“But Roseland is the next estate to mine,” he said with delight.
“What an amazing coincidence,” she said with wide-eyed wonder. “You must be Lord Helford.”
“There are no coincidences. It’s fate, Lady Summer. All things happen for a purpose. I shall take you home on my ship.”
“You are too kind sir, but I couldn’t possibly put you to such inconvenience,” she demurred.
“As a matter of fact ’tis the most convenient thing in the world. I leave for Cornwall day after tomorrow by order of the King.” His face was hard and serious. “I won’t take no for an answer. I couldn’t possibly entrust you to an American captain.”
She took a deep breath. He liked to take control. He was clearly a man used to having his own way. “Come aboard now and I’ll show you my Pagan Goddess.”
Summer glanced behind her at the forbidding faces of her attendants. “Ah sir, I don’t think they would permit me to do such a thing.”
“Dragons,” he muttered. “My dear Lady Summer, you do not need permission from servants to do anything.” He raised his voice and said with authority, “I am taking your mistress aboard my ship. Be good enough to wait.”
His firm hand was under her elbow guiding her up the gangplank and he couldn’t believe this stroke of good fortune. Lady Summer had been the name on everyone’s lips at Court, and he assumed she would take the opportunity offered her to become its latest courtesan, to be feted and fawned upon and, yes, fucked, if he was going to be honest. First by the King and then by the King’s cavaliers when he grew negligent. That she was innocently unaware of the stir she had caused and was returning home to Cornwall was almost unbelievable.
Sailors swarmed both above-and below-decks as he ushered her down to his cabin. “Let me take your cloak,” he said, his strong hands already undoing the tie at her throat.
She clung to the velvet and fur creation, her voice catching in her throat as she said breathlessly, “Ah no, Lord Helford. I don’t know the mores and manners of London very well, but I’m sure we shouldn’t be alone like this.”
Her soft words were so suggestive and provocative that his semiarousal hardened like iron and it was an effort for him to remove his hands from her. She dropped her lids over her curious eyes and stole a look at a movement she’d seen in his tight white breeches. What she saw alarmed her. He didn’t seem to be shaped like other men. How odd that she hadn’t noticed it before because it was really quite pronounced.
His fingers itched to undress her. How could he possibly have her this close and not begin to make love to her? Her perfumed breath came to him and his own mouth went dry with the need to taste her. His shaft moved forward of its own volition with its great need to be plunged deep inside her. My God, what was the matter with him? He was reacting to her as if he was an untried boy about to taste intoxicating female flesh for the first time.
His jaw muscle hardened and he said, “You are right of course. Forgive me for taking advantage of such a lovely lady. Tomorrow I’ll send someone to Cockspur Street for your boxes and I’ll speak to your aunt personally to allay any fears she may have about your complete safety.”
Summer’s female instincts guided her infallibly at this crucial moment. She sensed he was waging a battle both physically and mentally, and womanlike, she knew she must tip the scales so that he lost the battle. She took his hand and held it tightly as she looked way up into his face. “Thank you, Lord Helford. I shall put myself into your hands completely.”
He swallowed hard.
“I know I can trust you,” she breathed. And then she was in his arms, his fierce mouth taking that which he could deny himself no longer. She was so small and her curves fit so nicely into a man’s arms, emphasizing his masculinity. Never had he felt so strong and dominant, yet at the same time so protective.
Her mouth tasted like sweet wild strawberries and he was amazed at the inexperience he discovered. If he was any judge of females, this one was untried, and the thrill of his discovery raced along his nerve endings to fill his senses with the taste, the feel, the scent, and the innocent promise of virginal, female flesh.
Summer felt herself engulfed. His strength and masculinity totally overpowered her as her soft body was molded to his, her lips crushed beneath a mouth so demanding it made her pliant and without a will of her own. Her eyes wanted to close; her lips wanted to open; her arms wanted to slide up about his neck. She recovered herself just in time. This wasn’t a game, it was a calculated role she was playing. If she lost control of the situation from the beginning, she didn’t stand a chance. Lil had emphasized that she must make him think she was a lady or he would treat her as a casual love, which was exactly what he was doing!
She was angry with herself over the potent reaction he’d had on her and she vented that anger on him. “I should never have come aboard your ship, sir,” she gasped, her color high. “I have been warned about men like you. Now I realize why my aunt insisted I be well attended. I never would have dreamed a gentleman would insult and manhandle a lady in such a fashion,” she cried, outraged. “An American captain would be infinitely preferable.” She flashed him such an accusing look because he had betrayed her trust that he felt a stab of shame. Without another word she turned and left, quitting the ship without a backward glance.
He came abovedecks in time to see her stiff little back disappear down the dock escorted by her dragons. “Damn,” he cursed, then used a filthier word to express the disgust he felt with himself. Now she’d never take the voyage home to Cornwall with him. His eyes darkened, his fists clenched, and his jaw knotted. By heaven and hell she’d sail with him if he had to carry her off in the night like booty.
Next morning his note of apology arrived accompanied by masses of cream-colored roses. Auntie Lil drawled dryly, “I take it you will put the dashing cavalier out of his misery and forgive him at the last moment?”
Summer laughed delightedly. “You know, Lil, if I didn’t know my American was way off in Portsmouth, I’d be tempted to thumb my nose at Lord Helford and sail home on the Seagull.”
“Darling, you’d have a duel on your hands and you know Charles has forbidden them.”
Summer sighed. “I’m particularly partial to the forbidden.”
“Then Helford should suit you to a tee, you little hellcat. Seriously, I’m going to miss you dreadfully. Do let me know how you go along. It may not be as easy as you’re assuming despite the cream roses, Summer. I don’t believe Helford is a man you can lead about by the nose, or any other prominent appendage for that matter.”
Somehow Summer knew she was alluding to his male parts and immediately she said, “Lil, I’m so shamefully ignorant, I’m going to ask you some questions which will probably embarrass you.”
“How novel; I haven’t been embarrassed since I was twelve, darling.”
“What … is a man like … down there? Oh, I’ve seen my brother when he was a little boy of course, but Lord Helford … I mean … he seemed … there was such a big bulge….”
Lil’s trill of amusement stopped and she became suddenly serious. “I wouldn’t dream of sending one of my girls off for a tête-à-tête with a gentleman without thoroughly briefing her step-by-step on everything appertaining to the male, from what he looks like to what he will expect her to let him do to her, but in your case I don’t want to do that. No, no, don’t be offended, darling, let me see if I can explain this to you. Innocence cannot be simulated. It is a rare and precious gift which a woman can give to a man only once in her lifetime. If a man is a connoisseur of women … if he’s sensitive and appreciative, he will savor that gift for a lifetime. It is so much more meaningful for a woman to have the mysteries of sensuality explained to her by a loving man; I wouldn’t deprive you of the experience. And the deep pleasure it will give the man to tell you and show you and instruct you will be like an aphrodisiac. He will remember it always. It will come flooding back to him to almost unman him and it will give you a power over him t
hat is almost mystical.”
Summer licked lips gone dry. Oh, how she would enjoy having a mystical power over Lord Ruark Helford.
Lil continued, “Fortunes are paid for innocence, so it is like having an ace up your sleeve. A man is drawn to it irresistibly, lured by his instinct to hunt, to snare, to dominate, to possess that which no other man has captured. It is even possible to play the card skillfully enough to exchange the innocence for a wedding ring.”
Summer’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Oh, darling, I shouldn’t have said that. Helford is definitely experienced enough to pluck a woman’s innocence without paying the ultimate price, but what I’m trying to impress on you is not to let him have it without paying a fortune.”
King Charles had been in his laboratory most of the afternoon. He had a passion for chemistry and the room was lined with shelves holding jars of powders and pastes and bottles of colored liquids. Alchemy fascinated him to the point where he was an easy mark for any quack’s nostrums. He had a vast collection of books on the subject, all beautifully bound in leather, and some of these volumes touched upon witchcraft and wizardry.
No one ever dared to disturb him when he was working in his chemical laboratory as it was an unwritten law that he wished to be private. No one dared, except of course Barbara. She entered the long room with its open casements which let out the peculiar odors and vapors of Charles’s concoctions.
When Charles heard someone enter the room, he frowned and set down the beaker of oil of prima materia he had just carefully measured out. When he saw that it was Barbara, however, he gave her a lazy smile of welcome.
“Charles, I thought I’d better warn you that the monsieur returned unexpectedly from the country this morning, so plans for tonight will have to be canceled.”
“Not canceled surely, sweetheart? Can’t we move them ahead to this afternoon?” he suggested with a healthy leer.
“What, here?” she asked doubtfully, glancing with unconcealed distaste at all the odd paraphernalia.
His eyes never left her luscious breasts as he reached for a glass container holding a golden liquid. He poured some into a glass and offered it to her.
“Charles, are you trying to poison me?”
“It’s wine, sweetheart.” He sampled some himself to show her it was no mysterious concoction. “We’ll share a loving cup and a pleasant hour.” He gathered her to him in one strong arm and held the golden wine to her exciting lips. Charles’s heavy eyelids drooped at the sensual feel of her body pressed against the hardening length of him.
“Do you have any of that stuff you were telling me about?” she asked in a husky voice.
“Stuff?” he puzzled.
“Amyl something-or-other that one inhales to make the climax harder.”
Charles chuckled. “Yes, I have a vial or two about somewhere. It’s an amber liquid that tastes and smells of pears. You inhale it deeply just before you are ready to come. Would you like to try it, you wanton little wench?”
“Why not?” She slanted him a glance.
“Why not, indeed?” he echoed. “Let’s see, it’s over here on this shelf with the other items which induce lust.”
Barbara’s curiosity was piqued. “Really?” she asked, moving toward the fascinating containers. She lifted a small jar, removed the lid, and sniffed. “Mmm, what are these? They smell like violets.”
Charles looked at the small purple gelatin capsules and grinned at her. “Intimate as we are, love, I blush to tell you what the apothecary said these were invented for.”
“Oh, Charles, tell me,” she urged.
“Well … you insert one up past your sphincter before you make love, then if you pass wind in bed, it smells like violets.”
Barbara fell against him with laughter. “Darling, I must have some. It’s quite an art to be able to do disgusting things delicately.”
He gathered her close and looked deeply into her eyes while he pressed his swollen member against her soft belly. “I rather like you to do disgusting things … disgustingly.”
“I know you do,” she whispered, undoing the laces on his codpiece.
“I enjoy taking you in broad daylight so I can watch you warm and flushed with passion.” His hand slid down inside her bodice and the slow, languid strokes of his fingers upon her throbbing peaks soon sent excitement hurtling through her body. He loved the way Barbara responded instantly to arousal, rather like himself.
“How about some of these creams you can rub on to provoke lust?” she suggested.
“God’s flesh, you above all others should know I need no nostrum for that.”
“There’s always room for improvement,” she teased. “Here … let’s try this … it says it’s made from white mustard seed … it says it bringeth heat to the parts,” she said, giggling, as she took a firm hold on his erection and dipped her finger into the pot of cream.
“Careful, Barbara, just a little dab, you don’t want to burn the damned knob off!”
Barbara couldn’t stop laughing as Charles pulled up her voluminous skirts to fondle her bared thighs. “God’s flesh, you never wear undergarments and I swear whenever you come into the same room, my mind fixates on your nakedness.”
Their tongues began to parry and thrust and Barbara put an extra large dab of the cream on the head of Charles’s shaft. His large hands slipped over her bottom cheeks and held her imprisoned while he impaled her with his great weapon. “Serves you right, it will rub off inside you and then we’ll see whose parts are heated,” he teased hoarsely.
She gasped with pleasure at the fullness of him, then her insides felt as if they were afire with the heat of their joined bodies. The friction of his movements turned them both hot and swollen until they thought they would go mad from their heightened sensitivity.
Charles braced his legs wide apart to hold Barbara pressed against the cabinet. They were both oblivious to the tinkling of the glass bottles as their vibrations made the colored liquids foam and splosh wildly upon the shelves. Barbara was ready to scream with her excitement. Charles, always slow to reach full peak, still had a measure of control. He reached for the vial of amyl nitrite and held it so they could inhale the pear fumes deeply. They exploded together. Barbara let out the scream which had been building in her throat as she felt her blood pounding from the top of her scalp to the soles of her feet, then she fainted and collapsed upon him.
Charles had never experienced anything quite so volatile either. He carried her over to the open window and sat her upon the sill. She opened her eyes, still dazed from the finesse of his lovemaking. “Barbara, are you all right?” he asked anxiously.
“Oooh, I’m more than all right,” she purred.
The Queen glanced up from the courtyard on her way back from evening prayers. She saw Barbara and Charles at the window of his laboratory and thought wistfully that Lady Castlemaine must be helping the King with his experiments.
Later in the day when a seaman came to collect Summer’s boxes, she sent him back to the Pagan Goddess empty-handed.
Ruark Helford was forced to come for her himself, pledging his responsibility for her safety to Lady Richwood. His impeccable manners were in full display, much to the private amusement of the two women, and Summer finally allowed her aunt to persuade her to change her mind and sail with Lord Helford.
His pulse began to pound when he handed her into his carriage entirely alone. She was sailing without a tiring woman, a ladies’ maid, or a chaperon of any description. Inside the dark carriage the silence stretched between them. The tension was thick in the air and it was charged with sensuality. There was no way to hide the fact that the male had scented the female and would pursue her.
His voice came rich and low through the darkness. “You must think it odd that I came at such a late hour for you, but we’ll have floodtide around three in the morning to carry us out to sea.”
“You forget, Lord Helford, I am a child of the sea,” she said softly.
/> “Of course. ’Tis said we Cornish have salt water in our veins and fire in our hearts,” he added warmly.
“And more guts than brains,” she added pointedly.
He raised an eyebrow at the lady’s language, but took the rebuke seriously. “Well, London has its diversions but for a man who thrives on an active life ’tis too confining. I for one am happy to be going home to Cornwall … it’s been a long time.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him about his appointment as magistrate but she knew she must be wary with this man. In a way he was her enemy. Any way you looked at it, he represented the law, the authority, the power of the Crown, while she was up to her pretty little neck in smuggling. A thrill ran up her spine. Being neighbors was going to be the challenge of a lifetime.
“How about you, Lady Summer? Will you miss London?” he asked casually, yet he felt a deep need to know.
“I cannot miss what I have never known, my lord. I have always lived quietly,” she said softly. “I love my freedom, but above all I think I value my privacy.”
’Ods blood, he thought wryly, that’s the second time in as many minutes she’s tried to teach me my manners. Such a prim and proper lady. I’ll have to see if I can change all that!
The carriage slowed, and when Ruark Helford opened the door, the smells and sounds of the sea rushed inside. As he arose, his hard thigh brushed against her leg, hip, and then her arm and she knew without a doubt it had been deliberate. He jumped lithely from the carriage and held up his arms to assist her descent. She held her beautiful head high at a defiant tilt; every line bespoke outraged innocence. She hesitated a full minute before she deigned to place her hands in his.
The moment their fingers engaged she swept her lashes to her cheeks and he imagined she blushed at the intimacy. ’Ods blood, if she blushed when their fingers touched, what would happen when his mouth explored all her most secret places? The anticipation was almost unbearable. The ache she had set up in his loins was pleasurable yet painful. He fought the urge to sweep her up into his arms and carry her to his berth, but promised himself he would do exactly that in the not-too-distant future. He ushered her aboard with a strong, steady hand at her elbow to make sure she did not misstep in the darkness.