Kate Pearce - Educating Elizabeth

As she worked the buttons free, she struggled against the sense of being sucked into a nightmare from which she couldn't wake. Ever since she had set eyes on the Duke of Diable Delamere her world had been in an uproar. Somehow she knew that he would offer her no comfort, no place to hide even if she begged. She had promised him her obedience and now she had to prove her worth.

She opened her eyes and stared at herself in the mirror, stifling a gasp. Her hair tumbled down her back and her bodice gaped open. A man awaited her appearance in a garment that would leave him in no doubt as to the shape of her body.

"Elizabeth?"

The duke's voice held a trace of impatience and she hurried to finish dressing. She avoided looking in the mirror as she pulled the flimsy silk over her head and attempted to settle it over her hips. She flinched when his hand came down on her shoulder and turned her around.

Elizabeth forced herself to meet his gaze. He was utterly still as he perused the length of her body. With the instinct of one hunted, she knew if she ran now he would capture her in an instant.

He took her hand and led her out into the well-lit room where a triple full-length mirror dominated one wall.

"Have you actually looked at yourself?" he murmured as he turned her toward the light. She shook her head and he chuckled. "I didn't think you would."

He was so close that his breath brushed her cheek and she shivered. She made herself look. The duke gave a soft laugh. "Innocence captured by lust. We would make a fine painting of Hades dragging Persephone down into the underworld."

His arm slid around her waist and drew her against him. The contrast between the fragile cream silk of her gown and his harsher tones of gray and black merged uneasily in the lamplight. Elizabeth tried to ease away a fraction but the duke held her close.

"Ah, no, Miss Waterstone. You need to get used to the effect you have on a man." He lowered his arm and dragged her hips into even closer union with his. "I've been aroused since you first confessed your lack of underwear to me earlier." He dropped a kiss on the side of her neck. "If I didn't know you better I might think you a tease."

His hands skimmed over the gown in a businesslike manner, making her arch against him. "The fit is excellent. I will have Madame make up some bed gowns for you. If you find one on your bed, I wish you to wear it for me; otherwise, you will wear nothing."

Elizabeth stared at her reflection. His warm hands lingered on her hips as he continued to caress her. She repressed an urge to lean back and close her eyes.

"Your Grace, that is scarcely decent. I've some perfectly good nightgowns of my own. I would hate to catch a chill."

" Cherie , in my house there are plenty of fires. And I will keep you warm. I'm reputed to give off a lot of heat at night."

Elizabeth almost choked as a picture of the duke wrapped around her naked body flooded her mind. She tried to think of a way to change the subject and cursed the breathlessness of her voice.

"Do you think Madame Charles will return? She has left us alone for a remarkably long time."

The duke released her with a shrug. "Madame knows when to mind her own business. Many of her clients take advantage of her facilities to pleasure their ladies or their lovers."

He patted her cheek. "You need not worry, my dear. You have suffered enough new experiences for one night and I intend to take you to Grillon's hotel now." He passed a black traveling dress and matching pelisse to her. "Madame gave me these for you to wear tonight as well as a few other necessary pieces of baggage. It would not do for you to arrive at a respectable hotel with nothing but me on your arm."

Elizabeth headed back toward the dressing area with as much speed as she could muster without appearing to run. She would be away from him within the hour. She could sleep alone, at least for the night.

The duke cleared his throat. "I realize you are anxious to get away, but there is something I need from you before you change out of that tempting gown."

Elizabeth stood still as he came up behind her and placed a hand on her bare shoulder.

"There is nothing to fear. I just wish you to give me a goodnight kiss. I will be unable to take you up to your hotel bedroom without causing comment, and I know how you abhor scandal."

She turned to face him and placed her palms flat on his waistcoat, as if she stood a chance of holding him back, or preventing him doing anything he wanted with her.

"I've never kissed a man before, Your Grace."

"Gervase. When we are alone together I wish you to call me Gervase." He pronounced it in the French way with a soft 'g' and a long 'a' sound. He settled an arm around her waist. "Come, it is quite simple. I will not bite."

Elizabeth placed her hands on his broad shoulders and rose onto her tiptoes. She focused on the curve of his lower lip and brought her mouth into trembling contact with his. The softness and warmth of his flesh surprised her.

She hesitated until he whispered, "Touch me with your tongue, cherie , see how I taste."

Elizabeth obeyed, amazed at how sensitive her tongue was to the nuances of his lips and the rasp of his unshaven skin. She faltered when he parted his lips and she allowed her tongue to touch his in a shy dance. He made a noise of approval deep in his throat as she continued to explore his mouth and the rough texture of his teeth. She began to relax when he made no move to conquer her mouth or pull her closer.

She ended the kiss as she became aware of a painful crick in her neck and sank back onto the firm ground beneath her new kid slippers. After a deep breath she managed to look up at him. He remained perfectly still and made no effort to hide his arousal. She sensed he wanted her to see it, for her to know that he could control it.

He brought her fingers to his mouth and kissed them.

"I congratulate you on completing your first lesson. And now, you need to get changed and make your appearance at Grillons."

Elizabeth was unprepared for her first sight of the duke's daughter. Somehow, despite her knowledge of Eloise's parentage, she had imagined the girl would be a mirror image of the duke. To her surprise, Eloise appeared French to her very fingertips. Her skin was tinted olive and her brown eyes were so dark that they seemed jet-black. Although her figure tended toward plumpness, her vivacious personality gave her a liveliness hard to resist.

Eloise accepted the duke's explanation for Elizabeth's presence without question. She soon engaged Elizabeth in conversation, eager to practice her broken English and learn about the delights of London. For Elizabeth, sore at heart from losing her half-sister's companionship, Eloise was a joy.

The duke lingered only long enough to make the necessary introductions before leaving the two women with Eloise's French nurse, the motherly Madame Bonnet.

Eloise smiled at Elizabeth as Madame Bonnet rang for some tea. "My papa is very kind, is he not? He has promised me the most magnificent London Season if I complete a year at Miss Granger's in Bath." She leaned forward and pressed Elizabeth's hand. "It is sad that you are a widow, but my papa will take care of you."

For the next few days, Elizabeth explored London with Eloise and her liking for the girl deepened. She suffered a few qualms of conscience, however, when Eloise tentatively inquired about her supposedly deceased "husband." The duke, true to his word, had provided Elizabeth with all the salient details pertaining to her supposed spouse. When Eloise expressed her sympathy, Elizabeth felt like a traitor and redoubled her efforts to please the duke's daughter.

A week after Eloise's arrival, they arrived back from a shopping expedition laden down with packages to find a note from the duke.