The Irish Duke (22 page)

“Thank you, Kitty.” Louisa was so excited she could hardly breathe.

James removed Louisa’s cloak and asked, “Will you be all right?”

She nodded eagerly, her eyes shining like stars.

“I shall leave you to it then.” He whispered in her ear, “Knock ’em dead, Lady Lu.”

She looked at Kitty in her scanty costume. “How did you and Lord Abercorn meet?”

“We played together as children in Ireland.”

Lu felt weak with relief.
They are childhood friends. She isn’t his mistress after all!

The signal came for the girls to take their places, and they hurried out to the stage. Louisa followed and stood in the wings. She mouthed along with the words to the songs but as she watched she thought the dancing lacked lively spontaneity. The girls of the chorus seemed to be simply going through the motions, as if it had all become routine.

When the principal characters of
The Brigand
came onstage, however, they did their parts with great enthusiasm. Louisa thoroughly enjoyed watching the performance from her advantageous position in the wings. When the musical ended, everyone gathered onstage to take the final bow. She followed the girls of the chorus into their dressing room, where most of them collapsed onto their stools.

Kitty removed her costume and hung it up. “I’m more than ready for a night off.”

“Before you go, I want to thank you sincerely, Kitty.”

“Don’t mention it. I’d do anything for James.”

Some of the girls removed their costumes and slipped on silk wrappers to cover their nakedness. A lad, who looked about twelve, came in to collect tuppence from each girl who wanted food to eat between shows.

A half-hour later he came back and handed each chorus girl fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. Louisa was thrilled. She used her fingers and realized she had never eaten anything that tasted quite as delicious in her entire life.

The girls’ conversations centered about the men in their lives. All of them were trading sexual favors for various things, from meals to presents. The lucky ones had regular admirers who were paying their rent.

I wonder if James is paying Kitty’s rent.
The thought was disturbing. She chided herself for her unworthy suspicions and firmly put them out of her mind.

About an hour before the evening performance, Louisa donned her costume and sat before the mirror to apply her stage makeup. She felt butterflies start to flutter in her belly. When she was ready, she gazed at her reflection and knew none would ever recognize her as Lady Louisa Russell—not even members of her own family. The realization filled her with confidence and she smiled her secret smile.

When the cue came that the curtain was about to go up, Lu felt a surge of excited energy. She jumped up, eager for her first performance on a public stage. Though Kitty was not the lead chorus girl, Louisa led the way. She took a deep breath and plunged into the performance.

As her feet carried her across the stage, her nerves vanished like snow in summer.

As she sang
The Brigand’s
lyrics, her beautiful clear notes soared above the other voices.

Her gestures were eye-catching, her dancing was perfection itself, and her performance was far more professional than any other girl onstage. She put her heart and soul into her presentation and in essence became the character she was playing.

James Hamilton sat in the audience, mesmerized by Louisa. Her beauty and her talent were breathtaking. It was a great pity that she could not become a professional actress and dancer, for she had all the qualities that would make her a star.

His feelings were proprietary. He had arranged this for one night only. He could never share her with the world. She would belong to him alone.
If I’m lucky enough.

B
eing bathed in applause is the most glorious feeling in the world!
Louisa stood onstage as the final curtain descended, filled with triumph.
I did it!
She spread her arms wide and then wrapped them around her body, as a feeling of joy engulfed her senses. Exhilaration spiraled through her belly, making her breasts tingle and her spirits soar. Happiness flowed about her as she floated in a sea of bliss.

She was the last one to leave the stage and when she entered the dressing room, she was oblivious of the resentful glances and dirty looks of the chorus girls.

James opened the door and strode in with an armful of brilliant red roses and carnations. “You did it! And you did it superbly!”

Louisa laughed up at him as she took the flowers. She buried her face in them and inhaled, drinking in their intoxicating fragrance.

Freed of the flowers, he opened his arms and Louisa eagerly went into his embrace.

“Thank you, James. Thank you for making it all possible.”

The other girls in the room, changing from their costumes, stared enviously at the handsome noble wearing evening clothes and the girl on whom he was lavishing his attention. The couple was unaware of their audience as the onlookers faded away and left them in a world of their own.

“Let me unhook you,” he offered.

She set down her flowers and turned her back toward him. “I hate to take it off.” She slipped out of the costume and donned her own petticoat and dress. Then she sat down on the stool and unselfconsciously drew on her hose and garters.

James knelt and helped her put on her shoes. “You can remove your makeup later.” He took her cloak from its hook, placed it around her shoulders, and then took her hand.

She picked up her flowers and was surprised to notice that the room was empty. “Where did everyone go?”

James led the way back to the stage and they crossed it to walk behind the curtain. “I know you must be reluctant to leave. Why don’t you take another bow?”

Louisa felt euphoric. There was no room for sadness that this would be her last time onstage. She dipped down in a graceful curtsy and bestowed a radiant smile on him when he applauded. She stopped worrying about what was to come. Nothing could erase the joyfulness that filled her heart. This was a fantasy and she didn’t want it to end. She had experienced her glorious moment in the sun and was ready and willing to pay the piper.

Eventually they became aware of someone clearing his throat. They looked over at an elderly stagehand, hovering in the wings.

“Beggin’ yer pardon, m’lord, I’m waitin’ to put out the lights an’ lock up.”

“I’m sorry, Lady Lu. Your Covent Garden performance has come to an end.”

“Don’t be sorry, James. I shall take the magic with me.”

When they left the darkened theater, they walked past the Covent Garden flower sellers. Phineas had brought Abercorn’s carriage at the appointed time. James opened the door and followed Louisa inside. He sat opposite her so he could enjoy her radiant beauty. Her eyes were filled with stars and her lips curved with the exquisite pleasure of her once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I had a terrible attack of butterflies fluttering in my belly, but once I stepped onto the stage, they disappeared like magic.”

“Your performance was so professional you made the other girls look like amateurs.”

“I loved every single moment of it and basked shamelessly in the applause.”

“You earned it.”

“Thank you . . . for the compliment and for making it all possible.”

“Making you happy gives me pleasure, Louisa.”

The carriage was bowling down Piccadilly far too fast to turn onto Half Moon Street, and Louisa thought he must be taking her home to Belgrave Square. But at the last moment Phineas took the corner on two wheels and reined in the horses in front of Abercorn’s townhouse.

She laughed. “Is he drunk?”

“How can one tell? He’s Irish.” They laughed together.

James jumped from the carriage and helped her to alight. They went up the front steps together and he opened the front door with his key. He removed her cloak and hung it on the hallstand, then gestured toward the staircase. “After you, m’lady.”

She gathered up her skirts and ascended the stairs. As he followed her, his closeness took her breath away. She touched her cheek. “I should remove my stage makeup.”

“Why don’t I draw you a bath? Phineas has gone round the corner to Shepherd’s Market to get us some supper.” He guided her toward a bathing room and turned the taps on a huge claw- footed bathtub. “You’ll be finished by the time he’s ready to serve us.”

Louisa stared at the closed door.
He gave me no chance to refuse. And why the devil should I refuse? I need to bathe after my energetic performance.
She glanced around the room, noting plenty of towels and a man’s green velvet robe. She felt the temperature of the water and turned off the taps. She removed the red wig, undressed quickly, picked up a tablet of sandalwood-scented soap, and stepped into the tub. She washed her face three times to get rid of the greasepaint. As she washed her arms and legs, she sang the male lead’s song from
The Brigand.
She was proud that she had learned all the parts.

Louisa pulled the plug, stepped from the water, and picked up a thirsty towel. Instead of dressing, she decided to be bold and pulled on the robe. She glanced in the mirror and saw that her dark hair had formed tiny tendrils about her face from the dampness of the room. Without the red wig, she looked like herself again. She suddenly became aware of her nakedness beneath the robe. She almost lost her nerve and decided to put her clothes on, but something stopped her.
I am an actress about to play the role of a lifetime. This is my one chance to be wild and wicked.
She admired her seductive smile in the mirror.
This is my night. I shall outperform Kitty Kelly in every way!

She was still exhilarated from performing at Covent Garden, and her euphoric mood had not diminished one iota. She radiated happiness and, amazingly, she did not dread what was to come. Rather, she looked forward to the challenge. Nothing could compare with the pleasure Abercorn had given her and she was perfectly willing to pay the piper.
I enjoyed the kisses I shared with James
. She refused to dwell on thoughts of further intimacy.
A night with the attractive devil will cure me of my naïveté.

She opened the door and immediately detected a spicy aroma in the air that she identified as curry. Then she saw Abercorn. He had removed his formal jacket and neck cloth, and the whiteness of his shirt contrasted against his tanned face and black hair. She saw his eyes take in the dark green robe, and her heart skipped a beat.

“Are you hungry, Lu?”

She suddenly realized that she was starving. “Yes, indeed I am.”

He led the way into a small dining room and she saw that he had put her flowers in water. He held a chair for her and when she sat down, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head then moved around the table to sit opposite her. He removed a silver cover from a brace of roast partridge and another from a dish of curried rice with chestnuts. He poured champagne into two crystal flutes.

“It smells good.” Louisa noted that Phineas was nowhere to be seen.

He picked up his glass. “I propose a toast to Lady Lu’s smashing performance.”

“Thank you.” She picked up her glass and sipped the champagne. “What’s a fitting toast to an Irishman?”

He grinned. “Here’s to you and here’s to me, and if someday we disagree . . . sod you, here’s to me!”

Louisa threw back her head and laughed. She realized it felt wonderful to laugh. “I love irreverent humor.”

“Most Irish humor is irreverent, I warrant.” He served them each with a partridge and a heap of curried rice. “Eat before it gets cold.” He tore off a leg and bit into it.

Louisa, using her fingers, did the same. “Mm, the skin is so crispy.” She devoured the leg and tore off a wing. “My appetite is insatiable tonight. I had fish and chips earlier at the theater.”

“Were they wrapped in newspaper?”

“Yes! I never experienced food served in newspaper before. It was delicious.”

“I wager there are many delicious things you’ve never experienced.”

Louisa blushed. She took a swig of champagne to give her confidence.

James finished his food long before Louisa did. He leaned back, enjoying the dainty way she ate. When she was done and declared she couldn’t manage another bite, he uncovered dessert.

Her eyes sparkled. “I cannot resist blackberries and cream.”

After her first mouthful, James came around the table, lifted her, and sat her in his lap. He picked up a spoon. “Let me feed you?” he asked huskily.

She could feel the heat from his thighs through the robe. Her skin began to tingle and she wondered if it was the wine or Abercorn that was affecting her so strangely. She opened her mouth and almost melted at the exquisite taste of the blackberries and cream.

When she licked her lips, he captured her mouth in a long kiss. He pushed the robe from her shoulders and his hands caressed her silken skin. “Ambrosia,” he murmured. Then he lifted her glass to her lips and she sipped the champagne.

She thought of the Song of Solomon.
He is staying me with flagons.
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,” she whispered.

He picked her up, deftly leaving the robe behind, and carried her to the sitting room where a cozy fire had been lit. With one arm still firmly around her, he let her slide down his body, until her soft breasts rested against his powerful chest. When he captured her mouth, she felt his marble-hard erection against her soft belly.

Her arms glided up around his neck and she stood on tiptoe so that her mons rested against his cock. His embrace made her conscious of every pulse of her blood. She was completely intoxicated with the role she was playing. A frisson of desire spiraled through her, until she wanted to scream with excitement.
This is truly a night for new and thrilling sensations!