Chapter Twenty-Seven

“I was thinking about the ravens and how they stay together for life. I’m glad she found a mate.” Lu shivered as he removed her nightgown.

James picked her up and lifted her into bed. “ He found her .”

“She found the courage to fly with him.” She watched him slide into bed. “I wish I had the courage to fly with you, James.”

He cupped her cheek gently. “You have courage, my love.”

She lowered her lashes. “Not enough.”

“Look at me, Lu. You have more than enough. You were fearless enough to dance at Covent Garden. You were brave enough to take on your sister’s trouble and put her well-being before your own. Surely you are daring enough to let me consummate our marriage?”

“I do want you to make love to me . . . it’s just that . . .”

He brushed the tendrils back from her temple. “You are apprehensive about having a child,” he finished.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“I’m sure you are not alone. I warrant you will make the best mother in the world. But first things first . . . I have to make you a wife before I make you a mother. Are you brave enough to yield to me, Lady Lu?”

She smiled seductively. “I am sorely tempted.”

He drew down the covers and began to make love to her with his eyes, lingering on every secret, intimate part of her body. He savored the sense of spicy anticipation as he felt excitement stir in him. He relished the tightening of his balls and shaft, the heat stealing across his loins, and the potent sensation as his cock thickened and hardened. He dipped his head to taste her lips, and he heard her sigh when he took his lips away.

Louisa wondered if it was the wine she drank at dinner that made her feel so bold. No, it’s this devilishly attractive Irishman whose eyes are stained black with passion. She cast him small, tempting glances from the corner of her eye and licked her lips provocatively with the tip of her tongue. She gasped with pleasure as he threaded his fingers through the curls on her mons, dipped in a finger, and then tasted it.

“Honey pot,” he murmured.

She slipped her arms about his neck and offered him her lips. His hungry mouth was hot, fierce, and demanding, and she closed her eyes and gave herself up to him to assert his mastery over her in any way he wished. For the first time ever she welcomed the act of domination and submission.

His hands roamed over her body, caressing, exploring, and teasing until he had set up a fever of need. He fused his mouth to hers and she opened her lips to receive his tongue. It ravaged her mouth until she moaned from its thrusts.

She felt an emptiness inside her that needed filling in exactly the same way he filled her mouth. She reached for him with fevered fingers then gasped as she felt the engorged size of him.

Her gasp brought him to his senses and he schooled himself to be gentle with her this first time. He wanted her eager for him the rest of their lives and knew this consummation could not be savage but must bring her pleasure. He gathered all her softness in his powerful arms, imprisoning her beneath the hard length of his body. Her thighs parted, inviting his thick male shaft to seek succor inside her. His hands slid down to cup her buttocks and he rubbed her against his hardness. When he heard her moan with need, he positioned the velvet tip against her cleft and, with one thrust, penetrated her hymen.

Louisa bit her lip to stifle her cry, and miraculously, though the pain was sharp, it was short- lived. After the initial stab, it was replaced by a sensation of fullness, and as James held still so she could get used to his size, she could feel his heartbeat deep inside her. The whispered love words he poured over her made her melt inside.

“My sweet, wrap your legs around my back.”

Louisa slowly slid her thighs around his hips and crossed her ankles, imprisoning him tightly. She pressed her lips against his throat and felt his throbbing pulse beat. When he began to thrust, her body began to undulate to the sensual rhythm. As her desire spiraled higher and higher, she dug her nails into his shoulder, and finally surrendered everything with a passionate sob.

When James felt her climax, he withdrew quickly and thrust against her soft belly until he spent. With a cry he scattered his seed across her silken skin.

I surrendered everything to him, and I am glad. At long last I am a wife and a real woman. His lovemaking had empowered her, and her self-esteem soared. Consummation had conquered all her fears and her heart overflowed with love for her dark, devilishly attractive husband.

Lu awoke when the curtains were drawn back to let in the sunshine. James had brought their breakfast on a tray and she sat up in bed and smiled shyly.

Her hair was wildly dishevelled and James thought she had never looked more beautiful than she did on this glorious morning. “Lady Abercorn, you truly take my breath away.”

I can finally lay claim to that title. “It smells good. What did you bring?”

“Food fit for a marchioness, of course.” He set the tray before her and began the acknowledgment of last night’s lovemaking with a kiss that told her he remembered every detail. It also evoked tonight’s possibilities. His dark eyes told her that she lingered in his consciousness. James knew that without the epilogue, the cycle of making love was incomplete.

When Lu lifted the silver cover of a small dish, instead of food she found a small velvet box. She opened it eagerly and found a pair of emerald and diamond earrings. “Oh, James, how can I thank you? I simply adore emeralds!”

“I’ll think of a way. I chose emeralds to match your lovely eyes. They will also go splendidly with your diamond necklace from the Russell collection.”

Lu sighed with happiness as she put on the earrings. “I’m the luckiest lady alive.”

James sat down on the bed and lifted the breakfast covers. “Let’s eat before it gets cold. I’ve ordered a slipper bath for you, so you won’t have to leave our chamber to bathe this morning.”

His words brought a smile to her lips. “You have no ulterior motive, of course.”

“I always have an ulterior motive, Lady Lu. I’ve had a fantasy for years about watching you bathe. I’ve decided this morning is the perfect time to indulge it.”

As she ate her crispy rashers of Irish bacon, she said, “Tell me about this fantasy.”

“Very well. I walk into a chamber and find you reclining naked in a marble slipper bath. In your languid, sensual pose your lush breasts seem to float upon the water. Your long black eyelashes cast delicate shadows upon your cheekbones, and your full lips form a pouting moue inviting my kisses. Your black silken hair cascades over the edge of the tub to the carpet, inviting my fingers to tangle in it and lift it to my face. I feel my cock engorge and throb with desire.”

She licked her lips. “And when did you begin having this fantasy?”

“The day your brother Charles brought me to Woburn on my summer holidays from Oxford.”

Lu’s eyes widened. “If you’ve been having a naked fantasy about me for two years, it is high time we indulged it.” She glanced across the breakfast tray and saw the bulge between his legs. “I warrant you’ve been throbbing long enough.”

“After your . . . our bath, what would you like to do today?”

“I’ve decided to make some rose-scented candles. The wild roses are blooming everywhere . . . wild Irish roses.”

James smiled into her eyes. “ Sure, and may there be a road before you and it bordered with roses, the likes of which have never been smelled or seen before, for the warm fine color and the great sweetness that is on them.”

“That’s lovely. I hereby decree that you must quote me poetry every morning.”

“I promise. If you’re occupying yourself making candles today, I’ll ride out to the mill with the leasing contract I’ve signed. When the Herdman brothers have affixed their signatures, I’ll take it into Omagh and give it to Rowan Maloney for safekeeping.”

There was a knock on the door. “Oh, I warrant that’s the bath. James, hurry and finish breakfast, so we can proceed with the next delicious course.”

Three hours later, Lu waved to her husband as he rode from Barons Court and she took her basket into the park to cut the wild roses. Her heart was brimful of joy and her heart overflowed with love for her husband. She was so glad she had overcome her reluctance to allow James to make love to her. The Irish devil has made me happier than I’ve ever been in my life.

Lu took her roses to the stillroom and hummed a lilting tune as she separated the fragrant petals from their stems. Her song halted as she pricked her thumb with a rose thorn. “Damnation!” She stuck it in her mouth to suck away the blood.

In the silence she could faintly hear female voices. They sounded angry, and she could tell they were having an argument. Her curiosity was piqued; the household was a calm and peaceful one, and the staff seemed a contented lot. She left the stillroom and walked toward the voices. She stopped outside open French windows when she saw the housekeeper, Mrs. Connelly, scolding a female who had her back to Louisa.

“You shouldn’t have come to Barons Court! Have you no shame ?”

“James promised that Barons Court would always be my sanctuary.”

“You mustn’t call him James. He is Lord Abercorn.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! He asked me to call him James. We are on extremely intimate terms. He pays my rent and takes me out to dinner, among other things. Why on earth would I call him Lord Abercorn, and why wouldn’t I come home when I need him?”

Lu stepped inside. A cold finger of apprehension touched her. “Kitty, is that you?”

The young woman turned, and Louisa’s eyes widened as she saw that she was heavy with child. “Kitty, what are you doing here?” Please God, no!

“Jane . . . I could ask the same of you. Barons Court is my home. Kate Connelly is my mother. Kitty Kelly is just my stage name.”

“Kitty! This lady is the Marchioness of Abercorn,” the housekeeper admonished.

Kitty’s hands went to her hips defiantly. “So, your name isn’t Jane after all. You must be Lady Louisa, the noble daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Bedford. Imagine you dancing at Covent Garden!”

“I’m sorry, Lady Abercorn. My daughter doesn’t know her place.”

“On the contrary, I do know my place, and my bloody place is here !” Kitty raised her chin. “Where is your husband, my lady? I need to talk with him.”

Lu had such a painful lump in her throat she could hardly speak. “Lord Abercorn is out on business.”

Kate Connelly could not hide her humiliation. “When did this happen?”

“When I was here at Christmas, of course!” Kitty said defiantly.

She and James were here together in December. He never told me Kate Connelly was Kitty’s mother. Her knees felt like wet linen. Don’t be naive, Louisa. Why would he tell you his mistress is his housekeeper’s daughter?

“Have neither of you any decency?” Kitty demanded. “How can you keep me standing here in my condition? Have a room plenished for me.”

Louisa rang the bell and Molly answered the summons. “Would you ready one of the guest suites for this lady, and take up her bag?”

Molly goggled at Kitty’s belly. “Yes, my lady.” She picked up the bag and Kitty followed her.

Kate’s face was ashen. “Lady Abercorn, I’m so ashamed of my daughter’s behavior.”

Louisa pressed her lips together and shook her head. Then she followed Kitty Kelly as she made her clumsy way up the staircase. When Molly was out of earshot, Lu steeled herself to ask Kitty the dreaded question. “Is James the father of your child?”

The redheaded chorus girl looked her up and down. “Yes,” she replied.

As Louisa watched her disappear down the hallway, icy fingers closed about her heart. Only a short time ago, she was the happiest female in Ireland. Now she was heartbroken. She went into her boudoir and sank down on the bed.

Was it only this morning that I let him share my bath and make love to me? Her eyes flooded with tears. Her thoughts were in disarray, her emotions were in turmoil, and her happiness lay in shards all about her.

As Louisa sat in utter defeat, her sorrow slowly transformed into anger. Then it progressed to red-hot anger! She saw Molly go past her door. “Molly, I need your help.”

The young maid came into the boudoir and kept her eyes lowered.

“Help me pack my things, Molly. I’ll just take the clothes in this wardrobe. I’ll send for my other things later.” Louisa summoned a footman. “Would you have them ready the carriage for me, and then come back for my luggage?”

Her hands went to her ears intending to remove the diamond and emerald earrings. Then she changed her mind. You bastard! You bloody Irish bastard! You begetter of bastards! I’ve earned the jewels. I finally yielded and gave you everything, and Kitty Kelly is my sodding reward!

Louisa packed her brushes and combs, and put her powder and lip rouge into her reticule. All she had in the bottom of her purse was a couple of gold guineas.

I have no money . . . but I know where to get some . . . Rowan Bloody Maloney!

When Louisa stepped from her carriage in Omagh, she was garbed in a fuchsia-colored traveling suit. Her matching hat was decorated with a cream ostrich feather and she wore cream kid gloves. “Wait for me,” she told her driver.

“Lady Abercorn, what a delightful surprise.” Rowan Maloney bowed to her.

“Surprise indeed, though not a delightful one, I warrant.”

The attorney showed her to a chair. “How may I help you, my lady?”

She ignored the chair. “By handing over my thousand pounds, Mr. Maloney.”

“Of course, my lady. Will a bank draft serve your needs?”

“No, it will not. I will take it in cash, please.”

Though his eyebrows twitched, he kept the look of alarm from his face. “If you will take a seat, I shall endeavor to accommodate you, Lady Abercorn.”

When he left the room, Louisa deigned to sit. In a few minutes she heard her husband’s voice. Judas! I forgot he was coming here today. Louisa jumped up from the chair and braced herself for the storm.

James came into the room smiling. “You came to meet me, Lady Lu.”

“Do not delude yourself. I came for my money. I’m going home to England.”

His smile turned into a frown. “What’s amiss? Have you received bad news?”

“As a matter of fact, I have.” Her green eyes glittered. “It was delivered by a red- headed chorus girl.”

His frown deepened. “Kitty?”

“How many red-headed mistresses do you have?”

“Lu, we are at cross purposes.”

“And always have been, I warrant!”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why didn’t you tell me that Kitty Kelly was Kate Connelly’s daughter? Why didn’t you tell me that she spent Christmas with you at Barons Court?”

“I didn’t think it mattered.”

“Then once again you are deluding yourself. Kitty has arrived bearing the fruit of your scandalous liaison.”

“You are talking rubbish!”

“Not enough that you demanded a fortune from my father to marry me. Not enough that you desired the political connection more than you desired me. Well, let me disabuse you, Lord Bloody Abercorn. You cannot have your cake and eat it too!”

Rowan Maloney beckoned James from the room. “Shouldn’t I tell her that you put the money from her dowry in trust for her, my lord?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Here is the money she requested,” Maloney said uncertainly.

“I’ll take it.” James went back into the room, with Rowan on his heels.

“Do you have my thousand pounds, Mr. Maloney?” she demanded.

“I have it,” James declared.

She held out her hand imperiously. “You avaricious swine. Give it to me.”

“One more word, madam, and I shall give you a clout round your ear hole.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

James took a swipe at her hat and sent it rolling across the floor. “Silence!”

Lu took a step back from him. He had never spoken to her in fury before. She summoned her courage. “I won’t put up with your bastards. I’m going home!”

“You are going home, all right. Home to Barons Court. You are demented. I shall take you into protective custody until you regain your senses.” He stepped toward her.

“Don’t you dare touch me!”

His dark eyes were stained black with fury. James swept her up and carried her outside to the carriage. He set her down on the seat and slammed the door. He jerked his thumb at the driver. “Home!”

Inside the coach, Louisa’s anger doubled. She put her hand on the door latch, intending to get out, but the driver was going so fast, the carriage was actually careening. Lu withdrew her hand and schooled herself to wait until it stopped. But inside, her fury bubbled like the brew in a witch’s cauldron.

Demented, indeed! He is the one who is demented if he thinks he can bully me and keep me from leaving. The swine thinks he can deny it, but let’s see him refute the accusation when he is confronted with the evidence of her swollen belly. Lu’s hand went to her hair. The uncivilized devil ruined my hat, to boot!

When they arrived at Barons Court and the driver stopped the carriage in the courtyard, Louisa flung open the door and jumped out in a flash. She was incensed that Abercorn had arrived before her and was standing, waiting for her. She lifted her skirts and began to run, but his quickness, determination, and strength easily thwarted her. With her wrist in a vise grip she struggled to free herself, flying at him with her free hand and trying to tear his dark face with her nails. She succeeded in neither. Thwarted, she balled up her fist and smote him in the chest. She refused to give him the satisfaction of showing that she hurt herself.

With long, determined strides he took her into the house. Since the indignity of being dragged was anathema to her, she had no option but to keep up with him. They climbed the stairs in silence. She wanted to scream abuse at him but instinctively knew such behavior would put her at a distinct disadvantage.

Abercorn took her into the master bedchamber, then through the adjoining door into her boudoir. He freed her wrist and looked her directly in the eyes. “Of what exactly am I accused?”

“Kitty Kelly is having your child!”

James stared at her for a full minute. “If that’s what you think—i f that’s what you truly think of me, we can never be husband and wife.” He paused and then continued, “You have a natural impulse to close yourself off as a defense against being hurt. I will give you some time to find the strength to rise from your defensive crouch and think about this accusation. Don’t concentrate on whether you can trust me, Louisa. Trusting yourself is the key to making the best decision for your marriage.”

He walked to the outer door, locked it, and put the key in his pocket. Then he entered the master bedchamber.

When he went into the other room, Lu immediately slammed the adjoining door. The minute she did it, she realized she had no clothes in her boudoir wardrobe. She had packed them all and they were in the carriage. Of course she had plenty of clothes in the master bedchamber. I’ll go naked before I’ll enter that room again!

James went in search of Kate Connelly. He found her in her housekeeper’s quarters.

“Lord Abercorn, my daughter has brought shame upon Barons Court.”

“Kate, tell me what happened.”

“Kathleen . . . Kitty arrived in the middle of the morning, swollen with child. We had words, and unfortunately Lady Abercorn heard the altercation. Apparently your wife knew Kitty but didn’t realize she was my daughter until she found us together.”

“Where is Kitty?”

“Lady Abercorn asked Molly to plenish one of the guest suites for her. I’m so sorry, my lord.” Kate hesitated. “Kathleen said you had been paying her rent in London.”

“That’s perfectly true. Her original lodgings were in a rough area, entirely unsuitable for a young woman living alone. I found her a respectable house and paid the landlady to keep an eye on her. I saw no need to worry you about it.”

“That was very obliging of you, Lord Abercorn. She shouldn’t have come here, shaming us, causing trouble.”

“Of course she should have come. My grandfather admonished me to make sure Barons Court would be a haven for her.”

“She’s gone and got herself in the same trouble I did.” Mrs. Connelly wrung her hands. “When she went running off to London, it’s the one thing I feared.”

James put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Yet I warrant it didn’t happen in London. Most likely it happened here at Christmas.”

“That it did!”

“Don’t fret your guts to fiddle strings, Mrs. Connelly. It isn’t the end of the world. I shall see what I can do to set things right.” He moved toward the door. “Make yourself a pot of tea and put your feet up, Kate.”

James went upstairs to the guest wing and knocked on the door to one of the suites. When Kitty opened it, he said, “May I come in?”

She nodded and tried to cling to her defiance, but it began to waver. She lowered her lashes. “I’m sorry, my lord.”

“Sorry for what, Kathleen?” he asked softly.

“You’re not angry with me?”

“You were in trouble. You had no one in London. You did the right thing to come home to Ireland.” He paused. “Now you have to decide about your future.”

“I know.” She sat down and rested her hands on her swollen belly.

“After the child is born, do you want to keep it, or do you intend to return to London and the stage?”

“I want to mother my baby. I don’t want to go back to London, but my decision depends on”—she hesitated—“certain circumstances.”

“I understand.” He nodded toward the bed. “Why don’t you get some rest? The journey must have been exhausting.”

James returned to the master bedchamber. He put his ear to the adjoining door, but all he heard was dead silence. I thought that a t long last you loved me, Louisa. But love without trust is no love at all. Once I would have given you anything—forgiven you anything—but this time, Lady Lu, you won’t get your way!