Eight Hunting Lyons (The Lyon’s Den Connected World)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Impediments to a Man’s Itinerary

Meanwhile, at Excelsior Park

T he Leicester coach stood ready in the circle drive in front of Excelsior Park waiting for its master to make an appearance. Although James had thought to be on his way to Ely far earlier that morning, circumstances had prevented his departure.

Circumstances such as breakfast with the Huntsfords in their cozy breakfast parlor. Lady Stephanie hadn’t made an appearance, but he rather doubted she was ever up and about at nine o’clock in the morning. Although conversation was light and polite, and Eloise looked much as she had during dinner the night before—as radiant as sunshine and happy as a lark—he felt sure her father just knew .

Circumstances such as the chatty valet, Eames, who fussed over three different pairs of breeches before finally choosing the pair James had intended to wear all along for his visit to the bishop. As for waistcoats, James had to remind the man he was going to see a bishop for a wedding license, not spend his day in a gambling hell. All the while, he was sure the valet just knew what he’d been doing in the bed.

Circumstances such as the young woman who had spent the night in his guest bedchamber. In that bed. He had almost sent Eloise back to her own room when she appeared at the connecting door to another guest bedchamber.

Having arranged for one of Huntsford’s couriers to see to delivering the letter he had written to his brother, James had returned to his bedchamber undressed and turned down the last candle lamp. He could barely make out that it was Eloise until she stepped in front of the window. The pearlescent light from the moon cast her in an ethereal glow.

“El?” he had whispered, stunned to see her auburn hair loose and well past her shoulders. Dressed in a virginal white night rail, her feet bare, she looked like an angel in the dim light.

“Were you expecting someone else?” she asked as she hurried to stand before him. Until her gaze dropped to his middle, James had forgotten he was naked.

“Of course not,” he managed to get out. He reached for the edge of the counterpane and pulled it in front of him in an attempt to cover his growing manhood.

Eloise stepped closer, though, one hand moving to his chest. She smoothed her palm over his warm skin, sending shivers through him. “You’re far larger down there than Apollo,” she murmured, her attention following wherever her hand was on his body. At that moment, it had been about to disappear behind the counterpane.

“Apollo?” James ground out. “You…you’ve seen another man…naked?” he whispered in disbelief. A combination of jealousy and anger had him dropping the counterpane.

Eloise glanced up and grinned. “You didn’t see him in the gallery earlier? He’s one of Father’s prized marbles from Greece,” she whispered. “I’ve only ever seen naked men in statuary,” she added, her gaze once again dropping down. “Oh.”

“You minx,” James breathed, the anger washing away in a wave of desire. He closed the slight distance between them and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, his mouth covering hers before she could say another naughty word.

When she pulled away to take a breath, she said, “I’m only trying to be dutiful, James. Now that we’re betrothed, you have every right to ruin me.”

“Oh, do I now?” he replied in mock disbelief, wondering where she had learned that particular fact of life. He couldn’t help but feel humored by her coy behavior, though. The heady combination of his lust and laughter had him stripping the night rail from her body, his lips capturing hers in time to stifle her gasp of surprise.

Perhaps it was the heat of his hands or that of the front of his body, for Eloise seemed to melt into him. He wasn’t even aware of how their bodies ended up atop the bed, or how it was he had begun sliding down the front of hers, his lips leaving trails of kisses in their wake. Along the edge of her jaw. Down her neck and along a collar bone. Over the mounds of her breasts and the tiny peaks that topped them. Down her flat belly and over the slight hill above her mons. Through the dark curls and to the…

“Your coach is ready, my lord,” the butler announced when he found James in his guest bedchamber, staring out the window.

James blinked several times. “I’ll be right down,” he replied. When the servant disappeared, he hurried over to the bed and quickly pulled the linens tight and straightened the counterpane and pillows. He hoped if a maid entered, she would simply assume another servant had already seen to making the bed and leave it be.

Curiosity had him pulling down the linens, though. He wasn’t sure why he thought to look for evidence of Eloise’s virtue, but there it was.

He had been so careful, afraid to hurt her lest she change her mind about marrying him. Afraid she might cry out in pain or fear. But she had been so insistent, he had done her bidding and made love to her. Slowly, carefully, kissing her until he could no longer control himself. His last few thrusts into her had been hard and quick, slow and torturous until his body spasmed and his seed spilled into her.

For the longest time, he didn’t dare move. Or perhaps it was merely a few seconds. Then he remembered what to do to pleasure her once more. Moving a thumb to where their bodies met, he rubbed her womanhood until he felt the waves of her pleasure attempt to swallow his manhood whole. His growl nearly drowned out the sound of her whimpers and gasps for breath, her murmurs of “yes, yes, yes” and her “oh, you must stop, or I shall faint.”

Well, he definitely heard that last bit and immediately ceased his ministrations. It was a good thing, too, for post-coital exhaustion had his arms giving way and his body falling onto hers.

For a moment, he had thought to roll off of her, but one of her arms hugged his back while her fingers speared his hair and held his head to her shoulder. What better place to end up than atop Eloise? Besides, he couldn’t move if he’d wanted to, given the way her thighs gripped his, her ankles crossed so her heels rested on his bum.

How did she know to do that, the little minx?

She hadn’t been with a man before. The bed linens were a testament to that.

But she had clung to him for most of the night, half her body atop his. When he turned over, he tucked her body against his front, enjoying the floral scents of her hair beneath his nose as one of his hands cupped a breast and his knees nested behind hers. When he felt one of her hands settle over his, he kissed the top of her head and murmured something he had never said before.

If she spent every night in the master suite at Leicester House, he would never feel cold again.

They wouldn’t be living at Leicester House, though. They would be living in a townhouse in Park Lane.

The reminder of Lord Huntsford’s offer had James waking with a start. Although it was still too dark to see the mantel clock, James knew he had to return Eloise to her own bedchamber or there might be hell to pay.

He found her night rail at the end of the bed and was pondering how he could wake her quietly when she sat up and asked, “What is it?”

He leaned over and kissed her lips and then one exposed nipple. “I must return you to your bedchamber, my sweet,” he said, bunching up the fabric of her night rail and then holding it open to slip it over her sleep-tousled hair. “God, you’re so gorgeous,” he murmured as the gown settled over her shoulders.

“I don’t want to go,” she whispered. “I want to stay here.”

“Well, I don’t want to die,” he countered. “Especially now that…” He stopped speaking, one finger pushing a lock of hair from in front of her face before he kissed her forehead.

“What?” she whispered.

“Now that I’ve found you. Now that I know what it’s like to make love.”

Eloise sighed and finally slid her arms into the sleeves of her night rail. “You’ve done this before,” she accused.

“Oh, I have had sexual relations in the past,” he agreed. “I used to employ a mistress. But I never made love to her, El.”

“Why not?”

He shook his head. “I never felt for her what I feel for you.”

She stared at him for a time before she allowed a wan smile. “You meant what you said to me? Last night?”

James pulled her into his arms. “That I love you? Oh, yes, El. As frightening and as wonderful as it is, this is most unexpected. I used to tease men who claimed they fell in love at first sight—”

“But you didn’t,” she interrupted, a finger going to his lips. “Not out on the road, when you saw me walking.”

He blinked. “You’re right,” he agreed. “Then I was only concerned for you because you were alone.”

Eloise gave him a quelling glance.

“Second sight. That moment you appeared in the parlor,” he amended. “All peaches and cream. I’d have done anything you asked me to.”

She leaned over and kissed him, which seemed to ignite every nerve ending he possessed. “Will you make love to me again?” she asked.

As much as he wanted to right then and there, a slight thump from above reminded him that the servants would be up and about at any moment. “I will tonight,” he promised. He got out of bed and slipped into his banyan. “Come. Your feet are bare. I’ll carry you back to your bedchamber,” he said as he pulled her into his arms.

“Not with my nude bum showing like this, you’re not,” she whispered, kicking her legs beyond where his arm held up her knees. Her night rail was still bunched up around her waist.

He chuckled as he lowered her until her feet touched the carpet.

“You don’t even know where my room is,” she said as she wiggled her hips and shook out her night rail until the hem fell to her feet. Obviously unaware of the effect her movements were having on James, she gave a squeak when he lifted her back into his arms.

“True,” he acknowledged as he took her through the connecting door to the next bedchamber. “Too bad it’s not this one,” he said when he went around the bed and then out the door to the corridor. “Which way?”

She reluctantly pointed to the right and then wrapped her arms around his neck. “Last room on the right at the end of the hall.”

James boggled at the distance—Excelsior Park was huge, and their bedchambers seemed to be at the opposite ends of the house—but he gamely made it all the way to her bedchamber without sounding like a wheezing bulldog.

Once he had her settled in bed, he kissed her and pulled the bed linens up. “Will I see you at breakfast?”

She nodded. “Nine o’clock.”

He sneaked out of her bedchamber and had barely made it back to his room when a maid appeared in the corridor from the servants’ stairs. “Might you have the time?” he asked, acting as if he’d been up and about looking for a clock.

“About six-of-the-clock, sir,” she replied, dipping a curtsy.

He nodded and returned to his bed for what he thought would be a quick nap.

He slept hard and awoke with a start when the valet opened the drapes at half-past eight o’clock.

Finally on his way to his traveling coach, James found Huntsford still in the breakfast parlor, reading a week-old copy of The London Times . “I’m off to see the bishop in Ely, sir. Are you in need of anything from there?”

The marquess seemed to consider the offer before he said, “Haven’t changed your mind about marrying Eloise? It’s not too late you know. I wouldn’t think any less of you.”

James shook his head. “Of course not, sir. I adore her,” he replied. “In fact, I was hoping we could be wed as soon as tomorrow, but that would require a special license and a trip to London, so it would be the day after tomorrow at the earliest before I could return—”

“Fine with me,” Huntsford replied.

James blinked. “Instead, I’ll head to the bishop’s office in Ely. Acquire a marriage license. I’ll be back late this afternoon.”

“That works, too. By the time you return, I should have the contract ready.”

“Very good, sir.” About to leave, James turned back and regarded the marquess a moment. “May I ask why it is you think Lady El is unworthy of marriage?”

Huntsford’s gray brows arched. “Unworthy isn’t the right word,” he replied after a pause. “I fear we may have spoiled her by allowing her uncouth behavior to continue these past few years. She has always been a bit of a hoyden, though, too. Played a good deal with her brother, you see. They’re very close in age.”

Inhaling slowly, James asked, “Were you aware she didn’t like her given name and wished to be known as Lady El?”

The marquess considered the query as his brows settled into their usual place. “Is that what it was all about?”

Not sure how to respond, James shrugged. “Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make the biggest difference, sir.”

Huntsford seemed to think on this bit of information a moment before he said, “Huh. Well, give my regards to O’Malley,” he said, referring to the bishop. He returned his attention to the paper. “You might mention your desire to marry quickly. He’ll be so glad for me, he might even do the honors himself.”

Stunned, James could only manage a “yes, sir” before he took his leave of the breakfast parlor.

And almost collided with Eloise.

“Will you take me with you?” she asked, sounding breathless.

James blinked, wondering if she had been eavesdropping on his conversation with her father. Then he glanced back toward the breakfast parlor. “Are you one and twenty?”

She gave a start, obviously surprised by the query. “I was last year,” she replied carefully. “I’m two and twenty now.”

He grinned. “Let me help you with your coat.”