Jane Feather - Charade Unknown (great books to read .TXT) 📖

"Your bath's all ready, m'lady." She curtsied. "If you'd like me tohelp you . . . ?"

Danielle glanced up at Iinton and his lips curved. "I think, Maggie,that My Lady would appreciate your assistance," he said calmly. "Ah,here is the luggage. You will find everything you need in theportmanteau, my love. I shall go and talk to Jed for a while—it's beenmany months since we met. I shall join you in about half an hour." Hepinched her cheek lightly, smiling reassuringly into her suddenlyanxious eyes and left her.

With Maggie's help she got out of the crimson traveling dress, the widehoop, petticoats, stockings, corset, chemise, and pantalettes andstepped behind the screen into the sloping-backed tub of hot water. Ithad been typical of Justin that he had sensed she would feel morecomfortable this first time preparing herself alone and Maggie did notintrude on her thoughts, merely busied herself tidying the discardedclothing and unpacking the portmanteau.

"I have laid everything ready on the bed, m'lady," she called softlyfrom the other side of the screen.

"Will there be anything else?"

"No thank you, Maggie. You have been most helpful." The door clickedshut and she was truly alone.

The gown on the bed took her breath away. It was of ivory silk, caughtunder the bosom to fall in a straight line to her feet. The low, wideneckline was threaded through with a dull gold ribbon to be drawn andtied above the cleft of her breasts. She slipped it over her warmednakedness and the soft material rustled against her skin, and clungmost immodestly to the curves of her body. It was the sort of garmentto cause raised eyebrows and gasps of shock from the likes of LadyLavinia, but her husband clearly knew what pleased him when it came tothe bedchamber. She sat at the dresser to brush the powder out of hercurls, allowing the ringlets to fall as they pleased aroundher face and on the nape of her neck. She decided that she was, on thewhole, pleased with what she saw. Her eyes carried an unusualbrightness which, if anything, made them seem even bigger, and her skinglowed with an inner light that she knew reflected the trepidation andanticipation surging somewhere in the pit of her belly.

The door opened and she whirled from the mirror, unable to restrain theslight, startled gasp as Linton came in. He said nothing at first,merely removed his coat and shoes before crossing toward her.

"You must not be nervous, Danielle," he whispered, sweeping the hairfrom the back of her neck and bending to kiss the soft, vulnerable skin.

A slight shudder ran through her as his lips burned against her bentneck and his tongue stroked smoothly upward into the indentation of herskull.

"Come, my love. It is time for me to show you just how enjoyable thismatter of loving can be." His hands cupped her elbows, lifting her offthe dresser stool, drawing her toward the long pier glass where

hepositioned himself behind her as she faced her image.

"First you must understand the beauty of your body and see something ofthe effects desire will have." His hands reached in front of her,cupping the soft breasts, the heel of his palm lifting the nipplesunder the thin silk, before he untied the ribbon at the neck of thegown and slowly bared her shoulders and breasts, catching them in hishand as they fell free.

Danielle looked at them in the glass, their whiteness startlinglyblue-veined, their tips suddenly small and hard under his caressingfingers. "Do you think I am perhaps a little inadequate, milord?" sheasked hesitantly.

Laughter sprang in the depths of those black eyes as they met hers inthe mirror. "Were you any better endowed, my sweet, you would be, touse your own inelegant expression, positively top-heavy! See howcomfortably they fit in my hands?" But those hands were now pushing thegown further, sliding it to her waist. She gasped in soft protest asone long finger played in the small, tight bloom of her navel, but her

protest went unheeded as, with a deft movement, Justin slipped the finesilk over her slender hips to fall

in a whisper around her ankles.

She stood, long-legged, clean-limbed before her reflection and the tallfigure behind her allowed a whisper of contentment to escape his lipsas he began to stroke over her belly, her hips, and down her thighs.

"Ah, but you are perfection, Danielle. Do you see how straight and slimyour legs are, how flat your belly, and how sweetly round your littlebottom?" He turned her sideways slightly, running his hand down thelong length of her back, meandering lazily over the curve of her hipsand down the backs of her thighs.

Danielle swallowedrUnder the soft caress of his fingers, the honeyedwarmth of his voice, a deep tension was building, sending flutteryshivers across her skin and the blood pounding through her veins. Hedrew her against him, one arm circling her waist and a curious hardnessstirred against her buttocks. She stiffened suddenly and then moanedinvoluntarily as his hand curled itself in the springy triangle of fairhair at the base of her belly. She moved her own hand, pushing himaway, but he shook his head slightly and continued to finger the moundbeneath. His breath whispered across her neck and the fingers reachedfurther.

"You must not," she pleaded softly, unable to withstand the moistweakness filling her secret places.

"Oh, but I must," he insisted gently. She clenched her thighs andbuttocks against the invasion, but he pushed with firm determinationbetween them, parting the silky, swollen petals to bring tears of shameand delight to her eyes as her entire body shivered and shook beneathan onslaught of heat and icy cold that misted her skin with a finesheen of sweat.

"See how heavy your eyes are, my love?" he whispered. "How your breathcomes fast when I touch you like this. See how your breasts swell andstand out? Don't resist