Chapter 42
Less than half an hour later, they had dispatched Mrs Gardner to put up at the local inn, and Georgina and Elizabeth were alone at last.
Georgina had carried the weight of her mistakes for so long. The words she had mentally rehearsed in the carriage no longer seemed to adequately express the extent of her feelings and regrets. She regarded Elizabeth’s silhouette in the firelight.
“I must tell you—”
“No, Georgina.” Elizabeth’s words cut her off.
She had been on the verge of saying what she needed to. Dread gripped Georgina once more. Perhaps Elizabeth intended on sending her away as well. She would not have blamed her. She tried to speak, but Elizabeth hushed her once again.
“I will not discuss anything with you in this state. You are cold.”
“It matters not. We must talk,” Georgina insisted.
“And if a chill carries you off, what shall I tell your father? No. Go upstairs this instant and bathe. You must get warm. Only then will I talk to you.”
***
Georgina followed an obliging maid upstairs, down a long passage and through one of the many doors into a fine bedroom.
The chamber was exquisite, boasting a large four-poster bed draped in gray damask curtains and soft, white bed coverings, an elegant dressing table, and a separate sitting area where two maids and a footman were busy filling a tub with steaming water.
They erected a screen around the bath and laid out a pile of fresh towels.
The final maid withdrew, and Georgina undressed in front of the fire, discarding her damp clothes in a heap to one side.
The fire was bright and warm, but her skin prickled with cold nevertheless.
She climbed into the bath, submerging her aching body in the hot water.
Georgina closed her eyes, hearing the gentle crackle of the fire and lapping water as her hands swirled beside her.
At last, she experienced a moment of tranquility.
She allowed her sense of time to slip away.
A soft knock at the door disturbed her reverie. She invited the maid to come in.
“You are still bathing?” Elizabeth asked from the other side of the screen. “I thought you might have drowned.”
Georgina lurched upright in the water.
“I can return later, if you like.”
“No, don’t go.”
Georgina stood up, the water trickling down her body before she stepped out of the bath and onto the woollen rug, her feet sinking into the soft pile. She peeked over the screen.
Elizabeth stood back a little way. In her hands, she held a decanter and two small glasses. Their gaze locked, and Elizabeth’s eyes darkened with desire.
An overwhelming need to be close to her rushed through Georgina. Elizabeth had not come here by accident. A thrill of anticipation buzzed inside her.
“You’ve brought wine. I thought you did not approve of my drinking.”
“I fear you overrate sobriety,” Elizabeth replied, laying the glasses down and pouring them both a drink.
At hearing her own words quoted back at her, Georgina chuckled. Her laughter could not combat the nervous energy that presently clenched her belly.
“Fetch me a towel?”
“If you insist.”
Georgina marvelled at how Elizabeth’s tone remained completely devoid of inflection. Did she really intend on roasting her while Georgina stood naked only a few feet away?
Elizabeth reached for a large towel folded on the stand. She closed her eyes and extended it outward.
Anticipation and warmth filled Georgina as she emerged from behind the screen and stood before Elizabeth.
With her eyes still shut, Elizabeth held the towel wide so Georgina could step close to it, then wrapped it around her wet frame and began drying her body. She rubbed the cloth over Georgina’s shoulders and arms, allowing her fingers to brush lightly against her skin.
The towel followed the contours of Georgina’s body, across the curve of her breasts, down her stomach, over her hips and down her back.
Georgina watched how carefully Elizabeth administered to her drying, without a single stolen peek at her nudity.
The build-up of the last weeks tested her.
She had never desired someone so intensely.
The weight of the emotions she had carried these weeks—these years—lashed her like waves crashing over a ship in a tumultuous storm.
Throughout it all, her longing for Elizabeth had been constant.
Everything had brought her to this moment.
Georgina swallowed. “Look at me,” she whispered.
Elizabeth opened her eyes and gazed into Georgina’s. Her pupils dilated, and her breathing quickened.
Georgina shivered.
“Are you cold?” Elizabeth asked.
“No.”
With the towel still draped around Georgina, Elizabeth pulled the ends of the cloth towards her, so that their bodies nearly pressed together. She lowered her face to Georgina’s, and their lips met—softly at first, and then with building passion.
Georgina reached her hand around Elizabeth’s neck, pulling her closer and deepening their kiss. She framed Elizabeth’s face with her other hand, allowing her thumb to trace the corner of her mouth as their kiss intensified, their tongues entwining and parting in a dance.
The towel tumbled to their feet as Elizabeth freed her hands to travel over the naked curves of Georgina’s body.
Georgina moaned, her muscles stiffening in response to Elizabeth’s caress. She deftly loosened the fastening on Elizabeth’s gown from behind while diverting her attention with alluring kisses. The sheer white fabric of the dress fell from her body and collected at their feet.
“Georgina,” Elizabeth groaned in warning against Georgina’s mouth. “Stopping will be difficult.”
“Why would I want this to stop?”
Without another word, Elizabeth stepped over her discarded gown and propelled Georgina backwards towards the bed.
They kneeled in front of each other on the soft sheets.
Georgina leaned in to kiss Elizabeth, working her fingers to loosen her corset and undergarments.
Next, she removed Elizabeth’s garters and stockings, allowing her hands to slide down the length of her beautiful, long legs.
Now free of her garments, Elizabeth lowered Georgina down onto the pillows and gazed at her as if she were a cherished treasure.
Georgina’s chest rose and fell. She had never wanted someone so much.
Beginning near the foot of the bed, Elizabeth bent and placed a soft kiss on the inside of Georgina’s ankle.
Her lips made a fluttery trail along the inside of her leg and up her thigh.
Georgina gasped, the tickling sensation intensifying the higher Elizabeth kissed her. It tempted her to laugh, but sheer desire dominated this urge.
When Elizabeth reached the top of Georgina’s thighs, she guided her legs to open farther. She glanced up and smiled hungrily before placing a kiss upon Georgina’s most intimate spot.
Georgina dropped her head back on the pillows, her mouth parted in wonder.
The ticklish feeling dissolved into pure passion.
She squirmed as Elizabeth’s warm tongue caressed her soft, wet folds, dipping and roaming in unpredictable patterns.
The texture of Elizabeth’s tongue and lips created a glorious friction and an overwhelming sense of anticipation.
Georgina rocked her hips upwards in response, a small moan rising in her throat.
She arched her back, seeking just the right touch as she craned her head so she might observe Elizabeth. Their eyes met for a moment, and the glint of desire that flashed in Elizabeth’s gaze made Georgina spiral.
“You’re beautiful,” Elizabeth murmured, between soft licks. “And quite handsome. Gorgeous, really.”
Georgina groaned, digging her fingers into Elizabeth’s hair and pulling her closer. Just as she thought she could bear no more, Georgina felt the room dissolve into wave after wave of sheer pleasure as she reached her peak. It crashed through her body in a wave of exquisite relief.
Elizabeth gradually stilled her tongue and moved to lie beside her. Georgina, sensitive from her climax and with a heart quite -unguarded, enjoyed the suppleness of Elizabeth’s skin touching hers. She perched herself up on one elbow so she could better study her lover.
“That was most pleasurable,” Georgina said, struck by the failure of her words to do the experience justice.
Elizabeth stroked Georgina’s shoulder. “I am happy you found it so.”
“I have a suspicion … that … I will find … much … that is … pleasurable,” Georgina said, punctuating her words with kisses down Elizabeth’s neck and throat.
Elizabeth groaned. “Are you sure this is what you want?” she asked, her voice low.
“I am so very sure,” Georgina said silkily against her ear.
“Everything? Now?” Elizabeth asked.
While Georgina had enjoyed all manner of physical intimacies with all kinds of women over the years, including more than one velina, she had never found herself wanting precisely what she wanted in this moment.
She wished to be as close as humanly possible to Elizabeth, to be completely filled with this woman.
Georgina wanted to let every last guard down.
And Elizabeth seemed to want this too. Her desire was visible not only in her dilated eyes and the sweat beading on her forehead, but also in an impressive erection that—to Georgina—seemed an outward expression of Elizabeth’s grace.
“Yes. Now!” said Georgina, ready.
They kissed again, and Elizabeth deftly adjusted her position so that the most private parts of their bodies could lock as one.
-Georgina’s deliciously wet core allowed them to slide easily together and move in unison.
Elizabeth moaned in pleasure. Their breathing quickened as they rocked, holding each other tightly.
Georgina clutched Elizabeth’s forearms, her fingers clinging in desperation.
Elizabeth was propped up above her, and though the muscles in her arms flexed under her own weight and against -Georgina’s fervent touch, she seemed to hold herself there with ease.
Georgina pressed her face against Elizabeth’s shoulder.
Her lips opened slightly as she panted. In all her dalliances, she had never met a woman who made her feel this way, driven wild with the need for closeness.
Beads of sweat glittered on Elizabeth’s skin. Anticipation was building for Georgina, who felt as though she might float to the ceiling if she weren’t pinned in place by her lover. Elizabeth pushed inside Georgina one final time and held her close.
Elizabeth roughly whispered, “Georgina”, then gasped her own release. Feeling Elizabeth’s gratification pushed Georgina to her own edge once again, and she returned Elizabeth’s frantic embrace, shudders rippling through her body.
They lay in satisfied silence, save for the sound of their deep breathing. Elizabeth rolled onto her side, pulling Georgina close. Their legs tangled together comfortably.
“Are you … was that … ?”
Georgina was briefly speechless, and reluctant to ruin the moment with words. But she sensed Elizabeth needed to hear confirmation. She beamed. “That felt most wonderful. Beyond wonderful. You?”
Elizabeth gave a deep groan and bundled Georgina against her. “Mmm.”