Page 1 of Desire and Discipline

Priscilla

Her husband was lying to her.

Not that she could prove such a thing. She could not say why she thought so or describe what lies she thought he might be telling her, but Lady Priscilla Stuart, formerly Miss Priscilla Bliss, was utterly sure of one thing—Joseph had a secret.

Which, since they were living in his father’s house with both of his brothers and his elder brother’s wife, was quite an achievement. Secrets were hard to keep within these walls. Joseph’s father was the Spymaster to the Crown of England, after all.

“That was a pleasant evening,” she remarked as Joseph led her up the stairs to their wing of the house.

Each son had their own. His father, the Marquess of Camden, had been violently injured not so long ago, and his sons had been loath to be too far from him ever since.

Priscilla understood perfectly as she was rather fond of her father-in-law as well, and she and Joseph had been away on their honeymoon when he’d been shot.

There had been quite a few secrets revealed in the wake of that injury, including that the Marquess worked directly for the Crown. At the time, she’d thought everything had been revealed, but now, weeks later, she was sure she was still missing something.

Something to do with her husband.

“It was a very nice evening,” Joseph replied amiably. Joseph was always amiable. It was one of the things she loved about him. He was calm, cheerful, and soothing company for her, exactly as a husband should be. “I always enjoy a rousing game of charades, especially when Evie and Anthony visit.”

Evie was his cousin, though she was more like a sister to him.

Recently married to Captain Anthony Browne, she no longer lived in Camden House but visited regularly.

Priscilla was happy to call her a friend, though Evie was not at all amiable, calm, or cheerful.

Tonight was their first visit since returning from their honeymoon, and it had been good to see them both again.

“Even though your team did not win?” Priscilla teased.

The teams had been a little lopsided when they’d separated into the men versus the women.

The Marquess, Joseph, his brothers Elijah and Adam, and Anthony had made up one team.

Priscilla and Evie had been joined by Josie, Elijah’s wife, and Diana, the Marquess’ nurse.

Despite having one less player, the ladies dominated the evening.

Joseph made a little growling noise she found utterly endearing, and she giggled, looking fondly over at her husband.

His dark brown hair and eyes were a perfect foil to her lighter coloring, and she knew they made a fetching pair in the ballroom.

That had been very important to her mother, though how sweetly Joseph had courted her had been what made Priscilla fall head over heels for him.

Though he was not the first to court her, he was the only one she’d felt anything for.

When he’d proposed, it had felt like all her dreams had come true.

This was what she’d been trained her entire life for, after all, and even though he wasn’t the heir to the Marquisette, he was still a second son.

After several years on the marriage mart without a proposal, despite the previous courtships, her parents had been happy to make her a respectable match, even if it didn’t come with a title. For herself, she would have taken Joseph with no connections at all. That was how much she loved him.

They paused in front of her bedroom door, and Joseph turned to look down at her, his eyes filled with desire.

“Would you care for a visitor this evening, my Lady?” he asked, his voice husky with desire.

“Yes, please, my lord,” she replied flirtatiously. Ever since their wedding night, this had become an almost nightly ritual. There were times when she had to regretfully decline, of course, when she was on her menses, but every night he asked that she could say yes, she did.

It was only recently she became aware that separate bedrooms were not always the way things were done. His brother and sister-in-law shared their bedroom. Something Josie had only recently spoken of in Priscilla’s presence. Until then, she had not known.

Come to find out, all of Josie’s friends—who had welcomed Priscilla into their circle—shared a bedroom with their husbands as well.

Priscilla and Joseph were the only ones who didn’t…

yet her parents had never shared one, either.

She had thought that was the way. So far, she had not found the courage to broach the subject with Joseph, and she did enjoy their little ritual.

Many nights, he stayed in her bed until she fell asleep.

Did it really need to change?

“Then I will see you shortly.” Lowering his mouth to hers, he gave her a brief but clinging kiss, his hands sliding over her hips before he pulled away.

Sighing happily, Priscilla went into her room, where her maid was waiting. Jane hopped up from her seat by the window as soon as Priscilla entered.

“Ma’am.” Jane smiled brightly at her, gesturing at the bed where two of Priscilla’s nightrails were resting. “I readied these two for you.”

“The blue one, please,” Priscilla said, moving toward the bed. It would match her eyes. “And we’ll take my hair down and braid it for the evening.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jane hurried to get to work, helping Priscilla out of her clothing and into the nightrail before Priscilla sat down at the vanity.

It took much less time for Jane to undo the stylish hairstyle than it had for her to put it up.

The weight of it coming down felt good, as did the brush going through it as Jane gently unknotted the tangles that had worked their way in during the day.

Despite the soothing sensations, Priscilla couldn’t help but squirm in anticipation, knowing what was to come. Her wedding night had been a revelation, and every night that followed thereafter continued her education. The marriage bed was far more than her mother had led her to believe.

In fact, it was Evie, Josie, and her other new friends who had informed her that she was far from alone when it came to enjoying a wife’s duty.

Now that she’d begun circulating with the other married ladies of the ton , she knew her group of friends was the anomaly, and she considered herself very lucky.

Joseph visited her bed regularly, bringing both of them to pleasure, and they were happy.

Though Evie and the others belonged to a secret society that indulged in perversions to accompany the usual marital relations, Priscilla had not gone to any of the gatherings.

She’d asked Joseph if there was anything he would like to do that they had not experimented with, thinking of the spankings her friends apparently enjoyed receiving, but he’d shaken his head and pronounced himself more than satisfied with their amorous activities.

Then he’d taken her in his arms and proceeded to prove to her how very satisfying they were.

Priscilla enjoyed them immensely, which was why she was now squirming in her seat, waiting for Jane to finish brushing her hair.

A knock on the connecting door between her bedroom and Joseph’s made both women jump. Joseph must be impatient as well. Normally, he waited for Jane to leave before knocking.

Joseph

“Sir.” Jane the maid bobbed a curtsy, stepping back from the door she’d opened into his wife’s bedroom.

“I’ll finish assisting my wife, Jane. You may retire,” he told her. Nodding her understanding, Jane swiftly took her exit, but Joseph barely noticed. He only had eyes for his wife.

She was stunning, her long blonde curls trailing over her shoulders and down her back, obscuring some of the silky blue nightrail that skimmed over her curves.

It matched her blue eyes perfectly, making her appear almost ethereal in the flickering candlelight.

A perfect goddess, too good and pure for him, yet he craved her all the same.

He was ready to worship at the altar of her pleasure.

The door closed behind Jane.

“My Lady,” he said, moving forward to take Priscilla’s hand and help her to her feet.

As soon as he did so, he leaned in to kiss her, shuddering as he felt her body press against his.

The thin fabrics of her nightrail and his dressing grown meant he felt far more than he had while they were in their day clothes.

She leaned into him, returning his kiss with interest, opening her mouth and sliding her tongue against his.

For all that she’d been a complete innocent on their wedding night, she was always receptive to his touch.

Not only receptive but eager, which had surprised him greatly.

There was plenty of talk amongst gentlemen about the coldness of their wives, though he knew none of them had been love matches.

That was part of the reason he’d wanted to marry for love.

Stepping to the side, Priscilla angled herself toward her bed, pulling him along with her, already tugging at the knot on his robe’s belt.

He ran his hands over the silky fabric covering her body, enjoying the feeling of it against his palms, caressing the soft flesh beneath. Priscilla moaned against his lips, breathlessly arching into his touch.

His need for her was growing stronger with every passing moment, along with other needs that he had to ignore…

needs he could never let her know about.

Desires he would have to fulfill soon, dark cravings he could never subject his pure, innocent wife to.

She would be horrified. She might even fall out of love with him.

He couldn’t live without her any more than he could live with her disgust or scorn.

Pushing away his maudlin thoughts, he focused on his wife. On the here and now, burying his fear and his darker cravings, giving in to the passion between them. On the sleek curves of her body under the silk, the way she moaned when he moved his lips down her neck.

He dropped his robe on the floor, and they tipped back onto the bed together, his hands full of her breasts while his cock throbbed against her thigh.

Rolling toward the center, he pulled her atop him, so she was straddling his waist, the silky material of her nightrail gathered around her hips and spilling over her thighs.

One strap on the gown had fallen over her shoulder, slipping down to reveal most of her breast, the barest bit of pink showing above the bit of fabric as it clung to the top of her nipple.

Her blonde hair surrounded her angelic face, the light shimmering off of it like a halo.

Looking down at him, she smiled shyly from her position, wriggling as the length of his cock split her pussy lips, so she was riding its underside.

“Oh…” She shuddered, rocking her hips and rubbing herself against him. “Joseph…”

“Beautiful,” he whispered, reaching up to cup her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples through the fabric before tugging down the neckline so he had free access to her creamy breasts and the pert, pink nipples.

Priscilla moaned again, pulling her arms free of the straps, so she was naked from the waist up.

The nightrail was covering her thighs and his belly as she rubbed herself atop him.

He ached to be inside her, yet he was enjoying the tease so much, he almost didn’t want it to stop.

Priscilla looked down at him again, leaning forward to kiss him. She whimpered as the position meant she was rubbing her most sensitive part against him. Pulling away from the kiss, she met his gaze from only a few inches away.

“Is there… is there anything you want me to do?” she asked hesitantly.

So many things, none of which he could actually ask her for without risking her love. But there was one thing…

“Come up here and straddle my mouth so I might pleasure you with my tongue.” It wouldn’t be the first time he’d done so, but never in that position. Previously, she’d always been on her back while he lay between her thighs, but this request should be innocuous enough.

Her eyes lit up with interest, and he relaxed. He was going to get at least some of what he truly wanted.