Chapter 14

CHAPTER14

Such desire shot through Daniel that he couldn’t hold himself back as he melded his lips to Rachel’s, kissing her deeply. It was instantly passionate, and far from chaste, as he took her lips with his own.

She kissed him back with that same feeling. He grabbed her waist and lifted her, setting her on the edge of the desk, with his fingers splayed across her hips and drawing her to the very edge. She gasped at that touch, allowing him to push the boundaries with her further and beg permission into her mouth, attempting small licks with his tongue.

The bolder he became, the more she responded to him. When her body arched into his, he almost lost control, just at the feeling of her body against his.

He couldn’t believe he’d given way at last. For the last few days, he’d been resisting her, but after today, he couldn’t hold back anymore. Rachel wasn’t just an attractive distraction. She had made him smile that morning when everything had seemed dark in the world. Now, she was proving herself quite a capable partner in other ways. The astuteness of her mind, the cleverness of what she had said, attracted him as much as everything else about her.

He already played out images of taking her there over the papers, on top of all the notes he had made just listening to her advice, wanting to pleasure her beyond what she thought possible.

When he pulled back from the kiss, trying to catch his breath, her cheeks were a crimson red, and her lips were slightly swollen from his kisses. The sight was intoxicating. Unable to resist, he raised a hand and playfully pushed back the honey-brown locks from her face, giving him more access to her.

He trailed kisses down her neck. They were far from the light near kisses of that morning, but firm. He either teased her with a brief lap of his tongue or he nipped her. She arched more into him and tilted her head back, giving him more access to her neck.

“I thought…” she murmured between her labored breaths.

He lifted his head enough to meet her gaze, showing he was listening, though his hands were busy. One of his hands still pulled at her waist, drawing her flush against him as she sat on the edge of the desk.

“Today, you resisted. You said you wanted to stop.”

“I never wanted to stop,” he said, his voice growing deeper still.

“Then don’t,” she begged. “Don’t stop.”

“God, Rachel, don’t tempt me further.”

He went back to kissing her. He kissed her until she was pulling at his shoulders, needing to catch her breath, then he moved his lips back to her neck. This time, he trailed kisses down to the top of her chest and along her neckline, nipping just once at the mound of her breast.

“Nothing wrong with being tempted by your wife, Daniel. Surely?”

“Then you’re tempted too?” he murmured against her skin playfully.

She didn’t say anything, but he reached for her skirt and lifted it, sliding his bare palm up her leg. Though he could not see what he was doing from the cover of the skirt, he felt his way from her calf, which was clad in her stocking, up to her thigh, which was bare.

When she shuddered at his touch, he smiled against the mound of her breast. “You feel tempted to me.”

“Then don’t stop,” she pleaded again.

He stood tall and reached for the hem of her skirt again, this time flicking it up so that it was around her hips. For a minute, he didn’t think about any of the resolutions he had made in his life. He thought only of Rachel, this thrill, this excitement, and this chance to make her experience carnal pleasure.

He kissed her again. He was still taller than her, even with her sitting on the desk, so she arched her neck up to meet his lips. One of his hands went to her neck, brushing the sensitive skin behind her ear in a way that had her trembling further. They were excited trembles, good trembles.

His other hand went to her thigh and teased the inside of her leg, gently brushing her skin. He was getting closer and closer to her core now, ready to pleasure her, when a knock sounded at the door.

“God damn it,” Daniel hissed under his breath.

“Daniel?” It was Mrs. Brooks’ voice. “A letter has arrived for you.”

He reluctantly released Rachel. It was obvious what the two of them had been doing. Rachel was red-cheeked, even as she hastily rearranged the skirt of her gown. With each breath she took, her chest rose and fell.

As for Daniel, his body had stirred and stood for attention for her. His bulge was obvious, and he was forced to sit down behind his desk.

“This isn’t over,” he promised.

Rachel smiled and stepped to the side, her eyes lingering on his.

When they were both mostly settled, he called for Mrs. Brooks to come in.

“Your Grace, here is the letter.” The housekeeper looked surprised to see Rachel. She turned toward her and smiled. “Lady Follet wishes to see you before she retires for the night, Your Grace.”

Rachel nodded. “I’ll go to her now.”

Daniel watched his wife leave with some reluctance. Just a few minutes more in her company and he could have indulged in one of his fantasies. She smiled at him from the doorway before she left.

Soon, I’ll have that fantasy come to life. Damn keeping away from her. There are other ways to avoid having a child, after all.

He ripped open the letter, finding that it concerned a matter he had just been discussing with Rachel. It was a letter from the Marquess of Repington, who had responded to the enquiry Daniel had sent some days ago, as to whether he would consider mending the ways of the past by joining in another venture together.

One particular line gave Daniel hope of reconciliation.

I would be glad to discuss it some more. Send me the particulars, and we must meet. As you say, it is time to put our fathers’ discord to bed.

* * *

“Bridget?” Rachel called as she stepped into the house. “Thank you, Horace.” The kindly butler took her pelisse from her and offered her a sweet smile as she walked through the corridor. “Bridget? Are you here?”

“Ah!” Bridget exclaimed from the top of the stairs. “You’re here. You’re here, at last.” She ran down the stairs, hurrying so fast that she neglected to hold onto the banister and was in danger of tripping on the hem of her gown.

“Woah, careful. You’ll fall—Oh!” Rachel was cut off as her sister barreled off the stairs and into her arms. Warmed at once, she embraced Bridget tightly. “Shall I take this as a hint to the fact you may have missed me?”

“Take it as any hint you wish to.” Bridget didn’t let go of her.

Deciding to do something she hadn’t done in years, Rachel rocked the two of them side to side as they held onto one another.

It was something their mother had done when they had been very young, swaying as they hugged, and something that Rachel had continued to do with her sisters after their mother’s death.

“I have missed you too,” Rachel said as she, at last, released her sister. “How have you been?”

“Fine.” Bridget hurriedly grabbed Rachel’s hand and dragged her into the parlor. “You are the one with all the news, surely? You must tell us what it is like to be married.”

“Wait, where is Emily—” Rachel broke off as they stepped into the parlor.

Emily was sitting on a large chaise longue reading a letter. When she saw Rachel and Bridget step inside, she hurried to hide the letter in the pocket of her gown. Rachel frowned, easily recognizing the signs of her sister hiding something.

“I see you are up to your usual tricks,” Rachel remarked, walking toward Emily.

“It is good to see you too,” Emily muttered wryly and stood. When she embraced Rachel eagerly, Rachel was wrongfooted. Soon enough, she melted into that hug.

She is not too resentful of me then, at least!

Rachel clung to Emily a little longer than she clearly wished, eventually wriggling out of Rachel’s grasp.

“I’ve ordered tea,” Bridget said, taking Rachel’s arm and pulling her to sit down on the rococo settee. “Come, tell us everything about what it’s like to be married.”

“Do you wish to hear everything?”

“Everything,” Emily said as she flung herself back down onto the chaise longue with a dramatic sigh. “Even the naughty bits.”

“Emily!” Rachel picked up the nearest cushion and tossed it at her sister.

Emily laughed and managed to catch it in the air. “Well, I think that mad blush says it all. Look, Bridget, quite the color of a tomato, is she not?” She pointed at Rachel’s face.

Rachel itched to have the cushion back, for at least then she could hide her face. She thought of the one kiss she and Daniel had shared and the way he had reached beneath her skirt. It had obviously been leading somewhere, and the mere thought of it had a tingling sensation coursing up her spine and the back of her neck, but there had been no chance for them to resume what they had started the day before.

Looking between her sisters, she saw Emily’s eagerness as she sat so far forward, she was in danger of falling off the chaise longue. In contrast, Bridget was waving a hand at Emily.

“Emily, you should be more proper about such things,” Rachel chided.

“Yes, Mama Rachel,” Emily muttered, rolling her eyes. “Yet, your blush has told me what I wished to know. You and your husband are plainly not indifferent to each other. Especially not where the bedchamber is concerned.”

“Emily!” Rachel said sharply, again.

Fortunately, Bridget found a cushion and was the one this time to toss it across the room. Emily was so busy giggling that the cushion struck her fully in the face.

Rachel laughed as Bridget sniggered behind her hand. They only broke off when Horace returned and placed the tea tray down on a dumbwaiter table at the side of the room.

“Thank you, Horace,” Rachel said and went to stand, but Bridget beat her to it.

“It’s my duty to serve the tea now, as you are a married woman,” Bridget reminded her. “Sit, rest. I’ll fetch you some cake too.”

“Thank you.” Rachel smiled to see Bridget so in control of the room. As she went to serve the tea, she seemed content, a pleasant smile on her face.

Emily did not look so happy and was pulling at the cushion now in her lap, toying with the tassels. “You must tell us something of what married life is like. Even if you refuse to tell us the really interesting bits,” she said, rolling her eyes again. “What do you think of the Duke?”

“The Duke…” Rachel paused, uncertain of what to say for a minute. She thanked Bridget as she passed a teacup into her hands. “He is not what I was expecting. Not at all.”

“How do you mean?” Bridget asked, returning with a slice of jam sponge cake on a small porcelain plate.

“I mean that he’s sometimes a quiet fellow and likes to keep to his own company. I presume that the soldier he had once been cast a darkness over his life, a great shadow that is difficult to shift, then something changed.” Rachel prodded at her cake with a fork but didn’t quite eat it.

“Go on,” Emily urged, thanking Bridget as she too was passed cake and tea.

“There is another man beneath that exterior. One that’s playful.” Rachel smiled suddenly. “We raced one day on our horses, and we both ended up covered in mud and fighting one another to win. It was as if he didn’t have a care in the world at that moment. It’s times like that where I’ve seen a part of him that he may not always be willing to speak of.”

“You admire him,” Bridget noted as she returned to sit at Rachel’s side.

“I do.” Rachel nodded firmly. “There’s something more to him that has to be drawn out. Not only his playful side, but his wise side too. Yesterday, we talked a lot about his business, and as much as I feared he would shut me out, he did no such thing. He encouraged me to give my opinion. What freedom that was! I was not ashamed to be myself, and I felt useful to him.”

“You always have been useful to our father,” Bridget reminded her.

“Yes, but there was no guarantee that another man would think the same way.”

“Certainly not.” Emily shook her head as she dug into her cake, eating so hurriedly that she ended up with crumbs around her lips. “There are plenty of men in this world who think so little of a woman’s mind that they would not consider anything she has to say as something of importance.”

Rachel frowned, staring at her sister. “Has a man belittled your opinion as of late, Em?” she asked, softening her tone.

Emily at once rolled her eyes. “I don’t need you clucking like a mother hen again. No one has said anything, I am simply remarking on something we all know to be true. Now, go on. You were singing your husband’s praises.” She pointed at her with her fork.

“I was not quite doing that.” Rachel shifted in her seat. “Married life isn’t without its difficulties.”

“Such as?” Bridget leaned toward her and nudged her with her shoulder, impishly urging her on.

“It seems my new sister-in-law has no wish to be a sister at all.” Rachel winced at her words. “She has caused an argument more than once between us, and the rest of the time, she ignores me entirely.”

“How cold,” Emily remarked, sitting forward and looking surprisingly outraged. “You should challenge her on the subject.” She waved her fork in indignation.

“And say what?” Bridget asked with a laugh. “You must like me! Ha, I cannot imagine that doing much good. No, such things should be handled more delicately.”

“You always handle everything delicately,” Emily muttered quietly. “I do not think you know how to be a bull in a porcelain shop, Sister.”

“Where’s that cushion?” Bridget searched for another cushion.

Rachel reached for another chair and provided a cushion to her middle sister, who then tossed it at Emily. A roar of laughter filled the air as Emily narrowly managed to avoid the cushion, but ended up tipping her cake into her lap, so the jam spread across her skirt.

“Well, thank you, Sister. I suppose I deserved that.” Emily joined in the laughter.

Rachel felt happy to be back with her sisters. It made her realize how right Lady Follet had been about bringing her friends and family into her own home, so it had this same happiness. She resolved to continue her plans to arrange an afternoon tea with her sisters and friends.

“I am to hold a tea party, so I hope you two will come. I’ve asked Daniel if he will persuade his sister to come too. Perhaps you could help me to convince her that I am not the devil incarnate.”

“We’ll be there,” Bridget said firmly with a nod.

“Of course. Seat me beside her, and I’ll talk to her,” Emily insisted as she returned her cake to her lap.

Rachel and Bridget exchanged an uneasy look.

“Best seat me beside her,” Bridget whispered.

“Agreed.”

“Oi! I’m not so bad I can’t talk to strangers.” Emily laughed despite her mock irritation. “So, you have spoken much about his sister now and have just referred to the Duke by his Christian name. You must tell us a little more of what has happened between you, Rachel.”

“Such as what?”

Rachel felt heat creeping up her cheeks. She had no desire to reveal to Emily just what had passed. An image flashed in her mind of when she’d disturbed Daniel in his nightmare and he’d flipped her over on the bed, moving above her.

The heat…

“Such as what you think of him. You’ve described him as two men. The quiet and reserved soldier, and this more playful man. You have not said what you feel for him.” Emily paused with her cake and raised her fork again, pointing it in Rachel’s direction. “Is that because you are wary of speaking of the full extent of your feelings?”

“I like him. There is nothing more to say.”

Rachel busied herself with cutting up her cake into smaller bites, wishing to avoid looking her sisters in the eye, in case they could read something more in her expression.

“Sure, there isn’t,” Emily said playfully. “You are hiding your face the way I always do from you whenever I’m keeping secrets.”

“Just how many secrets have you kept over the years?”

“That’s not in discussion now.” Emily laughed and turned fully in her seat to face Rachel. “You do not just like him, do you?”

“I…” Rachel hesitated, uncertain of what to say. She thought of the heat and excitement that had passed between her and Daniel in his study, then she thought of his bold laugh when they had raced out on the grounds.

“Are you in love, Rachel?” Bridget asked, nudging her elder sister’s shoulder once again.

“I cannot be. It’s too soon” Rachel insisted, yet Emily and Bridget exchanged a knowing look.

“And to think, you were once certain you would never fall in love.” Emily nodded once.

Rachel fell quiet, so struck by the words that she’d completely lost interest in her cake.

Are they right? Am I falling in love with Daniel?