Saved By A Siren: Spencers in Love Book One (7 page)

Chapter 8

            Meanwhile, in London, Lucien Haviland, The
Eighth Duke of Clerendon and Sir Alastair Spencer alighted from separate
coaches simultaneously in front of Spencer Place.

            Alastair nodded in greeting.

            "It's been a long time, Alastair!"
Lucien teased as he slapped him on the back.

            "We were just at White's this
afternoon." Alastair mumbled as he checked his watch.     

            "Indeed! Which makes this that much more of
a pleasure." Lucien gestured towards the door as it opened.

            Bennings opened the door and bowed. He'd been
butler at Spencer Place before either had been born and had survived their
pranks and wildness. Both handed him their outerwear. Alastair gripped his
upper arm warmly and Lucien pulled him into a friendly half embrace before they
continued down the hall.

            "Young rascals." Muttered the old man
with fondness as he hung up their coats.

            Approaching the sitting room, Lucien stopped
Alastair.

            "What's this about? You know I don't like
surprises."

            "I know as much as you do, I'm
afraid." Which wasn't an understatement. Alastair thrived on information
the way others thrived on food for nourishment. In fact, during the height of
the war, he would forgo food for days because he believed a full stomach made
his brain sluggish.

            "I had planned to attend a party in
Richmond before I received your mother's summons."           

            "Dinner at Spencer Place. Mandatory."
Alastair recited.

            "Exactly." Lucien grimaced as they
walked through the parlor doors and located their partners for the evening,
heads together whispering. "It must be Gilles, I hope he's not in too much
trouble."

            Alastair nodded and cleared his throat. Both
ladies rose and rushed towards them.

            Mirabelle was the first to speak.

            "Good, you're both here. We received a
letter from Gilles, it's most curious."

            Maman thrust a letter towards them. Alastair
took it while Lucien greeted the ladies.

            "You look lovely as always, Celine."
He bowed over her hand.

            He leaned towards Mirabelle and kissed the top
of her head.

            Alastair noticed that she rolled her eyes.

            "Miss Mirabelle, you're a vision."
Lucien offered as he moved closer to Alastair in order to read the letter over
his shoulder.

            Both read:

Maman,

Longwood is better than I had hoped. I plan to stay
indefinitely. I find myself in desperate need of a chaperone and beg you to
come at your earliest convenience. I hope that Mirabelle, Alastair and Lucien
will join us for as long as they desire. Please extend my invitation to
Madeline as well. I miss you all more than I expected.

            Yours,

               Gilles

            Lucien looked up to find two sets of eyes
staring at them expectantly. He turned to Alastair, hoping he'd divined more
than the obvious from the brief letter. He wasn't disappointed.

            Alastair's pupils flickered quickly back and
forth over the words for a few seconds more before he looked up. All three
leaned in, suspense holding them all taught.

            "He's planning to marry soon."
Alastair stated as if he was saying the sky was blue or stars shone at night.

            Mirabelle sat slowly, reaching behind her to
make sure the chair was still in close proximity. Maman gasped and covered her
mouth, her eyes as wide as saucers.

            "Why do you think so?" Mirabelle asked
carefully. Not because she doubted him, Alastair knew she didn't.

            "A number of reasons," Alastair began
as he held up the letter. "He desires to remain at Longwood and is
undeterred by the presence of an unattached lady. Longwood belongs to him, he
could send her away if he did not enjoy her companionship or if he did not want
to be linked to her romantically. Clearly, he does not want her to leave. She
must be a lady of breeding and expectation, or he would not have to worry about
a chaperone. He must care for her, he's greatly worried about her reputation.
Why else would he have underlined "desperately"? Why would any sane
man keep a woman under his roof that would require a chaperone if he was not
emotionally involved or matrimonially motivated? He must have matrimony in
mind, if he did not care for her but found himself unable to send her away he
could have hired any number of appropriate women to chaperone her. No. He wants
you, maman. Because he wants it known that her virtue and reputation matter to
him personally. And then there is the matter of you, and us. How many women has
he introduced to us? How many people in general? He's had friends and
mistresses, how many has he made known to us? He wants all of us to travel to
Surrey to live under the same roof as this woman. He would not request this if
she were inconsequential or inappropriate. He would not participate in a
scandalous affair at Longwood, the seat of the Earls of Cambroke. Again, there
is the matter of Us as a group. He has never invited anyone into our midst. Never
to dine with us for breakfast or dinner. He considers us sacred. He wants us to
take all of our meals with her, to accept her into our fold, if you will. If he
did not, he would not have requested Lucien and I attend as well. Nor Madeline.
He's all but declared her part of his family."

            "Oh. My. God." Mirabelle whispered as
she rose.

            Maman ran for the bell pull.

            Bennings appeared and was quickly inundated with
requests. Ten minutes later, he withdrew, a list of directives in hand.
Preparations were to begin for the trip to Longwood. Word was sent to Burton
Place as Alastair would be leaving with the ladies. They would leave first
thing in the morning.

            The party made their way to the dining room
though little attention was paid to the meal. Lucien assured the women that he
would leave for Longwood as soon as "this Whitrose business" was
concluded, probably by the end of the week.

            "Who could she be?" Maman wondered.

            "I would guess that she is a relation of,
or attached to the late Lord Cambroke's widow." Alastair offered.

            Maman nodded, her gaze suggested she was
plotting, planning.

            Mirabelle was more present. She seemed to track
Lucien's progress through the meal, handing him the salt shaker before he
requested or applying condiments to his plate. Alastair took note of her
actions. Did she still hold a tendre for him or was this a product of
familiarity? Lucien seemed to be less aware, nodding at her offerings but more
focused on the discussion at hand. Did he take it for granted or was it an acceptable
aspect of their friendship?

            Alastair monitored both closely throughout the
meal. In the end, he was unsure. He was out of his depth. He decided that he'd
leave it to Gilles. Mirabelle and maman would would be under his care again by
tomorrow evening. He'd share his observations and Gilles could do what he
wished.

Chapter 9

            Back at Longwood, Gilles mounted the steps as he
made his way to his chambers. Elise glided beside him. They turned into the
hallway and Gilles felt his nerves draw tight. He escorted Elise to her door.
He took her hand and savored the silken softness of the back of her hand
against his lips.

            "Darling, whatever you hear later, please
stay in your room. I'll try to be as quiet as a I can." He had no idea how
he'd make good on that but he needed her to agree.

            Elise leaned into him, brushed his cheek as her
fingers sought his lips.

            "You're sure you'll have a nightmare
tonight?"

            "It's the same every night." Gilles
shrugged. "I'm used to it."

            She sensed the dread he felt, his tenseness. He
didn't want to be alone but his concern for their reputations and his innate
sense of honor drove him. Elise rose on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly
before hastily retreating into her room. She'd made no promises.

            Gilles pressed his face to her door and imagined
what would happen if he opened it, sent her maid, Anna, away. Would she let him
tend to her? He pushed away from the door and opened his. It was silent and
dark. He quickly peeled off his clothes and slid between the sheets of his bed
as he listened to Elise and Anna as they went about their routine.

Chapter 10

            An hour later, Elise leaned against the door
that separated her from Gilles. He was lost in terror and torment, thrashing
and moaning in his bed and she was close to tears herself. He'd asked her to
stay in her room. Was he aware of how difficult it would be?

            "Please, wait!" His cry was hoarse and
weak.

            Elise slid to the floor and hugged her knees.

            She heard a pillow or the coverlet fall to the
floor.

            "Stop!" Gilles cried.

            She'd had enough. Rising, Elise turned the door
handle and rushed in. She was by his bed before she'd thought it through. She
tentatively extended her hand and it brushed against heated flesh. She
carefully curled her fingers and was able to identify his shoulder. Gilles'
head tossed against the pillow.

            Elise debated the wisdom of disobeying him until
he cried out. She untied her robe and let it fall to the floor. She carefully
lowered herself next to him and was immediately overwhelmed by the heat and
hardness of his body. Gilles rolled towards her and his arms locked around her
body. She wrapped her arms around him and found his mouth. Her tongue traced
his lips and he sobbed her name. She gasped as she felt his cock, hard and
twitching against her thigh.

            "Gilles, Wake up!" She begged, her
lips pressed to his ear. She let her tongue explore until it found his ear lobe
and she nibbled. "I'm here, come back to me." Elise whispered.

            She heard him groan groggily and his hands began
to move. They pressed and kneaded her back and then down to her bottom. She
stifled a squeal as one traveled lower and found the sensitive skin at the back
of her thigh. The other traveled upwards and tangled in her hair. Gilles
gathered her to him and claimed her mouth.

            "I told you not to come." he murmured
against her lips as he nibbled and licked.

            Elise sighed and he rolled her on her back.

            Her hands threaded through his hair and she
arched her back, begging him to continue where they left off earlier.

            "I couldn't stand it. You cried and begged,
I had to do something." Elise returned to his ear and explored it with her
tongue.

            Gilles growled and rocked his hips against hers.
He was so hard, he didn't trust himself. His lips found her throat and he began
laving and licking. His hands had somehow formed around her breasts. Elise
moaned and pressed herself against his hands.

            "Please!" She begged as her leg
wrapped around his hip.

            Gilles swore as he set his teeth to her delicate
flesh. He grazed the soft swells and dragged his mouth downwards. He grabbed
the silk that brushed against his face and tugged. A moment later, his lips
brushed against the puckered flesh of her areole. His tongue traced the outer
edge and circled inward until it flicked her nipple. She stifled a scream and
clutched his head against her breast. He wrapped his lips around her nipple and
suckled and she lost all sense. His hand pinched the other nipple as his lips
and teeth tormented her. He felt her buck against him and he ground his hips into
hers, pushing her against the mattress. Gilles felt her tense just before her
body began to quiver and she threw her head back in a silent scream. Elise held
him against her as her body shuddered and she sighed. He felt her go limp
beneath him. He placed his ear against her breast and he heard the galloping of
her heart and held her close until it slowed.

Chapter 11

Gilles held her insensate form in
his arms. He rolled and pulled her on top of him, ignoring his throbbing
erection. He willed his body to relax. He tried to distract himself with her
hair, fanning it across his chest and tickling his nose with the curled ends.

            Slowly, Elise became conscious. She sighed and
stretched against him. He gripped her hip, trying to prevent any friction
against his groin as her face found the corner of his neck. She purred just
before she licked him.

            Sweet, Jesus! What had he done to deserve this?

            "Easy, Darling." Gilles whispered as
he tried to shrug away, blocking her mouth's access to his neck. He readjusted
her so that her head was on his chest.

            Elise shifted and rose on her elbow.

            "Are you alright? You were loud and so
upset."

            "I assure you, the dream is not what pains
me right now."

            "Good. Can I help you with what pains
you?" She asked as her hand trailed down his chest.

            Gilles grabbed it as it passed his belly button
and brought it up to rest on his chest.

            "Stop taunting me, minx." He growled.
"In fact, I think it's probably best if you went back."

            "Must I? I'm so nervous about tomorrow. All
I can think about is your family arriving."

            "We'll just have to find something else for
you to focus on. Do you have any plans?"

            "Plans? I never have plans."

            Gilles tried to imagine what her days had been
like and he suddenly felt ashamed that he'd asked. He knew. No one called and
she never left. Her life encompassed everything he'd observed since he'd
arrived. Gilles thought of his plans and an idea took hold.

            "Do you ever ride?" He knew she
visited the stables regularly and loved horses.

            "How could I?" Her voice sounded so
fragile.

            Gilles proceeded carefully. He knew that she
couldn't ride as freely as he did but there had to be an alternative.

            "You could ride with someone. Or, if there
was a horse trained for it, you could ride with a guide. Have you tried?"

            Elise shook her head.

            "Lucifer could carry us. I'll take you
tomorrow." Gilles decided as he stroked her back.

            "Truly? We could ride together?" Elise
giggled.       

            Again, Gilles realized he had the opportunity to
present her with something she'd enjoy more than jewels.

            "Be ready, early tomorrow. Dress
warmly." He wrapped her in his arms, inhaling deeply.

            Elise shook her fists, kicked her feet and
wiggled her shoulders against him and squealed with joy.

            "I'm going riding!" She exclaimed and jumped
from the bed. She vibrated and hopped in place then reached for him and placed
a kiss on his lips. Elise bounced up and rushed from the room.

            That worked, Gilles thought as the door shut
behind her. His body protested that he'd let her leave while he was still
aching with need. At lease she was content. He'd never known a woman to achieve
an orgasm so quickly, she was so sensitive and responsive. He stared at the
canopy and his hand brushed his erection. Why the hell not? He thought as he
gripped his cock.