldn’t even agree to a hearing. They said the boy was too young to
be divested of such an important and honorable title. They said it wasn’t fair to the late earl to deny the Aldridge title to his rightful heir.”

She could feel the blood draining from her face. “But…but if Mr. Pinkard were to tell them the truth, tell them Edmund wasn’t Jared’s real father—”

“It wouldn’t matter. By law, Jared is the late earl’s son, with the right to all that entails. The judges on the bench say once Jared is old enough to understand the ramifications of giving up the earldom, if he still wishes to abdicate, they will review his petition. Until that time, Jared is to retain the title of earl.”

Elizabeth’s hand came up to her trembling lips. “Dear God.” The floor seemed to rush toward her an instant before Reese’s strong arm went round her waist. He guided her over to the sofa and helped her sit down.

Elizabeth looked up at him. “Mason will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Our son…our son will never be safe. Reese, what…what shall we do?”

But she saw by the set of his jaw, exactly what he intended. “No!” She gripped his arm and refused to let go. “You mustn’t go after him. You mustn’t try to kill him! I refuse to save my son by losing my husband. I…”
Love you both too much for that
. “I won’t let him take either of you from me.”