What a Devilish Duke Desires (25 page)

The maid turned down the covers on the bed. At first, Lucy felt like an imposter. She thought of all the linen sheets she’d changed at the Albany, but the maid lit half a dozen beeswax candles that smelled heavenly and reflected in the mirror above the dressing table.

Lucy led her grandmother to a chair, wrapped a shawl around her shoulders, and set her feet on a stool. “Do try to relax.”

The maid filled the pitcher and curtsied. “Madam, there’s a cake of rose soap by the pitcher and bowl.” Then the maid laid a folded blanket across the bottom of the bed. “I’ll bring a hot brick after dinner tonight. Will there be anything else, madam?”

She didn’t tell the maid her correct address was “miss.” “No, thank you.” She was horribly embarrassed because she had no coins for the maid.

After the maid left, Lucy knelt beside her grandmother. “Are you unwell?”

“No, just a little shaken.” Grandmama clasped Lucy’s hand. “I’m so sorry. I should not have opened the door to that man.”

“You are not to blame,” Lucy said, smoothing her grandmother’s gray hair from her temple. “He is a horrible person.”

A knock sounded. When Lucy opened the door, a different maid entered with a tea tray. “Compliments of the establishment.” While the maid set the tray on a small table, Lucy caught sight of her mussed hair and wrinkled gown in the mirror. She straightened the bodice, but the curls that Mary had carefully arranged were limp. She lowered her eyes, because she was mortified that the maid had seen her bedraggled appearance.

“Will there be anything else, madam?”

“No, thank you,” Lucy said.

After the maid bobbed a curtsy and quit the room, Lucy saw Harry standing outside the door. She motioned him inside. Heat suffused her face. “I had no coins for the maids,” she said under her breath.

He leaned down. “Don’t worry. I left vails for the staff at the desk and instructed them to bring dinner in one hour.”

“Oh, that is wise.” She felt gauche, because she’d never stayed in a country inn, much less a refined hotel like this one.

He stood with his hands behind his back. “It would not take above half an hour to summon a doctor for your grandmother.”

“No,” Mrs. Longmore said. “It is only a bruise.”

Lucy winced at the purple and green bruise on her grandmother’s arm.

“I think tea is in order.” Lucy poured and handed the dish to her grandmother. “It’s plenty warm,” she said.

“If you have need of me, my room is just beyond the dining parlor,” Harry said, opening the connecting door.

“We could have made do with a lesser establishment,” Lucy said.

He grinned. “Yes, but the food is better here.”

She clapped her hand over her mouth. “How do you manage to make me laugh in the face of disaster?”

“It is not disaster,” he said. “I promise all will be well. There are a few advantages to being a duke,” he said, grinning.

Her brows arched. “Oh, what are they?”

“People tend to do my every bidding.”

Of course it was a disaster. Her home was wrecked and she was penniless, but he had made sure they would be in a safe place tonight. “Thank you,” she said.

He took her hands and kissed them. “I understand you’re worried, but we’ll discuss options tomorrow.” He spoke under his breath, “Darling Lucy, you’ve nothing to fear. I will be by your side the whole time.

“You are safe now, and so is your grandmother. We will both ensure she is comfortable. If there is anything you need, please tell me.” He cupped her cheek. “I would do anything for you, Lucy. Anything. I promise from this moment on that you will never want for anything or ever be scared again. Now, have a cup of tea with your grandmother, and I’ll see you when the meal arrives.”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “What would I do without you?”

He framed her face. “Darling girl, I’ll never abandon you.”

They dined on succulent roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, but Lucy worried about Grandmama. She drank another cup of tea, but she had little appetite.

“Mrs. Longmore, you look done up,” Harry said.

“I confess I’m weary.”

Lucy rose. “Let me take you to the room so you can rest.”

When Grandmama did not protest, Lucy knew she was at the end of her endurance.

Lucy closed the door and helped her grandmother into a nightgown. The maid brought the promised hot brick. Then Lucy tucked Grandmama into bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. “I will stay until you fall asleep.”

Grandmama clasped her hand. “Enjoy the wine and dessert. The bed is soft, and I’m so very tired. I wish to sleep, dear. Go on now.”

“I’m right next door if you need me.” Her eyes misted as she thought of that horrible Buckley hurting and frightening her grandmother. Lucy dashed her fingers beneath her eyes and kissed her grandmother’s cheek. Soon Grandmama’s breathing grew slow and steady. Lucy thought it best to leave her in peace.

When she returned to the dining parlor, she found Harry in his shirtsleeves pouring wine. The connecting door to his room was open. His coat and cravat were draped over a chair in front of a desk.

A knock sounded. When he opened the door, the maid entered with a tray and started stacking the dishes.

“Leave the cheesecake and wine,” Harry said.

The maid bobbed a curtsy and left.

He patted the chair next to him. “Sit with me.”

Lucy took a chair and ate a bite of cheesecake. She closed her eyes as the sinfully rich lemon custard melted in her mouth. When she opened her eyes, she found Harry watching her with a seductive expression.

“Like that, do you?” he said, his voice rumbling.

Was she imagining something suggestive in his words?

He poured a glass of wine and inhaled the fragrance.

“Is that claret?” Lucy asked.

“No, port. Would you like to try it?”

She sipped it and shuddered.

He laughed. “It’s an acquired taste.”

“I prefer cheesecake.”

He looked at her from beneath his lashes. “Would you like more claret?”

“A little,” she said, indicating a small amount with her fingers.

When she sipped, she caught him looking at her mouth. “What is it?”

“Your lips are red from the wine.”

“So are yours,” she said. “Would you like more cheesecake?”

“No, you’re sweet enough.”

“Flirting again?”

“Never,” he said in an exaggerated manner.

Her smile faded. She toyed with her spoon, wondering how she would ever be able to leave her grandmother alone again, but she had no choice. She had to work.

He clasped his hands behind his head. “You’re probably exhausted.”

She was overwhelmed and felt as if she were moving through a thick fog. “I won’t be able to sleep. I keep thinking of how scared Grandmama must have been, and I wasn’t there to help her.”

“It’s not your fault, Lucy.”

She stood abruptly, turned her back, and covered her mouth, but a wounded sound escaped her.

His chair scraped the floor. He set his hands on her shoulders.

She turned in his arms and wept.

“You’ve had a bad shock, but you’re safe now.”

Oh God, she was so scared.

“Please don’t cry, Lucy.” He tightened his arms around her. “I will never let anyone hurt you again.”

To her mortification, she started trembling.

“You need rest,” he said.

“I don’t think I can sleep.”

He lifted her in his arms. “Shhh.”

He wanted to tell her that he loved her and wanted to marry her, but the time was all wrong. When he did propose, he wanted it to be as romantic as possible, for her sake. She deserved a fairy-tale proposal and wedding.

He took her to his bedchamber. When he set her feet on the carpet by the bed, she inhaled on a shuddering breath. He rummaged in the pocket of his coat hanging over the chair and found a handkerchief. Then he blotted her face.

“Harry, I don’t know what we would have done if not for you. He m-might have come b-back and h-hurt Grandmama again.” Tears sprang in her eyes again. “Thank you for taking care of us.”

He held her tightly. “Lucy, the worst is over. You’re both safe now. I will protect you and your grandmother.”

“I d-don’t know what we will d-do,” she said.

“Shhhh. We’ll figure all of that out later.”

He wanted to tell her what was in his heart, but now was not the right time. She was overset and frightened half to death, poor girl.

“You’re vexed and need rest.” He frowned. “I could ring for a maid, but I fear it would wake your grandmother. If you will allow it, I’ll untie the tapes of your gown and unlace your stays so that you’ll be comfortable while you sleep.”

She nodded.

When her neckline gaped, he helped her step out of the gown and petticoat. Then he laid them over a chair in the corner.

She stood with her head bowed as he loosened the laces of her stays and drew them off. There was a fire, but chill bumps erupted on her skin, and her nipples showed through the thin fabric of her shift.

He drew in a long, slow breath. Then he helped her up in the bed. He sat beside her and kissed her tenderly, but she parted her lips for him. When he swept his tongue inside, she clutched him hard as if she were afraid he would leave her. Eventually, he broke the kiss, and both of them were panting.

One of her hairpins fell on the counterpane.

“I will let you sleep now.”

“No, don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.”

He held her hard against him. God in heaven, what would have happened if he’d not been there? He swore to protect and love her no matter what happened. He would never let her suffer again.

“Take your hair down,” he said.

She took out the pins, one by one, until the braid wrapped around her topknot slipped down her back. Then she shook out her hair. It fell to her waist. He was mesmerized watching her, but the hour was growing late. “I’ll take you to the other room.”

“Stay with me for a little while, Harry.”

“I will. Lay back and rest.” When she complied, he set his hands on either side of the pillow and kissed her gently on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t leave you,” he said. When he kissed her again, she opened her mouth for him, and he could not resist the invitation. As he tasted her, he imagined what it would be like to make love to her without any constraints, but he would not take advantage of her vulnerable state. She’d been through too much this day.

He kissed her cheek. “Lucy, you need sleep. I’ll take you to your grandmother.”

“Don’t leave me.”

“I’ll stay for a little while longer. He pulled his boots and stockings off. Then he caressed her soft cheek.

“Harry, I’m so grateful. If not for you, I don’t know what we would have done.”

“Shhhh. All that matters is that you and your grandmother are safe.”

“‘Thank you’ seems inadequate.”

“Darling girl, all I want is to see you safe and happy. I promise from this night forward you will never be scared or feel threatened again. Close your eyes and try to sleep.”

“I can’t sleep. Please stay with me.”

“I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

“No, stay, please stay.”

“You’ve had a terrible shock. I don’t want to take advantage of you when you’re in this vulnerable state.”

“I need you,” she said.

He kissed her gently on her cheek. “I need you, too, Lucy.”

She stunned him when she knelt on the mattress and attempted to pull his shirt over his head. A huff of laughter escaped him as he took it off and tossed it over the chair. “Sorry, I don’t have my banyan.”

“I’m glad.” Lucy set her palms on his chest and kissed the sparse dark hair in the center of his chest. Then she looked up at him as she slipped one button free on the falls of his trousers. “You are the only one and always will be,” she whispered.

He hugged her hard, and his breathing grew ragged. “Lucy, you’ve had a difficult day. I can’t let you do this.”

“Please.” She undid another button. His groin tightened. The tight trousers could not hide his growing erection. As her fingers swept over the nankeen fabric, he hissed in a breath. Slowly, one by one, she unbuttoned both sides of the falls.

“Lucy, you shouldn’t.” He wanted her too much.

She shoved his trousers to the floor. With another huff of laughter, he stepped out of them, kicked them up off the floor, and tossed them to the foot of the bed. “Now we really must stop.”

“Kiss me,” she said. When he did her bidding, she reached between them and untied the ribbon on his drawers. He inhaled sharply when she measured him through the linen fabric. He caught her hand and groaned. “My restraint is limited.”

“I want to kiss you,” she whispered, holding her arms out for him. When she touched her tongue to his mouth, he opened for her. She kissed him deeply, passionately, as if it were the last time they would ever kiss.

The straps of her chemise slipped down her shoulders, and he pushed it off her. He cupped her breasts, and she caught his hands and pressed them over her breasts.

He inhaled on a shuddered breath, and when he suckled her, she made a feminine sound.

He was as hot as a bonfire. “Lucy, lay back on the pillow.”

When she complied, she reached for him. “Make love to me.”

“No, you’ve had a shock, and I fear you will regret it.”

“Harry, I need you tonight. You are everything to me. Everything.”

“I don’t want you to have regrets,” he whispered.

“I will never regret you, Harry. Never.”

In the end, it was the look in her eyes and the conviction in her voice that decided him. “If you have any doubts at any point, you must tell me.”

“I have no doubts,” she said. “I will never regret you.”

He could not deny her. He shoved off his drawers and knelt between her thighs. Then he slid his hands to her bottom and tilted her upward. He angled his head and gave her a deep, wet kiss. He was on fire as he pressed her soft body against him. His cock grew rock hard, and he wanted her so badly, but he felt guilty and tore his mouth away. “Tell me to stop.”

“Don’t stop, please don’t stop.”