Chapter 10
The carriage marked with her family seal carried her to her favorite destination in town—the Archbroke townhouse. On the edge of her seat, Daphne peered out of the window. When the large stone portico came into view, a bubble of excitement formed within Daphne. The Earl and Countess of Archbroke were Daphne’s favorite couple of the ton for a variety of reasons, but mostly because their union appeared to be based on mutual respect and not the volatile emotion of love. Her weekly visits to the Archbroke townhouse, which was twice the size of Daphne’s family’s London residence, had been the highlight of her week for the past two Seasons. Lady Theo was the type of wife she wanted to become one day. Respected by her husband who boasted to one and all of her skills at managing the household and him as well. Daphne remembered the days when many considered Archbroke a dandy with no chance of attracting the attention of a woman of Lady Theo’s caliber. Her quiet presence exuded power and resilience. Only a fool would mistake Lady Theo’s silence for meekness.
The hack came to a stop, and Daphne practically ran up the path.
The front door opened and the ever-composed Archbroke butler waved her into the foyer.
She’d managed to divest herself of her cloak when Lady Theo appeared. “Lady Daphne!” Her host wrapped Daphne in a hug and then released her. “I’m so looking forward to continuing our discussions today.” Lady Theo’s warm welcome was unconventional and reserved for a few close friends. It warmed Daphne’s heart to know she was among the few who Lady Theo trusted and welcomed at the Archbroke home day or night.
“Ah, so we are to continue to discuss Ms. Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho then.”
“We are indeed. I was sharing your opinions with Archbroke over dinner last week and he has decided to attend today. You’ll also see some other new faces to the group.”
“Oh. Who are these new recruits you have invited?”
“Since Alice mentioned she’d be bringing her brother along, I coaxed Lord Foxton to attend and join us for a lively literary discussion.”
Daphne wasn’t in the least surprised that Lord Foxton had accepted Lady Theo’s invitation, although she wondered what Lady Theo’s true motivation was for inviting the man. It wasn’t as if he was known for his literary prowess.
Arm in arm, they entered Archbroke’s spacious drawing room. The pristine white walls were covered with gorgeous paintings of the countryside. The curtains were fashioned from breathtaking jewel-toned blue silk. The room spoke of wealth but held a warmth that Daphne rarely experienced in the homes of her father’s peers.
To her surprise, it appeared she was the last to arrive. Even Lady Phoebe, who always arrived fashionably late, was comfortably seated sipping tea. Daphne let Lady Theo lead her around the circle of chairs arranged so all the guests could converse as a whole until she came to the empty seat in between Lord Foxton and Ambrose.
Daphne took her seat and watched her host make her way all around the chairs until she sank into the chair next to Lord Archbroke, which happened to be directly opposite Daphne. What was Lady Theo up to?
“Is everyone here, shall we begin?” Lord Archbroke asked his wife.
“Welcome everyone, so pleased you could all join me today.” Lady Theo glanced and smiled at each guest in the circle. Daphne smothered a bolt of jealousy as her host’s gaze lingered a moment longer on Ambrose than the others, which was ridiculous since she knew Lady Theo was more than happily married.
Lady Theo continued, “Let’s begin where we left off last week. I believe we were discussing Mr. Thompson’s assertion that Emily was foolhardy in refusing to escape with Morano and remaining loyal to Valancourt.”
Alice raised her hand and said, “And I countered that Emily would have been a fool to leave with Morano.”
Ambrose leaned over and whispered, “Do you agree with Alice?”
Daphne stared Ambrose in the eye. “Yes. Only a fool would give up on true love.” She’d refused to give up loving Ambrose, and every tear shed over the years was worth it for this moment. His gaze was filled with emotion and passion held in check. If Ambrose were to grab her hand and haul her out of the room out to the gardens, she’d follow without question regardless of whether it would result in scandal or not.
Lady Theo clapped her hands twice, breaking the mesmerizing trance Daphne found herself in.
“Lady Daphne, you know the rules. No side conversations.” Her host wagged her forefinger side to side. “You and Lord Harlowe may continue your discussions…” Lady Theo glanced out the glass planes of the terrace doors. The sky was clear and blue.
Daphne half expected Lady Theo to banish them to the terrace or the gardens, but the woman never did what was expected.
Lady Theo continued, “In the library. I believe I have an extra copy of the novel Lord Harlowe may borrow and refer to.”
* * *
Ambrose had heardof Lady Archbroke’s skill at stratagems. He followed his host”s gaze and reasoned that the woman wished to grant them privacy, which banishing them outdoors would not have accomplished. Lady Archbroke had even provided a reasonable explanation so as not to raise concerns over their departure. Ambrose darted a glance at Lord Archbroke, whose lazy grin made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Ambrose wasn’t sure if he should be worried or grateful for the couple”s assistance in gaining a private moment alone with Daphne.
Daphne rose and dropped into a curtsy in the direction of Lord and Lady Archbroke. The couple commanded respect without demanding it like so many undeserving titled couples of the ton. He rose alongside Daphne and followed her out of the room to the library.
The library walls were lined from floor to ceiling with shelves all filled with books. The massive chandelier in the center of the room provided light in the windowless room. Two large settees faced one another in the center of the room. Side tables with unlit candles flanked the oversized furniture.
Daphne waltzed directly over to the settee and flopped into the one with its back to the door. If she were lying rather than sitting, no one would know she was even there. Propriety dictated he leave the door partially open, but the devil in him closed it until the latch fell into place. He strode across the room to join Daphne. She’d spoken from the heart earlier, telling him in her own way she’d not give up on love… on him. It was his turn to tell her how he felt.
He sat next to Daphne and reached for her hand. Unsure how to begin, he eyed the cover of The Mysteries of Udolpho and asked, “Do you think Valancourt had regrets?”
“I would think so, for isn’t it better to regret your actions than to regret idleness?”
“When did you become such a wise philosopher?”
“Years of reflection make one wiser.”
He squeezed her hand in his. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not giving up on me.” He shifted closer. “For loving me when I was blinded by duty and a fool for not recognizing my own damned feelings for you.”
Daphne’s entire body stiffened. “Are you confessing to not knowing your own self?”
“I’m admitting that I’ve taken your friendship and support for granted.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “I think I’ve always loved you.”
“You think? You don’t know for certain.” She pulled her hand away and scooted away from him.
“How certain are you of your feelings for me?”
Daphne smiled. “If you had asked me a fortnight ago, I would have answered with utter confidence. However, my mind of late has been rather muddled by…”
“By what?”
“By our kiss.”
He stared at her in utter confusion.
Daphne dropped her chin to her chest. “Kissing you has brought about a slew of new emotions I’ve not experienced before.”
“It is the same for me.” He waited until she lifted her gaze to his. “There is only one way to discover the truth.”
He leaned forward and she tilted her head slightly to the side as he moved closer to press his lips to hers. She didn’t back away. In fact, she opened for him and wrapped her arms about his neck. His experience in the past was limited to closed-mouth kisses, but his instincts kicked in and he slid his tongue along her lower lip. The sweet, honeyed flavor of her had him desperate to taste more of her. Alternating the pressure of his lips, he kissed Daphne like he’d kissed no other. His entire body came alive. It wasn’t long before Daphne began to reciprocate his kisses, brushing her lips over his. She unexpectedly leaned forward, toppling him backwards. Holding her on top of him, Ambrose shifted them both to lie upon the settee. Tangled in her skirts, Ambrose weaved his fingers through her hair and brought her head closer so he could kiss her soundly once more. A sigh of pleasure escaped Daphne, and it was like being splashed with a bucket of cold water. Having never dallied with a woman before, Ambrose froze. He had no knowledge of what to do next or how to proceed. He didn’t want to disappoint Daphne, nor did he wish to appear ignorant in such matters. He hadn’t anticipated the immobilizing fear rolling through him.
Daphne pushed up to gaze down at him. Her plump pink lips beckoned to him and her eyes searched his features. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
“We should return before Archbroke or Alice come looking for us.”
He didn’t need to say any more. Daphne rolled off the settee, turned her back to him and set herself to rights. It wouldn’t be as easy for him. While his mind was no longer picturing a lush, willing Daphne naked, his cock remained hard and erect. It would take him more than a few minutes before he could return.
Daphne had turned back around and her gaze was trained on the bulge at his falls. “You can’t return in that condition.”
“You go first. I’ll join you later.”
“I can’t return without you.”
Daphne fell to her knees in front of him, which only made his cock harden even more. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t want to leave here with regrets. I take full responsibility for my actions.” She didn’t hesitate. She reached for the buttons of his falls and seconds later his cock was free. She licked the tip of his manhood and then slipped him into her mouth.
Egad. Her soft lips stretched around him and his reflex was to raise his hips for her to take more of him in. Daphne wrapped her hand around the base of him and slowly bobbed up and down. Fuck. His head fell back and he closed his eyes. The feeling was nothing like when he pleasured himself. It was but a few more moments before his balls tightened and his release came hard and fast. He opened his eyes to find a bead of white cum rolling down from the corner of Daphne’s mouth. She smiled up at him, and he reached down to swipe his thumb over her chin to capture the evidence of what just transpired.
Daphne turned and took his thumb in her mouth and sucked. He stared at the woman that he’d thought he loved. Now he knew it for certain. He swallowed hard and then asked, “How did… Did you act upon instinct?”
Daphne shook her head. “One of the benefits of having a young maid is that Sue is willing to answer my queries without restraint.” She buttoned his falls and added, “Thank you for trusting me.”
Her earnest statement had his heart doing twists in his chest. Looking pleased with herself, Daphne rolled to her feet. “We really should return to the drawing room.”
He slid off the settee to kneel on one knee before her. He took her hand in his and asked, “Daphne Wilcock, will you marry me?”
Instead of answering in the affirmative, Daphne replied, “Why?”
“What do you mean why? You love me. We just shared a very intimate moment. And I love you.”
“Do you? Do you really love me?”
“Why do you doubt my confession?”
“I want to know you are not proposing because you feel honor bound because of what just transpired.”
“Trust me as I trust you.” He stood and looked her in the eye. “I love you.”
Daphne”s stubborn jaw inched higher. “Prove it.”
“How?”
“That is for you to figure out. But I promise the moment I feel loved by you, I’ll agree to marry you. And if the Season comes to an end and I haven’t agreed, we shall officially end our courtship. Deal?”
Daphne and her damned deals. “Deal.”