Page 21 of The Scarred Duke's Bride
Freya and Eric exchanged glances before shrugging and following the butler. Unless he intended to stand over them while they consummated, Freya did not see what Silver could possibly do to ‘fulfill his master’s wishes’. She waited with trepidation to find out.
The house was populated with servants, who assured Silver that the bridal suite was ready.
He turned to Freya and Eric. “This way please,” he said.
They followed him, having no choice in the matter, and he led them up the stairs before turning to the right, down a brightly lit corridor, lined with a thick red woolly carpet and gold light sconces. At the end of the corridor was a massive double door that Silver opened before stepping back.
Freya stepped into the room, looking around warily and in wonder. The room was lavishly appointed with a huge four-poster bed dominating the center of it draped in red velvet and covered with a gold satin bedspread.
The floor was made of wood and covered with several fur rugs. A three-seat Chesterfield sat just next to the door against the wall. Near the windows was a second door that led to what was clearly a dressing room. Two wardrobes stood side by side next to his and hers vanity tables. A large bath dominated the room just in front of a huge fireplace. Against the outer wall of the room was a hole in the wall, and jutting from it was a pump. Below the pump was a bucket.
Freya curiously went and pulled the lever and then jumped back in surprise as water poured into the bucket.
Eric’s jaw dropped as he came nearer. “I have seen such a contraption in my travels. How clever to have converted it to work for bringing water to the second floor rather than up a well.”
Freya shook her head, just staggered by the revelation that all this belonged to her father. It was luxury worthy of a prince, and certainly, they had nowhere near these amenities available in his ancestral seat at Stark Manor.
It was boggling that her father invested in all this luxury at a home he never used while willfully neglecting the one where his daughters lived.
Eric was looking around, his eyes bright with interest. “I suppose the water is brought up and then boiled over the fire. How decadent.”
“You will also note that the tub is wide enough to fit two,” Silver pointed out in his haughty voice.
Freya stared at him in disbelief. Surely, he did not mean that they shouldbathetogether. That was simply going too far.
“Thank you, Silver. I believe we can manage on our own now,” she said curtly.
He bowed low. “Then I shall wish you a goodnight. Your lady’s maid and valet will be by shortly to attend you.” He backed out of the room, his face studiously blank, and closed the doors behind him.
Freya turned to meet Eric’s gaze, and they stared at each other for a long moment. She took a deep shaky breath, trying to steady herself. “What now?”
Eric blew out a breath. “Well, I suppose I should give you some time to…prepare for bed. I shall go and explore the rest of the mansion.” He nodded once then turned smartly on his heel and headed for the door. He’d barely closed it behind him when there was a knock, and Diana entered.
She curtsied before heading straight to the wardrobe, which contained Freya’s bags, and she began to unpack. She laid out a lacy white gown on the bed before inviting Freya to sit on the stool in front of the vanity. As Diana brushed her hair, two servants pumped water and put it to boil in a cauldron over the fireplace. The room soon filled with gentle steam, warming it up and making Freya feel somnolent and relaxed.
Once her hair was brushed to Diana’s satisfaction, and it shone in the candlelight, Diana tied it in a bun atop her head. Freya was then invited to get to her feet and moved to the tub which was filled to almost overflowing with steaming water. She let her lady’s maid’s hand relax her even further as Diana ran them along her body, gently rubbing away the road dust from Freya’s skin.
She felt so calm yet gently aroused from all the stimulation. Once her bath was over, and she had dried, Diana let Freya’s hair cascade down her back and dressed her in the lacy gown. It left little to the imagination, and the silky material brushed sensuously against her skin, making her nipples peak and her heart rate speed up.
She knew that all of these things were designed to facilitate their consummation, and she was beginning to wonder what objections she actually had to it. Diana pushed back the bedspread, so Freya could lie down before her lady’s maid bid her goodnight.
She lay on the soft goose-down pillow, staring at the myriad of candles that were lit around the bed, bathing the room in a soft rose light. She had to credit Silver’s efforts in ensuring that the atmosphere was conducive to what they wanted Freya and Eric to do. It was not long after she’d lain down that Eric came barging in, stumbling a little, almost as if he’d been pushed.
She sat up in bed, startled. “Wha…?”
He gave her a sheepish smile. “Apologies, apparently I was taking too long to return.”
She quirked an eyebrow, “Did they make you come back like an errant puppy?” She giggled at the thought.
“You could say that.” He reached for the buttons on his coat. “Now excuse me whileIprepare for bed.”
“O-of course.” Freya lay back down and shut her eyes tight, trying not to evenlistento the shuffling noises he made as he carried out his ablutions.
“No valet for you?” she asked.
“No, I sent him to bed. He can attend to what little stubble I have in the morning. And I am perfectly capable of drawing my own water to have a bath. I did it all the time in the Navy.”
“Mm.” Freya tried not to think of him naked in the bath, but it was difficult. She pictured his broad shoulders, his narrow waist, and then her mind hit a blank wall. She turned around, plumping the pillow and scrunching her eyes shut as she tried to think of something else.
