Page 44 of Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Duchess
Harry’s smile grew cruel, “There will be no need for them to discuss the wedding night, as it appears my bride-to-be will be eager for any man’s touch.”
His words turned Andrew’s stomach, and he clenched his hand into a fist. He wondered how he couldn’t have seen the depths of Harry’s depravity before then. He heard the clock strike half past ten and he felt a small bit of relief. He could endure Harry for another half hour. “Should I ask Mr. Scoville to bring us some coffee?”
Harry snorted. “You always were a lightweight, Andrew. Never willing to take chances. Play it safe. Bring me a brandy. When I finish it, I shall find my bride!”
“Where is Miss Roves?” Kate demanded.
The maid attending Julia cowered at the unexpected ire in Kate’s voice. She had served Miss Roves faithfully for years and was well-acquainted with Kate. She immediately felt regret for causing the girl distress.
In a calmer voice, she said, “Miss Roves didn’t come to dinner. I was concerned, so I’ve come to speak with her.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Avery, but she wasn’t here when I came upstairs. She insisted I have my dinner break, and I thought she had gone downstairs with the other guests. When I arrived, no one was here. The only other person was another maid who was carrying a small reticule down the servants’ stairway.” The girl’s face was white, and she seemed to fear that she was in trouble.
Kate gave her a reassuring smile. “I must have missed her. I apologize for being so abrupt. When she returns, please tell her I wish to speak with her.” The girl curtsied and scurried away as Kate left to go in search of her brother.
When she was in the wing where her brother’s chambers were, she was surprised to find it dark. No guests were housed here, but she thought her brother would not have dismissed his servants so early. She returned to the center hallway and grabbed a candle. This wing was not used except when her brother was in residence. Her parents’ rooms had been here, too, but she could not find the strength to move her bedchamber back to this wing. After her parents died, she had cried and insisted on being near her beloved grandmother, the Dowager Viscountess. As she had grown older, Kate remained close to her grandmother.
At his door, she knocked and waited for either Nicholas or his valet to answer. When nothing was forthcoming, she rapped a little sharper and louder. It echoed in the empty hallway. She tried the knob and was shocked to find it locked.
“Nicholas? It’s Kate. Let me in.”
When he didn’t respond despite her repeated pleas, she frowned and turned back toward the central hallway and her own chambers. Perhaps he had left rather than face the wedding tomorrow. It didn’t make sense since Miss Chambers was still here, but Kate started to realize that people were not as logical in real life as they were in her beloved novels. How she longed to rewrite all of their stories as if they were all heroes and heroines in tale. Nicholas and Julia would have their happily-ever-after, and she would fall in love with a dashing duke with cobalt-blue eyes.
Kate stopped.Am I falling in love with Andrew?
The thought was absurd. He made her furious with his obstinate ways. On the other hand, he was intelligent and observant. They sparred in ways that invigorated rather than depleted her. She never felt more alive than when she was engaged in conversation with him. And his touch. Oh, how his touch made her long for more. Was this what love felt like? The thought that she was in love both saddened her and filled her with happiness. She knew he would never return her feelings. She was a wallflower, not made to be a Duchess.
Distracted by her thoughts, she abandoned trying to find her brother. When she returned to her wing of Renwood Castle, she was pleased that the halls were empty of guests. She craned to listen for noise of revelry from downstairs, but it was quiet as a church. Kate hurried to her bedchamber. She would dismiss Sally for the evening and prepare her own toilette in preparationfor her night of pleasure. A shiver of delight coursed through her as she imagined what lay in store for her.
In his bedchamber, Andrew was anything but calm. Harry had passed out from drink, much to Andrew’s relief. The game of Blind Man’s Bluff had failed to enthrall the guests. Everyone was tired and headed off to their respective bedchambers early. Andrew suspected that they, too, felt the shift in the atmosphere from joyous to oppressive. Julia’s absence for most of the day from the festivities and Harry’s loud and brash behavior had worn on even the most patient of the partygoers.
Now, he paced the floor. He had dismissed his valet as soon as he had arrived in his bedchamber. Andrew felt like a young man of seventeen about to experience his first stolen kiss at a ball. He couldn’t decide if he should greet her in only his shirt and trousers or remain in his coat with his cravat still tied in place. In frustration, he yanked the midnight blue cravat from his neck and flung it on a nearby chair. The suit coat followed suit. The fewer impediments between his body and hers the better.
Andrew glanced at the clock on the mantel and growled. Fifteen minutes until she was due to arrive. He settled himself on the foot of the bed. The hands of the clock seemed to grind to a halt and thetick tickechoed in the room.
Kate Avery, you have bewitched me as no woman before you could.
He laughed at himself and wondered if one night would be enough to break the spell that she had placed upon him. At one minute before the hour, he heard a timid tapping on his door. He practically leaped across the room to answer it but stilled himself before reaching to open it.
Kate stood before him. Her long chestnut brown had been released from its pins and cascaded in a molten river across her shoulders. She had changed into a forest green gown which made her appear like the fairy of the woods. Her cheeks were rosier than usual, and her brown eyes sparkled. She bit her lip, and Andrew couldn’t restrain himself. He grabbed her and pulled her to him, kicking the door shut behind her with his foot.
Andrew pulled her to him, and Kate pressed herself against him. He smelled so enticing. She inhaled deeply and melted a little more into his embrace.
“Kate,” Andrew whispered and pulled her tighter against him. His hands braced against her hips and maneuvered her toward the bed.
Kate gave a small murmur of protest, but he captured her mouth with his and it died on her lips. She wanted this more than she had ever wanted anything else. Andrew lay her down on the bed. His arm circled around her, and she lay cradled against him. Her breasts pressed against his chest. His strong thigh parted her legs, and they were entwined together.
His hand rested on her hip, and she longed to have it against her bare flesh. She cursed the barrier her clothes presented. As shepressed her hips closer to him, she could feel his warm firmness beside her. Heat emanated from his body, and she longed to warm herself with his fire.
Andrew’s hands moved slowly and lightly from her hips to cup her bottom and as he did, he pulled her even closer. Kate felt his hardness grow against her. She melted and closed her eyes. She couldn’t stop herself from responding even if she wanted to. His touch was too much for her senses to handle. Her breath began to quicken.
Andrew’s hands began to pull her bottom against his hardness, and she felt herself grow moist. A shiver rippled through her, and she felt her nipples harden and press against the linen of her gown. Kate tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. She licked her lips, and Andrew groaned and nipped her bottom lip with his own. Each small bite sent shockwaves of pleasure coursing through her. Finally, his mouth covered hers. It was scorching and took her prisoner with its intensity. She met his intensity with her own.
It felt second nature for her to part her lips and open herself to him. His tongue entered her mouth and sent her to new heights of pleasure. She met his tongue with her own. As she did, she pressed her body even closer. She longed to melt into him. To become one. His hands entwined themselves in her hair and cupped her head, not allowing her to escape from his kiss. Not that she wanted to. Kate wanted more. She needed more.
Her hands found the buttons of his shirt, and she tried to unbutton it, but her fingers fumbled. Andrew pulled away from her slightly and whispered, “Let me help.”
In a moment, he was out of his shirt and his pants had been yanked from him. She marveled at the length and girth of him as he pressed once more against her. She reached down and felt its velvety softness and let out a soft whimper of delight and awe.
