Page 34 of A Countess Captured for the Captain
“I feel it, I feel so happy I could burst with joy,” Samantha exclaimed, for that was precisely how she felt, and believed she would feel all the rest of her life.
The house was grand, lavishly furnished, and a footman led them into the dining room where the table was set for a lavish banquet. Silverware and cut glass glittered in the sunlight pouring through the windows, and all manner of delightful dishes were laid out for their enjoyment. The centerpiece of the table was a large cake on a gold stand, surrounded by exotic fruits and decorated in marzipan, intricately arranged. Wine was brought, and the guests sat down to dine, waited on by an army of servants hurrying back and forth.
“Will we live here, Nox?” Samantha asked, and Nox glanced at his uncle and aunt, who both nodded to him.
“Actually, we shall live in Knightsbridge for now. My uncle thinks it a sensible idea that he and my aunt be on hand to direct this next stage, for there is much I still need to learn about the life of an Earl,” Nox replied, signaling for his glass to be refilled, and then leaning forward so that he could not be overheard, “but we shall spend the night here,” and he winked at her.
“What will you do now? Would you ever consider returning to the Islands?” she asked, and Samantha glanced at Nox.
“Perhaps. I have not considered it, only that I will be happiest wherever my husband is, and that is all that matters,” she replied.
The rest of the banquet passed happily, toasts were made, and good health was drank, as a seemingly endless array of dishes were brought to the table. There were roasted meats and fish, vegetables in a dozen preparations, pies and pastries, and all manner of other good things to eat, so that the merrymaking went on long into the evening.
“But the moment has come to leave these good people to their rest,” Nicholas said, when finally the party rose from the table.
A distant clock had just struck nine and darkness had fallen, so that candles had been lit all round, and the servants had closed the shutters against the evening drafts.
“We will call upon you very soon in Knightsbridge,” Catherine said, as she and Rebecca kissed Samantha goodbye.
“And we shall look forward to welcoming you when you return tomorrow,” Nox’s aunt said, as they said farewell.
Samantha and Nox stood hand in hand to wish their guests goodbye. It had not been a grand society wedding, but it could not possibly have been a happier one, and Samantha wished only now to go to bed and see the marriage made right as it should be. She bid her friends goodbye, and when the servants had been dismissed, she turned to Nox as he put his arms around her.
“A perfect day,” he whispered, and she nodded.
“And now a perfect night?” she replied.
* * *
Taking her by the hand, Nox led her up the stairs to where a galleried landing gave way to a corridor lined with tapestries and lit by candles in brackets at intervals along the walls. The servants slept in the other wing of the house, and everything was quiet. At last, they were alone, just as Samantha had dreamed they would be.
“There is no one to disturb us now,” he said, turning to her and taking her in his arms.
He kissed on the lips, his hands running down the small of her back, pulling her close to him, as she let out a deep sigh.
“It is all I have thought about today, I wanted us to be alone,” she said, and he smiled at her.
“And we are entirely so. Come, this way, I have been exploring,” he said, and he led her along the corridor to a large door at the far end.
It opened into a bedroom where a large bed, with curtains hanging open around it, filled the room. Samantha had never seen such a bed before, illuminated by a hundred candles and the light of a fire burning in the hearth. The curtains were of gold damask, and the bed covered over in exquisite silk sheets, pulled back invitingly at one corner. It reminded her of exotic oriental scenes she had seen in paintings, a fantasy world into which they could escape. Nox closed the door, turning to her with a smile.
“It is beautiful,” she whispered.
“If we cannot immediately escape London, then let us have the Orient here. I understand it was in this very room that the fourth Earl seduced a royal princess to his bed,” he said, taking Samantha in his arms once more.
“But there is no need for seduction now,” Samantha replied, running her finger down the buttons of his shirt, as he kissed her, and she let out a long sigh of longing.
The door was shut, the key turned in the lock, the fire crackling in the hearth, and the bed inviting them to lie amid its silk sheets and finally know the joy of the union now blessed. Samantha had been waiting for this moment, longing for it, a longing only heightened by the moment they had shared in the shrubbery. But this was to be no snatched encounter, no scandalous risk. This was the consummation of their marriage and Samantha wanting nothing more than to know Nox intimately and to delight in all that they could share.
“I have thought of this moment for a long time,” he whispered, holding her in his arms and bringing his lips to her neck.
Samantha arched her back, enjoying the sensation of his lips against her skin, the touch of his hand upon her breast. She felt that same familiar warmth rising in her, the feeling of ecstasy she had experienced in the shrubbery. It filled with her with a tingling from her toes, coursing through her body, a shudder, as he brought her gently back onto the bed.
Their bodies were now entwined, senses heightening, Samantha’s arousal growing. There was something instinctive in her, as though she knew what to do before doing it, a sense of desire for a pleasure she had not yet experienced but knew she wanted. Nox pulled at her dress, loosening it so that her breasts were now exposed, his hand upon them, his lips circling them, as he slid his other hand into her skirts. She gasped at the first touch, wincing as he pressed himself against her, a shudder running through her. She pulled at his tunic, and for a moment he rolled back, tugging his clothes off, his breeches pulled down to expose himself to her.
Now, it was Samantha who took the lead, her hands running up his legs, as he smiled at her, his body stiffening as she clasped him, and he shuddered with delight. She kept her eyes fixed upon him, a smile playing across her lips, as she drew close to him, keeping hold of his pleasure, as their bodies became entwined. He ran his hands across her back, his hands clasping at her soft skin, warm and tender, as he kissed her and brought himself closer to her.
His tip now pressed against her, and she gave a gasp as he brought himself forward, the sensation far greater than when it had been merely his fingers searching her out. For a moment he paused, looking at her for assurance that it was what she wanted, but with desire running through her, Samantha pulled him toward her, letting out a gasp as he pushed inside her. For a moment she felt pain, but gently he eased her back onto the bed, arching over her, his lips pressed against hers, the sensation turning to pleasure.
