Chapter 14
Late that night, Ellis sat at her dressing table, brushing her hair.
Her gaze was unfocused as she contemplated the many things swirling in her mind.
Whilst they’d been at the library that afternoon, a note had been delivered from Jo—via Pandora since Jo did not know where Ellis was living.
And Pandora had been kind enough to ensure that it was delivered by someone from Wellesbourne House who was not wearing livery.
Jo had set up a meeting tomorrow with her and Ellis’s father, Rowland Harker, at his home in Bloomsbury.
Ellis ought to have been excited, or at least nervous, but she couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d overheard Mr. Lacey saying to Roman after he’d given his consent for Margot to wed Mr. Pritchard.
You must marry, for you need an heir. We’ll need to find someone else—someone suitable, with connections and perhaps a decent-sized dowry.
Ellis had known from the beginning that her affair with Roman was temporary, that she was indulging her desire to…
be desired. Besides, she didn’t even want to marry.
But hearing Mr. Lacey describe Roman’s need for a wife and the inevitability of his marriage had struck her in a way she hadn’t expected.
Roman needed an heir, and to have one, he required a marchioness—and not one like her.
Ellis did not have a fortune, and she was no one.
She was worse than no one; she was illegitimate.
There would be no benefit to him in their marriage, and that was what he needed.
In fact, marriage to her could be a liability.
A soft knock on the door jolted her. She blinked and set her brush down, turning as Roman walked in. Like her, he wore his dressing gown. He smiled at her after closing the door. “There you are. I’ve been expecting you.”
“Perhaps I wanted you to come here for once,” she said coyly, trying to improve her mood. She didn’t want to be sad about losing Roman. She wanted to enjoy the time they had together.
“I don’t mind coming here,” he said. “I’ll go wherever you are.”
His words were bittersweet because of what she’d overheard today, reminding her that this would end. There would come a time when he would not go where she was ever again.
She pushed those thoughts from her mind and pivoted back so she was facing the mirror instead of Roman. “I hate to ask for more time away, but I need to go on an errand tomorrow afternoon for personal reasons. Please don’t ask me what it is and don’t offer to accompany me.”
“Of course. Take whatever time you need.” He moved toward her, which she could see in the mirror. “Do you require transportation?”
Ellis shook her head. “I’ll be with Jo.”
Roman stopped behind her chair. “That’s good to hear. Will she fetch you from here?”
“No, she doesn’t know I live and work here. She’ll pick me up at Green Park across from Devonshire House.” She met his gaze in the mirror. “And you don’t need to walk me there.”
“All right.” He sounded disappointed and perhaps a trifle defeated.
She didn’t want him to think she wasn’t appreciative of his concern. “Thank you for understanding—I’m grateful for your support. And your trust. I know it’s difficult for you not to press me for answers.”
He held his hands over her shoulders. “May I?” At her answering nod, he massaged her gently. She closed her eyes and sighed, appreciating his touch.
After a moment, Roman made a tsking sound. “I still can’t quite believe how things unfolded this afternoon with Margot and Pritchard. If not for my inept former secretary, our plan would have worked.”
Ellis opened her eyes. “I would say the end result was what they’d hoped for, even if getting there was a little painful.”
“I was concerned they would be found out,” Roman said, a faint grimace creasing his features. “I was sure Harriet was catching on to their not-so-subtle looks of longing.”
Ellis laughed softly. “I did wonder about that too. I worried they would be caught at some point before the plan could be fully executed. If not, it would have had to have been a very short courtship. They were not at all skilled at masking their affection.”
“Very true,” he said, falling quiet as he massaged the space between her shoulder blades.
“Do you think anyone here notices the way we regard one another?” Ellis asked.
“I doubt it.” He shrugged. “Even if they did, they wouldn’t say anything.”
“Not to you, but they may talk amongst themselves or tell a family member or a friend.”
“They would never,” he said confidently.
Ellis turned in her chair to face him, and he took his hands from her. “How can you trust them so implicitly? Everyone has a price or a loyalty.”
“They are loyal to me, and they cannot be bought.” His brows drew together. “Are you genuinely concerned the servants are going to tell someone that we’re having an affair?”
“I’m not worried about it, but I accept there is a risk and that could happen.” She stood and walked toward the bed. Was she feeling annoyed because he seemed obtuse about the possibility of their being discovered? Or was it the realization that their affair was finite?
“Is everything all right?” He sounded concerned, which was very nice. And only added to her inner torment.
She didn’t want to be tormented. Not now.
Not when she could spend tonight in his arms and many nights in the days and perhaps weeks to come.
She moved to face him, her hip grazing the side of the bed.
“I confess I’m thinking about my future a bit.
I will likely need to make some decisions about things. ”
“Is this to do with your errand tomorrow?” he asked.
“Somewhat.” Ellis wasn’t sure how meeting her father would change things, but it would. And she needed to see Min—and Sheff—soon. Doing that would open up a great many feelings, and perhaps decisions, that she’d been avoiding.
Roman moved to stand at the end of the bed, just a foot or so away from her. “I hope this doesn’t mean you’re going to be leaving my employ anytime soon. How can I manage without you?” He smiled.
Ellis arched her brow. “As your secretary or your lover?”
“Both. I need you, Ellis. Shall I show you how much?” He reached for her, and she allowed him to clasp her waist and draw her close.
“You don’t need me. You want me.” She didn’t mind that distinction.
The reason she hated to see this affair end was because she didn’t want to lose that feeling.
Being wanted was the most wonderful thing she’d ever known.
“You could find replacements for both those roles,” she suggested saucily, though there was an undercurrent of truth, at least to her. Could he detect it?
His gaze darkened as he unclasped her gown and parted it. “I don’t want replacements. I want you.”
He slipped his hands into her garment and clasped her bare flesh, his fingers curling into her as he lowered his head and kissed her. This wasn’t a gentle seduction, but a claiming—Roman was asserting his passion, and Ellis eagerly accepted every thrust of his tongue and brush of his lips.
She unfastened his dressing gown and pushed her hands up his chest, her palms mapping this now-familiar terrain. Cresting his shoulders, she pushed the garment down, and he shrugged out of it, letting it drop to the floor. They did the same with her gown.
Roman cupped her backside as he plundered her mouth.
Ellis curled her hands around his neck, and he lifted her leg, guiding it around his hip, opening her so she could press intimately against his sex.
She sprung gently on her feet, and he understood, picking her up as she launched against him and wrapped her legs around him.
He held her easily, clasping her to him and moaning softly as she rotated her hips.
Turning, he backed her against the bed and eased her back, crawling over her as they pivoted and straightened across the mattress.
It was as if they’d executed this dance countless times.
Their bodies were simply becoming attuned to one another.
Ellis reveled in their connection and compatibility, the sheer simplicity of how well they fit.
At least physically and mentally. She would not think of the ways in which they were ill-matched. Not yet.
Roman dropped savage kisses along her neck as he licked and nipped at her flesh.
Ellis kept him captive within the circle of her legs and twined her fingers in his hair, guiding him lower to her breast. He did not need encouragement, for he quickly found her nipple, pulling on her as she whimpered and prompting her sex to quiver with need.
His mouth replaced his hand, covering and sucking her flesh. She arched up from the bed, desperate for more. Her legs went slack as she focused on the sensations building within her. He took advantage, moving his hand down between them and stroking her sex.
Ellis let her legs fall from him as she opened to his touch, greedy for the thrust of his finger. He toyed with her clitoris, stoking her desire to a fever pitch. Then he thrust his fingers into her, satisfying her craving for completion.
He drove relentlessly as he kissed and suckled her breasts. “Come for me, Ellis. Come hard.”
She did not need any urging. Her climax slammed into her with a violent bliss. She cried out, over and over, her body turning limp as a wilted flower.
But he did not allow her any recovery. He turned her to her side and bent her upper leg as he straddled the lower one. Gripping her backside, he drove into her, his cock filling her in the last spasms of her orgasm.
Pleasure sparked anew at the delicious friction of their bodies gliding together.
He moved with deep precision, stroking her exactly where she wanted, where she felt the most sensation.
Ecstasy built with each thrust until Ellis was on the brink once more.
She came harder than the first time, her muscles clenching around him as she pressed her clitoris against his leg.