AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sweet mercy.
She patted his arm almost sympathetically and violently hiccupped. “Do not worry; Lucinda said, even if it is terrible, one must flatter their lover’s vanity. I will take care of you.”
She wouldn’t bloody dare.Felicity then snuggled into his embrace, and before he reached the landing, soft sounds puffed from her. “Truly remarkable,” he said, smiling.
Phin took her to her room and gently laid her down on the bed. The bottoms of her feet were stained with grass and seemed dirty. He collected the washbasin and tenderly cleaned the bottom of her feet and between her toes. That in itself was a feat, because every time he touched the wet washcloth to her foot, she would draw it away and mutter that he should stop licking her toes. Chuckling, he did not stop until her feet were well cleaned. Then he deftly removed her dress, leaving on her undergarments.
She sighed gustily and rolled over on the bed, grabbing a pillow and slipping it between her legs, and putting another beneath her head. He stood there, staring down at her for a few minutes, almost astonished by the warm sensation filling his chest. He was starting to notice more odd things about Miss Harrington, things he might have overlooked in another lady but found endlessly fascinating in her.
Like the small overbite at the front of her mouth, the habit of twirling her curls when she was lost in deep thoughts or reading. The rosy curve of her mouth when she smiled, and the shadow of a dimple that never went too deep. Her softly rounded cheeks and stubborn chin were intriguing. The way she laughed with her whole body. The kind attentiveness she showed his butler, who had caught a cold a few days ago. Felicity Harrington might be without wealth and connections, but she had an air of quiet elegance and cleverness, and laughter always seemed to lurk in her eyes. He liked that about her.
Ashe started to walk away,, she said his name in her sleep. Then a soft sob came from her, and with a jolt, he realized it was a sound of pain. She reached behind and rubbed her back, softly moaning. He had a recollection then of a past lover saying the pain ladies felt when they saw their menses was ghastly. Phineas slipped in the bed beside her, gently drew her into the curve of his arms, so she rested her head on his shoulder. Reaching down, he kneaded her lower back with deep yet gentle massages.
The intimacy struck him rather forcibly, and the sensation that closed itself around his heart when she sighed his name into the crook of his neck was unfamiliar but very pleasant indeed. He rubbed and soothed her back until his fingers cramped, but he did not stop until she appeared to have sunk into a deep slumber.
Ensuring he did not jolt her awake, he set her comfortably into the bed and tugged the coverlets over her. Phin made his way to his chamber, not at all surprised to find his grandmother outside in the hallway. He had been inside Felicity’s chamber for at least thirty minutes.The interfering old biddy.
“I thought your old bones would be abed by now,” he said by way of greeting.
“Have you compromised your bride to be?” she imperiously demanded.
“Is it even possible to compromise someone that you mean to marry?” he asked drily.
“If you have anticipated your vows, you will have to marry her immediately. We cannot have any talk when your heir arrives.”
“I have not compromised her.”
Her eyes glittered with matchmaking calculation. “Those kisses looked beyond the bounds of what is allowed between an affianced pair.”
Almost fondly exasperated, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Good night, Nanna.”
He continued down the stairs ignoring her spluttered demands that he return. He entered his palatial study, pleased to see the lamps were still on and a fire lit in the hearth. A considerable amount of correspondence from his various estate stewards required his attention, and he had been ignoring them of late. He sat before his oak desk, and instead of taking out the ledgers, he leaned back in his chair.
“What am I to do about you, Felicity?” he asked the shadowed room.
He seriously considered settingher up under his protection. A roar of denial went through him instantly. Felicity deserved to be more than any man’s mistress. But he admitted he wanted her for far longer than three nights. He would need weeks, months, perhaps years to purge her from his system.
“Damn it, I do not want to purge her at all. I want to keep her close.”I might damn well keep her forever.
The thought shocked him so much that he froze in the act of getting up out of his chair. Sinking back down, he turned the thought over in his mind, wondering at it. Hewouldeventually get married. With a hiss, he tossed away the idea before it took root. He was not ready for marriage, and he would damn well marry when it was time to fulfill his duty, not because he got caught up in a farce because of his family’s machinations. Worse, he had come to know enough of Felicity to understand she wanted all the romantic trappings that came with some marriages. The ones who proudly proclaimed they were love matches as if they had won a prize or were perhaps better than marriages without sentimentality.
He scrubbed a hand over his face and blew out a breath. There was no need for him to overthink the matter. He almost laughed at the irony. He was the one muddling up a simple arrangement when he had always been practical. She was only his pretend fiancée for a couple more weeks and his lover for a few nights.
Nothing more.
Felicity,unfortunately, woke up with the full memory of the night before perfectly intact. She wailed, too mortified to even leave the bed. Refusing to head downstairs to break her fast, she started to pack her valise. She then sent the maid who came to attend her with a message to the earl. He arrived a few minutes later with a tray. The delicious aroma inspired her stomach to embarrassingly rumble.
He arched a brow. “Why are you packing, Felicity?”
“How do I face your mother and grandmother after…after…” she sat on the bed and covered her face with her hands. “I said the word cock and they heard.” A burst of hope went through her heart. “Do you think they are unfamiliar with the term? Is it a bad word or just a…word?”
He stared at her with a narrowed gaze. “You believe I want to think about my nanna and mother knowing the word cock?”
Felicity laughed but shook her head. “Of course not, that would mean they also tupped at some point and—”
“Felicity—”
She said smilingly, “Do not be prudish, my lord.”
