The Duke and The Governess (30 page)

‘Gosh! You are so beautiful.’ He said and stroked his finger around her mouth, remembering the erotic nymph that worshipped his body in Malvern.

‘I look a sight with my gown around my waist and my hair a dishevelled mess.’ She said as his finger traced down her throat and over the curve of her breast until it circled her soft nipple. Suddenly John laved his tongue over it, blew cold air on it and watched it shrivel with a smile.

‘Beautiful.’ He murmured as his mouth engulfed half her breast, suckling so hard she could feel his soft palette. He pulled his mouth slowly off that precious peak, leaving
it standing proud like a raspberry
on top of a cake. He looked her in the eyes and smiled softly. ‘Are you pregnant?’ he enquired.

‘I think so.’ She murmured. ‘My courses are now over a week late, and I’m never late.’

‘Then I’ll have to get a special license.’ John mumbled against her hair as he pulled her into his arms.

‘But what if I’m wrong.’ She uttered in horror. ‘And you’ve already married me?’

‘It doesn’t matter, Jessica. I’m not marrying you because you’re pregnant. I’m marrying you because I love you.’ He kissed her forehead. ‘On the plus side, the quicker we do this, the less the gossips have to mutter about.’

‘But they’ll know that fight was about me!’ she cried as her tears finally burst forth. He held her tightly and stoked her hair.

‘Good! I want them to know I love you enough to fight for you. Not marry you because you’re suitable! Or any of the other excuses we hear day in and day out!’ He crushed her to his chest. ‘I love you, Jessica, for who you are, not what you are. I fell in love with Miss Jessica Gordon, not Lady Carruthers.’ He held her close, burying his face in her hair. ‘I don’t care if your reputation was sullied by David Carruthers. I know and you know that it wasn’t true. Your maidenhead was intact when I took you at Malvern, so the babe within you is mine.’ They were quiet for a while, each alone with their thoughts.

‘It is mine, isn’t it?’ he asked softly making her giggle as she rolled him on his back and propped her body up on her elbow.

‘And who else’s could it be?’ she asked indignantly, smiling down at him, her hair wild from their lovemaking. He reached up and stroked his fingers over her cheek and she watched mirth dance in his eyes.

‘I don’t know. Maybe you let the Earl...?’ He never finished the sentence as her fingers closed around his flaccid manhood. She held it tightly making him groan and she smiled like a Cheshire cat as his soft penis swelled, firmed and throbbed in her palm, like a velvet glove over a steel gauntlet.

‘This did the damage! I’ve told you
before;
Anthony is my brother-in-law.’ Jessica said emphatically ‘Just my brother-in-law. We have been chaperoned by my maid at all times!’ and John peeled her fingers away, rolled her over and kissed her deeply, his tongue exploring every facet of her mouth. He pulled his face away from hers, delicately kissed her nose and nestled his face against her breast as he sighed in contentment. They were quiet again.

John was debating how to get a special license before the morning.
I suppose I could roust the Archbishop of Canterbury out of his bed.
He thought until Jessica jerked his mind away from it.

‘I’m sorry.’ He could tell that she was weeping again, even though her shoulders didn’t move, but her voice sounded thick.

‘What for?’ he asked confused, but didn’t dare lift his head.

‘For running away from Malvern. But you left without even leaving me a note and I assumed that you’d had what you wanted.’ She said sadly as she stroked her fingers through his hair.

‘What would make you think that?’ He asked. ‘Even if I didn’t leave a note, which I did.’

‘Well, I never received one.’ She said and he levered himself up on his elbow to look down on her. ‘I overheard the Duke of Norfolk telling the Viscount that you’d been recalled and he was wondering why he hadn’t been sent for if it was a political problem.’ She sniffed and wiped her fingers over her cheeks. ‘He was convinced that you were going home to offer for Lady Wilhelmina Bantock.’

John inhaled in shock so quickly that it caught in the back of his throat and made him cough. He rolled on the bed in amusement as he held his fist over his mouth, spluttering in laughter as he coughed. ‘Dear God!’ he cursed. ‘Have you seen Lady Wilhelmina?’ he asked and continued to clear his throat.

‘Yes, she was at the Duchess’s tea party this afternoon. She seemed a very nice young girl, although I think somebody needs to take her trousseau in hand. Behind those thick glasses is a very pretty face.’

‘She might have a pretty face, but she dances like a shire horse, has the grace of a grizzly bear and the personality of an encyclopaedia!’ She propped herself up on her elbow as he feigned shock, wafting his hand in front of his face. ‘I can’t think of anything worse.’ He said and looked at her mischievously before he traced his fingers over her thigh as his lips closed on hers. ‘I want you, not Lady Wilhelmina.’ He murmured and deepened the kiss, forcing her onto her back with just the pressure of his mouth, his hand stroking idly through the runnels of his semen on her inner thigh, until his fingers rested gently on her sex again, making her gasp. She opened her legs immediately making him gasp too.

‘You’re going to need a bath before you go to bed.’ He mumbled as his lips traced over her breast, suckling the nipple of one before moving over to the other, all the while his fingers never stopped stroking, teasing and penetrating her, making her writhe and moan as her silky walls clenched his fingers and he stroked his thumb over her clitoris. Her hand reached for his manhood and his breath vanished in a gasp as her fingers tightened around it and he was truly lost as her thumb stroked over the head. ‘Damn me!’ he swore suddenly and reared over her body, as he climbed between her thighs again. ‘I can’t seem to get enough of you.’ he muttered as he slid his throbbing penis into her molten core. She was so slick with his seed that he glided within the walls of her vagina. Instead of rushing he kept it slow and erotic, lifting her legs to avail himself of a better position and a deeper penetration, gasping as she wrapped her legs about his body and crossed her ankles. He bent his head and suckled her breasts as she arched beneath him. ‘You’re so passionate.’ He murmured around her aching nipple. ‘I want to love you and worship your body forever.’

‘I want to be loved by you.’ She gasped out, ‘and you can worship my body forever.’ She murmured, released his body, opened her legs impossibly wide and threw her arms above her head in a position of total supplication. John was holding onto his control by a thread, still moving languorously, as her body convulsed in another orgasm and he was surprised to see more tears well in her eyes. He let himself go, dropping his head to the bed beside hers, as his orgasm ran its course. His penis flexing as he spilled even more sperm. ‘I never thought I would ever have this kind of love.’ She murmured. ‘Thank you.’

He felt humbled that she would be grateful for something most women take for granted. She hadn’t had much love in her life, especially since the gossip had driven her parents to sell her off. ‘Neither...’ he cleared his throat and tried again. ‘Neither did I.’ He propped himself on his elbows and looked her in the eyes. ‘I love you, Jessica. It will be the happiest day of my life when you say “I do” and I don’t care if we never have a child. I will still love you.’

She stared up at his bright blues eyes, set in his extra-ordinarily handsome face and wished this moment would never end.

Chapter
Sixteen
  

John quietly closed the door
of Jessica’s suite
and went down to the main hall. Bennett was hovering and smiled in greeting. ‘Can I help you, Your Grace?’

‘Yes, I need to see the Earl.’

‘This way, Your Grace.’ Bennett replied and led him to the Earl’s study. He tapped on the door and announced him before opening the door wide for the Duke to enter.

Anthony Carruthers, the Earl of Dean, was seated behind his impressive desk with his feet propped on the edge. In his hand was a glass of brandy and he appeared to be asleep. As Bennett closed the door, Anthony opened his one good eye and smiled carefully. ‘Would you like a brandy?’ he asked and indicated the decanter on the tray in the middle of the desk.

‘Yes, I could do with one.’ The Duke said and poured a large measure into the crystal snifter. He swirled the liquid in the glass and sniffed the bouquet before he took a large gulp.

‘Have a seat.’ Anthony said and smiled again,
and then
he sat and watched the Duke with raised eyebrows.

‘Thank you.’ John replied
, emptied his glass
and poured another snifter full bef
ore he sat on the chair opposite the desk. ‘I have a request.’ He said softly.

‘Speak up, man. What did you say, you have a request?’ Anthony was all but laughing and he knew exactly why the Duke was sitting in his study.

‘Yes, I have a request.’ John said more firmly and sighed deeply.

‘Is it that difficult to ask for somebody’s hand?’ Anthony said jovially, ‘you’re putting me of
f
the idea of ever asking!’

‘It is difficult when you’re in love with them. The fear that you will say no is extraordinary.’ John explained.
How do you describe the feelings that a
re
roiling though your body
?
He
thought
as he felt his stomach lurch
. He sighed again and looked at Anthony. ‘May I have Lady Jessica’s hand in marriage?’

The Earl was silent for a moment and all mirth vanish from his countenance. ‘You do realise it’s customary for you to ask permission to pay your addresses first?’ He said evenly and finished the brandy in his glass. ‘You seem to want to skip the most important part of courting, the purgatory of buying f
lowers, agonising over the words to accompany them
and worst of all, enduring tea with your intended and her chaperone.’ He raised his one good eyebrow at the Duke. ‘I take you have a reason for wishing to marry my sister-in-law?’ Anthony was determined to make the Duke squirm, as he’s already taken her to bed.

‘Besides the fact
she is carrying my child?’ the
Duke replied evenly, he again looked Anthony in the eye. ‘I love her.’ He stated simply. ‘I have loved Jessica Gordon since the day I met her on her debut ball over seven years ago.’ His eyes lost focus as he remembered that night. ‘She was so beautiful and so innocent.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘And before the night was over I saw her spirit under attack from the crushing effects of the
ton
as they gossiped over the fact that I danced with her.’ He sighed and poured another drink. ‘If it hadn’t been for my mother’s constant nagging about Victoria Asquith, I would have paid my addresses to Jessica at that time. She would have had the flowers and gifts and I would have gone on bended knee to ask for her hand. But fate had a different idea for us and I stupidly married Victoria Asquith to keep the peace and on the day I buried her I found out about Jessica being forced into marriage with your brother.’ He put his glass down and scrubbed his hands over his face, wincing at the pain. ‘I want to make her happy.’ He finished softly.

‘I’m glad about that.’ Anthony said compassionately. ‘She needs a little love and happiness.’ He dropped his feet off the desk and poured another drink
.  ‘Yes, in principle I can agree to your marriage proposal and we can have a contract drawn up tomorrow morning. Now, Jessica has no dowry.’ The Duke shook his head as if it didn’t matter. ‘I can put one together if you’re insistent.’ Again the Duke shook his head.

‘I have no intention of making a contract.’ John explained. ‘I intend to see the Archbishop of Canterbury tomorrow in the House and ask for a special licence.’ H
e
sighed ag
ain. ‘I want her with me now
so that I can protect her from the gossip of our little
contretemps
this afternoon.’

‘Have you asked her?’ Anthony enquired.

‘I have.’ John’s smile was so wide it split the cut in his lip and made it bleed again. He yanked his handkerchief out of his sleeve and dabbed his lip. ‘
She said yes.’ He finished and pressed the linen full on his lip to stop the bleeding.

‘Very well, you have
my consent.’ Anthony said expan
sively, his role of guardian at an end. ‘If you make her unhappy it’ll be pistols next time!’ He stood and slopped more brandy into their glasses. ‘To the happy couple!’ he toasted them and emptied his glass. ‘Now that’s over with, I’m off to bed. I ache all over.’ Anthony said and sauntered out of the room, leaving the Duke with his thoughts.

John finished his brandy and left the study to search out his daughter. In the hall Bennett was hovering again. ‘Can you
tell me where my daughter is a
nd can you send for my coach?’ the duke asked.

‘This way, Your Grace.’ Bennett said as he signalled a footman to fetch the coach. He led the Duke back to the Drawing room and Elizabeth was still on the maid’s lap. John carefully lifted his sleeping child and went back to the hall and waited for his carriage to arrive.

~*~*~*~