Surrender Your Grace (17 page)

“Yes, Andrew. Although with the baby gone, I doubt if it will be necessary.” He could hear the tears in her shaky voice and she sniffled as she blinked furiously trying to hold back the tears.

Reaching over. he squeezed her hand in support. “None of that now my love, we are supposed to be enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, not dwelling on our loss.” He saw her nod and search in her reticule for a handkerchief. Watching her dab at her tears and take several deep calming breaths, he asked,,“Better?”

“Yes, although I don’t think ‘better’ is the right word. It is going to be a long while before I feel better, but I will try.”

“You need a distraction. Maggie has asked to attend the theater; Dion Boucicault's ‘The Sleep of Twenty Years’ I believe. I here it is an adaptation of a Yank’s short story called
Rip Van Winkle
. It is supposed to be quite humorous and I think might cheer you up. I will accompany you both.”

“Is it proper so soon, Andrew?”

“No one knows about our loss except family and our full mourning period for James is almost past, so there is no need for concern. Mother of course will not be able to attend for some time yet. By the time she finishes her mourning for James, three years will have passed with the poor woman in nothing but widow’s weeds. A ridiculous ritual to be sure.” He eyed Cici’s loose fitting mourning gown. She had lost weight. “I think we’ll need to get you to the dressmaker. I’m also going to monitor your meals more closely, Cici. You are much too thin.”

“I am still too curvy to be fashionable. I could stand to lose more.”

“Absolutely not, I liked you the way you were. And if Cook and I have anything to do with it, you will be back to your voluptuous self in no time and filling out the tops of your gowns as a woman should.”

Blushing, she looked around to ensure his comments hadn’t been overheard. He truly said the most outrageous things. But she was pleased he liked her shapely form. For the first time in weeks, her thoughts turned amorous as she snuggled against him. He had not returned to their marriage bed since she lost the baby. Knowing his active libido, she had a few passing worries that he had turned elsewhere to meet his needs. No! She trusted him. She would not go down that self-destructive path again. He said he would be faithful and she would trust that he had been, even if it made her seem naïve. She made up her mind to lure him back to her arms that evening.

Chapter Thirteen

T
he opportunity to seduce her husband didn’t come that night. In fact, she wouldn’t find an occasion for another week. He was called away again to deal with a problem at one of his estates. Although Cici asked to go with him he refused, stating he would be traveling quickly and expected to return within one or two days. She had whined that at this rate she would never get to see any of the other Sommerville estates and had earned herself a bare bottom spanking for her sass. Unfortunately, it took him four times as long and Cici became frustrated by his absence so she turned to her best friend Maggie to help her cope.

“He sent word that he would be back in the next few days, Cici. Cheer up.”

“I’m know, but I’m worried Maggie. I can’t remember the last time Andrew has been home long enough to take me out for the evening and he won’t let me go with him. He comes up with some reason or another to keep me at home, saying it is too soon, or that I’m too pale.”

“The Sommerville estates are vast, Cici. He has to visit them and evidently with the time he spent away after… uh, your loss, things have piled up. It will get better once his new secretary has learned his duties. Plus, the season is winding down and Parliament will be dismissing. He should have extra time soon. This is a big change for him as well. I think he’d rather be here with you.”

“You are right and I sound like a bitter old harpy. I am really a poor excuse for a wife. I understand that things have changed greatly for him. It’s just that he’s rarely home anymore and when he is he’s exhausted. Ever since losing the baby he hasn’t even-.” She stopped abruptly realizing what she was about to say to her husband’s sister. She couldn’t talk to her about her concerns. Shaking her head, she tried to change the subject.

“Let’s go into the study. I want you to show me where Andrew keeps the naughty books you were telling me about.”

“OK, but I know what you’re trying to do and it won’t work.” Maggie laughed at her friend’s startled expression. “I’ve got a mind like a steel trap, dear sister and I will return to the subject at hand eventually.” She crossed the room and pulled Cici to her feet. “Let me see if I can find Andrew’s editon of
Becklard’s Physiology
or his copy of the
Kama Sutra,
they both have drawings.”

“The what and the who?”

“'Becklard’s’ is a how to book on human sexuality. The other is in Hindu or some such language, but the pictures are self-explanatory. Both are banned so my brother is a very naughty boy.” She winked at Cici who was blushing furiously. “But I don’t have to tell you that.”

“Maggie! I am a married woman and yet you obviously know more about the subject than I do.”

“My knowledge is not firsthand, however.” She tugged her into Andrew’s study and closed and locked the door. “Pour us both a brandy and let’s see what we can find.”

Two hours later, both young women were laughing uproariously as Cici exclaimed from the ladder, a cigar clamped between her teeth and a snifter of brandy held aloft. She declared, “I don’t care what you say, we have been through every shelf and looked at every book. I’ll be jiggered if Andrew has a picture book on tupping anywhere in this library.”

A door slamming had them both turning suddenly. Maggie squealed in alarm and quickly extinquished her cigar as she saw her infuriated brother and his friend Duncan, the Earl of Rothbury standing behind them. Cici also turned and being five rungs up the ladder and on her third brandy lost her balance causing the ladder to sway precariously backwards. Grasping for purchase on one of the shelves, she dropped her brandy snifter with a crash and found herself hanging by her fingertips from one of the upper shelves.

She cried out in alarm just as strong arms wrapped around her from behind and she was securely lifted. Having no choice but to release the shelf, she trusted that whoever held her could bear her weight. Reaching down to balance herself she grasped a fistful of silky soft hair and was relieved to hear a man’s deep voice.

“Let go before you snatch me bald, woman. I have you.”

Recognizing Andrew’s voice, she released her grip and found herself quickly upended over his shoulder. Her shriek of protest was met by a large hand smacking her sharply across her posterior. Hanging down his back, her hair came loose and blocked her vision but she heard him announce, “I am taking this naughty chit to her room. Duncan, if you would be kind enough to see that Maggie gets to her rooms, I will deal with her in the morning.”

An upside down Cici swept the hair from her eyes she tried to find Maggie, but her movements were curtailed by two hard smacks to her buttocks. “I suggest you stay still my naughty wife, unless you want witnesses to the punishment I mean to deliver posthaste.”

She flopped back down across his back, meekly allowing him to carry her from the room. As if she had a choice. She was mortified as he carried her down the hallway past the servants who lingered there. Not wanting to meet the undoubtedly shocked or amused gazes of those she would tomorrow have to provide instruction to, she closed her eyes as he moved up the staircase.

“Andrew, this is beyond humiliating. Please put me down so I can walk.”

“I think not, wife. You deserve to be humbled after what I just witnessed. Imagine my shock as Duncan and I stood there listening to you lamenting your fruitless search for a sex manual of all things. And to top it off, you were smoking one of my best cigars and swilling my finest brandy like a cockish wench.” He had arrived at her rooms and entered, slamming the door behind them. She found herself falling as he hefted her from his broad shoulder and allowed her to land in a wild sprawl upon her bed. Struggling to right herself, she brushed aside her long red hair and looked up at her irate husband.

“What do you have to say for yourself, Cecilia?”

Uh-oh! He only called her Cecilia anymore when he was really angry.

“I’m sorry, Andrew but it was only Rothbury and we had the door locked.”

“I of course have a key, and so does Thompson. Another few minutes and it would have been Scorpion Stanley himself.”

She blinked at him in confusion.

“The Prime Minister… Earl Derby, didn’t you get my message that I was expecting important guests this evening?”

“Uh, well… No, as a matter of fact I didn’t receive a message.” Flushing deeper she remembered their butler Thompson knocking on the door, but she had dismissed him in a bout of giggles with Maggie. They hadn’t wanted the butler to see them smoking Andrew’s cigars and imbibing in his brandy. He would have told Andrew without question. Now she regretted her impulsive and reckless actions. Thinking about how it would have looked if the head of Parliament had walked in on her in that state, she felt instantly ashamed and quite sober. “I am so very sorry, Andrew. I had no idea.”

“If you aren’t now you will be shortly.” Andrew stared down at her in frustration. “I can’t have you acting as hostess in this state so you are confined to your rooms this evening.” Turning, he strode toward their sitting area and his adjoining rooms beyond. They usually shared his bed, so being confined to her room was indeed a punishment.

“Andrew, you can’t treat me like an errant child.” She protested as she followed. She bit her tongue when he turned back to her, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

“It’s funny you should say that, because with your naughty behavior of late, I have often felt more of a parent than a husband. Furthermore, if I were treating you like a child, your skirts would be up and you would be feeling a paddle against your drawers.” He waited for that to sink in before he continued, “However, since you are my wife and supposedly an adult, you will feel a woman’s punishment. Later tonight, expect to feel the full brunt of my displeasure against your bare backside. Until then, you will stay here and do as you are told, understood?”

“I’m sorry, Andrew. I had not intended to embarrass you this way.” A tear escaped and she wiped it away in frustration. She didn’t want to keep crying in front of him.

“I understand that and your apology is accepted, Cici. Our challenge it seems is getting you to think that way before you act so outrageously.” Walking to her, he pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll have a tray sent up. Get some rest and don’t cry now.” Turning her back toward her room, he swatted her behind as he gently nudged her forward. “Save those tears for later when I give you something to cry about.”

Whirling in alarm, she stared at him with her mouth open, her hands going to the back of her skirts, protectively covering her vulnerable backside.

Andrew looked at her expression and couldn’t help but laugh. Shaking his head at the adorable creature that was his wife, he had to admit that his life never had a dull moment when she was around. He then left to greet his important guests.

Chapter Fourteen

C
ici paced worriedly before the cold fireplace, nervously glancing at the clock on the mantle. She had heard men’s voices in the entryway and the clattering sound of their departing carriages almost thirty minutes earlier. She had expected Andrew immediately thereafter. Pausing, she strained to hear but there was no sound from the sitting room or Andrew’s rooms beyond. Walking to the connecting door she opened it and apprehensively peered across at his closed bedroom door. What was he waiting for? She wanted her punishment over with so she could get on with the business of seducing her husband.

Suddenly, the outer door to the sitting room opened and he appeared. Cici gasped as she saw the implement he held in his hand. Never had he used such a harsh correction tool on her. Her hand rose involuntarily to her throat and she swallowed the protest that was on the tip of her tongue. She knew she deserved a spanking, but this seemed a bit too much.

Andrew stopped when he saw her stricken expression and arched one finely shaped brow in question. Did she think he’d go easy on her after such a stunt? Pointing to the door to his room, he waited for her to obey his silent command. Watching as she crossed the sitting room slowly, he followed his errant wife into his rooms the whole while tapping the half-inch thick birch cane against his thigh. First he would see to her correction; then he would see to their other needs.

The door closed with a soft thud before the clicking of the lock echoed ominously throughout the room. His voice when it came was filled with unyielding authority. “Remove your clothing and stand beside the settee, Cecilia. I want you bent over the arm with your naughty bottom high in the air for me.”

Cici shivered. The commanding tone of his voice aroused her beyond belief. Even the impending punishment did nothing to tamp down the unladylike wanting she had for her husband. Murmuring an obedient, “Yes, Andrew,” she quickly divested herself of her sheer robe and the thin night rail she wore underneath. This left her naked in her husband’s fully clothed presence. She felt familiar moisture gathering between her thighs at the wickedness of her bare state while he stood still dressed in his formal clothes.

“No dawdling. Bend over the arm and present your bottom for punishment.” He watched as his beautiful Duchess finally did as he bade. As his eyes ran over her curvaceous form, he smiled as he noticed the moisture glistening on her inner thighs. She was absolutely perfect for him. It surely was destiny that had brought such a matched pair together. She enjoyed the lead up to the punishment and the domination as much as he did, if not the actual punishment itself. Tonight he was sure she would find little enjoyment from the cane, but he would make it up to her afterward. He would much rather paddle her delightfully rounded bottom with his bare hand but he could not tolerate his wife behaving like a hoyden by drinking and smoking cigars, of all things. As for the sex manual she had been futilely searching for, he would be happy to share his private collection with her later. He would enjoy watching her blush and cringe at the rare ancient book with its explicit depictions of sex. But he would do it at a time when she wasn’t in need of a lathering to her naughty backside for acting like a dockside hussy.