Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

I can do this.

Octavia felt the pit of her stomach fluttering with nerves as she took a deep breath and composed herself before entering the dining room. It was the following day, and she wasn’t sure how she and Simon would respond to one another after their intimate romp in the pool. They had come straight back to the mansion and gone their separate ways.

“Good morning.” Simon stood awkwardly, bumping the table in his haste.

Heat filled her cheeks and she tried her best not to laugh at his sheepish expression. “Good morning, Your Grace.”

He’s just as nervous as I am.

A wave of relief engulfed her body as she made her way to the other end of the room and took her seat beside him. She began to wonder if all new couples experienced the same kind of tension as they did. She certainly felt closer to him after their romp.

Clearing his throat, Simon returned to his seat and began sorting through a stack of letters beside his plate.

The atmosphere in the room was filled with a tense feeling of longing and awkwardness that made it almost impossible to ignore.

Octavia wanted to reach out and touch his hand before asking him why he hadn’t come to her room once they had returned. She had been expecting him to at least check in on her during the night. The thought almost startled her as much as her longing for his touch.

Questions swam in her mind until she couldn’t stand the silence any longer.

“I hope you don’t have too many matters that need your attention?” she blurted out awkwardly before she could stop herself.

Heat crept up the back of her neck when he looked up with a frown.

“I beg your pardon?” Simon asked at her, his eyes moving over her flushed cheeks.

Taking a moment, Octavia reminded herself that she was a noblewoman of good breeding who could hold a proper conversation.

“I mean, you seem to be quite busy this morning, Your Grace. I hope the matters aren’t too pressing?” She released a deep breath and smiled, pronouncing her words with all the elocution she could muster.

Simon kept his eyes fixed on her face before shaking his head and returning to the stack of letters with a sigh.

“It’s just letters from the men I’ve sent to find Augustus.”

He threw the letter in his hand on top of the pile and slumped back in his chair, exposing the taut muscles of his chest through his white, cotton shirt.

Octavia sucked in a sharp breath and practically tore her eyes away from his chest. “I’m guessing that they haven’t been able to find him?”

She felt a momentary pang of guilt for getting so wrapped up in her own affairs that she hadn’t spared a moment for her cousin. It had been more than a week since her cousin had gone missing. Neither her godmother nor her uncle had sent any word since the wedding.

“I’m afraid not; I’ve searched every place that he’s been known to frequent. He seems to have disappeared into thin air.” Simon ran his hand over the light layer of stubble that cast a shadow over his chin.

“I haven’t heard anything from Isolde either.” Octavia sighed and reached for a jar of preserves to spread over her toast.

The situation with her cousin and Simon’s brother was certainly cause for concern. If they had both run away in an attempt to avoid marriage, shouldn’t they have sent word by now that they were safe? It wasn’t like her cousin to keep others in the dark.

The thought suddenly plagued her mind, pushing the awkwardness aside as she placed the jar beside her plate.

Simon broke through her train of thought. “All we can do is keep looking for them.”

The concern in his voice made her look up.

Her breath almost caught in her chest again when she noted the deep look of concern in his light green eyes.

Images of the day before flashed into her mind as she recalled the feel of his lips moving down her skin.

“Simon I…” Her lips moved as if they possessed a life of their own.

Reaching instinctively, she held her hand out to him. She wanted to tell him that she longed for his touch and the feel of his head between her thighs.

“Careful!” Simon snatched the jar of preserves with lightning speed as it toppled over the edge.

Octavia gasped and jumped back in her chair as a large blob of deep purple jam hit her lap, splattering onto her arm and wrist.

“I’m so sorry! I can’t believe how clumsy I am.” Her cheeks filled with heat as Simon placed the jar back on the table.

Her fumbled apologies set her cheeks aflame.

“There is no need to apologize.” Simon seemed as if he were trying his best not to laugh. His eyes twinkled mischievously as he bit back his laughter.

Great, all I need now is for Simon to think that I’m incapable of the simplest of tasks.

Looking around, she realized that none of the servants were around.

“I’ll fetch a cloth.” She began to stand at the same time as Simon, fumbling with the patch of preserves on her dress.

Simon reached out and stopped her, freezing when she looked up with her face mere inches away from his.

“I was going to call for one of the servants.” His voice was low as his eyes dipped to her lips.

“It… it’s my fault, I should be more careful.” The skittering of her heart caught her off guard when he reached for her hand and lifted her wrist to his lips.

“It’s just a little splattering of berries, that’s all.”

He lowered his face to her wrist and carefully licked at the berries before covering the spot with his mouth.

The sheer force of exhilaration that ran through her veins almost had her moaning as she bit her lip. Her chest suddenly rose and fell in rapid succession with every labored breath.

The tingling sensation of his lips on her skin sent a wave of bumps up her arm. Pressure, softer than the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings, made her pulse race.

He continued to kiss a path up her arm, taking his time to flick his tongue over her flesh while using his thumb to caress her wrist.

“Simon…” She finally gasped, shutting her eyes as she laid her head back and moaned.

“See, there is no need for a cloth,” Simon whispered against the inside of her elbow before kissing his way back to her wrist and pulling away.

The look of passion in his eyes when she finally came to her senses set her heart beating at an unstoppable pace. She wanted him more than she had at the pond, more than the desire for freedom and traveling the world.

“Octavia, I want…”

He placed his hand on her hip and drew her closer, keeping his eyes locked on her lips while lifting his other hand. Using the back of his knuckles, he stroked her cheek, taking his time to draw a line over her bottom lip with his thumb.

Every ounce of her resolve suddenly faded away as she allowed herself to be pulled against his chest. Her heart was screaming for him to kiss her while her body yearned for his touch.

“So do I…” She found herself whispering breathlessly against his lips as she worked up the courage and ran the tips of her fingers up his chest.

The chiseled muscles beneath her touch quivered for a moment when she kissed the corner of his mouth. Words weren’t needed when the tension between them spoke volumes.

It was Octavia who tilted her head to the side and angled her lips against his. Shifting her body into his, she allowed her knee to slip between his thighs.

Simon growled against her lips while lifting his eyes to hers. “Do not tempt me, wife. Not unless you are ready to feel what your defiance does to me.”

Her lips parted into a seductive smile at his words.

“Who says I am trying to tempt you, Your Grace?”

She lifted her hands to his hips and pushed her breasts into his chest. The feeling of being able to evoke a response from him urged her forward as she bit her lip before dragging them across his.

Rising to the challenge, Simon gripped her hip tighter and moved his hand down her neck, pausing just before the swelling of her breasts.

Giving in to the desire that her own flirting had created between her thighs, Octavia leaned in all the way and kissed him.

He responded in kind, drawing her lips between his teeth before searching the depths of her mouth with his tongue. His hands moved to her bottom, cupping her firmly as if he wanted to move her onto the table.

“Your Grace, there is a letter here from…” Mrs. Farley gasped in shock.

Octavia’s eyes shot open as she suddenly jumped back, noting the look of surprise in the housekeeper’s eyes.

The older woman began to panic as she spluttered over her words and quickly placed the silver tray on the end of the table.

“I beg your pardon, Your Grace.” Her face turned bright red before Mrs. Farley hurried from the room.

Simon cleared his throat and averted his gaze from her chest before returning to his seat.

Taking a moment to compose herself, she smoothed the folds of her dress and took a deep breath before crossing the room.

They had gotten so caught up in the heat of the moment that neither of them had realized where they were. Servants were bound to enter the dining room at breakfast.

Her chest still rose and fell from the encounter as she rebuked herself for being so careless.

Keeping her eyes fixed on the cream letter, Octavia suddenly felt excited when she recognized her godmother’s writing.

“It looks like an invitation.” Her eyes drifted over the slanted writing before her fingers began to work the wax seal at the back of the letter.

Simon grunted an acknowledgment and returned to pouring over his letters as if nothing had happened at all. He seemed resigned to the fact that nothing more could be said about the sudden intrusion.

“It’s an invitation to a ball. My godmother, Matilda always hosts the most elegant parties.” She read the invitation as she walked back to her seat and elegantly slid back into her chair.

The ball was to be held as a mere social gathering of the ton , yet Octavia knew that her godmother missed her. They had been an inseparable duo before the wedding.

“I don’t think that it’s a good idea for you to be attending a ball so soon after the wedding.” Simon dismissed the invitation without looking up.

“And may I ask why not?” She suddenly felt annoyed at his dismissal.

He’d changed from hot to cold again in the space of a few minutes, and she wasn’t having any of it.

“The ton is still questioning the reasoning behind our marriage. If you show up to a ball on your own, people will begin to wonder if everything between us is as it should be.” He looked up with his eyebrows raised.

“Well then there is no need for concern, Your Grace, the invitation is for both of us. If we attend the ball together, then nobody would have any reason to believe that things aren’t as they should be.” Her chest suddenly constricted with confusion.

Aren’t they as they should be?

She searched his eyes for an answer but came up empty-handed when the same veiled expression fell over his face. Why was he pushing her away again when they had come so close just moments before?

“That is beside the point; I do not wish to attend a ball so soon after the wedding. We should stay well away from the rest of the ton until the dust has settled.” He looked back down at the letter in his hand.

“I can’t stay cooped up in this mansion for the next year, Your Grace. Do you expect me to run and hide every time someone mentions my cousin’s folly? I haven’t even written to my uncle or godmother since the wedding.”

Her chest suddenly constricted again with longing for the freedom she had felt as a debutant. She had been bound by the expectations of society, yet now, she felt like a prized bird locked in a cage.

Simon sat back in his chair again and ran his hand over his chin. “I did not say that you were not allowed to write to your family. On the contrary, I think it would be good for you if you wrote letters to your cousin and sent them to any places that you think she could be hiding.”

His mention of her cousin suddenly brought an idea to the front of her mind. “Do you not think that going to London will make finding your brother easier?”

Simon frowned at her, a look of confusion in his eyes.

“I mean you’re sitting here corresponding with your men when you could be visiting some of his friends yourself. What if the men you sent missed a few minor details that could give Augustus away? I’m assuming that you know your brother better than anyone who could go in your place. You can’t deny the fact that your presence is better than anyone else’s. What is one ball compared to finding your brother and possibly even Isolde?”

He seemed to consider her words as he ran his tongue over his bottom lip.

Octavia held her breath in the hopes of swaying him to change his mind. She longed to see her godmother again and even her uncle, but she wasn’t about to tell him that; it was better for him to focus on matters close to his heart.

“Very well then. I guess one public appearance will only help sway convince the rest of the ton ,” he finally conceded with a nod.

Jumping from her chair, Octavia rushed to his side and threw her arms around his neck before placing a chaste kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you, Simon, thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me!” She gave his neck another tight squeeze with her cheek placed against his before awkwardly realizing what she was doing.

Taking a step back, she cleared her throat and examined the look of surprise on his face. He wasn’t angry with her or even annoyed, he just didn’t seem as if he knew how to respond.

“It is just one ball. I’m doing it to find Augustus and Isolde.” He cleared his throat and nodded before Octavia curtsied and hurried from the room.

Stopping just outside the dining room, Octavia raised her hand to her chest and attempted to still her beating heart.