Читать книгу Historical Romance May 2017 Books 1 - 4 - Bronwyn Scott - Страница 16

Chapter Six

‘In case you’re unfamiliar with what will take place tonight, allow me to explain,’ Mrs Hale offered while Laura did up the buttons on the back of Jane’s wedding dress. With her straight nose and auburn hair tinged with grey, Mrs Hale resembled Laura, except her eyes were pale brown while Laura’s were hazel. ‘When a gentleman and a lady are alone together...’

‘Yes, I’m well aware of what will transpire.’ Jane had eavesdropped on Jasper’s sister enough times when she was younger to learn the full extent of things. However, having an understanding of how the deed worked and experiencing it were two very different things. Jane took such a deep breath, she feared the buttons might pop off their threads. If what was to come with Jasper was anything like his kisses, she wasn’t sure how she’d make it through tonight without melting into a puddle.

‘Too bad, I was looking forward to describing it in more flowery language than I usually hear in Dr Hale’s practice.’ Mrs Hale laughed from her place on the sofa. It was the first time the three women had been together in months and her presence helped calm Jane. She’d been like a mother to her, helping her grow from a young girl to a woman and calming her on more than one occasion when Jane had been fuming over some slight or one of Philip’s decisions. In Mrs Hale’s smile and the delighted way she spun her cane as she held it in front of her, Jane could almost imagine her own mother here.

She would be here if it hadn’t been for me. Jane tried to smile while the other ladies continued to joke and tease, but her lips were as tight as her nerves.

‘If you have any questions after the deed, you know where to find me.’ Mrs Hale clapped with the same restrained exuberance she’d shown when Laura had made her a grandmother. Then she rose and came to stand beside her, fingering the fine embroidered lace cascading from the shoulders of the dress to brush the hem of the skirt. ‘I’m glad you’ll finally be able to attach a good memory to this bit of silk. You deserve to be happy.’

Her eyes misted with tears as she took Jane by the shoulders and turned her to face the mirror. Any reservations Jane might have had about the dress vanished as the thirteen-year-old girl who’d spent days in this room mourning the departure of her friend, and praying he might some day return, rose up inside her. He had come back to her. He was the first.

Philip rapped on the door and then entered. He wore his best morning suit, as handsome today as when he’d married Laura. He stopped at the sight of his sister, and his eyes shone with pride. ‘You’re lovely.’

He came forward and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. Tears blurred her vision, but she brushed them off with her gloved fingertips, not wanting to meet Jasper with red eyes. Philip was almost the only parent she’d ever known, and for all her wanting to have a home of her own, she was at last leaving his. Every argument they’d ever had and each disagreement meant nothing compared to the affection in his smile.

‘Thank you.’ For everything. He’d always been a loving brother, doing his best to raise her. She’d miss his steady presence, despite all of their butting heads.

‘Are you ready?’

The day she never thought would come was here at last. She would finally be a bride. It was time to go and claim her life with Jasper. ‘I am.’

* * *

Jasper stood at the altar, Reverend Claire beside him, his younger brother Giles serving as Jasper’s best man while Jacob sulked in the pew at not having been chosen. A few years ago it would have been Milton beside him, but he was the only Charton not in attendance. He and his wife had elected to stay away from the church, but at his father’s insistence he’d grudgingly agreed to bring his wife to the wedding breakfast at the Rathbones’.

Jasper’s three elder sisters and their husbands and children sat in the first few pews. While his numerous nieces and nephews whispered and giggled with the Rathbone children, his sisters and his mother sniffed into their handkerchiefs. A few months ago they’d been worried he’d die in Savannah. They were overjoyed to see him now on his wedding day.

He rubbed the back of his neck and the slight perspiration beneath his collar. They cared for him and he was deceiving them all. They’d despise him if they ever found out about the hell and shun him just as surely as they embraced him today. He’d have no one to blame but himself if they did. If the day ever came, he hoped they showed Jane as much tolerance as they’d extended to Milton. He couldn’t bear to have her cast out of her family for his mistakes.

‘You’re not nervous, are you?’ Giles ribbed, pulling Jasper out of his worries.

‘No.’ He exchanged a hearty smile with his younger brother. ‘Just eager.’

And he was. The day he’d left London with Jane’s willingness to wait for him still fresh in his mind, he’d believed every hope he’d ever harboured of being with his closest friend was finished. He’d make sure she never suffered because of him, or viewed him with the same disgust he’d come to see his uncle with. She would remain innocent where he’d been corrupted and he would do everything he could to make sure she never wanted for anything.

The organ struck up, drawing Jasper and the entire church’s attention to the back. Jane appeared at the top of the aisle, resplendent in an ivory-silk dress with a train of lace, walking with dignity beside her brother in time to the organ music. Her cobalt-coloured eyes fixed on his, so alight with joy it took his breath away. He’d thought luck had deserted him in Savannah, then he’d come home and met her again. She knew more about him than anyone in this church and still she was willing to bind her life to his. He didn’t deserve her admiration, but he’d find a way to be worthy of her.

At last, Jane reached him and, after a few words from the Reverend Claire, Philip offered Jasper his sister’s hand and her future. Jasper couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his lips and Jane answered it with a playful one of her own. It echoed with the memories of them laughing together at his eldest sister Olivia’s wedding. At the reception, they’d played the game of what if, taking turns imagining who their future partner would be. Secretly, he’d hoped it would be her. Today, it was. It wasn’t desperation that had guided her up the aisle to him, but a connection they’d shared for years, one which hadn’t been broken by time or distance or all his sins.

At Reverend Claire’s instruction, they faced him. While the Reverend spoke, Jasper was aware of nothing but Jane beside him, her fingers solid against his and her light perfume brushing his senses. She was as gorgeous, trusting and innocent as he was dark, experienced and dishonest, but if she believed in him then it was time to start believing in himself.

When Reverend Claire asked if there was anyone who objected to the marriage, Jasper didn’t flinch or peer over his shoulder to see if someone came forward. No one, not even his previous doubts, spoke up.

* * *

Reverend Claire drew out the silence as though he expected some objection, if not from the audience then from the groom. Jane studied Jasper out of the corner of her eye, wondering if he held any of the second thoughts he’d expressed to her the other day. But they were nowhere to be seen as he drew his lips to one side in a playful grin she matched.

Hearing no objections, Reverend Claire continued until it was time to exchange vows. With a seriousness to put her brother to shame, she faced Jasper, delighted to see him bring the same gravity to the solemn words. He’d already made one promise to her in private—to always honour her. Today, he’d make a few more for everyone to hear.

Then it was her turn. So many times Jane had been selfish in her wants, but it was no longer about her any more. Jasper needed her as much as she needed him, not only to build his business but to rebuild the part of himself Savannah and the fever had damaged. She raised her eyes to his, determined he see how seriously she took her vows to him, too. He gently caressed one of her fingers with his as if hearing her silent promise.

Then Reverend Claire called for the rings. Giles handed Jasper a small box and Jane shifted on her feet, eager to see what he’d selected for her. She gasped when he opened it to reveal a diamond larger than the one in his cravat pin set in a thick gold band. He slipped it out of its case and on to her finger, the weight of it making her eye him with a sly smile.

He cocked a self-satisfied eyebrow at her and from the corner of her eyes she noticed all the women in the pews shifting to get a better look. She tried not to smile too wide in delight. Vanity was a sin, but she didn’t care. She was wearing the biggest diamond in the church. Without waiting for Reverend Claire to tell her, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into their first married kiss.

* * *

Jasper escorted his new bride, who beamed like the morning sun, back to the Rathbone house and the wedding breakfast. A parade of revellers and well-wishers followed the new couple across the street and inside. Even Milton and his wife were there although they refrained from joining the receiving line.

Once the formalities were through, everyone went to the garden and the tables of food arranged among the rose bushes. A harpist played in the shade of the portico while hired footmen wove through the guests, offering champagne and headier spirits for the gentlemen. Jane was happily showing her ring to Justin and his wife Susanna when the clink of a spoon against a glass drew everyone’s attention.

‘To my son and his lovely wife.’ Jasper’s father’s deep voice carried over the garden from where he stood on the portico with Giles and Jacob. His nose was red, his eyes heavy. Despite it being the middle of the day, he’d indulged in a generous amount of Mr Rathbone’s fine Madeira. Jasper joined Jane as the entire crowd turned to admire them. ‘I can’t say I’m surprised to see you married, you two were as thick as thieves as children. One time, I caught them sneaking out of our house with a rope, threepence and a bottle of my best wine...’

‘Henry, I’m sure no one wants to hear such stories today,’ his wife gently reminded him, stopping him from finishing his tale of the morning he’d caught Jasper and Jane plotting to sell the wine and buy the pony Philip had refused to purchase for Jane.

‘I suppose you’re right.’ Jasper’s father rubbed his chin before he seemed to recall why he’d begun to speak. ‘What I mean to say is, you two were meant to be together and I can’t tell you how happy I am to see it happen at last. We worried about you, Jasper, when you were gone, feared you’d never make it home again, but you returned to us and to Jane.’ He raised his glass to them. ‘We love you both and wish you the greatest happiness.’

The guests raised their glasses in agreement. Jasper swept Jane’s lips with a sweet kiss and the guests applauded.

‘Well done, Jasper and Jane, well done.’ His father clapped before hurrying to chase down a footman with a full tray of wine.

Jane entwined her arm with Jasper’s. ‘He’s quite the orator, isn’t he?’

‘Indeed he is.’ The speech reminded Jasper of the many his father had given during family dinners and Christmas mornings as a boy, the ones he’d missed while he’d been away. Across the garden, his father spoke with some associates, confident and sure of himself despite his having imbibed a little too much. If he ever learned what exactly Jasper had made of himself in Savannah, and London, he’d never toast him again.

Beneath the clear blue sky hanging over the garden, and with the guests laughing and chatting, it was difficult to take his worries seriously. With Jane working alongside him, they’d have the club founded in a matter of weeks and he could stop living two separate lives. He might retain a percentage of the hell, but he’d have nothing more to do with its nightly activities, no extending of credit or having a hand in how any of the clients decided to waste their livelihoods. His father would never find out exactly what he’d sent his son to and what kind of man it had made him.

‘Jane, come with me.’ Olivia, Jasper’s eldest sister by ten years, hurried up to Jane and took her by the arm. ‘Lily, Alice and I have some advice we’re dying to give you.’ She led Jane off to join his other two sisters near the fountain along the back wall, welcoming Jane into the circle of married ladies. Olivia, with their mother’s fair complexion and lithe frame, talked the most, taking her role as eldest sister and potential marital mentor very seriously.

‘Olivia wasn’t so welcoming of Camille and Father wasn’t so effusive with his congratulations at my wedding dinner.’ Milton appeared at Jasper’s side, intent on bringing shade to the sunny day. He’d always been the most serious of the three of them, fretting over the consequences of their plotted adventures. He’d become even more morose as an adult. ‘But then you always did get the better deal.’

Jasper took a sip of his champagne to bite back the remark about it being his and his wife’s own fault they hadn’t received a warm wedding reception. This was not the time to start an argument. ‘I think you got the better end of the deal. I’ve seen horrors you can’t even imagine.’

A shadow seemed to pass over the garden until Jasper caught Jane’s eye. She flashed him a proud smile to drive back the darkness encroaching on him and he raised his glass to her.

‘There can’t always have been death and disease. There must’ve been something more thrilling to have kept you there for so long.’ It was the first sentence Milton had uttered to Jasper without each word dripping with condescension or jealousy.

Jasper studied Milton, seeing a hint of the brother he’d left and not the rival he’d become. ‘There was at one time, but nothing, and especially no one, there who can compare to here.’

None of the women he’d been with in Savannah, not the jaded widows who gambled as hard as the men, nor the bored planters’ wives who were eager to educate a man new to intimate nights, could match Jane. Her beauty was like deep water, not flashy or overdone, but steady, enhanced by her curves and the smooth fit of her dress. Her innocence called to him, as did her sharp wit and head for business.

‘Of course, I haven’t done too poorly.’ The brief moment of fraternity vanished as Milton puffed out his chest in pride and lifted his champagne glass to his wife who stood in the corner. ‘I’ve done well with Father, increasing his profits on more than one occasion, and I have a fine wife.’

Camille responded with a small smile before peering longingly at Jane and Jasper’s sisters while they continued to talk. It gave Jasper a better understanding of why Milton had chosen her over Jane. His wife held back where Jane strode forward and she wasn’t likely to show Milton up or reveal his weakness in business by exercising her strength. Milton might have avoided the challenges of a strong wife, but Jasper would welcome them, especially tonight. ‘If you’ll excuse me.’

Jasper wove his way through the guests to reach Jane, who stood now with Mr and Mrs Rathbone. Once beside her, he took her hand. He caught the slight intake of breath as he caressed her palm with his thumb.

‘Tell me about your cotton-trading business in Savannah, Mr Charton,’ Mrs Rathbone pressed. ‘My father was a draper, and I used to help him in his shop. I once knew a great deal about southern cotton. I’m curious to see how much I remember.’

Jasper’s thumbed stilled on Jane’s palm and her fingers tightened around his. He knew as much about cotton as Uncle Patrick had, which was nothing. He hadn’t expected Mrs Rathbone to be an expert. He racked his brain, trying to remember any of the conversations he used to overhear while pouring libations or slipping notes for more credit beneath the cotton-growers’ pens. Nothing came to him.

‘Don’t pester him with work, Laura.’ Jane batted her free hand at her sister-in-law. ‘We’re here to celebrate, not to be serious.’

‘Marriage has changed you already, Jane. You rarely ever pass up a chance to discuss business.’ Mr Rathbone regarded Jasper and Jane the way he used to when they were children and he caught them entering the house after being up to no good. Thankfully, Jasper’s mother approached and drew the host and hostess away.

Jane brushed her forehead with the back of her hand. ‘I see what you mean about lying to everyone.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me your sister-in-law knew about cotton?’

‘Because I haven’t heard her speak of it in years. I didn’t think she’d bring it up today.’

‘I might have to read up on the subject before our first family dinner,’ he joked, working to set her, and himself, at ease.

* * *

Jane tried to share in Jasper’s humour, but the brief interlude with Laura and Philip had left her shaken. Jane might have put Laura off the subject, but she’d noticed Philip scrutinising her and her husband.

My husband.

She stepped closer to him. Let Philip scrutinise them. She was a married woman now and he no longer had a say in her affairs.

* * *

It was dusk when the merry guests saw Jane and Jasper off in his landau. She could barely sit still beside him as the vehicle carried them from St Bride’s Lane to Jasper’s town house in Gough Square. In the privacy of the conveyance, she considered starting their marital relations early, but she didn’t want to shock the driver when they arrived at their destination.

Instead, she enjoyed the weight of his arm on her shoulders and the solid muscle of his thigh beneath her palm while they laughed about Mr Jones having tried to outdrink Mr Charton and failing.

Once they reached his house, he introduced her to his few servants, then showed her around the recently painted and repaired narrow rooms filled with the same gaudy furniture as his office. Like the furniture in the warehouse, it had belonged to his uncle and had come with the house. They poked into this room and that, discussing the minor details of housekeeping while avoiding the most important one waiting for them above stairs. They’d been friends for years and shared some of the most private events of their lives. None of those would compare to what was about to pass between them.

At last, with darkness settling over the house, they lit the candles and followed the housekeeper, Mrs Hodgkin, upstairs. Jane’s things were settled and away in Jasper’s room, her life at last completely one with his, leaving only the melding of their bodies to accomplish. At thirteen, she’d dreamed of this night, but as she’d watched him from the back of Philip’s landau as it pulled away from the Charton house, leaving him to his family and the ship that would carry him away, she’d never believed it possible. She held up her hand and the large diamond in her wedding band sparkled in the candlelight. He was hers and she was his.

‘Do you like it?’ he asked.

‘I do. It’s as overdone as the rest of your things.’ She motioned to the large, gilded four-poster bed from the warehouse, all but engulfing the room. It had been assembled and cleaned with a large mattress affixed to its sturdy frame.

‘Redo the rest of the decor if you like, but I assure you, by tomorrow you will not want to part with this piece.’ He slapped the post of the bed and it barely shivered, unlike her.

‘You’re so sure.’ She swallowed hard, suddenly nervous.

‘Incredibly so.’ He slipped his arms about her waist and the room constricted even more.

‘I hope you’re right. After hearing so much about the deed, I’d hate to be disappointed.’

‘You won’t be.’ He entangled his fingers in her hair, dislodging her curls from their pins as he brought his lips down to cover hers.

She gripped his shoulders and her knees began to fail. This was it, the moment they would at last become more than friends, but man and wife. She followed his lead, trying to match his moves as though they were engaged in a game of chess, but she soon gave up. All she could do was feel his breath against her cheeks, his hands gliding up her back and the anticipation engulfing her insides when he began to undo the buttons of her dress. Button by button he freed the silk from her shoulders until it dropped down over her hips to pool at her feet.

He leaned back to take in the curve of her waist beneath the stays and her breasts taut against the confining boning. Her skin tingled with the expectation of his touch, but instead he shrugged out of his coat and waistcoat before pulling his shirt over his head to reveal his captivating chest. He was all hers now and she was free to do anything with him. She touched his stomach lightly while he slid his hand up along the satin around her waist before reaching behind it to undo the laces of her stays. While he worked, he pressed light kisses to the tops of each breast, making her breath quicken before she inhaled sharply as her stays came loose and dropped to the floor.

The chemise billowed out around her as she stepped forward to caress the line of him, as curious about him as he was of her. Beneath his breeches she saw the evidence of his need and wanted to see more. She undid one button of his fall, waiting for him to stop her, but he watched with a crooked grin, his pupils as wide and dark as the next button she undid. At last the fall gaped open and she hooked her fingers inside the waist of his breeches. His chest expanded as her fingers brushed the smooth skin beneath while she pushed the buckskin down over his hips.

She followed them lower, coming face to face with his desire and wondering how she’d accommodate such a thing. She stood up fast, embarrassed for the first time this evening. He didn’t leave her to suffer, but gripped the sides of her chemise and pulled it over her head. She stood before him naked, her breasts heavy beneath his admiring gaze, but she made no move to cover herself. She trusted him to guide her tonight.

He caught her by the waist and pulled her to him again. Her breasts flattened against his chest while his member pressed hot and full against her stomach. He clasped her buttocks as he brought his mouth down against hers, raw and hungry in his need. With small circles he traced the line of her neck. She arched back while he dipped lower and lower until his lips took in the tender point of her breast. She cried out, digging her hands into his hair as she braced herself against the sensation his caressing tongue created deep inside of her.

Aware of the ache he’d raised, he slid his fingers down her hips, trailed them across her stomach and then slipped them between her legs.

None of the books ever described this! She rose up on her toes, his caresses pushing her toward something just out of her reach. Then he withdrew and she moaned in frustration as she lowered herself, but he didn’t allow it to last. He gathered her into his arms and carried her to the bed, continuing to tease her tongue with his.

The sheets were cold as he laid her on them and then covered her body with his. He gently nudged her legs apart with his knees and settled between them. She gasped as he pressed against her and she opened herself wider to him, ready to take him in. He didn’t push forward but lingered there, painfully close and yet holding back.

She shifted her hips toward his, trying to draw him in, but he moved away again.

They’d been apart for too long, across too many years and so much sadness. She wanted to be one with him, to claim all of him as he was claiming all of her. She brought her lips to his ears. ‘Please, don’t draw away.’

He stilled in her arms. His heart beat against her chest and he rested his cheek against hers so she couldn’t see his face. She didn’t move, wondering if she’d made some mistake and if he’d slide off and leave her with the terrible, aching need in her body and her heart.

At last he rose up on his elbows. Sweat glistened on his forehead. ‘Are you sure you truly want me?’

‘I always have.’

He claimed her mouth with urgency, as if he could kiss her deep enough to erase their time apart. Then he brought his hips forward and in one smooth motion joined with her at last.

* * *

Jasper muffled her mouth with his, taking in her cries of pleasure as she took him into herself. He wrapped his arms tight around her, groaning as he claimed her innocence, selfish in his desire to have it and her. This was how it should have been years ago, with nothing between them, not her experiences or his, their lives intermingling in a way no one could interrupt. Her fingernails dug into his back as he stroked deeper into her, wanting to bring them so close they might never be apart. In the sweet entwining of her legs with his, he could feel her pulling him into her. She wanted all of him and he would find a way to give it to her, to be the man he’d promised he would be.

With her breath fast in his ear, her whimpers vibrating through his chest, he drove them toward a release greater than their bodies until at last their pleasure crested and they cried out together.

* * *

‘Was it all you expected?’ Jasper asked as she lay beside him, her hair spilling across the pillow and over her shoulder to cover the pink tips of her breasts.

‘It was more divine than I could have imagined.’ She stretched like a cat on her back beside him, making her full breasts arch and stoking the fire which still smouldered inside him. ‘I probably shouldn’t tell you so. It’ll make you arrogant.’

He turned on his side to face her and laid a hot hand on her stomach, making small circles around her navel. ‘Good, I take pride in my skills.’

The dolphin clock chimed ten times. Each knock of the tiny hammer against the bell stilled his hand and stole some of the calm he’d experienced during their lovemaking. In her arms he’d forgotten about the hell by the Thames and all the steps that had led him to it and everything it meant.

‘What’s wrong?’ Jane asked.

‘Nothing. I’m not used to being home at night. I’m usually at the hell.’ It was a half-truth.

She rolled on her side and pressed her supple body against his, bringing her lips tantalisingly close to his. ‘I’m sure Mr Bronson can do without you for one evening.’

‘I’m sure he can.’