Vice

Chapter 9

“Good," Tarquin said, taking her hands. "I'm glad to see you’re not using paint or rouge. I forgot to tell Mistress Dennison that I don't care for it… or at least," he added, "not on you." He stepped away from her, still holding her hands, and scrutinized her appearance again.

"You're very specific about your preferences, my lord duke." Juliana's voice was low and flat as she tried to hide the rush of heat that suffused her skin at his narrow-eyed inspection.

"No more than most men," he said carelessly. "My preferences change from time to rime, as I'm sure you'll discover."

"I trust I'll learn my duties quickly enough to please you, my lord duke." She dropped her eyes, knowing that they were blazing with impotent fury.

Tarquin caught her chin between finger and thumb and obliged her to lift her face. He chuckled. "You look ready to consign me to the fires of hell, mignonne."

"Unfortunately, I have no pitchfork," he snapped, unable to resist.

"Did I offend you? I beg your pardon," he said with such an abrupt change of tone and manner that Juliana was completely thrown off balance. And before she could recover herself, he had kissed her. A delicate, featherlike brush of his lips on hers that brought goose bumps pricking on her skin.

"I can be a little imperious on occasion," Tarquin said gravely, caressing her cheek with a fingertip. "It's a consequence of my upbringing, I'm afraid. But I give you leave to take me to task at the right moment."

"And when would that be?"

"Times such as this. When we're private and engaged in…" He raised a quizzical eyebrow. "In intimate conversation." He continued to stroke her cheek, and insensibly she began to relax, the lines of her face softening, her mouth parting, her eyes losing their fierceness.

When he felt the change in her, Tarquin released her chin with a smile. He left her in the middle of the room and went to pour himself a glass of wine. "Do you care for claret, Juliana?"

"Yes, please." Maybe the members of the Dennisons' seraglio were supposed to eschew alcohol during their working hours, but Juliana felt the need of Dutch courage. She took the glass he handed her and gulped down the contents.

With a slight frown, Tarquin took the empty glass from her and placed it on the table. "Are you frightened, mignonne?"

"No." But her hands were twisting themselves into impossible knots against the skirt of the robe.

He leaned back against the table, sipping his claret, his eyes seeing right through the brave denial. "Tell me what happened on your wedding night."

Juliana blinked. "You mean apart from nearly suffocating and then hitting my husband with a hot warming pan and killing him?"

"Yes, apart from that."

"Why do you wish to know?"

"I would like to understand certain things," he said. "Did your husband touch you in the ways of love? Did he arouse you in any way?"

Juliana just shook her head. Sir John had simply fallen upon her on the bed.

"Were you naked?"

She nodded.

"So you know what a man's body feels like? You know what it looks like?" He was asking the questions with an almost clinical detachment.

"I know what it feels like to be almost suffocated," she declared. In truth she could remember little else of that dreadful half hour. John's body had been a great mass of sweating flesh pressing her into the bed, striving and struggling to do something that she knew he hadn't succeeded in doing.

Tarquin nodded. "Then let's assume that you know nothing at all." He set his glass down and hooked the ottoman toward him with one foot. Sitting down, he beckoned her.

Juliana approached tentatively.

The duke drew her between his knees and, with a leisurely movement, untied the girdle at her waist. The robe fell open, and he drew the sides farther apart so he could look upon her body. Juliana shivered. He put his hands on her. They were warm and hard and assured. She stood, his knees pressing against her thighs, her skin alternately hot and icy cold as his hands moved over her hips; his thumbs traced the sharp outline of her hipbones; his breath was warm on her belly. His hands spanned her waist, slipped up over her rib cage, gently cupped her breasts.

When he bent his head and took her nipple into his mouth, Juliana's body became a battleground of sensation, the urge to yield to the glorious liquid warmth seeping through her veins striving against a panicked instinct not to submit, because in doing so she would lose some part of her self.

Her eyes caught her reflection in the mirror. She gazed at her white body, the curve of her breasts and belly, framed in the delicate froth of her robe. The candlelight caught auburn glints in the bent head against the whiteness of her breast. And then his hands moved on her, slipped slowly over her belly. She watched, in a trance, as her eyes grew heavy and glowing, her skin flushed; her lips, moist and pink, parted on a swift breath as he touched her, opened her. It was as if she were watching some other woman, some other man; watching the woman dissolve with the exquisite pleasure that built deep in the pit of her stomach. She was watching, and yet it was she who was dissolving. From her own lips came the little sobbing cries of wonder. It was her own eyes that grew huge as they stared back at her, the irises black and glowing in the jade depths; then her mirror image was engulfed in the rushing climactic wave that filled every pore or her body, so that her eyes closed and her knees turned to honey.

Tarquin drew her down onto his lap as she fell against him. He held her lightly, stroking her hair. His loins were heavy with his own desire as she shifted on his knee and he inhaled the delicate fragrance of the perfume she wore mingled with the rich scents of her fulfillment.

"Come." He lifted her into his arms, reflecting a little wryly that one wouldn't want to carry this luscious body any great distance. He laid her on the bed and stood looking down at her. Her eyes were still dazed, her skin still flushed.

Juliana closed her eyes abruptly. How had it happened? How had she lost herself so completely?

"Open your eyes, Juliana."

She obeyed the soft command almost involuntarily. Tarquin removed his coat and began unbuttoning his waistcoat.

Juliana sat up. She gazed now with candid curiosity as he removed his clothes, every movement orderly and efficient. As he doffed each rich garment, he laid it over the chair. Her eyes widened as he took off the fine cambric shirt. But she had little time to become accustomed to his naked torso before he had pushed off his britches and drawers.

Juliana's breath caught in her throat as she stared at him, realizing helplessly that she was examining him as carefully as he'd scrutinized her when he had opened her robe.

Naked, the Duke of Redmayne was lean and sinewy, muscles rippling beneath taut, smooth skin. He was slim-hipped and broad-shouldered, a line of dark hair creeping over his belly to join the wiry tangle at the apex of his long thighs. Her gaze fixed upon his shaft of flesh, and she remembered feeling it pulsing against her belly when he'd kissed her in the morning room of his house on Albermarle Street.

"Well, ma'am?" He was smiling at the frank curiosity and excitement in her eyes. "Do I please you?"

She wanted him to turn around so she could see his back view, but she couldn't quite manage to ask. She nodded in silence.

As if he had read her mind, he slowly turned his back. Impulsively, Juliana leaned forward and touched his buttocks. The hard muscles tightened at her caress, and she rose to her knees, running a finger up from the cleft, flickering in the path of fine dark hair trailing up his spine. "You feel very different from me."

"Thank the merciful Lord," he said, turning back to her. Leaning over, he slipped his hands to her shoulders beneath the opened robe and pushed the garment from her. "Now, we meet on equal terms, mignonne." He twitched the robe from beneath her and tossed it to the floor before coming down onto the bed.

His hand passed over her in a leisurely caress that nevertheless insisted that she lie back. Juliana was both curious and excited. She felt no apprehension, and she'd lost all thought of what had brought them there. Instinctively, she reached to touch his erection, clasping the flesh in her hand as he leaned over her. The corded veins pulsed strongly against her palm, and her finger found the dampening tip. Tarquin murmured something, but Juliana knew that what she was doing was right. Her own excitement grew as she caressed him, feeling him flicker and harden against her hand. She looked up into his face and saw that he, too, was transported, as she had been. That he was lost in his own pleasure, as she'd seen herself in the mirror. Again instinctively, she increased the pressure of her caresses until abruptly Tarquin grasped her wrist and jerked it away from him.

"Enough," he said hoarsely.

"But why? I know you were enjoying it."

"You still have a few things to learn, miononne." He laughed softly as his knee pressed her legs apart.

Juliana parted her thighs. Her hips lifted of their own accord as he slid into her moist, open body. For a moment the stretching fullness in her loins was almost unbearable. She stared wide-eyed into the steady gray eyes holding her gaze.

"Try to relax, Juliana. It'll ease in a minute." He drew back a fraction, then thrust deeply. Her body seemed to split apart, and she heard her own cry of pain. Then everything was smooth and even, and her body was responding to the strong, rhythmic thrusts of his flesh, and the tension that built now was of the most blissful kind. And when it exploded, Juliana dissolved yet again into a scatter of shooting stars.

His body rested heavily on hers, their sweat mingling. Juliana stroked his back as she floated down to earth and took possession of her self again. She could feel him still within her, growing smaller, and a wave of pleasure washed gently through her with the sense that he remained a part of her. Instinctively, she tightened her inner muscles around him and felt the flicker as his flesh responded.

Tarquin kissed the hollow of her throat. "Have patience," he said with a lazy chuckle. He disengaged slowly and rolled away from her. Juliana made a soft murmur of protest at the loss and followed him with her body, curling against him in blissful languor.

Tarquin pushed an arm beneath so her head rested on his shoulder. He caressed her breast, feeling her slide into a light sleep. He lay listening to her breathing, ids own eyelids drooping in the candle glow. He hadn't expected such a passionate and trusting response. He'd expected to arouse her; he'd intended to make the loss of her maidenhead as painless as possible. He'd expected to enjoy her as much as he enjoyed most women. He had not expected to be moved by her. But her fresh innocence combined with that lusty, uninhibited passion stirred him. She had every reason to mistrust him, to hold herself back from him, and yet she'd ridden the wave of pleasure with a wonderful candor, giving herself to him and to sexual joy without reservation.

As he held her in his arms, he had the sense that he had found something to cherish. It was a strange, fanciful idea, and he wasn't sure where it had come from. Except that he'd given himself once with such joyful trust and he'd been betrayed. Juliana would not experience such betrayal at his hands.

Juliana stirred and awoke. She burrowed against him with a little murmur of pleasure. "How long was I asleep?"

"About five minutes." He stroked down her back and patted her bottom before extricating himself and sliding off the bed. "Wine, mignonne?"

"Yes, please." Juliana stretched and sat up. Blood smudged the long, creamy length of her thigh. She hopped off the bed with a little exclamation. "We should have pulled back the coverlet."

Tarquin turned from the table with a glass of wine. He smiled at her worried domestic frown as she examined the heavy damask for stains. He put down the glass and filled the basin on the washstand with warm water from the ewer. "Come, let me make you more comfortable," he invited, wringing out a washcloth.

Suddenly shy, Juliana approached him hesitantly. She reached to take the cloth from him. but he said, "Let me do it for you."

He gently nudged her thighs apart and Juliana submitted to his deft, intimate attentions, her awkwardness fading when she realized that he was enjoying what he was doing to her. That he was making of the simple cleansing a delicately arousing ritual.

Her eyes were heavy when he straightened and tossed the washcloth back into the basin. "That wasn't so bad, was it, now?" he teased, kissing her mouth.

"I feel most peculiar," Juliana confided matter-of-factly. "As if I've lost touch with the ground."

"Perhaps a little supper will bring you back to reality." Tarquin opened the armoire and drew out a man's velvet chamber robe. He shrugged into it and picked up Juliana's wrapper from the floor. "Put this on again for a little while."

Juliana took it. "A little while" seemed promising. Vaguely, she wondered how long his own robe had been hanging in her armoire. Equally vaguely, she wondered how he'd known it would be there. She took the glass of wine he handed her.

She shook her head when he offered lobster and asparagus but nibbled on a candied fruit, sipping her wine, watching him eat.

"I suppose we should make haste with the marriage ceremony," she said after a minute or two. "If I've conceived, it might be awkward to explain a premature infant."

Tarquin looked up from his supper with a quick frown. "There's no need to discuss that tonight. Juliana."

"But since it's the object of the exercise…" She didn't know why she was bringing it up now. It had immediately cast a pall over her rosy glow. But she couldn't seem to stop herself. "I beg your pardon, my lord duke." She sketched a curtsy. "It was very clumsy of me to bring it up. I daresay it's because I'm inexperienced in the art of pleasing men. When I've become more accustomed to life in a bawdy house, I'm certain I won't offend again."

The duke stared at her for a moment; then he chuckled. "What a provoking child you are," he said. "Have another sweetmeat." He passed her the basket.

Juliana hesitated; then, with a tiny shrug, she took a sugared almond and sat down on the chaise longue.

Tarquin's brief nod indicated approval, and he returned to his lobster. "As it happens, I believe we should proceed with the marriage ceremony with all speed," he observed, dabbing his mouth with his napkin. "In my waistcoat pocket you'll find something that might interest you."

Juliana went to the chair where his clothes still lay. She felt in the pocket of his waistcoat and drew out a piece of folded parchment. "What is it?"

"Take a look." He leaned back in his chair, sipping his wine, regarding her closely as she unfolded the paper.

"Oh? It's me!"

"That was the conclusion I came to."

Juliana stared at the poster. There was an ardst's likeness of her… somewhat crude but accurate enough. The physical description, however, was minute and unmistakable, right down to the freckles on her nose. She glanced up at the mirror, comparing herself with the likeness and the description. Her hair and eyes were the giveaway.

"Where did you find this?"

"They're posted all over town." He selected an asparagus spear with his fingers and lifted it to his mouth.

Juliana read the description of her crime. Wanted for the murder of her husband: Juliana Ridge of the village of Ashford in Hampshire. Substantial reward offered for any information, however small. Contact Sir George Ridge at the Gardener's Arms in Cheapside.

"I wonder how much he's offering," she mused, initially more intrigued than alarmed by this evidence of George's pursuit.

The duke shook his head. "Whatever it is, you're not safe outside this house until you're beyond the reach of that country bumpkin. So once the contracts have been drawn up with Copplethwaite, I'll procure a special license. It should all be over by the end of the week."

"I see. And what will I think of your cousin?" Juliana still stood by the chair, still holding the poster.

"You'll undoubtedly dislike him heartily." He refilled his wineglass. "But you need have nothing to do with him in private. You will both lodge in my house in separate quarters. Lucien will leave you strictly alone."

"And once I've conceived, I imagine that will apply to you too, my lord duke?"

"That will depend on you," he snapped. He tossed his napkin to the table and stood up, not sure why her question disturbed him; it was, after all, a perfectly fair question. "It seems not impossible that I might set you up as my mistress after Lucien's death. It would be easy enough to arrange discreetly. My cousin's widow with a child in my wardship would have a natural claim upon my attention and protection."

"I see. A duke's established mistress. I'll be the envy of every courtesan in town, my lord."

"I'll bandy words with you no longer.'" He strode to his clothes on the chair.

"But can't you understand!" Juliana cried passionately. "Can't you try to understand what I feel?"

Tarquin paused in his dressing and turned to look at her flushed face framed in the flaming halo of her hair, the jade eyes expressing an almost desperate frustration. "I suppose I can," he said eventually. "If you can try to trust in me. I mean you no harm. Quite the opposite."

He dressed swiftly in the silence his words produced, then came over to her and kissed her. He kissed the corners of her mouth, the tip of her nose, and her brow. "There were a few moments this evening when you didn't wish to consign me to Lucifer's fires, weren't there?"

Juliana nodded. "Don't go," she said, suddenly sure of one thing she wanted.

"It's best if I do."

Juliana said nothing further, and he left her immediately. She took a sip of her neglected wine. Apparently she was not to have disagreeable arguments or unsettling opinions, or to ask provoking questions. Clearly His Grace of Redmayne didn't like that in a woman. In which case he'd picked the wrong woman for his schemes: she wasn’t going to curb her own nature just to fit the duke's image of a suitable mistress.

Lord of hell! She was a mistress. A duke's mistress! The realization hit her for the first time. Abruptly she sat on the bed, aware of every inch of her sensitized skin, the vague soreness between her legs, the utterly pleasurable sense of having been used, filled, fulfilled. Did whores enjoy their work? Did they retire every morning filled with this wonderful, languid bodily joy? Somehow Juliana didn't think so. Did wives feel it? She knew with absolute certainty that the wife of John Ridge wouldn't have. If John hadn't died in the midst of his huffing and puffing, she would be his wedded, bedded wife, condemned never to know the glories that she'd just shared with the Duke of Redmayne.

So what did it all mean? That she should accept with a glad heart the hand fate had dealt her? Count her blessings and embrace the duke with cries of joy?

Oh, no! That was not the way it was going to be. She'd find a way to enjoy the benefits of this liaison while giving the duke a serious run for his money.

Juliana reached for the bellpull to summon Bella, her mind seething with energy, quite at odds with her body's languor.