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Hebe, torn between blushes and giggles, tugged at Alex’s arm, but he stood firm while Starling gathered his wits and bowed slightly. ‘Goodnight, my lord. Goodnight, my lady. It is, if I may say so, my lord, somewhat chilly for her ladyship to be out in this draughty corridor at this hour.’
‘Thank you, Starling, I believe you are right.’
Hebe watched as the butler vanished around the corner. ‘Oh, poor Starling! Alex, you must apologise to him in the morning, it is way and beyond what any butler might be expected to have to deal with.’
Alex looked down with laughter brimming in his eyes. ‘Nonsense, do him good: he might go and flirt with Mrs Fitton as a result. But he is right about the cold, my darling, you are frozen.’
‘So are you, Alex, come in and shut the door.’
He hesitated, ‘I promised I would not…’
‘Then I end the promise!’ Hebe tugged his arm and shut the door firmly before his scruples could persuade him to retreat again. She curved her arms around his neck and gazed up into his face. ‘Please, Alex, make love to me.’
He stooped and she found herself lifted high in his arms and the next moment she was lying on the bed, her hair fanning the pillows, the fine fabric of the nightgown lightly veiling her body. Alex closed his eyes, one hand clenched on the bedpost. ‘You are so lovely. I cannot believe that you can trust me after what happened.’
Hebe sat up, curled her legs under her and reached out to tug at his arm. ‘Alex, listen to me! I cannot pretend that was how I wanted to lose my virginity. I cannot pretend it did not hurt, because it did. But, Alex, none of that mattered, because it was you. Can you not understand? I loved you then, I love you now.’
He sat on the bed beside her, taking her hands in his. ‘Do you really mean that, Hebe? Oh, my love, if you will let me I will show you how it ought to be, and I promise I will not hurt you.’
Hebe smiled trustingly back at him. ‘I knew that must be the case. I expect it would always hurt the first time, and, after all, you hardly had your mind on the matter. Nor, I hope, do you have much experience with virgins.’ Alex gave a muffled snort of laughter and dropped his face into his hands. Hebe could see his ears turning red. ‘Oh, dear, I am sorry, that was a most improper thing to say.’
Alex opened his hands, revealing his face alight with laughter and something else that made Hebe’s stomach contract sharply with a strange sensation which made her breathless. ‘My innocent Circe: we are married now, it is almost compulsory to have improper conversations. Whilst we are being so frank, would you care to tell me why you were so pleased at the news that I was going to London tomorrow?’
‘Oh, dear. That really is extremely improper. Must I tell you?’
She realised with a start that Alex was trailing one long finger up and down her right ankle. It made it extraordinarily difficult to think. ‘Yes, you must.’
‘Very well, I thought you would be going to visit your mistress.’
‘My what? Hebe, let me assure you, I do not have a mistress, and if I did, it passes my comprehension that you should be pleased about it.’
‘Well, you were not sleeping with me, and I was sure you would not behave towards the local girls in any improper way, so I thought you must be feeling…well, Anna said it made men grumpy. I thought if you went to London you could find one of the muslin company and that would make you feel better.’
‘The only thing that was making me grumpy, as Anna so charmingly puts it, was the fact that I was burning to make endless, passionate, highly improper love to my wife. What other helpful advice did my good friend Mrs Wilkins give you?’
‘Only that men do not need to be in love with the lady they are making love to. That is what made me think that perhaps you would not repulse me if I came to your bed tonight.’
Alex looked at her grimly. ‘Tomorrow I am not going to London. I am going down to see Thomas Thorne and tell him that if he does not marry that woman by special licence within the week and remove her from this household I will tear up his tenancy.’
Hebe snorted. ‘What nonsense. Anna did not interfere, she simply answered my questions when I asked her things. I have not been discussing you with her, I promise. I would just ask her for general information.’
‘Then, Madam Wife, allow me to give you one very particular piece of information. I love you. I will never want to make love to another woman for as long as you are mine, and I fully intend for that to be for the rest of our lives. Is that quite clear?’
‘Yes, my lord,’ Hebe said meekly, then, ‘Alex if you do not make love to me very quickly and stop doing whatever it is you are doing to my ankle I think I will have strong hysterics.’
‘The last thing I intend to do is to make love to you quickly, Circe. I intend to be very, very slow.’ He reached out and started to untie the ribbon bows that formed the shoulder straps of Hebe’s nightgown. ‘This is a very fetching piece of nonsense. Just exactly how does it come off…ah, yes. And then down here, just so.’ With the last bow untied the gown slid from Hebe’s body like a retreating wavelet over warm sand.
Alex stared down at the smooth, pale skin, trembling slightly with shyness under his gaze. ‘Did I tell you once that you were not beautiful, Circe? I was so very wrong.’
Hebe reached out and tugged at the belt of his robe. ‘Ah, yes,’ Alex said as he shrugged it off his shoulders. ‘You have the advantage of me, having washed, prodded, bandaged and bullied my unfortunate and unconscious naked body in the past.’ His eyes twinkled wickedly. ‘Still no fig leaf, despite your studies of the classical nude.’ He saw her eyes widen as she took in the fact that he was very aroused. ‘It will be all right…’
‘I know,’ Hebe said firmly. ‘It was…I mean, in the dark I did not quite realise.’
‘Stop being brave, my love, just kiss me and trust me.’ Hebe was borne back on to the bed, Alex’s long form s
tretched beside her, his mouth tantalising hers until all she could think about was the feel of his lips, the warmth of his mouth, the taste of him.
He began to caress her, his hands running gently over her body until she was moaning and twisting with the teasing, unrelenting sensation. Only then did he lift his mouth from hers and catch one peaking nipple between his teeth. Hebe sobbed and arched towards the incredible sensation that seemed to reach deep inside her. While his teeth and lips continued to tease her aching breasts, his hand moved lightly down, never stopping its subtle caresses until she suddenly gasped with mingled shock and exquisite erotic torment as he touched the most intimate place.
