Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

O ctavia watched as the dance came to an end; Matilda’s cheeks were flooded with heat by the time she came to her side.

“That was quite a fast dance,” her godmother remarked breathlessly and glanced over her shoulder at Octavia’s uncle who had gone in the opposite direction.

“You seemed to have enjoyed yourself.” Octavia observed her closely, noting the glint in her eyes as well as the color of her skin.

“You know that I’ve always enjoyed a good waltz.” Matilda took a deep breath and placed a hand on her chest.

“Not as much as you seem to enjoy a good waltz with Uncle Jack,” Octavia teased her, recalling the way her uncle had gripped her godmother’s hand. The pair didn’t seem to have been aware of anyone else around throughout the entirety of the dance.

Matilda suddenly seemed coy as she cleared her throat and changed the subject. “Your uncle has always been a good dancer, but I cannot give him all of the credit. One too many glasses of champagne played their part in my current state. Let us stop talking nonsense and get some air; I think one of the balconies is empty.” She shooed Octavia in the opposite direction before she could protest.

Taking in the coolness of the evening air, Octavia allowed herself a moment of respite before Matilda began to question her.

“I have been dying to speak to you alone all evening. Tell me, dear, how is married life treating you really? You and the Duke seemed quite enthralled with one another when you danced.” Her godmother seemed to catch her breath as she leaned against the cool stone of the terrace banister.

Having dreaded the question all evening, Octavia sighed heavily.

“Is it that bad? I rather hoped that the two of you would have grown closer by now,” Matilda remarked cautiously with a worried look.

Turning around and facing the open doors that led to the ball, Octavia allowed the distant chatter and music to wash over her for a moment.

“It’s been quite difficult to understand at the best of times. He can be so cold and distant, not to mention blunt with his responses. I often feel vexed and respond in ways that I shouldn’t. We bicker more than anything else, yet I find myself attracted to him in such a way that I’m hardly able to think of anything else.”

Matilda smiled knowingly while pursing her lips before allowing Octavia to continue with her rant.

“And even after he’s frustrated me to the point of wanting to throw something at his head, there are these subtle glimpses of a gentle soul. He’s strong and commanding with everyone that works for him, yet his heart seems bigger than anyone else that I’ve ever met.”

Her lips curled into a gentle smile as she thought of all the ways that he was good to his tenants and even the people he employed.

Despite their argument regarding the tenant’s roof, it had only taken Simon a day to come up with a plan that more than suited the farmer and his wife. She couldn’t understand why he tried so hard to push her away. Even if it was because of his parents, that didn’t mean that his own marriage would fail.

“You know, the way that you describe the Duke is not unlike the relationship that I had with my late husband.” Matilda smiled, sighing contentedly as if she were recalling a fond memory.

Her reaction made Octavia look up and forget her troubles for a moment. In all the years that her godmother had been a part of her life, she had never known Matilda to speak so openly about her past.

“The late Earl and I would bicker more often than not. I would find myself responding in ways that vexed him. When I look back on everything now, I realize that I was only trying to get his attention. I was so smitten with him that I didn’t know how to communicate it other than starting an argument. It may sound silly, but passion has a way of getting through when one argues.”

Her godmother looked almost sheepish as she looked at her feet with a knowing smile.

“I don’t know if I am in love with the Duke,” Octavia blurted out before she could stop herself.

Matilda looked up with a strange expression in her eyes. “I am afraid that that is a question that only you can answer. I can tell you how I felt and how many novels on love have described the feeling. The frustrating part is that only you can determine the answer. It may come to you when you least expect it to, but when you know, there won’t even be a shred of doubt in your mind.”

Octavia’s heart pounded furiously as she caught a glimpse of Simon in the throng of guests.

How will I know?

Her eyes followed his every move as he seemed to be looking for among the multitude of guests.

Coming up from behind, Matilda embraced her with her arms around Octavia’s shoulders.

“Be patient with the Duke. I cannot say that I understand the man, but I do know that he hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off of you all evening. Try and show him how much you want to be in his company, even if he pushes you away.” The smile on Matilda’s face offered little comfort as Octavia suppressed a sigh.

“And just how am I supposed to achieve the desired effect if the Duke does not wish to spend more time with me?”

The corner of her lips hooked into a sarcastic question. “Am I to bind his hands behind his back and tie him to a chair?”

Letting go of her goddaughter, Matilda shook her head with a smile. “If that is what it takes, dear. I am not opposed to alternative methods when it comes to the hearts of men.”

She winked at Octavia before turning toward the open doors.

Laughing at her godmother’s joke, Octavia shook her head and crossed her arms over her waist before looking up at the stars.

“Hopefully things will not have to come to that,” she whispered to herself, adding to the joke.

Her heart skipped a beat when she suddenly realized that she was willing to do anything at all when it came to the affections of the Duke.

The carriage ride back to the London townhouse was awkward as Simon sat across from Octavia. They hadn’t said so much as a word to one another since they had left the ball.

The silence was almost deafening as Simon felt the need to hear her thoughts.

“I hope you had a good evening?” He swallowed hard, attempting to alleviate the dryness in his throat.

“I did, thank you, Your Grace; my godmother was thrilled that we were able to attend.” She looked at him awkwardly for a moment before averting her gaze and looking back out the window.

I should apologize to her.

Simon knew that he had been in the wrong by acting as he had done out of jealousy, yet he couldn’t find the words to justify his behavior.

“Will you be seeing more of your ‘friend’ Timothy Reed?” He uttered the question without thinking and berated himself almost as soon as it was out.

Whipping her head back in his direction, Octavia glared at him, her eyes flashing with anger. “I shan’t. Would you like to provide me with a list of names of the people you would like me to steer clear of, Your Grace? I think it will make any future interactions at social gatherings more bearable if I know ahead of time.”

Feeling his irritation growing, Simon clenched his jaw.

“I don’t know, Your Grace, are there more men that will warrant your anger in my defense? How many ‘friends’ from your past are there?” he shot back, wielding the formal address of her title as a weapon.

“I’m not certain. How many women warmed your bed before you were forced to marry me, Your Grace?” She raised her voice a little just as the carriage came to a stop in front of their home.

Glaring at him now, she thrust open the door before the footmen could hurry forward.

“Why must you be so obstinate all the time?” he hissed at her through his teeth.

“I don’t know, You Grace, why must you be so adamant about starting an argument all of the time?” she shot back at him and exited the carriage, hurrying to the front door as she picked up her dress.

Simon swore under his breath before following suit and stomping up the steps after her. He had wanted to end their evening on a more positive note, but it didn’t seem as if that were at all possible now.

The front door practically slammed behind him as he watched her stalk angrily toward the stairs.

“Your Graces, I was just about to come and get the door.” Mrs. Farley suddenly appeared at the start of a passage.

Her face was flushed with embarrassment as she hurried forward to get their coats. “I wasn’t sure what time the ball would end, so I have sent the butler along with all of the maids to their beds,” she hurriedly explained.

Octavia stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned to their housekeeper. “There is no need to apologize, Mrs. Farley. It is quite late, but I’m sure that His Grace and I can undress ourselves and get to bed. You had better turn in yourself; thank you for waiting for us.”

Mrs. Farley glanced from one to the other before placing their coats on the rack in the hall beside the door. “If you are both certain?”

“We are,” Simon and Octavia chanted in unison before glaring at one another.

A heated moment of silence ensued before Mrs. Farley excused herself and hurried back down the hall.

“I too shall bid you a good evening, Your Grace. I am quite tired and do not wish to hinder you with my presence any longer.” She turned away from him and began to climb the stairs before Simon rushed forward and reached for her wrist.

“Wait! I refuse to leave things between us like this!” He spun her around and steadied her with his hands on her upper arms when it seemed as if she were about to fall.

It took her a moment to regain her composure before she glared down at him.

“What more could you possibly have to say to me?” Her voice dripped with anger despite the look of confusion in her eyes.

“I don’t know!” he growled at her before calming himself. “I don’t know what to say to you. I’ve tried my best to start a conversation that doesn’t lead to an argument, but every time that I’m near you… My thoughts come out wrong. I don’t know how else to explain it to you.”

Her eyes filled with even more confusion as she listened to him speak.

“I… I want you, Octavia. I find it hard to be in your presence without touching you. I’ve fought against the desire for you that courses through my veins since that night you confronted me on the balcony.”

His desire for her suddenly grew and intensified as he let go of her arms and ran his fingers down her skin.

“I want you, Octavia…” he whispered, feeling his heart race at an unstoppable pace.

“Then why do you…” Her words trailed off when Simon suddenly took her in his arms, pulling her down until her lips met his.

His tongue parted her lips, searching the depths of her mouth with an urgent hunger as his hands explored her body. His fingers worked up her thighs, kneading her flesh through the fabric of her dress.

Responding in kind, Octavia sighed contentedly when he lowered her body to the stairs and positioned himself above her. Her legs parted without resistance when he lifted her skirts above her knees and placed his body between her thighs.

“I want you, Octavia.” He breathed her name against her lips before pulling back and looking into her eyes. “My demands from the start of the marriage have not changed, yet I want you with every fiber of my being.”

He reached down and squeezed her breasts with both hands until she moaned with pleasure.

“What does that mean?” She had barely uttered the question when Simon moved down her body, hurriedly tugging at her garments before disappearing under the layers of her dress.

The fabric engulfed his head in a warm cloud that smelled of her floral-scented perfume which made him want her even more.

The warmth of her thighs around his head spurred him on as he positioned his head and gripped her thighs.

Soft sighs of pleasure floated through the layers of dress and caressed his ears when he began to lick her folds from every angle. Tilting his head to the side, he expertly played with her core, using his mouth to set the pace of his licking.

It wasn’t long before Octavia was moaning for more, placing her hands behind his head and guiding him deeper into her core in the sweet anticipation of release.

He slowed his pace, teasing her lightly with the tip of his tongue until her legs began to tremble.

He wanted to savor the moment, reveling in the trembling of her body as he pleasured her.

“Simon, please…” Her voice was laced with urgency when she began to pant for breath.

She squirmed beneath him on the steps until he gripped her hips and held her in place.

Smiling at the sound of his name on her lips, the Duke pressed kisses into her folds, savoring the taste of her on his tongue before doubling his efforts. His tongue flicked over the nub at the apex of her core with such rapid motions that Octavia almost screamed in pleasure.

Reaching up, he placed his hand over her mouth, feeling her hot breath on his skin in an attempt to silence her screams. The last thing he wanted was to wake the servants who would undoubtedly find them in the position.

Her breathing turned to a silent scream as her body tensed and writhed on the stairs. Her teeth gently dug into his flesh as she reached the apex of her pleasure, panting against his hand.

Waiting for her body to relax, he continued to lick at her folds until her shuddering came to an end. Her thighs still trembled as he kissed her flesh, making sure to heighten every ounce of her pleasure while she came back down to earth.

Her hands suddenly left his head as her body relaxed beneath his, signaling the end of her climax.

Smiling to himself, he reappeared above her skirts, feeling the cool sting of the air on his face. She looked utterly serene in the dim light of the entrance candles as she lay on the stairs, her chest rising and falling with every breath.

Octavia’s eyes were shut as she lay with her face angled toward the ceiling. The tender flesh of her neck excited him as his gaze fell to her hands that were cupping both of her breasts.

“Do you understand how much I want you?” He placed the tip of his index finger on her chin and drew a path down her neck, stopping in the cleft of her cleavage.

It took her a moment to open her eyes and look at him, but when she did, he knew instinctively that the evening wasn’t over. Her lips parted with a ragged breath when she reached up and stroked his cheek.

“Simon, I want you to take me to bed…” Her voice was soft from the pleasure she’d received, demanding, and just a little bit hesitant.

Scooping her up in his arms, he placed her legs around his waist and drew her close before kissing her deeply.

“I will make you mine this evening,” he growled against her lips before burying his face between her breasts.

Gasping for breath, Octavia gripped the back of his head and pulled him closer to her chest.

He kissed the tops of her breasts again before carrying her up the stairs and into his chambers.