Duplicity Ch. 06

Mr. Field was visibly flustered. The three ladies could only stare. Lord Davenport wasn't interested in the other man's sputtering reply. "I only mean to warn you that you won't see a return on your investment!"

"If I were to fund the thing, I wouldn't do with the expectation that it'll make me money," Lord Davenport said. "I'd have the shield built just to see that it can be done. Chalk it up to a test of man's ingenuity. If I'm to lose a fortune, better it be on something more worthwhile than a game of cards."

"Oh, but you never lose," Charlotte said with a reassuring smile for her cousin. "If you want to build tunnels under the ocean, I'm certain it will be a great success."

Mr. Fields, having lost interest in the subject, moved on to more interesting topics related to some new tree he had planted in his yard.

Lord Davenport took that moment to leave his chair and move the short distance to Evelyn. She flinched slightly when she felt him lean over her and his hot breath touched the back of her neck. How was it the others didn't feel this scorching heat?

"Can we speak?" he asked softly enough that only she could hear him.

"Aren't we speaking now?" she replied with her nervous attention fixed on anything else but him.

"I mean - will you come through to the study with me?" He touched his hand to his breast pocket again. "You might find it more comfortable to talk in there."

For a moment her resolve wavered and she thought about going with him but her heart still ached from their last private conversation.. "I'm comfortable where I am."

His piercing blue eyes plead with her from beneath his heavy dark brows, but Evelyn was determined to remain unmoved. "Evelyn, I want-"

She looked pointedly at the others who took deliberate efforts to not notice them. "Please don't ask that of me!"

After that no amount of entreaty could make Lord Davenport stay longer. He was still seething when he shut himself away in his study. It was the wrong place for him to put Evelyn out of his mind. He recalled with vivid detail the evening before. Where she stood... how she looked draped across his desk, on that damn sofa... He impatiently rifled through some papers before he finally tossed them aside again with a curse when he realized he was merely shuffling them in his hands without taking any notice of their content.

Just then, the door opened again.

"What do you want?" he asked tersely when Ann slipped inside.

Ann pouted playfully. "Don't be surly, John! You're quite frightening sometimes!"

He glowered at her as she pressed her back against the closed door. Ann tilted her head back with an coquettish gaze and slowly ran her fingers down her milky white cleavage to where the scoop of her neckline barely concealed her long, dark nipples. His brows remained furrowed but his eyes grew soften as he followed her fingers down it's path. She had his attention! Then in a slow deliberate movement Ann pushed herself forward and swanned towards him. His gaze followed her swaying skirts.

"Your cousin Charlotte tells the most charming stories about your boyhood. Hard to imagine you were ever a lanky, awkward schoolboy." She turned her head to look back at him over her shoulder and smiled when she caught his lingering gaze! Ann batted her lashes and dragged the tip of her pink tongue across her upper lip. "Just look at you now!"

A corner of his lips curled up. "Did you tell tales of your own?" he asked smoothly, as he leaned forward with his fists on the surface of his desk.

"Oh goodness!" Ann scoffed with girlish giggle. "Is that why you think I'm here? A bit beneath me to act as the scorned woman don't you think?"

His expression didn't change.

Ann twirled around the room and took note of the walls of books and frescos on the vaulted ceiling. "No silly!" she stated casually with boredom in her voice. "No one here knows our history with each other as it was so brief it hardly bears mentioning, don't you think?"

Lord Davenport turned his attention to some papers again. "Then why are you here?" he asked with equal disinterest.

"I know what you're thinking. It was plain on your face when you saw me in there. But no I'm not here to disturb your domestic bliss. You ought to know the way our set works. An friendship and alliance with Lord and Lady Davenport is most beneficial to me. Our dalliance... well, no one knew of it and no one will, not from me. At this point it would do me more harm if your wife finds out and decides to exercise her influences against me. So no, I won't be the one to tell her about our dalliance and upset things... as I'm sure all your former mistresses too will keep your secrets, whoever they may be. We're all attuned to way of these things."

He backed away her when she inched close enough to run a hand over his chest to feel his hard body beneath his jacket. Ann gave a careless shrug as she too took a step back. "And I do like her, truly I do. Your lady is a kind and sweet, a delightfully simple girl, beneath that stunningly beautiful facade."

Lord Davenport made no reply as he turned to shuffle through a pile of papers on his desk.

"Society can be quite daunting for new comers, but you wouldn't know about that. You also may not have noticed that your new wife hides a painfully reticent nature beneath her regal exterior. But I quite like her and I can be useful to the poor motherless girl. With a few words of friendly encouragement, she might be more receptive in her wifely duties. You're not easy to please you know. Poor thing may become quite hysterical by how- well, demanding you can be!"

"She knows," he blurted out without thinking as he took a seat behind his desk.

That's when Ann pressed her hands against her belly as though she had a sudden sharp pain there. "Oh... I see!" she said, quickly recovering her feigned brightness. "You simply couldn't resist plucking so fragrant a flower could you? Was the nectar sweet indeed? Did you have to force her or did she come freely on her own?"

Lord Davenport lowered his eyes and absently ran his fingers lightly over the smooth wooden surface.

"There's nothing quite like the charms of a fresh young ingenue, I suppose, " Ann continued with her brightest smile. Had he looked up at her then, he would have seen a dangerous glint in her bright eyes. "Though at one point you weren't so keen on the idea of a- what did you call them- a simpering virgin? Well I can't image there's a man alive who could remain detached from Lady Evelyn's charms."

"Ann-"

Lady Ann was speaking quickly and rather frantically as she tried her best to regain her composure. "Won't you indulge my curiosity for a bit longer? That's all I ask. I'm of course curious about the woman who replaced me. You must allow me that as you and I never properly marked the end of our liaison."

When he leaned back in the chair and thoughtful stroked his chin, Ann didn't hesitate to dropped to her knees at his feet. She pressed her face against the back of his hand on the armrest and asked.

"I know you and u and I weren't meant to last. But I will always have a softness in my heart for you, poor lamb. You're quite obvious with your devotion to her you know, no matter how hard you try to hide it."

He remained silent.

Ann held onto his hand. "Don't admit to anything then. I know you followed her into her carriage after that dinner some weeks ago. I can't say I blame you. She is most alluring with her aura of mystery. Did you keep her virginity in tack? Not that it matter which door you knock, it's your soon or later. And those lips! So red, so plump! They're made to give pleasure. Tell me, was she eager when you showed her how you love to be adored by a woman, or did she feign disgust at first? They all do don't they? Did she choke on you the first time or did she tilt back her head like a good girl... open her mouth and throat wide to give you unfettered access... like I use to... swallow you, like I use to..."

He leap from the chair like a man on fire and backed away from her in disgust. "You're embarrassing yourself, Ann! Show some dignity!"

Ann laughed her deep throaty laugh. "Oh come John!" she laughed even as she brushed the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Don't be cross, my beautiful boy! I was just having a bit of fun! You brought it on yourself! If all former lovers looked upon me as you did when you first saw me, why I'd say we'd never have a gathering or more than two or three in any salon in London! You know my humor, how I adore being shocking!"

He cursed under his breath, then turned his back to face a window.

"Temper, temper!" Ann clucked her tongue at him as she stood up again and brushed off her skirt. "You'll frighten the poor girl with your surliness, you know. You may not believe that I come to you in genuine friendship, but I offer it to you anyway-"

"Lady Ann, I find your idea of friendship extraordinary. You and I did not have a long standing arrangement. And if I recall correctly you've since replaced me with young Henry Wilkes. So I have no sympathy for whatever outrage you may feel you're entitled here. Do you want money? Have your gambling debts caught up to you? If that's the case I'll have my banker-"

"Oh my lord Davenport!" she cried with another bright chuckle. "Really? You're offering me money of all things? I've plenty of my own, thanks. It is comforting to know your generosity can be counted on should I ever need it. No, I was merely having a bit of fun with you, you silly sod. We had some great fun together, for as long as it lasted. Soon we'll forget it all together, I'm sure."

Lord Davenport looked as though he was about to speak, but then he merely sighed and rubbed a hand over the back of his head and neck wearily.

Ann continued. "But, we'll still be forced into each other's society. How are we to get along? You've handled ended affairs before, you ought to know the essential need to keep up appearances. For my end, I intend to regard you as an old dear friend. And as an old dear friend I must tell you that you've grown jaded. Surly. Brooding. It's quite appealing in a lover. But no woman wants to live with a bad-tempered husband, even one as handsome as you!"

Ann watched his jaw working in tune to a series of unfettered emotions cross his expressive brows. "So you'll advise me on how to keep my wife happy?" he asked her with searing sarcasm .

"Oh you'll need no help there. She'll be happy because you'll tell her she's happy. You'll bend her to your will till she lives simply for your pleasure. Truly, it's what all women want, a powerful man to exert his power over her."

He sneered at that. "And like a truly formidable women, you're quick to betray your own sex."

Ann shrugged off the remark. "What do it matter what I betray when we all know men truly hold all the power? You do us no favors when you pretend we have any hold over you. It simply gives us a false sense of security. Oh there's plenty of men who claims women have the true power. Some men may even fall under the spell of youth and beauty for a time. But that power lasts for as long as our looks last. Sometimes, even before the first bloom starts to fade, you would have replaced us with something newer, fresher. So in the end, who holds the true power?"

With that Lady Ann took her leave. It took Lord Davenport several moments before he noticed she had left the door wide open after her. He had just reached the entryway and was about to shut the door again when Evelyn descended the stairs from the floor above.

Their eyes locked.

Lord Davenport stepped forward with a hand held out to the dark-haired, porcelain beauty before him. "Won't you say hello to me?" he asked her.

Evelyn clung to her hurt and anger but her resistance crumbled when her own body simply refused to obey. What last bit of hurt she clung to, melted when his fingers laced through hers and he pulled her into his arms again.

Abruptly, he took her by the hand and lead her purposefully down an empty hallway. There wasn't a soul in sight. Evelyn had to run a little to match his long stride. He had a look of determination about him when, with a quick glance around, he reached for an invisible latch in the wood paneled wall that clicked open to reveal a small closet of sorts.

"My lord?" Evelyn had time to utter when she was ushered into the small cramped space. They were suddenly plunged into near darkness and he was on her in an instant!

"I thought of this all day!" he said harshly as he held her and buried his face against her neck. "Oh Evelyn! My l-"

"Please!" she squeaked her protest. "What if we're found out-?"

He tightened his hold on her in response. So many different thoughts fired through her mind. Did he use this closet often for this purpose? Who were those nameless, faceless women? Then his kisses successfully emptied her mind of all thoughts in that warm, musty darkness, and she gave into him. Their ragged breaths sounded primal and deafening in the dark. Surely the sound would have reverberated through the house and someone would come looking for the source soon. Yet, no one did.

"We haven't much time," she heard him mutter.

Lord Davenport's urgent fingers tugged at her neckline and his rough fingers palmed and kneaded her naked breasts. She felt his head dip down a moment before his hot, wet tongue drag over a breast, then sucked her nipple, hard! It wasn't long before he rudely spun her around to face away from him and her hands instinctively reached up to brace herself against the rough wooden wall.

Her whole body quivered and turned to liquid when he pulled her hips back firmly against him. For a brief moment he simply kneaded her soft rounded bottom as he pressed forward to grind into her that forced a deep moan of frustration and satisfaction from her. Evelyn didn't have long to wait before he swiftly made his way past her skirts over the sound of his trouser unfastening.

She cried out loud when he dragged his hard, swollen member the length of her slick gash. A second push had his long, smooth, turgent flesh took her breath away. She was still so tender and sore from their couplings before. At least now she knew what to expect from him. At least she thought she did. There was another dimension, however, to his urgency when he rutted her in that dark little closet. She was barely able to hold her outstretched arms steady to keep herself from being knocked against the wall.

Suddenly, he stopped as they both heard the sound of more approaching footsteps, followed by Charlotte's voice recounting how the flowers had all arrived save three arrangements. All the rugs had been moved.. Now there was just the food...

Every muscle in his body tensed and he held her tight. They both held perfectly still as they listened to the pitch and fall of Charlotte's voice. He did not keep still for long though. She jumped when his soft lips kissed the top of her shoulder blade. He kissed her smooth skin again then brushed his lips up the side of her neck before he sucked an earlobe into his mouth.

Just outside the door, they could hear Charlotte say to her silent companion: "-I don't quite understand his urgency to be at Keswick Hall so soon... even wealthy tradesmen are taking wedding trips! Mark my work he'll regret it when she won't be coaxed to her wifely duties at night after he's spent all day galloping about with his land agents and farm hands-!."

Evelyn bit back a little giggle. Little did she realize she had squeezed her thighs and slick inner walls around him. He reached up for a handful of her hair and pulled her roughly against him till her head feel back against his shoulder. He muffled a throaty groan in the back of her neck.

Luckily, Charlotte and her companion soon shuffled away.

Still holding her by a fistful of wavy curls in one hand, his other hand made its way between her legs and pressed his finger tips on the flap of flesh there. She wept openly, mindless of anything else but the overwhelmed sensations that engulfed her. Then his fingers massaging her in deep, slow circles, coupled with the feeling of him surging deep into her body made Evelyn so weak that had he not held her, she would have fallen to her knees. He quickly untangled his fingers from her hair and clasped his palm over her mouth to keep her screams muffled as Evelyn climbed the highs towards a blinding, white - hot explosion!

...Evelyn could not recall how much time had passed before she was forced to squinted her eyes against the sudden ray of light when the little closet door opened again. He had straightened his clothes and appeared as he always did: urbane, self-assured. .

"Wait!" he called out when she started to leave. He came towards her and smoothed her skirts, then brushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ears.

"I seem to have a talent for saying the wrong things to you," he said to her.

"I-" Evelyn didn't trust herself to speak.

Just then he reached into his breast pocket and took out something. She could only blink hard when he slip an enormous pale blue diamond ring on the fourth finger of her left hand.

"My mother's, this," he explained, as he held her hand in both of his. "Given to her by my father when he asked for her hand. I might have liked the chance to ask for yours- but then you would have refused me." He gave a little smile.

She was at a loss for words, at the ring, at him!

His dark brows furrowed and his jaw tightened as he studied the sparkling diamond, seemingly uncertain of what to say. "I told you I won't be an overly indulgent husband but neither ought I be deliberately cruel. Yet I think I have been. Cruel that is. I blamed you for things not in your control."

Evelyn still couldn't speak.

He continued, slightly more hesitant. "I do want you to be happy. As much as you can with me. I'm afraid I'm a bit set in my ways... Evelyn, I'm trying to apologize!" .

He flicking his piercing, icy-blue gaze up to meet hers and caught her once more in their spell.

Whatever he saw in her expression made his confident smile return. He lightly stroked the curve of her cheek with the back of his knuckles once. And just like that, he turned on his heels and walked away.

Evelyn sank into a nearby side chair when her knees gave out from under her. It took quite a bit of time before her pounding heart returned to normal.

*************

Spring was late to arrive but many of the bon ton were eager to remove to their country estate for a respite. Lady Ann had only been at her own country seat for a fortnight before she grew restless again. Thankfully her friend Lady Warwick was thoughtful enough to send her sister Mary to keep Lady Ann company for a bit. To Lady Ann's further delight, Mary brought with her a party of bright young people, that included the newly married Henry Wilkes.

"I thought you'd be on your wedding trip," Lady Ann said in an aside to her young lover.

"My wife continues on her wedding journey with her mother," Henry replied with a shrug. "I could only stand so many European museums and dress shops. Besides, my father simply couldn't do without me for much longer."

"And where is your father pray?"

"In Bath, nursing his gout and glad to be rid of me, surely."

They exchanged a mischievous smile.

Henry took it upon himself to introduce the other two members of their party. Lady St. James was tall and fair and quite pleasing to look at. However, it was her sparkling personality, so open and artless, that when she smiled her broad infectious smile, her whole face lit up and she immediately delighted everyone around her. The other was a Mr. Ainsley Elwood, a remarkably handsome young man, of medium height and stature. His face was almost too beautiful to be masculine if not for his slightly crooked nose and a faint scar dividing his left brown down the middle. He effected the usual fashionable air of indifference but there was underlying intensity just below the surface that marked him as a libertine.