Lady Charlotte's Marquess (The heir and a spare Book 2) Page 13

  Archie reached for his drink and swallowed half of the glass in one gulp, almost choked and then sat down heavily in the chair.

  Again Rupert’s eyebrows shot up but he didn’t say anything about Archie’s uncharacteristic display.

  “So, I should congratulate you on your upcoming marriage. Charlotte’s probably the only sane woman in the ton. And a duke’s daughter too, You’ve done well.”

  Archie smiled at Rupert’s attempt at light conversation The man was as subtle as a cow in a sitting room.

  “Yes, I have. Despite everything.” Archie still couldn’t believe he was marrying one of the few ladies of the ton that any man would give his eyeteeth to have.

  “Archie you know that none of us think any less of you because your brother was… unlucky.” Rupert looked down at his whiskey and Archie felt the usual anger swelling in his gut.

  “Unlucky,” Archie repeated, finding the word grossly inadequate.

  “I’m sorry Archie, I don’t know what else to say.” Rupert said gruffly, obviously uncomfortable with the topic. He gave a shrug and Archie felt a little sorry for his whore-mongering friend.

  “Look Rupert, my brother’s death was horrible and gruesome and if the details will help put you off bedding every whore in London, then I will be happy to share.”

  Rupert opened his mouth but Archie held up his hand.

  “I came here for advice about bedding, so I shouldn’t disparage you for having the experience I need, Forgive me.”

  Rupert nodded stiffly, but the burning anger in his blue eyes remained.

  “What do you want to know?” he asked through slightly clenched teeth.

  “I want to know what else I can do other than what I already know.” Archie said quickly, swallowing the rest of his whiskey and gesturing for more.

  “Tell me what you know and we’ll go from there.” Rupert smiled and Archie knew his friend thought this a great joke. To have the prude come to the rake for advice was quite the back flip for Archie.

  Archie bit back a retort at the sarcastic words.

  “Charlotte...” Archie stopped. How could he share what he and Charlotte experienced?

  Rupert cleared his throat loudly.

  “I think it might be better if we just talk about bedding and women in general, I don’t think I can handle thinking about Charlotte that way.”

  Archie looked at Rupert, a little puzzled about the slight flush staining his friend’s handsome face. Then he remembered that Oliver and Rupert thought of Charlotte very much as a younger sister, a feeling he had never shared.

  “Okay, well I touched and kissed her breasts.”

  “Aghh, the woman’s breasts, please.” Rupert interrupted bringing his hands up to cover his ears in an age-old gesture of not wanting to hear what was being said.

  “Sorry, the woman I bedded a month ago, I touched and kissed her breasts.” Archie grinned at his friend. It was vastly amusing that Rupert should be so flustered, but persisted despite it.

  “Sucked too?” Rupert asked.

  “Yes, but not much.” Archie said with a slight frown. He wasn’t quite sure if he had done that correctly.

  “Most women enjoy sucking, harder than you think they want but less than you want to.”

  “Alright. Then I touched her between her legs until she came and then I climbed on top.” Archie flushed with pride at the memory and buried his face in his glass once again.

  “She came just from touching?” Rupert asked skeptically.

  “And licking,” Archie admitted, blushing completely for the first time since he arrived.

  Rupert cleared his throat again, obviously as uncomfortable with this conversation as Archie, but hiding it well.

  “And you know that she came?” Rupert asked looking skeptical again.

  “Yes,” Archie nodded trying to pretend he was answering questions about something less personal, like the weather.

  “How?” Rupert asked, smiling again.

  Archie clenched his teeth together. He had asked for Rupert’s advice and now he had to be as honest as possible.

  “Well, she cried out, shuddered and inside she...ahh clenched over and over again.” Now he was blushing again, the heat in his face rather uncomfortable. Inside his trousers, his prick would usually be swelling at the memory of his time with Charlotte, but one look at Rupert’s face and his prick calmed right down.

  “You have my felicitations, my friend. Most men don’t care anything about a woman’s pleasure, they don’t even realize it is possible for a woman to orgasm.”

  “I have listened to you drunk over the years and picked up on a few things you know.” Archie told Rupert honestly, giving credit where credit was due. One of the only reasons he knew anything about what to touch or expect with Charlotte was due to the boasting Rupert did whilst in his cups.

  Rupert choked on his whiskey and then started to laugh, really laugh, like they had back in school.

  Archie smiled at the sound, wondering why he couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard such a deep happiness in his friend’s voice.

  “So, what sort of advice do you need? It sounds like you could give lessons Archie.”

  “I want to know the best way of positioning her. Can you do it other ways than just on top?” Archie was shocked at his own forthrightness but as he watched Rupert fill up his glass for at least the third time, he knew why.

  “And any other poin..ters?”

  God, he was slurring now.

  “Well, there’s three main ways, and a hundred versions within them. You on top, her on top or from behind.” Rupert was really starting to get into this instructor role now, his eyes glittering excitedly.

  “Her on top? Are you jesting?” Archie just couldn’t imagine it. How would that work? How could he move if she was sitting on top?

  Rupert chuckled then smothered it with a cough.

  “It’s true, not many ladies of the ton would try it as they don’t even like going to bed with their husbands, but that’s the three.”

  “From behind?” Archie asked skeptically now. How? As horses mated? That was a rather unsettling thought.

  “Yes, most women I know love that one. You can lie down, kneel or stand, and you can position her legs any way you want.”

  Archie’s body stirred as he imagined the possibilities. If she was on her knees leaning forward, yes he could see how that could work. Then another consideration surged to the front of his alcohol-hazed brain.

  “But what if your bed partner is...ahh... pregnant?”

  Rupert looked shocked at the question but then the penny dropped and he looked uncomfortable again.

  “Honestly, I’ve never bedded a pregnant woman Archie, you might want to ask Oliver.” He was avoiding Archie’s eyes now.

  “Can you guess, though?” Archie asked. This was really important. He knew that his own mother had taken to her bed as soon as she was pregnant with both his brother and himself, never to stir until after the birth. Was it safe for pregnant women to be as active as he hoped to be with his new wife?

  “Well, I can imagine it comes down to comfort for you both. Although as she gets bigger I would suggest on your knees from behind.” Rupert was again avoiding looking directly at Archie. Archie had to assume it was due to the questions being more personal as Rupert didn’t want to think of Charlotte in that way.

  “No… other tips?” Archie asked, barely able to get the words out as his tongue grew fuzzier and the heat from his belly spread down his arms and into his legs.

  “Just enjoy the experience, my friend, you’ve waited long enough.”

  Archie grinned and knocked back the rest of his whiskey. That was exactly what he intended to do.

  ****

  The wedding was a small and private affair. There hadn’t been time for Charlotte to have a custom-made wedding dress, so she’d had her mother’s altered to fit her. It looked beautiful. A high neck with white lace embroidering a tight fitting bodice and flowing
white chiffon for the skirt.

  Due to Archie’s family still being in full mourning the wedding had to be small and most of the guests were wearing black or another somber color. Charlotte didn’t see any of that. All she saw as she walked down the aisle on her father’s arm was the man she loved and by his own admission loved her too.

  The ceremony was short but no one in the church doubted the way the bridegroom and bride felt about each other. Charlotte and Archie glowed with love for each other, their eyes telling the world just how happy they were.

  Later that same day they journeyed to Archie’s family estate twelve miles from London. The whole ride Charlotte’s stomach churned and they had to stop every hour for her to be sick or get some fresh air. Archie tried to make her stop at an inn in a nearby town but she was determined to be in their marital bed that night. She had missed Archie with every beat of her heart and although the pregnancy had made her very sensitive in the stomach, it had also made other parts of her body newly sensitive too. Charlotte had lay awake in her bed the night before her wedding taking an inventory of her new body. Her breasts were slightly larger and her nipples were even more sensitive. She had shyly run her hand down between her legs just to see if that too had changed and had been shocked at the level of feeling even her own hand could elicit. She couldn’t wait to be taken to bed, a proper bed this time, and make love to her husband.

  “We’re here Charlotte.” Archie’s voice floated through her dream and she came awake slowly.

  Charlotte’s eyes fluttered open. “Archie, it’s lovely.” She sighed as she took in the well cared for gardens and the new extension.

  Archie helped her down from the carriage, her legs wobbling slightly when they touched the ground. Archie dove to catch her and there, in front of almost every servant the estate looked after, her new husband kissed her. Lovingly, slowly and thoroughly.

  Charlotte was enjoying the feel of Archie’s warm, thick lips on hers when he seemed to stiffen and lift away from her. Frowning at the loss of contact, she raised her hands up to his hair to pull him back down when she noticed fifty pairs of eyes looking at them. Or trying not to look at them was perhaps a better description. Blushing furiously, she allowed Archie to pull her up and to his side.

  Clearing his throat, he introduced her to the main staff members and then she was shown straight to her room to freshen up.

  Charlotte put on her most daring evening gown, cut in a French design which barely covered her breasts. She had never actually worn it, buying it in a rebellious mood and then never having the courage to wear it in company. However, as a newly married woman she had packed it knowing it would come in handy, especially if she wanted Archie to carry her off to bed as soon as it was feasible.

  She was shown into the dining room by the butler. The footman who opened the door could barely keep his eyes away from her bosom.

  Archie approached her with a schooled look of calm on his face.

  “My dear, you look lovely.”

  Charlotte was instantly disappointed. Was that all she got? Her nipples were about to pop out in front of ten footmen and Archie thought she looked ‘lovely’?

  Pasting a smile on her face, she sat down to their dinner.

  They chatted amiably about their day and the house over five courses.

  During dessert, Archie couldn’t seem to keep his eyes on her face any longer and they dropped to her cleavage. “Is that a new dress, Charlotte?” he asked casually.

  “Not at all my lord, I’ve had it for three years.” She swallowed a sip of her wine and watched for the tiny signs of distress upon his face. If she hadn’t known Archie well, she wouldn’t have seen the slight downwards tilt of his mouth and the stillness of his body.

  Charlotte smiled brightly at her husband and waited for the next question.

  Archie spooned a piece of apple pie into his mouth and asked with his smooth and gentle voice, “You’ve worn it often then?”

  Charlotte feigned shock and ignored the question.

  “You don’t like it, my lord? I am so sorry. I had forgotten how much you enjoy fashion. Should I change into something more suitable for the rest of the evening?”

  With a completely straight face Archie told her, “Oh yes my dear, it pays to stay in fashion. I believe that shall have to stay here at the estate. We can’t have you wearing such an outdated dress in company.”

  Charlotte was so disappointed she could barely quell the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She truly couldn’t tell if he was teasing her or not. Maybe he was disgusted with the weight she’d put on? Maybe he didn’t like her showing off flesh that should be kept on the inside of her dress?

  She wiped away the tear that had escaped and ran down her cheek when Archie pushed back his chair with a squeal.

  He rushed straight over to her and bowed.

  “Charlotte, would you join me for a drink in the music room?”

  Charlotte nodded and stood up, her dessert all but forgotten as her stomach churned and her eyes filled with more salty tears.

  Walking her into the music room, Archie shut the door behind them and with a small twist he pushed her up against the wall.

  “Archie,” she cried, shocked but thrilled as her husband finally showed signs of wanting her.

  Archie swooped down for a hot, passionate and wet kiss. He demanded and she gave. He pressed his erection into her and she moaned as she ran her hands through his hair.

  Thank God he’s not angry!

  Archie pulled back to look at her and smiled down at her. She knew her face was flushed but she was too excited about her husband’s hands on her to worry about how she looked.

  “I can’t stand the idea of anyone else seeing you in this dress Charlotte. I’m sorry that you thought I was being serious. I was just feeling very jealous that other people had seen these amazing breasts.”

  Whilst he spoke Archie reached up and scooped her breasts out of the tiny piece of silk that held them in.

  Charlotte gasped and moaned as he softly pinched each nipple with his fingers, while he simultaneously bit down on the side of her neck.

  His possessiveness was affecting her so differently than she thought it would. Charlotte had always thought a jealous and possessive husband would be a hindrance, but she was finding it so exciting her heart was tripping over itself. Her body was ready for him this very minute.

  “No-one has ever seen me in this dress, Archie,” she whispered, arching her back so that he would repeat his caresses.

  “But you said...” he began, lifting his head and giving her a confused look.

  “I said the dress was three years old, which it is. But I never wanted to wear it before tonight. I wanted you to want me,” she whispered.

  “Oh, I want you, Charlotte,” Archie groaned, licking her collar bones.

  “You haven’t touched me all day,” she sulked, pouting but unable to stop herself from running her hands up his chest and clinging to his muscled shoulders.

  “Not because I didn’t want to. I was just so scared, with the pregnancy and the stress... I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to ravish you in the daylight or wait till we could be in your bed, in the dark.”

  Charlotte laughed, so relieved she couldn’t describe it. They still had so much to learn about each other, but this was a good start.

  “You mean like our first time? So proper. On the floor, in the middle of the day? In your library?”

  Archie blushed at this reminder.

  “Shall we go to bed now, my wife?” Archie asked politely, stepping back and offering her his arm.

  Charlotte pulled her dress back over her breasts and nodded.

  Without a word Archie towed her along the hallway, past three footmen that all looked at the ground, up the carpeted staircase and into the main bedroom, his bedroom.

  “This is where you will sleep for the next seven months and this is where you will give birth to our child.” Archie whispered into Charlotte’s ear as he applied himse
lf to unlacing her gown.

  Charlotte couldn’t believe the overwhelming emotions threatening to engulf her. Archie had married her, he loved her and now he was going to consummate their marriage in the ducal bedchamber. Charlotte wasn’t sure if Archie had deliberately brought her to his room rather than hers, or if it had been unconscious. Either way, she was secretly thrilled. Did he really want to sleep with her every night just like Sarah and Oliver? A tear slid unheeded down her cheek.

  Archie turned her around to kiss her and saw the tear.

  “Or we can sleep in your room if you prefer,” he offered hastily.

  Charlotte smiled up at her new husband and put every bit of happiness she was feeling into it. She noticed he hadn’t offered to sleep separately.

  “Archie, I’ll sleep anywhere you are my love, anywhere.”

  A small smile crept onto Archie’s face.

  “The stables?” He asked, grinning so that it was obvious that he was joking.

  Charlotte pushed her tiny chemise off her shoulders and let it slither to the floor, leaving her naked.

  “Anywhere,” she repeated with quiet conviction as Archie looked his fill.

  Charlotte was beginning to think she should have kept herself covered up her husband took so long, then Archie dropped to his knees in front of her. Looking up at her, he whispered,

  “You are so beautiful you make my heart ache.”

  He bent forward and kissed her belly with a reverence reserved for something holy. Resisting the urge to cry again, Charlotte brought her hands up and threaded her fingers through his thick brown hair.

  Coming up from his kneeling position, he lifted Charlotte up and into his arms. She giggled and smiled at him as she clung to his shoulders. She loved how strong he was. Slowly, he lay her down in the large bed, the soft mattress cushioning her weight. The blankets had been turned down and the room was warm from the fire that had been going all day.

  Charlotte watched from the bed with hungry eyes as Archie stripped off his clothes.

  To her, Archie was the perfect man. Taut and lean with a face so handsome it could have belonged to an angel.

  He stripped off the last of his clothes and went to join her on the bed.