Page 1 of Master of Paradise
Chapter One
He had waited so long, four years to beexact, but now the waiting was no more. He reached across the bedand gathered her close against his powerful body. She came eagerly.The privacy of the big bed formed a delicious cocoon about them,shutting out the world and everyone in it, save this pair who wereabout to make love.
He slipped the thin gown off her shouldersand down her body, his mouth following its descent until he tastedthe luscious breasts, all velvet cream and rosy pink in theirswelling perfection. Her silken thighs opened willingly to hishands as they explored the secret valley, and his shaft throbbedwith the pent-up torture of the long denial.
She was trembling beneath him. Smallincoherent cries filled his ears and his nostrils flared with theintoxicating scent of her. She reached her mouth up to his in aslow, soft kiss that began with a rich warmth, then rapidly changedto a burning, fiery blaze that threatened to consume them in itsintensity. Poised above her, his hands shook as they caressed thesoft curves, now quivering with anticipation that matched thepassion he felt. His voice was hoarse with his desire as hewhispered love words against her ear. He could wait no longer; ifhe did, he would die with agony.
Suddenly he felt a shimmering, dissolving, asshe moved away from him, out of his reach.
"No!" he cried sharply. His vision wasclouded by a dark veil, then it brightened to a red mist. The mistthinned and separated and he shot up from the pillows, fully awake,as the dream dissolved and evaporated like mist on a summermorn.
He took a great gulp of air and tore theclinging bed sheet from his naked torso. As the morning air cooledthe powerful throbbing of his body, he stretched his arms beneathhis head and let out a long, slow breath. He gazed up at theceiling where the morning light sketched a pattern of dappledsunshine and realized that this was his wedding day.
As every bridegroom since the beginning oftime, he experienced one moment of doubt. He crushed it instantly.He was doing the right thing. He had made the right choice. Hewould be master of his own fate unless the Gods were laughing athim; playing with him. This day would culminate a four-year periodthat had changed his world, his life totally. When had it begun?When had the Fates stepped in to alter the course of his life? Fouryears were swept aside like four seconds, as his mind winged backto that blazing October afternoon in 1856...
Among the men laboring beneath the weight ofthe massive masonry stones, one back stood out from the rest. Itwas browner, broader, and stronger; it was also naked. The musclesand sinews, under the weight of the massive stones, stood out inbold, bulging beauty. The rest of the magnificent body matched theback in its physical perfection. The corded column of the neckflowed smoothly into wide shoulders. The rippling muscles of thechest were covered by a dark mat of curling hair. A single darkline of hair ran down, straight as an arrow, to his navel, and evenbeyond when his breeches did not cover him, across his belly andinto that other thick mass of black curls that covered hisgroin.
His six-foot frame was hard, his ribs leanand his whole body glowed with a healthy bronze tan, covered at themoment with a fine film of sweat that made him glisten. NicholasPeacock gloried in physical exertion, especially with the warm sunplaying over his muscles.
"Christ lad, give us a minute t' catch ourbreath," the head gardener complained, over-familiar with LordPeacock's firstborn. "Rome wasn't built in a day, ye know!" Hewatched Nick's face to see if he appreciated this fine piece ofwit. Lord Peacock had a passion for his gardens, and his latestfancy was an 'authentic Italian ruin' to set off to perfection somevaluable marble statuary he had just imported.
Startling white teeth flashed in the tannedface as Nicholas's ready smile appeared and he said in his usual,amused way, "Sorry Ned, I got carried away. I wanted to get itfinished to surprise Father."
The head gardener winked at his underlings,who included three stablehands and two under-gardeners, "WellMaster Nick, I expect it's because y'er better fed at the big'ouse. Ye can't do much heavy haulin' off bread an' water."
Nick threw back his head and laughed untilthe cords in his neck stood out. He had an easy-going nature andloved nothing better than a good laugh. "By Christ, Ned, I don'tknow how you have the bare-faced effrontery to utter such cock andbullshit. I saw you with my own eyes shoot one of my father's bucksonly two days past."
Ned shot a guilty look from beneath hisshaggy brows over at Nick's sixteen-year-old brother to see if hehad overheard their conversation. The boy sat patiently under atree, waiting for Nicholas to finish his labors.
Nick grinned and slapped Ned's shoulder."Philip's all right. He won't say anything, and beside you olddevil, don't think for one moment you're putting anything over onFather. I learned years ago that's an impossibility." The amusedcurve of his mouth lessened as he said seriously, "Watch out forthe head gamekeeper though. He's so keen, he acts as if he owns ourdeer park, all thousand acres of it."
Peacock Hall was a battlemented Elizabethanmanor house with superb views over the deer park and the Weald ofKent, which now boasted an Italian garden, a rose garden, maze andtopiary. It housed over a million pounds worth of art treasures,including paintings by Canaletto, Verrio, and Rubens. Peacock Hallwas the showpiece of the county, reflecting the pride and joy andlove that were lavished upon it.
Unaided, Nicholas lifted the last massivestone into place. His long, brown fingers almost caressed the roughsurface, admiring the natural beauty of its color and texture, thenhe stood back to admire his handiwork and survey the garden as awhole. Satisfied with the afternoon's efforts, he praised the menand, unheeding, dusted his hands on his breeches, sending a sharppang of envy through his younger brother.
Philip did not dare mess up his clothes. Hismother, Lady Pamela, expected him to be a young gentleman under allcircumstances, and no other behavior was acceptable. Ever!
Nick's lucky his mother is dead,thought Philip, then flushed a vivid pink with the guilt and shameof his wicked thought.
Nicholas picked up his shirt and bade the menknock off their labors for the day. When he moved off, out ofearshot, Ned shook his head and said, "Ye can't help but like him.He never puts on airs, in spite of bein' brought up in the spoiledways of the gentry. He's always laughing as if summat amuses himthat the rest of us don't know about. Still, I shouldn't like tocross him. He's the image of Lord Peacock and we all know he's gotthe Devil's own temper."
Nicholas headed for the lake on the otherside of the topiary. Good-naturedly, he slowed his steps to allowPhilip to catch up with him.
"You don't mind my following you, do youNicko?"
The white teeth flashed. "To the lake, no.But I'll give you a damned good thrashing if you follow me againwhen I go to visit Tess."
Philip flushed uncontrollably as he recalledwhat he'd seen yesterday through the window of the cottage wherethe coachman's pretty daughter lived.
Nicholas stripped quickly, waded up to hiswaist, cut cleanly through the water for about a hundred yards,then turned and swam back. The contrast between the two brotherswas marked. Nick's powerful torso was so physically mature, astranger seeing them might have thought them father and son. He wasPhilip's senior by five years, yet he looked and felt at least tenyears older than the immature youthfulness of Philip.
"Nicko, did you speak to Father yet aboutteaching me to shoot?" Philip called.
Nick smiled his apology. "Sorry old man, Iforgot. But I promise to speak to him tonight. It's bloody shamefulthe way he neglects your education. I've been allowed a gun since Ilearned to walk! Aren't you coming in?" invited Nicholas.
The boy looked wistfully at the water,"Mother would have a fit if she found out I'd been in thelake."
"Strip off your underdrawers so you don't getany of your clothes wet, and she'll never know," encouraged Nick,wondering what it was like to fear a parent.
