The Naked King (21 page)

Well, and she had kissed him.

She would never make that mistake again. If there were ever a next time, she’d know to scream and fight the man off . . . which she would have done this time if it had been any other man than Stephen.

She closed her eyes briefly. She was not blameless, but neither had she been the one to initiate the disaster. Surely Stephen would admit his culpability and be willing to grant her this small request. Then she would tell Evie and warn her to have nothing to do with Brentwood. Not that Evie would want to. If the marquis had been attractive ten years ago, he certainly wasn’t any longer.

To give the marquis his due, Anne had gone with him willingly. She had, in a manner of speaking, asked for her ruination. Evie would never be so stupid—especially once Anne related her story.

So all she had to do now was tell Stephen the truth. She frowned at him—and noticed his eyes were examining her nightgown. She looked down.

Good God! She could see her nipples clearly through the worn cloth—

She ran to one of the chairs by the fire and threw herself into its concealing embrace, covering as much of herself as she could with a shawl she’d left draped over its back. She poked her hand out of the fabric to point at the other chair.

“Come sit down. I’m sorry I don’t have any brandy to offer you. I didn’t think to—”

“Anne,” he said, walking toward her, “this isn’t a social call.”

“N-no.” Why wouldn’t the man sit down? His current position put her eyes on level with the organ that was making a very interesting bulge in his breeches. She could see its outline distinctly. She opened her eyes wider. Was it growing?

She glanced up. Stephen’s eyes were hooded and his lips curved slightly. The man knew exactly what he was doing to her. Well, he was the King of Hearts; what else could she expect? He’d probably perfected every method of seduction there was.

“Sit down!” She spoke sharply, mostly out of desperation. If he didn’t move immediately, she might give into temptation and unbutton his breeches. She must be the only fallen woman in the world who’d never seen the instrument of her ruination.

Ugh. Thinking of Brentwood and Stephen at the same time was obscene.

He sat. “You seem somewhat agitated.”

Somewhat? That was the understatement of the year. She wished she
had
thought to secrete some brandy in her room. She could use a good swallow at the moment. “Why do you say that?”

He grinned. “There are almost too many reasons to enumerate, but, for one, you’re clutching your shawl tightly around you when your face is almost as red as your hair.”

Her face promptly grew two shades redder.

“I grant you it does seem very warm in here.” He touched his cravat. “Would you mind very much if I got comfortable?”

“N-no. Of course not.” Anne’s eyes were glued to his fingers. “P-please, take off—I mean, do what you like. As you say, this isn’t a social call. We should be comfortable.”

She watched his hands as he slowly unwound his cravat.

It wasn’t good of him to tease her, but he couldn’t resist. Her eyes held such innocent passion.

He should forget Maria’s nasty words. Anne’s expression didn’t lie. No matter what her past, she wasn’t a light skirt. She didn’t welcome men indiscriminately to her bed. And if she had known a man before him . . . Did he really care?

His cock was telling him emphatically he did not.

Being in Anne’s bedroom with her temptingly rumpled sheets nearby made his desire almost unbearable. She was in her nightclothes, for God’s sake—her worn, thin, translucent nightgown. When she’d stood there in front of him, he’d seen the curve of her breasts, the outline of her nipples and delicate waist, and, most maddening of all, the shadow of her nether curls.

He could get her to come willingly to bed with no effort. The way she’d stared at his crotch and now studied his bare throat almost pleaded with him to do so. He would be doing them both a favor.

But he would not seduce her. This wasn’t one of the many widows he’d taken to bed in the past. This was Anne, the woman he intended to marry and to build a family with.

Seduction had its place, but this first time, she needed to choose freely.

And then there was her secret. She must tell him that before they went to bed. There should be only truth between them from now on.

“Anne, you said in the park this afternoon there was something you needed to tell me that required privacy. What is it?”

She turned as white as a sheet. Was she going to faint? He moved to kneel by her chair and grasp her hands—they were ice cold.

“Anne.”

She bit her lip, shook her head. She would not look at him.

“Tell me, Anne. I’ve come here so you can do so. There is no point in putting it off.”

“I know,” she whispered. “I . . . oh.” She sniffed and pulled her hands free, swiping at a tear. “You will hate me once I tell you. You will be disgusted by me.”

“No, I won’t.”

“Yes, you will. You must.”

“Anne, you can’t know how I will react until you tell me what you have to say.” He captured her hands again and shook them a little. “And I can’t help you unless I know what the problem is.”

“You can’t help me—no one can.”

“Anne, nothing is that bad.”

“This is.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So is Lady Noughton correct ? You’ve lifted your skirts for too many gentlemen to count?”

“What?”
The shock of Stephen’s words almost took her breath away. “No! It was only once, and I didn’t lift my skirts at all—Brentwood did that.”

Stephen frowned, but he didn’t recoil in horror. He didn’t even let go of her hands; his warm grip was a comforting anchor.

“Ah.” His voice was hard, even if his grip was not. “Brentwood raped you.”

She almost wished she could claim it
was
rape. “No. I . . . I wanted . . . Well, I didn’t want . . . I didn’t know . . . I thought he only meant to kiss me.”

She looked down at their clasped hands. Stephen’s were so much larger and stronger than hers.

Would she have gone into the garden with Brentwood if she’d known what he intended to do? She’d thought she’d loved him—just as she thought she loved Stephen.

Was she on the verge of making the same mistake?

No. She tightened her grip on Stephen’s fingers. She was older now. Wiser. She didn’t expect marriage or anything else. She just needed to know for her own sake if the ... deed would be better with a kinder man. Doing the thing with Stephen would either wipe away an unpleasant memory, like drinking chocolate after taking medicine, or would show her it hadn’t been Brentwood so much as the action itself that was embarrassing and uncomfortable.

Oh, she should not lie to herself. It was more than that. She
did
love Stephen. This feeling was far stronger than the weak emotion she’d entertained for Brentwood.

But first she had to give him the truth.

“When Lord Brentwood took me out to Baron Gedding’s garden, I did want to go.” She should give herself some credit, not that it forgave her stupidity. She met Stephen’s eyes. He looked very angry—no more than she deserved. “I truly thought he only meant to kiss me again—and it wasn’t that I’d liked his kisses”—she’d never felt the need for Brentwood that she did for Stephen—“but he’d liked kissing me.” She looked down. She’d been so naïve. “Even though Georgiana had warned me not to be alone with a man, I thought she only meant I risked being kissed. I didn’t know anything else could occur.”

“Anne.” Stephen cupped her cheek. His voice and touch were gentle, even though his expression wasn’t. “You don’t have to say any more.”

“But I do.” She had to say it all. Maybe if she confessed every horrible detail, she’d finally feel at peace. “He took me to the back of the garden where no one could see us. I was a little nervous—we were quite alone—but I didn’t say anything. It was exciting, too. I thought he wanted privacy to profess his love. I even thought he meant to propose.” She cringed. She had been so stupid.

“Anne.”

She pulled back from Stephen’s touch, and he let her go. She forced herself to look him in the eye once more. “Brentwood didn’t want to tell me he loved me. He wanted to . . .” God, she almost gagged at the memory. “He backed me up to the garden wall, lifted my skirts, and—”

She
was
a coward. She couldn’t meet Stephen’s gaze while she said it. She dropped her eyes to his shirt. “At least he did it quickly. I imagine it hurt less that way.” She raised her eyes to his chin. “I went home the next day and was very glad to discover a week later I wasn’t increasing.”

“Anne.” He tilted her face up so she had to look at him again. She couldn’t hide.

Amazingly, he didn’t look disgusted. He looked regretful and sad.

He was going to tell her how sorry he was, but she was correct. He couldn’t marry her. She steeled herself to accept it calmly. She would try very hard not to cry.

“Anne, you
were
raped. You are not to blame for what happened.”

What? Had he not understood her words? She jerked back, but this time he wouldn’t let her go. “Didn’t you hear me?” she said. “I wanted to go with him.”

“Of course you did. You were young, at your first house party. Brentwood was older and experienced. You wanted to go, but you didn’t want what happened.”

“No, I didn’t, but that doesn’t excuse the fact I chose to walk alone with a man in a secluded location. I should never have done so; I knew it was wrong. And the moment he lifted my skirts, I should have screamed and struggled.” She sniffed; tears were threatening to fall again. Helplessness and, yes, a bit of self-pity flooded her. “But it all happened so quickly. I didn’t understand what he was doing until I felt . . . something”—she blushed furiously—“there. And then almost immediately I felt a burning pain when he . . . did what he did.”

“Oh, Anne.” Stephen pulled her gently toward him, so her cheek lay on his chest. She didn’t have the energy or determination to resist.

“I didn’t even slap him,” she said in a small voice.

“You were too shocked to do so.”

“And afterward, he smiled and said, ‘Thank you, that was very pleasant.’ But it
wasn’t
pleasant—not for me. It was horrible.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, but that didn’t help. The ugly scenes—and feelings—were burned into her memory.

“He escorted me back to the drawing room. I tried to talk to the other guests, but I couldn’t pay attention to anything they said. And then I-I felt something wet dripping down my leg. I ran up to my room to discover blood and Brentwood’s seed on my thighs.”

She took a deep, shuddery breath and inhaled Stephen’s warm, clean scent. His hands held her securely and stroked her hair. She heard his heart beat calmly, steadily under her ear.

She exhaled and felt some of her tension leave with her breath. “And you want to know the funniest thing? I still don’t know exactly what he did to me.”

She felt Stephen’s lips brush the top of her head.

“Let me show you,” he said.

Chapter 18

Stephen wanted to castrate Brentwood. To take an innocent girl’s virginity was bad enough, but to do so in such a callous manner was despicable. The man had given no thought to Anne. He obviously hadn’t cared whether she understood his intentions, and he’d certainly not tried to make the experience pleasurable for her.

Anne leaned back to look at him. She was blushing again. “
Would
you show me? I’d decided to ask you to, so you saved me the struggle to get the words out.” She dropped her gaze back to his chest. “I imagine you can do a better job of it than Brentwood did.”

Bloody hell. He’d cut off Brentwood’s testicles slowly with a very blunt knife. “Anne.”

She glanced up briefly, but almost immediately went back to studying his shirt.

“Anne, look at me.” He put the edge of his hand under her chin. She resisted at first, but then, with a small sigh, let him raise her face to his. He caught her gaze and held it.

“What Brentwood did to you was indeed rape, no matter that you willingly went with him. You did not invite him to take those liberties, and even if you had, he should not have accepted unless he intended to wed you.”

She started to open her mouth, but he would not let her blame herself again. He put his fingers on her lips to stop her.

“What we shall do in your bed will have nothing in common with that. We are betrothed. This is not some furtive coupling.”

God, that was true. An odd warmth spread through him. Anne would be his wife; they would have a life and a family together.

He’d spent his adult years guarding against by-blows, but now, here, with Anne, he needn’t worry—he could even hope—that he’d give her a child.

She jerked out of his hold and stood, turning away from him. “No.”

“Yes. I will get a special license tomorrow and—”

“No. You don’t have to marry me.” Dear God, she wanted what he offered so much—but what was he offering? Pity? He
must
be disgusted with her—she was disgusted with herself.

She didn’t want his pity; she wanted his love.

Oh, blast it, why must she be so greedy? She could have a life with him, children, all the things she’d thought she’d never have—but she wanted more. Not duty, not even lust—but love. If she had his love, she might even be able to bear his leaving her again and again to go off on his expeditions.

“Of course I have to marry you,” he said.

She kept her back to him. If she faced him, she might give into her weakness and take what he offered. “You do not. I know our betrothal is at heart only a way to escape scandal—or at least defer the worst of it—until Evie has her Season. Now you know I have no reputation to protect. Once the Season is over, we can go our separate ways. It makes no difference if society thinks me a jilt of the worst sort.”

“Perhaps our betrothal is only a ruse to you.” He sounded almost angry. “It was never so to me. You must know the moment I told Lady Dunlee we were betrothed I was bound by my word. Gentlemen cannot break an engagement.”

“Oh!” She was panting now, but not with desire. Anger—this was what she needed. Now she turned to face him. “That’s right—it’s all about your bloody honor. You don’t want to wed me; you only want to keep your word.”

His brows lowered. “I didn’t say that.”

“You told Clorinda as much.” How could he look so bewildered and . . . hurt. “Don’t deny it. You and Clorinda were standing in the entry hall to Crane House before Lord Kenderly’s ball as I came down the stairs. Your words carried. I heard each one quite clearly.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He had almost seduced her. He was far more skilled than Brentwood; he’d used compassion and understanding—gentle words and touches—but the result was much the same. Worse perhaps. Her heart felt as pierced as her body had been in Gedding’s garden.

No, she wasn’t being fair. Stephen hadn’t seduced her as much as she’d seduced herself. She’d let herself be blinded by what she wanted, rather than forcing herself to look clearly at what was before her. Had she learned nothing in ten years?

She swallowed the annoying lump in her throat. “Oh, yes, you do. Clorinda promised you she or Papa would get me to cry off, but you needn’t worry. I shall do so of my own volition as soon as the Season is over.”

He was scowling at her. “I don’t want you to cry off, and I’m certain I never told your cousin I didn’t want to marry you.” He snorted. “I would never have such a confidential conversation with that woman.”

“So how do you explain what I heard?”

“I don’t know—I don’t remember what I said.”

Well at least he was being honest. “It doesn’t matter. I know what you meant.”

“How can you possibly know what I meant? You aren’t a mind reader.” His gaze was unpleasantly direct. “I’ll have my exact words, if you please.”

She lifted her chin. She didn’t remember his exact words, but that made no difference. “You said what you just said here. You are bound by your word, no matter how unpleasant the consequences.”

“I
am
bound by my word.” He looked at her as if she were completely daft. “Of course I am. Any gentleman is. But I’m very sure I said nothing about ‘unpleasant consequences.’ I certainly didn’t say any such nonsense just now.” He raised his brows suggestively. “In point of fact, I was anticipating some very pleasant consequences before we got into this silly brangle.”

She flushed. “It’s
not
silly. It’s—”

He reached out and captured her upper arms; the weight and warmth of his fingers shot directly to her treacherous breasts and the place between her thighs.

“Anne, the night before Kenderly’s ball, I arrived at Crane House far too early, I was that anxious to see you. Unfortunately, your cousin was downstairs early, too. I was forced to endure far too much time with her. I ended up so angry—she was not speaking of you in a way I could like—I hesitated to say much of anything to her for fear I’d lose all gentlemanly restraint and tell her exactly what I thought of her.”

He held her eyes with his. “I was willing to marry you then, but I didn’t know you as well as I do now. Now I’m very, very eager to make you my wife.”

“But if it weren’t for the scandal—”

“I was very much the author of that scandal.”

“You were drunk.”

“I’ve been drunk before.” He smiled a little. “Too often recently, until Harry tumbled me into that mud puddle. Even in my cups, I’ve never kissed a woman—gently bred or baseborn—on the street.”

Anne studied his face. She’d swear he was not prevaricating. Could he possibly care for her? “But what if Brentwood tells everyone I’m not a—”

Stephen stopped her lips again. “He won’t. I hold his vowels. I can ruin him at will. He’ll dance to my tune.”

Her damn heart leapt with hope. Stupid organ. She wasn’t as naïve now as she’d been at seventeen.

“I still don’t understand.” She ran her hand through her hair, giving him a delightful view of her fire lit breast.

“What don’t you understand?” His cock swelled in immediate appreciation and reminded him what they’d been on the verge of doing before they’d been diverted by this argument.

He wanted to pull off her thin nightgown. He wanted to see every exquisite inch of her without anything—even that worn cloth—obscuring his view; he wanted to run his hands over her smooth, soft skin; to feel the weight of her breast in his hand; to smell and to taste her from the red hair on her head to—

“Stephen!”

“Yes?” Damn. He jerked his gaze from her chest. “Did you say something? I’m afraid I wasn’t attending.”

She frowned. “You shouldn’t ask a question if you aren’t going to listen to the answer.”

“Very true.” He forced himself to look only at her face . . . and her lips and—

No. Concentrate on her words. He was not out of the woods yet. She obviously was in no mood for anything but conversation at the moment. “I promise to pay strict attention now.”

She gave him a long look. “Very well. What I said was I don’t understand why you would wish to marry me. The King of Hearts can have any woman he wants—I assure you, I’ve not forgotten all the glares directed my way in Lord Kenderly’s ballroom. So why do you want a red-headed spinster with no social graces to speak of”—she blushed—“and no virtue.”

“Anne—”

She looked away. “I’m not a virgin.”

“Neither am I.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Of what consequence is a small scrap of flesh really?”

She was angry again. “It is everything.”

“No. You’ve made it everything because you’ve had the great misfortune of having it stolen from you. I wish I could change that for you, but I can’t. It happened—ten years ago. Let it go.”

“I can’t let it go. I’m not what I appear, don’t you see? I’m not a virtuous maiden. I’m a lie.”

“
That
is the lie. You are one of the most virtuous women I know.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I—”

“No, don’t you be ridiculous. You
are
virtuous.” He’d like to shake her, but that wouldn’t help. She needed to accept the truth herself. “You love and take care of your sister and brothers; you forgive your father his absence; and—perhaps most amazing—you put up with your cousin.”

Anne’s laugh was watery. “Clorinda means well.”

“If you say so.” He could tell she wasn’t convinced. “Anne, what happened at Gedding’s house party shaped who you are today. It made you stronger in some ways and weaker in others. Who knows who you’d be if things had happened differently? Maybe you’d be a matron with several children hanging on your skirts—or maybe you’d have wedded a drunkard who beat you.”

Anne was staring at him as if he’d given her a whole new way of looking at things. Good.

“It makes no difference who you might have been. You are who you are. You need to put Brentwood’s despicable actions in the past where they belong.” He did shake her now, just a little. “You are giving the man far too much power over your life by dwelling on his perfidy.”

“Oh.” She bit her lip, and her eyes glistened with tears. “Perhaps you are right.”

“Of course I am right.” He pulled her toward him and was happy to see that she came to him willingly and laid her head on his chest. He cradled her against him, listening to the fire hiss and pop. He would love to take her to bed, but she’d likely had enough emotion for one evening. “I should go and let you get your rest.”

“No.” She looked up at him. “Stay.”

“I’m not certain that’s a good idea.”

“I am,” she said, but her smile wavered.

“Anne, we can wait. We have years before us.”

“No, I want to begin now.” Her voice sounded more determined. “It wasn’t just a scrap of flesh Brentwood took from me, it was my dreams of love and marriage and children.” She rested her hands on his chest. “I want you to show me now how it should be.”

He closed his eyes briefly. If he’d thought his poor cock was going to explode a moment ago, he was sure of it now. But he must go gently. Anne’s body might not be strictly virginal, but her heart was.

He held her eyes with his. “All right, but first, know that anything I do—or you do—we do together—
with
each other, not
to
each other. If you ever want me to stop, you need only say so.”

Anne searched his face and then nodded. “Very well. How shall we begin?”

“I think you first need to admit that you are beautiful.”

“What?” She stepped back. “Don’t be silly.”

“I’m not being silly. Married love is more than the spiritual communion bad poets celebrate; it’s physical communion as well. There are many women I’d be happy to have a conversation with that I’d never wish to take to bed.” He reached for her again. “And there are women I’ve taken to bed that I do not care to converse with. You are the only woman with whom I wish to do both.”

“No.”

“Anne, it will become very annoying if you keep contradicting me. You must bow to my greater experience in this matter, if you please. And my experience tells me that it’s important you see yourself as desirable in order to believe I sincerely desire you. Therefore, we will begin by removing your nightgown.”

“But then I’ll be naked!” She sounded horrified.

“Well, yes.”

“That’s indecent.”

Stephen smiled. “It would be if you were to walk into Almack’s dressed—or, rather, not dressed—that way. The patronesses are very particular about attire, you know. I have to wear silly knee breeches every time I subject myself to the place.”

“I know that.” Dear God! Just the thought of stepping into that exclusive club without any clothing made her heart pound.

“But here in the privacy of your room, who can object? You shed your clothes to bathe, do you not?”

“Well, yes.” She flushed. “Briefly.”

“Do you never look at yourself in the mirror?”

“Of course I do. See?” She stepped over to the cheval glass. Stephen followed, standing close behind her. He was so much bigger than she.

“I meant do you never look at yourself naked in the mirror?”

“Good heavens, of course not!” She paused, a titillating thought making her blush more. “Do you?”

He laughed. “Only if I happen to glance at it as I walk by.”

“As you walk by? Do you mean you walk naked around your rooms?”

He grinned. “Generally just in my bedchamber.” He lowered his head to whisper by her ear. “I hesitate to shock you more, but I sleep naked.”

“You”—she tried to clear her throat—“do?” Instead of feeling shock, she felt a jolt of shocking need.

“I do, though I need plenty of blankets to keep away the chill on a cold night.” He kissed her temple. “I’m sure in the future you will help me keep warm. Now, let’s get rid of this nightgown so I may begin a proper seduction.”

“But . . .” She stared at herself in the mirror. She would die of embarrassment . . . wouldn’t she?

“Please, Anne?”

Why not? There was no point in being bashful now. She would let Stephen be her guide. As he said, he was far more experienced than she in such matters. “Very well.”

She’d hardly got the words out before her poor, threadbare nightgown went flying off into a corner.