The Decadent Duke (41 page)

Georgina felt ice-cold fingers steal about her heart. She shivered.
John made no declaration of love. He kissed me on the forehead.
Her joy became ephemeral, like mist, and floated away from her. Her happiness shattered into a thousand shards.

 
“We've been looking for you.” Charlotte turned up the lamp. “What on earth are you doing sitting here in the dark?”

Georgina could not answer because of the lump in her throat. She saw the anxious look on John's face as he stood at the door.

Charlotte took her hands and pulled her from the chair. “They've all gone . . . finally! Let me take you upstairs, Georgy.” As they passed John, Charlotte murmured, “Bridal nerves . . . I'll take care of her.”

The two sisters ascended the stairs, then turned into the guest wing where the bridal chamber had been prepared. Georgina could feel her legs trembling, and sat down on the bed.”

“Is something wrong, darling? Charlotte asked with concern.

Georgina shook her head.

A Lennox maid came in to help the young bride prepare for bed, but Charlotte dismissed her with a kind word of thanks. When they were alone, she busied herself making sure there were fresh towels and other toiletries; then she pulled the heavy drapes closed across the tall windows. She picked up the delicately embroidered nightdress from the pillow and set it down beside Georgina. “Let me help you out of your wedding gown,” she said gently.

As if she were in a daze, Georgina allowed her sister to remove her dress and her undergarments and slip the white nightdress over her head. Charlotte led her to the dressing table, gently pushed her down so that she was sitting before the mirror, then began to brush her hair. “Are you afraid, Georgy?”

Their eyes met in the reflection of the mirror. “You needn't be afraid. John loves you very much.”

Georgina's eyes flooded with tears, and Charlotte hurried across the bedchamber to a table that held decanters. She passed over the wine and picked up the brandy. She poured a liberal amount into a glass and brought it to her sister. “Drink up. It will banish your nuptial jitters.”

Georgina took the glass and held it. She looked like she was in shock, or some sort of a trance, and Charlotte concluded she was lost in her thoughts. She remembered the night Georgy had caught her performing an intimate act on Charles, so she knew her young sister wasn't completely ignorant about sex. “Darling, you are worrying over nothing. Just drink your brandy, and John will take care of everything else. All right?”

Georgina nodded, but Charlotte could see she was still immersed in her own deep thoughts. She couldn't think of anything else to do, so she withdrew and quietly closed the bedchamber door.

At the top of the stairs, Charlotte encountered John. “I'm afraid her happy, vivacious mood has changed completely. It's just a case of nerves. I assured her there was nothing to worry about. Good night, John.”

 
Georgina stared down into the glass of brandy. She set it untasted onto a bedside table and sat down on the bed. She felt numb, stunned like a bird flown into a stone wall.
My husband doesn't love me!
She wanted to laugh, but knew she was closer to sobbing.
I swore I would never marry without love. How foolish I must seem to everyone. It feels like a nightmare, except it's real—I'm not asleep.

Georgina jumped as she heard the door open. When she saw that it was John, dismay overwhelmed her. Surely there was no greater humiliation on earth than having to show gratitude to someone who felt obligated to do his duty.

John smiled at his beautiful bride when he saw her sitting on the bed in her nightgown. He removed his coat, his waistcoat, unfastened his neckcloth and removed it too, before he moved across the room toward her. As he got closer, he saw the unhappy look on her face that was close to panic. He had sensed something was wrong when he and Charlotte had found Georgina sitting in the dark. John knew the last person she had spoken with was Susan, and he suspected it was something her sister had said that had changed her happy mood.

His bride looked so impossibly young, it gave him a feeling of disquiet. He realized he must seem very old to her at this moment. “Georgy, you're not afraid, are you?”

Her eyes went wide. Her throat was so tight, she could not answer. Instead she shook her head uncertainly.

“Perhaps
afraid
is the wrong word, but you
are
feeling a little apprehensive.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “Georgy, it's only natural. I imagine every bride feels this way on her wedding night.” He reached out to ruffle her dark curls and tried not to feel rebuffed when she drew back from his hand.
She looks so forlorn and vulnerable, it breaks my heart.

“Do you want to talk about it, sweetheart?” he asked kindly.

She shook her head vigorously.

He noticed the untouched brandy on the bedside table. Though he knew she would benefit from the “tiger frightener,” perhaps it was too strong for her. “Would you like some wine, Georgy?”

Once again she shook her head.

“Why don't you get into bed,” he suggested. When he saw her hesitation, he turned the lamp down to a faint glow. John was relieved when she slowly arose, lifted the covers, and slid into bed. She sat motionless as if she were in a trance. He removed the studs from his shirt and sat down on the bed. Propped against the huge pillows, his bride looked small and fragile.

His hands cupped her shoulders, and he drew her toward him to place a kiss on her forehead. The moment his lips touched her silken skin, he felt her stiffen.
She's thinking about Francis. I must give her time . . . I must be patient.

John smiled down into her eyes. “You're not up to this tonight, are you, Georgy?”

Her lips trembled as she swallowed hard and whispered, “No.”

“I understand—truly. Get some sleep.” John tenderly tucked the covers about her. He moved away from the bed, turned out the lamp, and sank down in the overstuffed bedroom chair.

 
Georgina lay awake in the dark for hours before the numbness gradually seeped away. It was replaced by anger. Hatred for Francis Russell rose up inside her with a vengeance. He was the root of all her trouble. Georgina was also furious with her mother for constantly pushing her into the dissolute swine's arms.

It was doubly infuriating that her sister Susan and Manchester had aided and abetted her mother in the sordid seduction plot. Lastly, she was angry with John Russell. He had married her under false pretenses, and shattered all her lovely dreams.

She lay in the dark with one unhappy thought chasing another in an unending circle. But gradually it began to dawn on her that she had no one to blame but herself.
I was the one who flirted with Francis Russell, luring him and toying with him so that he would come panting after me. I did this in spite of my brother
warning me a dozen times that the duke was a womanizer.

Georgina pictured her new husband sleeping in the chair across the room. The thought of John marrying her out of duty, rather than love, was devastating. But there it was. It must be faced.
I am wed to a man who does not love me, in spite of vowing never to get trapped in a loveless marriage. I must stop feeling sorry for myself. My future happiness is up to me. All I have to do to make my dreams come true is make John

Russell fall in love with me
. In the darkness, Georgina's mouth curved into a secret smile.

Georgina opened her eyes and realized it was morning. Someone had opened the curtains, and sunlight was streaming into the chamber. In that instant everything came back to her, and her glance flew to the bedroom chair. It was empty, and her heart sank.

The door opened, and John came in carrying a tray. “Good morning. I thought you might enjoy breakfast in bed.”

She sat up against the pillows. “My behavior last night was appalling . . . I'm sorry, John.”

"“Nonsense.” He set the tray before her and sat on the bed.

Her green eyes shone with admiration. “You are such a civil man. Civil is short for civilized, I suppose, which is something us Gordons could never claim to be.”

John lifted the silver covers from three platters of food.

“Good heavens, I'll never be able to eat all that.”

“I should hope not! Most of it's for me.”

“Greedy devil. And here's me calling you civilized.”

“I have a man's healthy appetite.” His glance was drawn to her lush breasts, enticingly visible through the filmy nightgown.
In all things, and I'm starving.
He gazed at her hungrily and couldn't quite catch his breath.

Georgina had been trained her entire life in how to attract the male of the species. It wasn't enough to be feminine and alluring. To make a man fall hard, a lady must also be provocative and elusive. Men always wanted what they could not have. They enjoyed the chase, and found a challenge irresistible.
I must not let John know I am head over heels in love with him.

She reached for a piece of bacon with her fingers, but John got there first. “Do you like bacon, Georgy?”

“I do,” she admitted, “especially if it's crispy.”

He reached across the tray and held it close to her lips. She smiled into his eyes and allowed him to feed her. “I just learned a secret . . . you cannot resist temptation.”

“Of course I can.”

He picked up another piece and wafted it before her. Its tempting aroma was irresistible. Georgina succumbed, and allowed him to feed her all the bacon on the platter. Sharing the breakfast resulted in much laughter, and John was immensely pleased that Georgina was in a happy, playful mood.

Though he was fully aroused and longed to make love to her, he controlled his rampant desire. He was wise enough to realize he must go slowly in his courtship and win her to a giving mood. The last thing he wanted was for his beautiful wife to draw back and retreat from his advances.

“I must get dressed. I can't wait to put on my lovely traveling suit. I bought my entire trousseau in Paris.” Her eyes sparkled. “I couldn't resist the temptation of French fashions.” “Our people in Bedfordshire are most discerning, and are certain to appreciate them,” he teased, “but I can't guarantee that our people in Cambridge and Northampton won't simply gape at you.”

“But I
love
to be gaped at. Why do you think I wear such outrageous hats?” she demanded.

“To steal every other woman's thunder and make yourself the center of attention, of course. I'm learning all your secrets.”

“Ha! That will take forever.”

John smiled into her eyes. “We have forever, Georgy.”

Two hours later, Georgina, in a spectacular primrose-yellow traveling dress and matching coat, stepped up into the Duke of Bedford's carriage and threw good-bye kisses to Charlotte and her niece Mary. The newlyweds would spend tonight at Woburn and leave on a short trip tomorrow.

“I'm sorry the time is so short, Georgina. I must visit the Russell estates in Cambridge and Northampton, and be back at Woburn when my sons finish their school year.”

“You needn't apologize, John. As the Duchess of Bedford, I look forward to sharing all your responsibilities. I have an insatiable curiosity, and love visiting places I've never been before and meeting new people.”

“They're new to me too. I haven't visited the Russell estates since I was a boy. I don't intend to be an absentee landlord. I need to make sure the stewards in charge of the estates are not stealing me blind, or making the lives of my tenant farmers hell on earth.” He grimaced. “Such an exciting honeymoon.v

“Duty before pleasure,” she teased, “is a mark of maturity and a quality that is most desirable in a husband.” Georgina suddenly blushed as she realized their marriage had not yet been consummated. They were husband and wife in name only. Tonight was the night when all that would change. She experienced a moment of panic, as she wondered if John would find it a duty or a pleasure.
I won't think about it now; I'll think about it later.

When they arrived at Woburn Abbey it was late in the afternoon, and Mr. Burke had assembled both the inside staff and the outdoor workers to greet the Duke of Bedford and his new duchess.

Georgina asked the steward to introduce each servant by name. She stopped each maid from curtsying and, instead, shook her hand. Then she offered her hand to every member of the male staff and repeated his name.

“Thank you for your warm welcome. There hasn't been a duchess at Woburn for three decades, and I warrant that most of you are apprehensive about catering to a female. I just want everyone to know that I'm apprehensive also. Being a duchess is new to me, and I ask all of you to help me fulfill my role.”

Mr. Burke and the Duke of Bedford looked at Georgina with approval and admiration. Then John swept her up into his arms and carried her over the threshold. The women clapped and the men cheered. All were clearly delighted to be part of the age-old romantic custom. Before he could set her down, Georgina gave in to a sudden impulse. She wound her arms about her husband's neck and lifted her mouth to his. When he took possession of her lips, the entire staff applauded. Georgina ended the kiss first; then she smiled mischievously and whispered, “Thank you. One more kiss on the forehead would have undone me.”