My Three Lords Page 8

  “A prig? If I were truly a prig, I would have turned tail and run for the hills. And yet I stayed and attempted to converse with a girl who you, it was clear, had just finished tumbling.”

  The Marquis slanted a sly glance at the Duke. “Jealous, perhaps?”

  The Duke frowned. “I have not often been accused of such an emotion.”

  “Which perhaps accounts for your unaccountable behavior. Why, you treated that poor girl as if she were one step below a maidservant.”

  “Did I? I did not mean to.” A ground squirrel ran across their path and made his horse shy. With a soft chucking, he calmed the bay.

  “She was merely in the midst of tickling me. This is a favor she routinely granted her brothers. I was honored to share in the experience.”

  “She does seem to bring out another aspect of your character,” admitted the Duke. “I do not believe I have ever seen, or imagined, that you would be the object of a good tickling.”

  “At the hands of a master, no less.” The Marquis chuckled. “If I were you, I should work to make amends so that you might enjoy her ministrations.”

  “Dare I ask how the main event, which I assume preceded the tickling, unfolded?”

  “Clearly you dare to ask. You are the Duke. The Duke dares anything. But the Marquis will only disclose such details as do not encroach on my dear young friends’ privacy. Dorch and his Countess are entitled to commence their marital adventure accompanied only by those who have their best interests in mind.”

  The Duke threw back his head and laughed so long and hard the gelding’s ears pricked in alarm. “And that would be you, I presume?”

  “As both Dorch and Lady Alicia would attest.” The Marquis gave a thin smile. “An otherwise painful occasion was rendered quite delightful thanks to my intervention.”

  “You’re chivalry itself.” More laughter shook the Duke’s lean body.

  “A philanthropist, you might say.”

  The two men emerged from the woods and looked out over an expanse of pastures dotted with grazing cows. In a fenced-in field, a bull snorted and feinted. The Marquis smiled. “Remember when Dorch climbed into the bull pen and flaunted his red jacket at the beast?”

  “Of course I remember. He would have died had I not staunched his wound with my cravat.”

  “I told you not to waste such a work of art on Dorch’s scratch.”

  They laughed again, letting the peace of their surroundings ease the tension of the unspoken news. As the silence stretched into an unusual length, the Marquis gave the Duke a sharp, assessing glance. But the Duke was merely lost in a brown study, not one of those dread episodes that plagued him and alarmed his friends.

  “Fear not,” said the Duke softly. “It happens more often at night.” A figure racing across the fields, man and horse melded into one being, caught his attention. “There’s our young buck. I must say I feel a kind of fatherly pride in the boy.”

  “Indeed,” agreed the Marquis, still watching the Duke closely for signs of trouble. “The raising of young Dorch is my sole good deed to date, and I am relying on it to get me past the Pearly Gates.”

  The Duke waved a commanding arm in the air, and Dorchester guided his horse in their direction. “Are you not concerned that your current endeavor might undo all the good you have previously done?”

  “Not one whit. If le bon Dieu has any care for the feminine spirit, he will applaud my actions. Our Dorch is many things, but a lover with skill and finesse he is not, and never will be.”

  “And are you so certain,” the Duke asked with raised eyebrow, “that your kind of finesse is what a woman wants, no matter the situation?”

  The Marquis started. “Have you spoken to Dorch, then?”

  “I haven’t yet seen him. What’s afoot, you devious devil? I know that look. Come now, out with it. I’ll learn it one way or the other, since Dorch is incapable of keeping a secret.”

  The Marquis acknowledged defeat with a wince. “A small wager, that is all. Dorch and I agreed to put our different styles of lovemaking to the test. A young buck against a jaded old rake. Perfectly harmless.”

  “Beaumont, you should be ashamed.”

  The Marquis looked in all directions, as though searching for a stray rabbit to chase.

  Just then, the Earl’s great black thoroughbred pulled to a snorting halt beside them. Dorch radiated energetic good health, his face bright with exertion, his sand-colored hair ruffled by the wind. “Of course he should be ashamed. What of? This time, that is?”

  “Please to explain this wager you have agreed to,” said the Duke sternly.

  The Earl’s open face turned sulky. He reached down to pat the foam-flecked side of his horse. “I’m of age. And I’m a married man now. I don’t believe I owe you an explanation.”

  “And yet I am requesting one.” The Duke’s green eyes seemed to have a sway over his heir that stern words did not.

  “Very well. We agreed that if I could not convince my wife that a strong cock is all she needs, she might have a choice in the matter.”

  “A choice?”

  “Yes. If the Marquis wins our bet, Alicia will be allowed to choose whichever arrangement makes her the most happy.”

  The word “happy” clearly took the Duke aback. “I see.”

  “Are you opposed to granting ladies a choice?” The Marquis’ silky tone belied the triumph in his eyes.

  “Not as such, no.”

  “I thought not.” The Earl and the Marquis exchanged a smug glance. But both were surprised when the dark cloud on the Duke’s brow was lifted by sudden laughter.

  “I am sorry to say you’re both in the wrong. And sadly, that leaves the young lady in a hopeless position in which no choice will make her truly happy.” He nudged his horse around in the direction of the great house.

  “How do you mean?” The Marquis nudged his white mount after his friend.

  The Earl followed behind. “Yes, what are you talking about?”

  “Only one element will truly bring happiness to a woman, in bed or out. Dorch, do you love your little bride?”

  “She’s lovely. She said she likes to ride, though I have yet to see her on horseback. She’s…comfortable.”

  “Comfortable?”

  “Yes. If I had a little sister, I would want her to be like Alicia. I’m quite happy with her, really.”

  “But do you love her?”

  Dorch shrugged. “Perhaps in time. It’s not essential in a marriage. Very few of my friends are in love with their wives. That’s what bits of muslin are for.”

  The Duke hid a smile. “And Beaumont? I ask the same question of you. Do you love Alicia?”

  “I’ve known her since she was a baby, and I’ve always had the greatest respect for her, even a fascination with her. She’s like no other female of my acquaintance. Candid, sprightly, always truthful, of a frank and curious bent of mind, and in possession of the most delicious form. She promises to be a highly enjoyable partner in every way.”

  “But do you love her?”

  “As much as I’m able at the present moment.”

  The Duke brushed aside that cryptic answer along with the low-hanging branch of a beech tree. “And thus my point is proved.”

  “Precisely what is your point?” The Marquis fended off the same branch when it came springing back.

  “A woman needs to love and be loved if she is to truly be satisfied.”

  “Nonsense,” said the Marquis.

  “Balderdash,” said the Earl. The stubborn branch swung at the Earl in his turn. He batted it back, only to have it slap him doubly hard.

  “Ah, my friends, my heart weeps for you. As it does for our young Lady Dorchester. How is she ever to experience true joy and love when she is married to you and seduced by you?” The Duke turned to gesture at each of his cousins in turn. Both men glared at him. “I’d say she lost this wager well before it was ever laid.”

  * * * * *

  Dinner that evening was,
I daresay, one of the most excruciating events of my life thus far. Married to one man at the table, intimate with another and…unsettled by the third.

  I knew not how else to describe my response to the Duke. He unsettled me. I’m not accustomed to worrying overmuch about others’ opinions of me. My brothers and I grew up quite carefree, and I without the attention of a mother after the age of eight. My father had so very many things to occupy his mind that as long as I did nothing that would bring outright shame to our family, he was content to let me be. And then again, our family was such an insignificant one in the larger scheme of things. I had no grand ladies watching my every movement. I grew up in happy ignorance, oblivious to the greater world.

  But now I found I cared deeply what the Duke’s opinion of me must be. And I feared it was indeed dreadful. Not only had I been unforgivably pert at our first, highly improper meeting, but at our second one I’d been…oh, it was mortifying to recall how I’d behaved. The realization that a matter of mere minutes had saved me from being caught in a disgraceful position was humiliation indeed. I found my face frequently flushing as the meal progressed.

  We sat around the long table set with gleaming silver candelabra and a magnificent centerpiece of a crystal swan. The Marquis sat at the head of the table, the Duke at the other end, and the Earl and I on each side. The length of the table gave me the impression that oceans of space separated me from the two lords on the ends. The Earl, on the other hand, seemed to be just a hand’s breadth away. Every time I looked up I caught his bright glance and knew he looked ahead to further marital intimacy that night.

  The prospect unnerved me. It was my wifely duty, and I had experienced pleasure in his arms, but everything seemed different now that the Duke had arrived. I fretted over whether he knew what had transpired between the Marquis and me. I felt sure I had done no wrong, as I had followed my husband’s bidding. And yet I felt sure the Duke would judge me harshly for it. His posture was so erect, his aspect so severe, as though his heart was burdened by a thousand worries. One of them, surely, must concern his heir’s new bride.

  The servants were, for the first time, much in evidence as they laid the table with an array of dishes, veal and lamb and other meats in the center of the table and various custards and vegetables to the side. I forced myself to swallow bits of roast quail amid the tense silence.

  Finally, the Duke spoke. “Did you enjoy your ride today, my dear Dorchester?”

  “Of course I did. Why do you bother with a silly question such as that?”

  I smiled in delight. At times I adored the Earl for his honesty and impatience with custom.

  “My dear boy,” began the Marquis in a disapproving tone, but the Duke waved him off.

  “It’s no matter, Beaumont. We’re all family now, are we not? No need to stand on ceremony.”

  “That’s right,” crowed the Earl. “Three cousins and one wife.”

  His sally sent a disturbance through the room. I did not dare look up, but I didn’t need to in order to feel the heightened tension in the wake of his remark.

  “Three cousins and one wife,” came the Marquis’ silky tones. “What a beautiful thought. Family is indeed important. Though we are but distant cousins.”

  “Distant or not, you’re my family.” Only the Earl seemed oblivious to the change in mood. “My dear, you probably don’t know this, but Beaumont and Warrington raised me after the death of my parents.”

  This seemed a safe topic, so I convinced myself to lift my eyes. Immediately I saw the Marquis still enjoying a devilish chuckle, and as for the Duke…my heart quivered at the way the candlelight made his eyes glow. What thoughts made him so generally grave that his rare smiles were like sunshine in the woods?

  “Do tell me more,” I said to the Earl, hoping to focus my thoughts on their proper object, my husband.

  “They both died from an infectious fever when I was but twelve. Most of my family assumed I was doomed and refused to allow me in their homes, for fear their own children would be affected. But Warrington was outraged by their coldness and whisked me off to France, where the Marquis kindly allowed us the use of his home until I was healed.”

  “I, of course, turned tail for England,” put in the Marquis.

  “Not so. You were there from time to time, I remember it well, and you were always very kind.”

  “Those are but the ravings of your fevered brain. Most of my good offices on your behalf were performed later, once I was sure you would survive and were worth my efforts.”

  The Earl looked wounded, but the Duke shook his head with a smile. “Don’t try to convince him of his saintliness, it would be far too big of a shock to his system. He’s a confirmed villain in the eyes of the world, and would far rather inhabit that role than that of Good Samaritan.”

  “Although I do have my moments,” the Marquis murmured, slanting his black eyes at me.

  I felt the flush make its way up my face again. Curse the man for his endless cleverness in finding ways to embarrass me. And pleasure me, my treacherous body reminded me.

  I was determined to drag the conversation back to safer ground. “I think you were fortunate in your guardians. Having six brothers of my own and no mother after the age of eight, I know how entertaining the male gender can be.” With that, I turned as red as the roses in the garden. I heard choked laughter from the Marquis’ end of the table and a smothered snort from the Duke. How had such an innocent statement gone so awry?

  If fainting had been in my nature, it would have been a convenient moment for one to occur.

  “Present company excepted,” I added faintly. Even my attempts at rectification were doomed, as I now felt that I had been unforgivably rude. “I do not mean to imply that my dinner companions are not entertaining, for nothing could be further from the truth.”

  Fortunately for me, I ran out of breath to form my sentences, as every word seemed to make matters worse. My face, I felt sure, was purest crimson by now.

  Even the Earl seemed to realize something was amiss. He gazed back and forth around the table with a puzzled frown. “I don’t know why that should be a controversial statement. Males are certainly more entertaining than females. Talk of fripperies and toile and the latest on dits is so deadly dull, I don’t see how you ladies abide it.”

  “Present company excepted, I suppose?” The Marquis hid his smirk behind his wineglass.

  “Of course, of course,” said the Earl hurriedly. “Why, Alicia barely even seems like a female, for the most part. That is…”

  It was his turn to go red in the face, and I sympathized with him so deeply I couldn’t bring myself to feel the outrage that was naturally due me. He stammered an apology.

  “It’s quite all right,” I told him. “I take no offense.”

  “See? Barely a female at all!” The Earl sounded triumphant as he speared an asparagus frond on his fork.

  The Duke, shoulders quaking, put down his knife and fork. “Beaumont, I have to hand it to you. I believe these two may be a perfect match after all.”

  For some reason, I didn’t like the sound of that.

  Two footmen entered the room bearing a silver salver and tongs. While one removed the veal, the other replaced it with a magnificent poached fish. When they were finished, the Marquis gave them a gracious gesture and they backed out of the room with a bow.

  I was sorry to see the last of them. Their presence had provided a brief moment of respite from the pitfalls and perils of our conversation. I now feared the Duke knew exactly what had occurred between the rest of us. The three, apparently, kept few secrets from each other.

  The Marquis served a healthy portion of fish to each of us.

  “This trout is exquisite,” said the Duke.

  “My chef is lately fled from France. I snapped him up as soon as he made his way to these shores. Not that I’m one to profit from the misfortune of others, but there are occasional benefits to the current conflict.”

  “It won’t last for
ever, you know,” said the Duke.

  “And when it ends, no doubt I shall adapt. I am prepared to weather all possible outcomes.”

  “I would expect nothing less.”

  Under the table, I felt the jittering movements of my husband’s leg bouncing up and down in his impatience. Dorchester apparently wasn’t of a political bent of mind. Nor was I, but the subject was far less shattering to my nerves than our previous topics. “Are you on the side of the English then, my lord?”

  “I am on the side of the angels, my lady.”

  The Duke snorted. The Earl chuckled. I smiled, happy simply to have peace in the family.

  The family. My husband and his two strangely compelling cousins were my new “family”. Two of the men were intimately known to me. I wondered about the third. What would it be like to have the Duke in my bed? I peeked up at him under my lashes. To my utter shock, he was gazing at me. A mystified frown creased his wide forehead. He looked as though I were a difficult problem he needed to solve. The bronzed green of his eyes was alive with speculation, bemusement, and maybe, just maybe, a hint of desire.

  I looked down at my fish and shivered. What sort of sensual adventure awaited me that night?

  * * * * *

  But only the Earl came to me. My husband took me with a vigor that was becoming familiar. He wrapped my legs around his waist and told me to cling tight to him. I lifted my hips up and pressed myself against him. At first I was fearful that with so little preparation, his assaults might be painful. But the encounter with the Marquis earlier that day had left me with a need gnawing at my belly. All of my dark lord’s caressing and taunting and fondling and spanking had lacked one thing, the deep plunge of a manly rod. His thumb, even though wickedly clever, could not take the place of a proudly aroused member.

  After a brief initial moment of tenderness, my body welcomed my husband’s manhood with a throb of joy. He rammed into me so I felt his soft sac brush against my thighs. Sparks radiated from my center out to the tips of my fingers and even my toes. How deeply satisfying it was to feel his flesh so far within me. I closed my eyes and savored the roughness of my husband’s urges, matched, so unexpectedly, by my own. A song of bliss rose higher and higher, as that sweet land beyond the horizon beckoned.