The Grace of a Duke (16 page)

Frank locked his gaze on the ring that Garrett held on his forefinger knuckle, an overwhelming sense of sadness settling on him. If he did not get Garrett out of his office that instant, he was afraid the man would witness the tears pricking the corners of his eyes. “Go on up,” he ordered quietly, closing the ledger book.

Garrett stood and held out his hand. “Thank you, Frank. I will take good care of her, you can be sure of that,” he promised solemnly.

Frank nodded as he shook Garrett’s hand. “I know.” With that, the proprietor left his own office. Garrett watched him go, wondering at the sudden change in Frank.

So the man is a softy,
he thought with a bit of humor. A glance at his watch told him it was entirely too late to be calling on Jane Wethersby, but propriety would need to be ignored for just this one night. He headed out into the hall and up the back stairs. A long hall, lined with lit sconces and a series of doors on either side, stretched before him. It reminded him of a hotel. He knew exactly which door to go to, though, and he knocked three times on it before saying in a low voice, “Jane, it’s Garrett.”

He could sense movement behind the door, hurried steps and a bolt being thrown back before the door opened. She stood there with a look of awe, her dark blonde hair down, its strands streaked with lighter blonde and wispy curls near her temple. And wearing only a dark blue dressing gown wrapped about her tall, slender body, Jane was as beautiful as he’d ever seen her. He had to school his face not to react to the sight of her blackening eye, though.

“Hello, Jane,” he said quietly as he gave a deep bow and then held out the box of candy. He didn’t want whatever neighbors she had to think poorly of her if they heard a gentleman caller at a time well outside of polite visiting hours, even if her neighbors were all employed at The Jack of Spades.

Awestruck, Jane stared at him for a moment, as if she didn’t believe he was really there, and then she smiled. “Hello, Mr. McElliott,” she said with a nod, obviously surprised to see him.

“
Please
call me Garrett,” he corrected her gently, still holding the box of sugared plums in front of her.

She seemed uncertain at first, but finally took the white pasteboard box and opened the door wider. “Thank you,” she murmured, peeking into the box to see the sugared candies inside. She plucked out one and took a bite, closing her eyes as the flavor of the fruit and spice filled her mouth. “You always know the perfect gifts for me, don’t you?” she murmured, obviously enjoying the treat.

He closed the door behind him. “I apologize for my late arrival. I haven’t been in town but a few hours, but I wanted ...”
You
, he thought suddenly as Jane took his cape and hat and hung them on hooks next to the door. “I wanted to let you know that I was in town and wondered when I might call on you for a drive ...” He stopped speaking when she turned around to look up at him. The cheek below her purpling eye was red, apparently from a slap or punch, he couldn’t be sure which.

Jane inhaled sharply when she saw his reaction, lifting a hand to cover the right side of her face, as if she’d forgotten about the darkening bruises. “I’ve been keeping some ice on it,” she murmured, embarrassed at being seen with a black eye.

Garrett angled his head as he regarded Jane’s bruised face. “Frank told me what happened,” he said quietly, reaching out to take her into his arms. “I’m so very sorry, Jane.”

Jane relaxed against the hard muscle and bone of Garrett’s chest, wrapping her arms around his neck as he held her close. In only moments, the entire front of her body was pressed against his. She breathed in the scent of citrus laundry soap and sandalwood and tobacco and
him
. “There is nothing for you to be sorry for, Garrett,” she finally answered, leaning her head back to look up at him.

Garrett shook his head, taking in the sight of her eyes, with the slight upturn at the outer corners under dark brows that arced up and out, giving her an almost exotic appearance. Her long straight nose and high cheekbones were like porcelain. And that mouth, with the full bottom lip that was split with a slight line down the center, and the bits of sugar left from the candy – Garrett found he could not resist a kiss. His lips took hers, gently at first, and then less so as he parted hers with his tongue and used the tip of it to taste her teeth and her tongue, the sugar and spice a delightful combination. Her tongue finally joined his, and he allowed it to plunder his mouth. Desire welled in him. Yes, this was the woman he wanted for the rest of his life. He could not imagine having to go another day without her.

Pulling away slowly, Garrett breathed deeply and allowed his gaze to lock onto hers. Her eyes seemed somehow unfocused, but he waited a moment until she seemed to have her wits about her. “Jane, I ...”

“Please, do not leave me,” she whispered, her eyes suddenly bright. “I do not think I could spend this evening  ...” She allowed the sentence to trail off, afraid that if she said it all, he would think her wanton.

Garrett stared at her a moment, shaking his head before lowering his forehead to rest on hers. It was, perhaps, the best invitation he could hope for, he considered. “I won’t,” he whispered back. He reached up to take her hands from around his neck and hold them in his own. “But I have something to ask of you,” he added as he lowered himself to one knee.

Jane watched in surprise as held onto her left hand and fumbled in his coat pocket.

“Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” he asked quietly, holding up the gem-studded gold band.

Her right hand moving to her chest, Jane stared in surprise at both Garrett and the ring, her breath held until she finally smiled. “Oh, yes, of course,” she breathed. She bent over a bit, wanting to take Garrett’s head into her hands so that she might kiss him, but he held onto her left hand, sliding the ring onto her fourth finger. She lowered herself onto her knees and happily kissed Garrett, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Garrett wrapped his arms around her, a sense of profound relief and ...
happiness,
he decided, flooding him. “If I get a special license tomorrow, we could marry whenever we want,” he suggested as he stood up and pulled her up to stand in front of him, his arms wrapping around her so they interlinked at the back of her waist. “This week, even.”

This week!
she thought in surprise. Jane nodded in agreement and glanced about the room. “I must talk to Frank ...”

“He already knows,” Garrett spoke quietly, his arms still held loosely around her back.

Jane’s mouth opened in shock. “When?”

Smiling, Garrett walked her over to a pair of wingback chairs near the fireplace. “Before I came up. I had to get his permission to ask for your hand,” he said as he placed her in front of the chair so that she could sit down. He took the other chair.

“And, he is not ... angry?” She could not imagine that Frank would just allow Garrett to marry her and take her away. She’d been his employee for eight years!

Garrett thought about what to tell her, wondered if it might not be better to let her believe the sudden proposal was all his own doing and not because Frank had encouraged it. He still would have asked for her hand, he realized then, but the timing was all Frank’s idea. “He is not. He was quite pleasant about it, in fact. I think because he’s been expecting this. And because he feels somewhat responsible for what happened to you tonight.”

She looked up sharply at that, a look of confusion on her face. “He cannot be everywhere at once in this place,” she commented, knowing she was making excuses for her adoptive father.

“You are supposed to be under his protection, though,” Garrett countered, his seriousness coming through in his voice. “But, if it’s agreeable to you, I shall be your protector starting right this very minute.”

Jane regarded Garrett for a moment, realizing his offer was more than that – he was making a promise to her, one a man wouldn’t normally make until his wedding day. She nodded her agreement. “I would like that very much,” she murmured, her facing coloring up a bit. She licked her lower lip, tasting a grain of sugar still caught there. As she leaned back in the chair, she admired the stones on the gold band. “I have a bit of savings ... for a dowry,” she offered suddenly. “And,” she motioned around the room, “All the furnishings and decorations are mine to take from my rooms here,” she added, her manner becoming more businesslike.

Garrett reached over and took her hand. “Frank has already seen to your dowry,” he said with a grin, admiring her thought that she should bring something to the marriage. “But I should be very happy to help pack up everything you wish to bring. Or, if you prefer, I can hire some help to do it all.”

Awed by the bit of information about a dowry, Jane nodded. “And where ... where will we go?”

“The Duke of Chichester’s estate in Sussex, of course,” Garrett answered quickly. “I’ll be the estate manger there for ... probably the rest of my life,” he said with a grin.

Her eyes widening, Jane nodded. “And will we live in that house you’ve been rebuilding?” The idea of living in a large house, with gardens and lawns and a huge circle drive, had always appealed to her, a girl who, when growing up, had a glimpse of living in such a house given her mother’s station as the daughter of a baron.

Well, now there is a good question,
Garrett considered. He hadn’t yet spoken to Joshua about living arrangements. Until the west wing rooms were complete, he was sure his employer would be fine with the two of them occupying the dowager cottage. It was a small place, but well-maintained and cozy. And private. He’d brought the floor plans along on the trip intending to show her where they might eventually live and as the means to determine what furnishings might fit or still be necessary to complete the small house. “We could,” Garrett answered with a nod, still deep in thought. “Or, if you’d like to be mistress of your own home, we could live in a cottage that’s on the estate. All your things would fit in there, I’m sure,” he offered as he glanced around and realized he rather liked everything she had in her parlor. “It has a front room that could be a parlor, and there’s a bedchamber, and a day room that could be a nursery ...”

Jane’s head jerked up at that, her mouth forming an ‘o’ with those perfect plump lips, made redder than usual from their earlier kisses. Perhaps the bedchamber would not be large enough, he considered, but to add onto the cottage wouldn’t be a problem. There was already a construction crew on site finishing the interior of the west wing. He couldn’t remember much about her current bedchamber except what they’d done in it the last two times he was in there.
I took her virtue in there,
he remembered, a twinge of ... something ... passing through him.

Jane stared at him in awe. “The cottage sounds ...”
quaint
, she thought, wondering if it would be like those she’d read about in storybooks. But another thought struck her and her brows furrowed. “I do not think I know ...
how
to be married,” she said suddenly. “I have no reference, no guide, no one to teach me what is expected.”

It was true, Garrett realized then that, having been an orphan and living at The Jack of Spades all this time, Jane had not experienced a life with traditional role models. But if she did nothing more than spend her nights in bed with him, he thought he could be quite satisfied with her. There would be servants for everything else. “Neither do I,” he answered with a grin, his mind filling with images of her writhing beneath him as they made love the second time. “But I think we can figure it out together.”

Jane stood up and reached out a hand. “There is one thing I think I would enjoy very much as your wife,” she murmured, her blue eyes suddenly darkening. Garrett took her hand and stood up slowly, his eyes locked on hers. She led him to her bedchamber, a small room just off the parlor. A four-poster bed filled half the elegant space, its deep scarlet counterpane and quilts already turned down. A wardrobe, dresser and cheval mirror, all in matching cherry hardwoods, lined the walls.

Garrett took a deep breath, aware of the change in his bride-to-be. “And what might that be?” he wondered at first, before he became aware of his arousal and the scent of hers.

Jane stood before him, undoing the tie of her dressing gown. With a flick of her wrists, the gown was off of her shoulders and falling to the floor, forming a satin puddle. She stood naked before him, one leg bent a bit, her upturned breasts tipped with dark areolae and hardened nipples. Before he could say or do anything, she moved to stand in front of him, slowly unbuttoning his waistcoat and untying his cravat. Garrett watched, barely breathing as she unwound the neckcloth, her taut nipples grazing the fine lawn fabric of his shirt as she did so. Spreading her hands, she pushed his waistcoat off of his shoulders, guiding it with one hand as it finally fell to join the cravat on the floor. Then her fingers were pulling up on his shirt until it was free of his breeches, and her hands were spread over his chest, the pads of her fingers slowly caressing his hot skin. They moved to circle his nipples, smoothing over the skin so lightly that Garrett was sure he could feel the whorls of her fingerprints branding him. And then her thumbs brushed over his pebbled nipples, eliciting a gasp from him that might have been his first breath since her seduction began. Jane’s mouth replaced her thumb on one nipple, suckling and nipping until his arms, up until then having felt like lead weights at his sides, moved to grasp her hips and pull her hard against his arousal. Fingers moved to undo the fastenings of his breeches while she felt him remove his boots and stockings. And suddenly, his turgid manhood was pressed into her belly, its pulse so hard she was sure it matched the heartbeats that hammered in her ears. One of his arms moved below her bottom, and in an instant, her feet were off the floor and her long legs were winding around his thighs, her arms were wrapping around his shoulders, and she was being carried to the bed as his lips took purchase on one of her hardened nipples. The rippling sensation crashed through her, forcing his name from her lips as she felt herself falling and then landing on the soft mattress of her bed. Her legs were still wrapped about his waist as he bent down, one arm holding his body up and over her.