Page 58 of An Innocent Maid for the Duke
He froze as he realised the depth of that liking. At how deep she had got under his skin in such a short time. The way Georgiana had with Fred. Their happiness was almost painful to watch when one stood on the sidelines.
His father and Ralph would turn in their graves if they knew he was wishing for such a thing. Typical irresponsible Jake, they’d be saying. He could hear their voices in his head.
He could no longer be that man. He had a duty to the title. He’d sworn to do his best. Rose as anything more than a mistress was out of the question.
But he would do his best for Rose, too. Here in this bed and hopefully outside of it where he’d find out what had happened to her family. She’d like that, he was sure. It was something he could give her that no one else could.
Right now, though, he needed to be inside her, buried in her warmth and surrounded by her loving self. Tenderly, he eased his knee between her parted thighs and nudged them farther apart. She welcomed him into the cradle of her hips. Deep satisfaction filled him, a sense of belonging as he entered her body.
‘That’s better.’ She sighed, lifting her legs around his waist, opening to him, arching up to kiss him deeply.
He slid home to the hilt and gave himself up to the pleasure and the bliss and the peace of mind that he only found with Rose.
* * *
Later, when they lay in each other’s arms, his mind once more turned to the future. Her future. It seemed he could not prevent himself from being concerned. He spooned around her and knew she was smiling, and she snuggled back against him.
‘Have you thought about where you would like to open up your dressmaking shop?’ he asked.
‘Near Bond Street.’ She yawned. ‘Somewhere ladies will feel comfortable. Cork Street, perhaps. Nothing too large to start.’
He tucked the information away. ‘You will need to advertise.’
She glanced over his shoulder. ‘You are very interested in this enterprise that may never come to pass.’
‘I have every faith in you, Rose.’
She sighed. ‘I will try to getLa Belle Assembléeto use one of my gowns in their articles on fashion. One can advertise, but their recommendation would be the best.’
‘Grandmama would be able to assist you there.’
‘Do you think she would?’
‘I know so. She is very fond of you.’
‘She might not want me to leave.’ A little pause. A little hitch in her breathing. ‘But I expect she would see it as for the best, once you marry.’
He wasn’t going to touch that with a barge pole. He didn’t even want to think about it. ‘She will want what is best for you.’ Even if he did have to explain.
She sighed. Not unhappily. A sound of contentment. ‘Go to sleep, Jake.’
He close his eyes and drifted off.
Chapter Nine
Three days after becoming Jake’s mistress, Rose sat with Her Grace in the drawing room. It was the only public room in the house not closed up. And as usual, because the old lady’s eyes were failing, Rose read and Her Grace pretended to embroider. A little snore indicated that also, as usual, the old lady had dropped off. Rose stopped reading and let her mind wander.
Her days seemed to so idle now. Writing a few letters to Her Grace’s dictation in the mornings. A bit of fetching and carrying during the day. Not to mention the wonderful food she ate at every meal. It was all so very easy. But it was her nights that she lived for. More and more. And each time Jake came to her chamber, he seemed more attentive, more loving.
Yet she always felt a sense of distance, too. He never shared any other part of his life. A brief mention of the V&V from time to time. An odd reference to other estates in other places as they undressed each other, or lay sated and touching and stroking.
While he listened endlessly to her plans for a dressmaker’s shop, he never spoke of his hopes or dreams. And each time they made love, he seemed a little more desperate and each time he left her before the sun rose, he seemed a little more reserved.
Only once, when he’d come to her, had she asked him what troubled his mind. He’d closed up tighter than an oyster tapped with a knife. Clearly, whatever was on his mind, he had decided it was not the business of his mistress to enquire. With a heavy heart, she had passed it off with a smile and a kiss.
He’d relaxed then and been his usual wonderfully attentive lover. What more could she ask? Why should she hurt that he did not want to share? That was not their arrangement.
Yet she was not sure how much longer she could bear their growing distance. Perhaps it was his way of showing he was ready to be done with her.
