Tessa's Touch (30 page)

A ball? A London ball? Tessa fought down the
panic that rose in her throat at the thought. "I . . . I don't see
how—" she began, vaguely hoping that her inferior wardrobe might prevent
her from attending. Why had she ever agreed to come here?

"We can take her shopping tomorrow, Your
Grace," Quinn offered. "Can't we, Sarah? You are welcome to come as
well, Lady Bagstead. And Your Grace, too, if you should wish to offer your
advice."

But those two ladies evinced identical
expressions of distaste. "Tomorrow is one of my at-home days," the
Duchess informed them. "I presume you will wish to be here to receive
callers with me, Augusta?"

Lady Bagstead nodded. "Of course, Your
Grace. Indeed, like yourself, I never go into the shops myself. It is far more
convenient to have the modistes come to me, I find."

"But not half so fun," Quinn
whispered to Tessa with a pert grin. Then, aloud, "We will call directly
after breakfast, then, Tessa. Lord Anthony is welcome to come along, of course,
but if he is like most men, you can count on him to find a plausible reason to
decline."

The Duchess then took control of the
conversation again, offering advice on fashion, deportment and which people it
was important for Tessa to meet while in Town, until the gentlemen joined them.

Anthony was soon apprised of the proposed
shopping expedition and, as Quinn had predicted, excused himself on the grounds
that he needed to find a suitable mount for Tessa's use during their stay in
Town.

"You'll all do much better without me, at
any rate," he concluded. "Peter may be up on all the latest fashions,
but I, like most of us ignorant males, haven't the least clue which colors or
sleeves or frills are in or out this season."

Even Lord Peter showed no inclination to join
them, however, offering, along with Lord Marcus, to help Anthony with his task,
instead. "With any luck, we'll have a hack for you by the time you
return," Lord Peter said with an encouraging smile.

Though the evening as a whole was rather an
ordeal, when Tessa accompanied Anthony upstairs at the conclusion of it, she
was able to look forward to the morrow with a fair degree of eagerness.

"Perhaps you were right," she told
him as he escorted her up to her bedchamber, which adjoined his own.
"Perhaps, with Quinn's and Sarah's help, I can do this after all. They are
both showing me uncommon kindness and I confess I like them very much."

With a motion of his head, he dismissed her
waiting maid so that they could be private. When the girl had gone, Tessa
looked around the sumptuous room that had been set aside for her use, so grand
that she couldn't quite feel she belonged in it.

"I . . . I don't suppose it would be
possible for us to stay with one of your brothers, instead of here?"

Regretfully, he shook his head. "Not on
this visit, at least not without offending my parents. But we will not be here
long, you know —only a few days. When next we come to London, we'll arrange to
stay elsewhere, I promise you."

Though she knew that was meant to be
encouraging, Tessa's heart sank at this intimation that they would be making
more and possibly longer visits to Town in the future. She had seen but little
of London as yet, but already she felt stifled here —and not only because of
the dirty fog. She simply wasn't suited to city life.

"Besides," he said when she did not
reply, "anywhere we can be together can be home, can it not?" Smiling
intimately down at her, he gathered her into his arms.

She nodded, feeling oddly shy— perhaps because
she now had a clearer idea of the position in Society her husband occupied. He
was even further above her than she'd realized —but she knew that if she said
so, he would only laugh and try to soothe her.

"I hope I can always make you feel at home,
Anthony," she said instead, tentatively stroking his sleeve.

He lowered his lips to hers. "With you
here, I feel more at home in this house than I ever have before," he
assured her. Then he was kissing her and the pressure of his lips drove her
doubts from her mind, leaving no room for anything but him, for the feelings he
aroused in her.

With an urgency she didn't fully understand,
she helped him to remove her clothing and then his, stopping only for frequent
kisses, until they faced each other completely unclad. Tessa devoured his
perfect body with her eyes, even as she saw him doing the same to hers.
Certainly, he didn't seem to find her inferior in any way to other women —not
here, not now.

After one long moment of mutual appreciation,
they were in each other's arms again, flesh against flesh, lips against lips.
With a low growl, Anthony moved backward, dragging her with him, to collapse on
the bed with her atop him.

For an instant Tessa felt a passing worry for
the satin counterpane that doubtless cost more than her entire bedroom at
Wheatstone, but then Anthony's hands were stroking her back, her sides, the
nape of her neck, and such trivial matters were forgotten in another wild rush
of desire.

Anthony had not been oblivious to the byplay
between his mother, sisters-in-law and Tessa that evening. He knew that she
still felt out of her element, but he had told the simple truth when he'd said
that when she was with him, he was home —no matter where he was. Now, with her
above him, her beautiful, athletic, voluptuous body pressed against his, he
knew beyond doubt that without her he would never feel complete again.

With one knee he nudged her legs apart and then
she took the initiative, straddling him, rubbing her secret, shadowed cleft
against his straining arousal so that he had to forcibly control himself, to
wait until she could match him in pleasure. Spanning her narrow waist with both
hands, he lifted her slightly, then impaled her with his shaft, finding her
slick and ready for him.

She gave a gasp, then a moan, and began rocking
atop him, driving him closer and closer to the edge. This position gave him
easy access to her sensitive nubbin, and he gently massaged her there, bringing
her along with him to the very brink of climax.

Finally, with her head thrown back, panting in
rhythm with his thrusts, she cried aloud and convulsed about him. Driving
upward, he buried himself deep within her and released his control, emptying
himself into her in an ecstatic rush.

After a long, trembling moment, they relaxed as
one, Tessa lowering herself atop him again to nestle her face confidingly in
the hollow of his throat. He cradled her to him in silent wonderment, amazed
anew that such a woman could be his. Surely he'd done nothing in his life to
deserve such a rich reward?

"Never let anyone make you feel you are
less than you are, Tessa," he whispered as they both drifted off to sleep,
still entwined. "To me, you rank above every woman in the world."

* *
*

Anthony's last words still had the power to
warm Tessa as she dressed the next morning. He had risen early, waking her only
slightly as he kissed her before returning to his own room. She remembered that
he and his brothers had planned an early visit to the mews on her behalf.

For a moment she considered following them,
then realized that was impossible here in London. The sorts of activities she
took for granted in the country would raise eyebrows and more in Town. She
reminded herself that this was to be a short stay, that she would be back at
her beloved Wheatstone soon.

"Thank you, Sally. That looks very
nice," she told her maid as she put the finishing touches to Tessa's hair.

Today's gown, a yellow walking dress, was even
more countrified than the one she'd worn to dinner, but she tried not to dwell
on it, as that was the point of her shopping trip today. She trusted Quinn and
Sarah to bring her in line with current fashions. She only hoped they could do
it without spending more than she and Anthony could afford.

Over breakfast, which she took alone in the
dining room, as the Duchess and Lady Bagstead had not yet risen, she continued
to worry about what this expedition might cost. Should she have asked Anthony
how much she could reasonably spend? Too late now.

She was just finishing a second cup of tea when
a footman led Quinn and Sarah into the room.

"Ah, I see you are an early riser,"
Quinn exclaimed. "I told Sarah you would be, used as you are to country
hours. This will give us a chance to have Madame Fanchot to ourselves, while most
other ladies in Town are still sitting in their boudoirs sipping
chocolate."

"How luxurious that sounds," Tessa
said, greeting her sisters-in-law with a smile. "I confess such a plan
never occurred to me. At home, I would have been up for hours by now."

Sarah nodded. "I was the same when I first
came to London, for I'd spent several years at school, where we were required
to rise before the sun did. And Quinn, of course, came here from America, where
they do things rather differently."

"Better, in other words," said Quinn
loftily, then grinned. "I don't seem able to convince any of my English
family of that, however. But now, if you are finished eating, let us go. We
have a great deal to accomplish this morning."

Tessa soon discovered that she was right. Their
first stop was the modiste's shop. Madame Fanchot was clearly well acquainted
with both Quinn and Sarah, and seemed delighted at the chance to outfit Tessa
as well.

"
Oui
, I can have a ballgown for her by tomorrow night," she said
in response to Quinn's explanation of their needs. "And a day dress or two
by the following day. Now, let us consider fabrics, shall we?"

With a flick of her fingers, she directed her
assistants to bring out bolts of silks, satins and velvets of every imaginable
hue and pattern, spreading them across sofas and tables for consideration.

"Lady Anthony has a richer complexion than
some," she said, which Tessa thought a very discreet way of saying that
she was far more tanned than was fashionable, owing to the time she spent outdoors
at home.

"This gives us more leeway in the matter
of color than some ladies might enjoy," the modiste continued. "Here,
hold up that amethyst velvet." Her assistant hastened to comply.
"Yes, that will do nicely for a winter walking dress."

Over the next hour, Madame Fanchot recommended
various day dresses, evening gowns and riding habits, showing Tessa fashion
plates of the styles she meant to match with the various fabrics. In addition,
she triumphantly produced a ballgown in rich cream and gold brocade with
rust-colored trim that needed only a little work to be fitted to Tessa's
measurements.

At one point, when the modiste had accompanied
her assistants to the back room to find a particular length of lace, the
dazzled Tessa whispered urgently to Quinn, "How much will all of this
cost? Neither Anthony nor my father—"

But Sarah smiled and shook her head.
"Pray, don't worry about that. Peter spoke with the Duke and Duchess last
night on just that concern, and they both agreed that we must not stint. They have
set aside an allowance that you will find it difficult to exceed."

Tessa stared. "That rather smacks of
charity, does it not? I cannot think that Anthony would care to be so indebted
to his parents for my wardrobe."

"I imagine they regard it in the light of
ensuring you are a credit to their son—and to them," Quinn said.

Sarah nodded her agreement. "Believe me, I
understand exactly how you feel, for I brought nothing at all to my
marriage."

Considering Sarah's exceptional beauty, Tessa
could not agree, but she did understand what both ladies were saying.
Appearances were of supreme importance to the Duke and Duchess of Marland, and
they had more than enough money to ensure that Tessa would not embarrass them
—at least in the matter of her clothing.

She therefore tried to relax and enjoy herself,
which was surprisingly easy to do. Madame Fanchot's taste was exquisite and she
could not help imagining Anthony's face when he saw her properly attired, as
stylish as any London lady.

On leaving the modiste's shop, the three ladies
proceeded to a milliner's shop for a selection of bonnets, continued on to a
boot and shoe retailer's, then to a dry goods store to complete Tessa's
ensembles with appropriate ribbons, parasols, gloves and other accessories.
Tessa was near the back of the store sorting through some artificial flowers
while the others examined a display of stockings, when a strident feminine
voice cut through the shop.

"Lady Marcus, upon my word," the
newcomer exclaimed. "Just the lady I was hoping to see."

Tessa glanced up to see a lovely, voluptuous
brunette, her full lips redder than nature had likely tinted them.

"How nice to see you, Lady Adelaide,"
Quinn responded. Tessa perceived a coolness in her tone she had not heard
before. "Have you but recently arrived in Town?"

The brunette nodded. "Last week. Is it
true your brother-in-law, Lord Anthony, has just come to Town as well? I hear
he is staying at Marland House. I scarcely dared believe it, as I know he is
always in the Shires at this season."