6. Chapter 6
Chapter 6
T he next morning, Rosina sat before the mirror while Molly styled her hair for the day. She had already donned her dark blue riding habit since there would be a riding party directly after breakfast. She didn’t see the point in donning a morning dress for breakfast just to return to her chamber to change again.
“So? How was he?” Molly asked.
“Molly!” Rosina pretended to be scandalized, but she had spoken of such things with Molly for years. She could trust Molly with anything and everything.
Her maid laughed. “It’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed a man. You can’t blame me if I am a bit curious.”
“He was quite passionate,” Rosina said. “And indeed a satisfying experience. I believe he shall return this evening.”
Molly clucked. “Of course he will.” She swept more tresses of Rosina’s hair back and placed a few pins.
Rosina wondered why the duke had been a virgin. He told her when they’d met that he came here for her. So his aim had been specifically for her to teach him. She had been far too ready to introduce him to pleasures of the flesh that she hadn’t taken a moment to ask him why. Perhaps she never would.
Molly handed Rosina the riding bonnet that matched her habit. “I look forward to hearing more.”
Rosina waved her off and departed her chamber. She made her way to the breakfast room. Even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself, she was disappointed when she didn’t see James in attendance yet. No, not James, she reminded herself. He was still the duke. Better to think on what would be an acceptable way to refer to the man in her thoughts instead of pondering why it grated on her nerves that he wasn’t in the breakfast room.
She ventured to the sideboard and picked up a plate to make her selections.
“Good morning, Lady Preston,” the very voice called from behind her as if Rosina had conjured him. “I do hope you slept well.”
He joined her side and took a plate for himself. When she glanced over at him, he flashed her a knowing look at the shared secret between them. His presence caused an immediate reaction between her legs.
“I did, indeed, Your Grace.” She scooped a portion of eggs onto her plate.
“I am glad to hear it.” He leaned closer to where only she could hear. “You’ll need your rest for tonight.”
Her skin heated, and she stepped away from him to make a few more selections, hoping no one had noticed her reaction to him. She wasn’t one to simper over a man, and yet she was flushed with a damp cunt from James. The duke, she corrected, again.
Rosina finished filling her plate and moved to take a seat at the table. After setting her plate down, she went to reach for her chair. The duke had beat her to it, pulling it out for her to sit. He placed his own plate down beside hers and took the seat to her right after she had settled into her chair.
“Are you going on the ride today?” he asked, spreading jam on a toast point.
“Indeed, I am. Will you also join?”
“I wouldn’t miss the chance to be in the presence of a beautiful lady.”
She rolled her eyes at him and then glanced at the other guests nearby to see if anyone paid attention to them. She noted that Miss Stone appeared displeased that the duke was paying Rosina attention instead of her.
“I believe there will be several on the ride, Your Grace.”
“I shan’t notice,” the duke said.
Miss Stone would be further displeased, it would seem.
She jerked her head back towards him. “Your Grace,” she whispered, warning him to keep his voice down.
He shrugged. “I have no intention of marrying, as you well know.”
“You have brothers? Do you not?” she asked, changing the subject, since their conversation was sure to only stir up gossip if they should be overheard.
“I do.”
The duke beamed, the same as if he were a proud father. And for some reason, her heart beat faster.
“Walter and William,” he continued. “They are twelve.”
“So they are at Eton, then?” She speared a piece of her fruit before bringing it to her mouth.
“Indeed.” He beamed again, but she noted a flash of worry in his expression.
“Have you received an update on how they fare?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. I haven’t received so much as a letter from the boys or their teachers.”
The concern in his tone was evident, and her heart went out to him. It was obvious that his brothers were very dear to him. “I am sure they are well, Duke. You would have heard from the school if not.”
“Of course,” he reasoned. “You are right.”
“I have my moments,” she said, teasing him.
His brow relaxed, and he smirked at her. “That you do.”
Shifting the conversation back to his brothers, since that was a far safer topic of conversation and might keep him from looking at her in ways that continued to make her thighs damp, she spoke again. “I assume you informed them of where to find you.”
“I wrote to the school and to the boys before I departed and informed my household to ensure any correspondence was delivered to me immediately.” His brow furrowed again, but he shook it off. “I know they will be all right. But I have cared for them since they were but seven years old.”
Pain marred his expression for a fleeting moment before he schooled his features.
She opened her mouth to speak, to ask him about his parents, but Lord Duncan, a viscount who had been paying extra attention to Lady Juliet—not that she appeared to accept his suit—took the seat on the other side of His Grace and engaged him in conversation.
Rosina focused on her breakfast and ignored the gentlemen’s conversation. She couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of curiosity about what had happened to the duke’s parents. The whole of society did not know the details about their deaths, and she only heard whispers indicating injuries of some kind. The duke appeared to harbor a lot of responsibility for his brothers, which was admirable. It left her wondering why he didn’t wish to wed.
She pushed aside the thoughts and questions. It was of no matter to her why he didn’t wish to wed. He had his reasons, and they were of no import to her. She only wanted him for the pleasure they could experience together, and the rest of it was his business.
Once breakfast was finished, she made her way out to the stables with the duke fast on her heels. She knew he was behind her since his intoxicating scent of sandalwood was just as strong as it had been from where he sat beside her at the table.
Not glancing back, she continued on her way until she was outside. He fell into step beside her as they approached the stables. Once they arrived, a groom set off to saddle a horse for each of them and Rosina placed her riding bonnet on her head and secured the sash beneath her chin.
The groom positioned her horse by the mounting block, but the duke gripped her hips and lifted her into the saddle. When he removed his hands from her, she instantly felt the loss of his touch. She caught his gaze where he stood below her, her chest rising and falling as their eyes held.
The sound of other guests approaching reminded her of where she was, and she grabbed the reins and better positioned herself in the saddle. The duke mounted the horse beside her, and they sat in silence as if neither were quite sure what to say to each other.
A quarter hour later, the rest of the guests had joined and had all mounted their horses for the riding party. Their hosts led the way, and the group paired off in smaller groups, following behind. She half expected the duke to trot off and seek the company of a gentleman in attendance, but he trotted beside her, their horses falling into the same pace.
She glanced at the other guests and noted that Miss Stone had paired off with Lord Percy. She spoke up at him through her lashes and seemed to have decided that her efforts would be futile with the duke. Something about that realization made Rosina grin.
“Should you be seen spending so much time with me, Duke? I am quite scandalous, if you didn’t know.” Her tone was one of jest, but it was true that he had already spent a lot of time in her company.
“It’s one of my favorite qualities about you,” he teased. He glanced over his shoulder and then continued. “Besides, I am a duke. I shall threaten anyone who wags their tongue with the cut direct.”
She gave him a sideways glance. “I wondered how long it would take for you to embrace your role as the not-to-be-crossed duke.”
“Might as well use it to my advantage.” The mirth in his tone had returned, which was in stark contrast to the threat the man had just made.
They rode together in silence for several moments. Rosina noticed the clouds in the sky, and that one looked almost like an elephant. She laughed to herself and then a wave of emotion washed over her and tears formed at the corners of her eyes. Trying to avoid the duke seeing her, she glanced away and attempted to wipe her eyes.
“Is something the matter?”
No such luck.
“It’s nothing.” Her voice caught on the last syllable as much as she tried to fight it. She drew a deep breath and regained control of herself.
“Rosina,” he said, his tone softer than she’d ever heard him. The tenderness threatened the hold she had on her memories and her tears.
She shook her head and focused her gaze forward.
“Something has upset you. Please tell me what it is. Just because our arrangement is one of a physical nature doesn’t mean we can’t speak as friends.”
“It’s nothing you wish to hear, Your Grace.”
“Allow me to be the judge of that,” he urged.
She sighed a deep exhale. “See that cloud just there?” she asked, pointing to the sky.
He glanced in the direction where she pointed. “The one that looks like an elephant?”
Her heart panged, and she swallowed hard. “My husband used to see shapes in all the clouds. He’d point them out to me when we rode together. Sometimes I swore he just made up something ridiculous, and other ones, like that one there, were more obvious.”
The duke said nothing, and she glanced over at him. He was still watching the sky.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace,” she said. “But I did warn you.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, Rosina.”
Her body tensed at how he used her given name again. They continued on in silence, and she wondered if he would change his mind about riding alongside her. When the party reached another open field, they took off into a gallop together and raced across the grass. The wind against her face helped to settle her nerves, and the tension in her shoulders eased.
They reached an area where several picnic locations had been set up. There were five large blankets with a basket in the middle of each one that contained their repast. Before she could climb down from her horse, the duke was in front of her, lifting her down.
Her skin heated beneath where his gloved hands gripped her body. Guilt washed over her as the only other man she had such a reaction to had been Ry. It had to be because Ry had been in her thoughts. The duke was handsome, to be sure, and a quick study in the art of pleasure, but it was nothing more than that. Her body was all too aware of the pleasure he could give her, and that was all it was. It was all it could be.
After the awkward conversation about Ry, Rosina thought it best to join one of the blankets where other guests were present. It would help dissuade talk as well if they didn’t sit alone. Lady Eliza sat on the first blanket with Lord Irvine, so Rosina urged the duke there and took a seat on the blanket near Lady Eliza.
The four of them passed a pleasant time enjoying the chicken and cheese that had been prepared, along with lemonade and a bit of wine. The gentlemen spoke of horses and places Lord Irvine thought the duke ought to visit soon, while Rosina chatted with Eliza about each of their plans when they returned home from the house party.
Rosina had the impression that Irvine had intentions for the beautiful Lady Eliza, but she didn’t believe the lady shared his affections. She seemed a bit distracted and didn’t act the part of the woman who hoped that a man might court her.
Rosina believed that to be the best based on what she knew of Irvine. He didn’t have the best reputation, and his intentions were likely to be something untoward.
Catching the duke’s eye, it sent shockwaves through her body, and she fought a tremble. Something about him drew her to him like a child to the window of a sweets shop. He was the perfect confection and as much as she tried to push thoughts of him aside, she wanted more.
A thick blanket of dark clouds was rolling in, and the gentlemen helped the ladies to their feet, then they all hurried to their horses. James lifted her up, doing nothing to ease the ripples of electricity that coursed through her.
“I think we are going to need to make haste, my lady.”
“I should think so,” she said, glancing up at the sky.
They trotted off, the first of the group to depart back to the Ockhams’ stables.
“I am sorry if I upset you earlier,” the duke said.
She flinched, not intending to make him feel poorly over the memory she had of Ry. “It is the way of a widow, Your Grace. Sometimes the memories can’t be helped. There are times when the pain is unbearable, and then there are moments when the pain has subsided. The longer that Ry has been gone, the more days I have where the pain is far more tolerable.” Rosina wasn’t sure why she told him all of that and regretted it the moment the words escaped her lips.
“You were a love match.”
It wasn’t a question. He was acknowledging as much from her words and from the way her voice had caught when she spoke. “Yes.”
“My parents were a love match,” he said. Even only glancing at his profile, she could see the sadness marring his expression. “My father grieved for my mother every day until he passed. He would forget that she had done so, and I had to break his heart all over again when he turned frantic, wanting to go to her.”
“James,” she whispered before she could think better at using his given name. “I’m so sorry. That must have been awful for you to watch.”
His chin jerked in her direction. “I’m sorry you lost your husband.”
The intensity of his gaze and his heartfelt, caring tone heated her skin. Which made her angry at herself for betraying Ry’s memory. She just spoke of her love for Ry, and then every part of her body wanted the man beside her.
There was a crack of lightning, surrounded by an enormous crash of thunder. Rosina shook off her confused reaction. “We must gallop.”
James snapped his head forward, and they both urged their horses to gallop across the field. They raced through the grass and were the first of the guests to reach the stables, only catching a few drops before they were safely within the building. The rain came down in buckets just after the duke had lifted her down from her horse.
The groom handed them an umbrella, and the duke opened it so they could share. He urged her forward and wrapped his arm around her as they hurried across the grass to enter the house as a group of other guests arrived, having been soaked from getting caught in the rain. The feeling of him so close and the scent of sandalwood she would forever associate with him stirred what had been boiling within her.
When they reached the entrance to the house, the duke folded the umbrella and leaned it in the corner near the doorway. She noticed the way his thighs flexed beneath his skin-tight breeches when he leaned over to do so. She was no better than a bitch in heat.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her.
“Rosina…er, Lady Preston?”
“Come with me,” she said.
He didn’t protest and allowed her to pull him down the long corridor until they reached the foyer that led to the grand staircase. The other guests would emerge soon, seeking their chambers to change into dry clothes, so they must hurry.
After pulling him up the stairs and to her chamber, she opened her door and dragged him inside.
“My lady,” Molly said, shocked as she worked on what Rosina expected would be the dress Molly had selected for her to wear to dinner.
“Molly, will you return in an hour?”
Her faithful maid smirked at her and carefully put the dress to the side. “Of course, my lady.” She nodded to James. “Your Grace.”
As soon as Molly departed and closed the door behind her, Rosina locked it, then threw herself against the duke, practically climbing him like a cat climbed a tree to catch its prey. She took his lips, and when he wrapped his arms around her, she gripped his cravat and jerked it loose from his neck.
Their tongues warred with an unbridled frenzy as she worked the buttons of his coats and his shirt beneath until all hung open, but still on his shoulders, giving her access to rub her hands across his chest into the smattering of dark hair.
He groaned and grabbed her wrists.
“Rosina.”
“Remove your clothing, Duke.”
He didn’t release her wrists or do as she instructed, so she pulled back so she could look at him. The duke watched her as if he were searching for something in her expression.
“Our arrangement isn’t one of affection and attachment, and I am truly sympathetic to your loss, but I don’t wish to be with a woman while she thinks about another man.”
“Duke, I am not—”
“You don’t think,” he started, cutting her off. “I noticed how you were lost in thought and in a state of unease. And then you bring me to your bed?”
She closed her eyes and drew a breath, trying to find the words to convince him of how wrong he was. “James,” she whispered. “I have been in a state of unease because my body wants you. You. That confuses and hurts my heart to acknowledge so, but I assure you that right now, I am wet with anticipation from thinking of you.”
He released a low growl and pulled her wrists so that her body was against his, then took her lips again. James released her wrists, and she spun around so he could aid in removing her riding habit. Once he released each of the buttons, he lifted the dress over her head, bringing her chemise with it. She had never been more thankful that she wasn’t wearing stays.
Rosina turned to face him, and he was shrugging out of his already unbuttoned coats and shirts. She leaned down to remove her stockings.
“Stop,” he commanded, staring at her otherwise naked form. The wetness reached her thighs from the way he ran his tongue along his bottom lip. He unbuttoned his breeches and pushed them down around his hips. “Leave them on.”