A Duchess Enraged (3 page)

Standing behind her,
he stroked her swelling breasts, and watched her in the mirror as her nipples
firmed and lifted still more. He let his hand drift down the shining embroidery
of her corset, and past it to caress the curls peeking out below it, as Louisa
watched their conjoined images with him. She moaned slightly, and spread her
legs just a little to give him better access. His hand slipped still lower, and
he spread her tender flesh and felt the gathering moisture there, watching his
strong brown fingers enter her, and the contrast between his muscular hands and
the delicate satin garters and silken stockings that covered her legs.

“Why must I leave you
for a whey faced virgin?” he burst out angrily.

“Need I leave you,
Adam?” Louisa asked huskily. “You have no interest in her, beyond eventually
getting an heir. Why should our joy be tainted by such worries?” She gazed at
his reflection, catching his eyes there, and then turned, to sink to her knees
before him. The amethyst covered heels of her shoes winked and glittered in the
light, and Adam caught his breath at the sight in the mirror of her long black
curls tumbling towards the lush behind that emerged below the tight-laced
corset.

Louisa was busy with
his buttons, and soon had his breeches open, and she reached inside to caress
his rock hard erection with eagerness. "I must admit that I do not have
much to return to in England, but if you are there, your presence will change
all that."

            Adam drew
in his breath as her skilled fingers moved over him. "I have been avoiding
this day for four years now, and I can hardly believe that it has actually come
upon me."

            "But
you will be happy to be back in England with your family and friends, at least,
and your own master, even if the estates require some attention,"
responded Louisa, her voice gently mournful. She slipped her fingers farther
between his legs to gently lift his heavy sac, then looked up at him and licked
her lips as she watched the passion rise in his eyes. “Perhaps you will be able
to forget me there,” she cooed.

            "I
would happily shun England's shores the rest of my life if I could avoid the
fate that awaits me," promised Adam fervently, his body clenching in
reaction to her touch.

“Let us not consider
such dull topics any longer,” Louisa murmured. “We have better games to play,
and this may be one of our last chances to enjoy them.” She opened her mouth
and took him inside it, her lips stretching wide over the engorged head, as she
licked and sucked. Adam groaned, his muscles clenching to control his pleasure
as he watched in the looking glass.

After a few moments
he pushed her away. “That’s enough of your talented mouth, for the nonce, my
sweet,” he muttered. He drew her upward and put his hands on her rear,
squeezing the lush globes and pushing her against his hard cock. His head
lowered to her breasts, and Louisa's back arched as he sucked them fiercely
while she moaned.

Louisa wrapped her
free hand around his neck, gently stroking the back of his head. "Adam,
you must put the best face on it possible. You are the now a duke, and you have
responsibilities. Your mother and your wife await you."

            "My
wife!" Adam clasped her breasts in his hands, lifting them upward and
pushing himself against her thighs. "Don't say that word. I can't think of
that hideous child as my wife. I would gladly trade her for you, my
Louisa." He led her to the bed and laid her down, separating her thighs
with his hand, until her pouty, glistening slit was clearly visible.

            "It's
a shame we did not meet until you were in Paris," agreed Louisa. She
licked her lips lasciviously and her hand drifted downwards as Adam settled on
his side next to her. She touched herself, her slender finger sliding up and
down while he watched avidly. I think perhaps I have been cursed by the Fates,
to find the man I love only to learn he can never be mine." She groaned
and allowed her thighs to open farther.

            "It
was not my choice," protested Adam, his hand moving hers away as he
slipped first one finger, then two into her pussy and stroked. He placed his
other hand over her neatly trimmed mons, and pushed down lightly, as the
fingers inside pressed up, and Louisa shrieked faintly as she climaxed.

Adam grinned. "I
would never willingly hurt you, nor would I trade your enthusiasm for a child
bride who will never satisfy me."

             Louisa
rose to her knees next to him, and unlaced her corset slowly, allowing her lush
breasts to emerge, then removed it, but left the stockings and amethyst heeled
shoes on. She put a leg over him and then gave a tiny gasp as she began to sink
down on his shaft and he stretched her ready flesh to its utmost. "I admit
to being sorely jealous of your wife. I will truly miss this." She choked
back a sob.

            "Don't
be miserable, darling," said Adam as he grabbed her hips and surged
upwards, filling her with one abrupt, satisfying motion. The last few minutes
had cleared his mind considerably. He saw no reason at all why he should not
continue to enjoy Louisa’s tender ministrations. What if he had a wife? She had
been forced on him by his family, and, while she held the title of duchess,
there was no reason Louisa could not continue to share his bed. "We
needn’t part just yet. My plan is for us return to London together. You will
stay in a hotel for a few days while I find a little house for you. "

Louisa sighed and
moved her hips luxuriously, her head falling back and her long hair sweeping
across his legs. "You are generous, Adam, I wish I could have more of you,
but I will be content with that. Your wife will have a claim on so much of your
time."

Adam groaned as she
teased him, rising up on her knees and then slowly lowering herself again.
"I won't forsake you, Louisa. I told my mother four years ago that they
could force me to marry that girl but they could not force me to be a husband
to her. I may have to share my house with her, but my heart and my body are
yours."

Louise reached behind
her and took his pouch in her hand, rolling it gently between her fingers as
she ground her pelvis into his. "Perhaps it would be best if you tried to
make a life with her. She is your wife, after all. Maybe it was a mistake for
me to come with you. I will surely bring scandal on you. Everyone knows I left
England before because of my debts, and my poor departed husband was so much
older than I...people said such hurtful things when I married him. I knew it
wasn't true, but it hurt when they said I married him only for his title and
fortune."

"Don't say
that," ordered Adam as she began to move more quickly and his hips rose
and fell, matching her pace. "I know the truth. I know your parents forced
you into that marriage, and that the ruinous bills were your husband's. Gossip
doesn't deter me. I'll always return to your arms, my love."

Louisa gave a groan
of pleasure. "You know best, Adam," she gasped. "I will do
whatever you ask of me. I don't have the strength to resist you." Then the
fury of her climax seized her as Adam braced his feet and forced himself
higher, giving a shout of triumph as he pumped into her. Louisa collapsed on
his chest, her fingers gently tangling in his golden hair.

Adam dropped a kiss
into her tumbled curls. “Rest, my sweet,” he said.

Louisa smiled at him,
her eyes never betraying her thoughts. She felt she had played that little
scene very well indeed. The Duke of Gravesmere was too fine a catch for her to
drive him away with a show of jealousy. The right touch of sorrow, loving
resignation, and a total willingness to please him in the bedroom would do more
than a thousand tantrums to make him stay with her. She had invested far too
much time in Adam to give up now. Since she had first met the handsome young
aristocrat in Paris, she had been quite certain that he was her future. He
might have a wife, but the marriage was unconsummated, his father was gone, and
his heart was clearly not in the marriage. With a little careful management,
she would still be a duchess.

"I can rest
later, darling," she murmured. "For now all I want is to make you
happy." She raised herself off him and turned, so that her charming bottom
was presented to his view. Adam groaned deeply in his throat as her tongue
flicked across the tip of his staff, and he felt himself beginning to stir
again. Louisa smiled to herself. Her interest in Adam lay primarily in his
title and his wallet, but it didn't hurt that he seemed to be inexhaustible in
bed and had a body that satisfied her in every way.

"I love you,
Louisa," Adam groaned as she continued her tantalizing work.               

"I know you do,
darling," she answered, and then all discussion was forgotten as her mouth
closed over him again.                    

London’s
Latest Rage

A few weeks later
Adam and Louisa set out on their journey to London. They travelled in easy
stages, for Adam was in no hurry to trade his charming mistress for a dowdy
wife, and Louisa was only too happy to indulge him. When they finally reached
London, she declared herself delighted with the charming house he had ordered
his solicitor to locate in Half Moon Street, and she set out to turn it into a
haven of domesticity. She organized a number of charming card parties for her
acquaintances to amuse Adam, and if the company was not quite of the highest
reaches of Society, and perhaps a little vulgar, Gravesmere took no notice.

Adam was only glad
that none of them were friends of his mother's and she would therefore not hear
of his presence in London. He had notified her that he would be arriving, and
most of his baggage had been sent on ahead to Gravesmere House, but he had
given no precise date to expect him, and he found he continued to put off the
dreaded homecoming. Louisa urged him most charmingly to visit his mother, who
she felt sure would cherish the sight of him, but he resisted, savoring his
last days of freedom. Increasingly he found thoughts of his wife haunting him,
despite his mistresses' constant reassurances that she had surely improved with
time. Was she still so gawky, and was her hair still that awful shade of
flaming red? And how could he possibly live with her, when he was completely
enamored with Louisa?

In the course of his
travels he had received the occasional letter from Allegra, written in a
childish hand and expressing the merest banalities. Over the last year, even
those had stopped, and he had no idea at all what she might be like. He, in
turn, had written not at all, and it was only at the urgings of Dr. Fitch that
he had sent the occasional bauble to her as a present. He dreaded to think what
she might be like. His recollection of her was simply of a gangly and pale
child with tearful eyes. Allegra was now of an age to go out into society and
had been introduced to the ton as the Duchess of Gravesmere this very season;
he dreaded to think of how his friends must be snickering at him even now.

These dark thoughts
manifested in his dreams awoke him one morning. He gazed at Louisa as she
slumbered next to him, her midnight-black hair spread across the whiteness of
the pillow, her cherry-red lips parted, her violet eyes cloaked. He thought
about waking her in order to wipe the last remnants of his nightmare away, but
he remembered her voraciousness the night before and how she had kept him busy
until near dawn. She must be very tired. He rose, being careful not to rouse
her, and dressed. It looked to be a beautiful day; perhaps a walk would lift
his foul mood.

Adam strolled
randomly through the streets of London, moving briskly in an attempt to clear
his head. He stopped as he neared the park, enjoying the simplicity of the
scene. It was much too early for the truly fashionable hour of the promenade,
but the park was not completely empty of occupants. Although Adam did not see
anyone he knew, others were abroad enjoying the fine weather. There were even
some elegant ladies and gentlemen, on horseback and in carriages, exchanging
smiles and nods. There were also children playing with their nurses in small
groups, chasing balls and squealing with pleasure. It was all very English to
Adam's unaccustomed eye, and he realized he was in truth glad to be home. It
was only his marital situation that irked him.

He watched for a few
minutes, and then on a whim went to the nearest livery stable and hired a
horse; not one of which he was terribly proud, but it would serve for a brief
turn in the park to enjoy the fine morning. He rode through the park, his mind
in turmoil. If he concentrated he could almost imagine himself in Paris, riding
in the Bois de Boulogne with Louisa at his side. He was furious that she was
here in London with him and yet he might not declare his feelings for her. His
parents had robbed him of that opportunity, and bound him to a well-born
nonentity.

His wandering
attention was recalled as the sound of pounding hooves caused his horse to
flicker an ear and sidle across the track. Adam watched in surprise as a fine
black stallion galloped wildly into view. He was amazed to see a woman riding
it, laughing aloud as the pair tore along. She wore an extremely tight-fitting
riding habit, which accentuated her tiny waist and feminine curves. Its dark
green color highlighted the red-gold curls that glinted in the sunlight where
they escaped from her high crowned hat, which boasted an enormous plume of
feathers that brushed her shoulders. A foaming cravat of lace framed her
piquant face, animated by enormous blue eyes lit with laughter. Despite her
delicate figure, she handled the powerful beast at the dangerous pace with the
ease of an accustomed horsewoman. Tearing after her came two gentlemen, who
called out as they chased her. She pulled up quite close to Adam, and the
rapidity and collection of their halt and the quiet attitude of the horse spoke
volumes for her skill.

She waited for her
admirers to canter up and greeted them laughingly. "Didn't I tell you that
my Midnight was more than a match for your horses?"

The men stopped next
to her, and were eager in their assurances of her superiority. One man seized
her hand and kissed it eagerly. "Before today I felt that you were at your
best in the ballroom, my lady, but now I believe that you are even lovelier on
horseback," he declared passionately.

The woman shook her
head and withdrew her hand. "Don't make an idiot of yourself,
Roland," she said, looking over his shoulder. "I believe now we will
have to wait for my groom."

They were soon joined
by that individual, who looked clearly harassed by his volatile charge. She
tossed him an apologetic smile and laughed.

"It is amazing
that you are riding so early in the day, oh fair Artemis," observed one of
the gentlemen. "I know you danced until three this morning. Is there no
end to your energy?"

The woman laughed
again and tossed her head. "Pooh. Do you think me such a poor thing that a
little dancing would keep me lying abed on a fine day? I am not likely to waste
my afternoons languishing about with a cup of chocolate and visits from my
hairdresser. I am a fashion unto myself."

"And a most
beautiful one," responded her companion. "Will you attend the ridotto
at Ranelagh this evening?"

"I? A member of
the haut ton at a public masquerade?" replied the woman with a touch of
hauteur.

"I will have no
pleasure if you are not there. Allow me to escort you; I will make sure you
come to no harm."            

She smiled and
tantalizing dimples appeared in her cheeks. "I believe you may see me
there. My brother will be my escort, however; he will guard my virtue better
than you would."

"You wound
me," cried the gentleman. "I have no thought but that which makes you
happy."

"Then I will see
you there tonight," she said teasingly, turning her horse and urging it
forward. The party continued on their way at a sedate walk, laughing and
talking gaily.

Adam watched them
move on, surprised by what he had seen. The woman was very beautiful, and her
horsemanship was remarkable. Galloping in the park was rather scandalous, but
he had to admire her skill and daring. He wondered who she was. No woman of his
acquaintance could handle a horse like that. Whoever she was, she must be a new
arrival to London. He would surely remember any woman who looked and rode like
that.

Adam made his way
back to Half Moon Street, finding Louisa lying abed with a bowl of chocolate,
her hairdresser hovering over her as he arranged her curls. She beckoned to
Adam with an intimate smile, and he perched on a small stool and watched her
perfect profile as she went through the small pile of invitations on her tray.

"There is an
invitation to dine with Mr. Buckley," she said. "Shall we venture out
tonight?"

"I am tired of
small parties," said Adam petulantly. An unbidden thought popped into his
head. "I think we shall do something more adventurous. What do you think
of attending the ridotto at Ranelagh this evening?"

"Oh, Adam, could
we?" Louisa's violet eyes flashed at him eagerly. "Do you think we
should be seen together in public?"

"We shall be
masked," shrugged Adam. "And I would love to go in public with you. I
only regret we cannot do it more often."

"You are so kind
to me, darling Adam." Louisa patted his hand. "I will be so unhappy
when this time together is over. I must admit that sometimes I pretend to
myself that we are married and need never be parted again. I know it's silly of
me, but I can't help it."

Adam looked down at
the top of her drooping head and stifled an oath. His wife. He would never
forgive his father for forcing this marriage on him and depriving him of the
woman he truly loved.

And so that night
Adam and Louisa arrived at Ranelagh Gardens. He wore a plain black domino and
mask; Louisa's domino of violet silk hung open over a sumptuous gown of lilac
satin heavily embroidered in gold. The gardens were brightly lit by gaily
twinkling lanterns; the pavilions overflowed with refreshments and revelers
seeking to discover what faces were hidden behind the masks. Strains of music
floated from the pavilion, where people clad in brightly colored dominos
danced. The pair dined in comfort in a private box and then ventured forth into
the ballroom, where they danced a few turns.

"Adam, darling,
perhaps we could visit the card room," said Louisa. "I believe Mrs.
Ormsley said she would be there tonight. You don't mind, do you? I know how
tedious you find dancing."

"Are you
thinking of me, or of yourself?" teased Adam. Louisa had a fondness for
gaming that he found quite charming. She took so much pleasure in the activity,
and though she seldom won, risking money made her curiously excited, and Adam
usually found himself well rewarded for her losses later in bed.

Louisa pouted
prettily. "If you are minded to be unpleasant about it..." she
murmured.

Adam laughed and drew
her close, his hand slipping inside her domino to caress the side of her
breast.

"We shall do
anything you desire, my dear. I am yours to command."

Louisa smiled
prettily, and the pair made their way to the card room. There Louisa found Mrs.
Ormsley and Sir Jonathan Salter at play, and she moved quickly up to the table.

"Do you mind,
Adam?" she asked. "You know how I love basset."

"Indeed I do, my
love," said Adam with a grin. "Play to your heart’s content. I
believe I may take a stroll in the fresh air, but I will be back shortly."
He placed a rouleau of guineas on the table before her. "Best of luck, darling,"
he said.

He strolled through
the crowded card room and re-entered the ballroom. The brightly clothed crowd
continued to dance, and there was a small commotion at the far end of the room,
where some gentlemen appeared to be chasing a lady of less than impeccable
virtue. Adam made a mental note to watch carefully over Louisa; this was no
place for a gently bred woman to be left alone. As he prepared to go outside, a
woman seated on a settee not far away caught his eye. She was holding court
with a bevy of gentlemen, all of whom appeared to be hanging on her every word.
A domino of sky-blue silk covered her white gown, and silver embroidery
glittered on her underskirt. The simple richness of the ornament stood out,
making other women appear vulgarly over-dressed. She seemed somehow familiar to
him, and then he caught the glint of her unpowdered red-gold hair and
recognized the flash of brilliant blue eyes behind the mask. It was the lady he
had seen riding in the park earlier that day. Intrigued, he drew closer.

"Don't be
impertinent, Roland," she was saying, tapping a gentlemen on the cheek
with her fan. "You should treat me with the respect due a married
lady."

The gentleman dropped
to his knees by her side. "What can I do to earn your forgiveness?"

She looked at him
calculatingly. Another gentleman laughed. "It is his fortune she'll be
having," he declared loudly.

"No, for I have
one of my own," said the lady. "I have no need for money. I do not
believe there is anything I need from you at all, Roland."

The gentleman
clutched his heart in mock despair. "Oh, cruel damsel. You wound me to the
quick!"

"Pish,"
said the woman. She made a sweeping gesture. "You think only of
yourselves, all of you. I am but a diversion for you."

Another gentleman
came forward and took her dainty hand. "On the contrary, you are the sun
around which we mere planets revolve. Without your presence we would have
neither light nor warmth."

The woman laughed
again, tilting her head prettily on its slender neck, seeming to consider his
words. "What a pretty speech. I think you win the prize for tonight!"
She took a flower from her hair and presented it to him mockingly. He accepted
it with a deep bow and pressed it his lips to it before tucking it into his
buttonhole.

On an impulse, Adam
approached the group, carefully sliding his mask down over his face. While his
heart was totally Louisa's, he told himself, this woman was very intriguing.
She had a sparkling quality that set her apart from the others. He bowed deeply
before her.