Page 30 of Her Duke’s Second Chance (Regency Second Chances #1)

CHAPTER 30

G eorgiana felt as if she was walking on air as she floated down the stairs and turned down the corridor towards the parlor.

She greeted every footman she passed with a smile and a wave. They bowed respectfully and smiled back. She could feel her good mood permeating the walls of their residence.

While her body was heading to the parlor for a pre-dinner aperitif, her mind was still back in her chambers, reliving the day.

After their delicious breakfast, they had crawled back into bed to get some more sleep; after all it had been an extremely late and very drunken night.

Waking up at noon, they turned towards each other and talked for hours. Georgiana could not remember talking so much in her entire life. They had discussed so many things: from what pets they had kept as children, to the nightlife in Port-au-Prince where Robert had spent an eventful month.

She smiled as she recalled how he had helped her out of her shift and into the bath, running his fingers all over her body, tweaking her nipples, tickling her sides, making her giggle, sigh and squeal in response.

He had gently rubbed the lavender soap into her skin, and massaged her muscles until she became languid and faintly aroused.

He stroked the insides of her thighs, his thumbs brushing against her center, teasing her and stirring her senses.

She grabbed him, wanting to pull him in the bath with her but he resisted.

“Oh no, Your Grace…this is your time. Enjoy it.”

She yielded to his touches and teasing with utter abandon. She freely expressed her moans and pleas, unembarrassed to be so ablaze with desire in his presence. Afterward, he carried her to the bed, spread her legs, and entered her in one fluid move.

It did not take long for her to climax, or for him to follow.

After they made love, he dried her off with a towel and wrapped her in his arms. She had wanted to stay like that forever.

She stopped short in front of the parlor doors. They had decided to end their hibernation and join Daisy for supper. It was the civilized thing to do.

She took a deep breath, knowing Robert was on the other side of the door. Although she had seen him only an hour ago, it felt like much longer. She was eager to set eyes on him again. She opened the door and beamed, but her face fell when she saw that the room was empty.

She turned and approached a footman who was standing in the corridor. “Excuse me, have you seen my sister or my husband?”

“They have not yet come down, Your Grace. Shall I fetch them for you?”

She shook her head. “No. I will wait here for them.”

“As you wish, Your Grace.”

How quickly her mood could change.

Robert finished dressing for dinner and then decided to go to his office to see if he had any urgent correspondence.

He had no doubt that his steward would have alerted him if there was anything that needed his immediate attention, but his steward did not open any mail labeled as private. His dealings with Count Jacob were still in a very delicate phase. As such, he had been dealing with the matter himself.

He went down the backstairs and slipped into his study without seeing anyone. He rifled through the letters waiting for him on his desk. None demanded immediate attention except for one: a letter from his grandmother.

“Hmm, how strange,” he murmured to himself, and immediately broke the seal.

He assumed that something must be wrong if she was writing to him in London.

He raked over the letter with a frown on his forehead, which dissipated once he realized that nothing was wrong; his grandmother simply wanted to know why he was taking so long in the city. It was unlike him.

He laughed quietly to himself. How to tell his grandmother that he was inadvertently on his honeymoon? He knew she would be mystified.

When he initially decided to extend his stay in London, he had written to her to let her know, but he had not told her how long he expected to be away.

He could not blame her for worrying. He knew how much she hated the city. He sat down, picked up his pen, and drew a blank leaf of paper toward himself. He tapped his pen thoughtfully on the table, trying to think of the right words to pen.

He had found himself in a strange situation, and he was unable to explain it in a way that would make sense to someone else—even if that person was his grandmother.

After some careful thought, he dipped his pen into the inkwell and wrote:

Dear Grandmother,

Thank you for your letter and your concern. I should have been more conscious of your sensibilities and updated you on my progress here in London. The count and I are still very much in the thick of it. The chancellor is sympathetic to our cause, but there are still a lot of hurdles to overcome.

On the home front, the duchess and I are getting along well and enjoying each other’s company. I do not know when I will be returning to Emberford, but it shall certainly be before the autumn leaves begin to fall.

I trust you are keeping well.

Your loving grandson,

Robert

He read the letter through and nodded, satisfied with its contents.

Sealing it with his ring, he put it in the basket, ready to be mailed first thing in the morning.

With a sigh, he rose from his chair and made his way to the parlor.

Daisy strolled into the parlor and immediately began to jump up and down and squeal. Georgiana put down her glass of brandy, stood up, and stared concernedly at her sister. “Whatever is the matter?”

“Oh, it is so exciting! You and the duke spent the whole day in your chambers. Oh Lord, what were you doing? What were you doing ? Did he kiss you, hold you, and whisper sweet nothings in your ear?” she asked, still skipping around with excitement.

Georgiana blushed into the roots of her hair, then took hold of her arm and led her to a chair. “Sit down. Calm down. Let me pour you a drink,” she said.

“And then you will tell me?” Daisy asked.

Georgiana shook her head. “I am not telling you anything, Daisy. Drink your brandy.” She handed her sister the snifter before returning to her own drink.

Daisy looked her up and down. “Well, you do not look much different… except that you are glowing,” she whined sulkily. “Come on, Georgiana, tell me what happened! Am I not your sister? Do you not love me?”

Georgiana just laughed and shook her head, and hid her face behind the brandy snifter. “You are being ridiculous,” she said.

“I am curious . All the servants were in a tizzy about it. And last night you made me eat dinner in my room so you could be alone. Come on, just tell me a little bit,” she wheedled.

“Fine. I will tell you a little bit… about our dinner.”

Daisy leaned forward eagerly.

“Robert arranged for a buffet and dismissed all the servants so that we would be alone in the room.”

Daisy squealed and clapped her hands in excitement. Georgiana gave her a look. “Do you want to hear the story or not?”

Daisy put her hand over her lips to indicate that she would be silent.

“Well, when I entered, the floor was covered with rose petals, and there were scented candles all around the room. We sat at a small round table near the fire, just the two of us.”

“What did you speak of?”

“A great many things; mainly our marriage and how we wanted it to go from now on.”

“And? Did he tell you he loves you? That he lives only for you? That he would do anything for you?”

Georgiana snorted. “I swear, my dear Daisy, your head is always in the clouds. This is no fairy tale. It is a real marriage. A real one…” Her voice faded away as she realized what she had said.

Their marriage was well and truly consummated. She was Robert’s duchess. His wife for good or ill.

For a moment, she could not breathe.

“Georgie? What is wrong?” Daisy’s voice cut through her rising panic, and she inhaled deeply.

Her warm dainty hands clutching around Georgiana’s had grounded her. She blinked away the haze from her eyes.

“N-nothing is amiss, darling. Ignore me. I am…emotional today.” She squeezed Daisy’s hands reassuringly.

“Of course you are!” Daisy nodded with understanding, peering intently at Georgiana’s face. “It must be very overwhelming for you. I know you are not used to a man’s attention.”

Georgiana’s lips twisted wryly, and she reminded herself that her sister was just trying to be helpful. “Yes…yes, that is true.”

“So…are you happy now?” Daisy asked tentatively.

Georgiana looked at her sister with a frown. “Why would you ask me that?”

Daisy shrugged. “Well, you just…well, you worry about other people so much sometimes that you forget to…see to yourself,” she said shyly.

Georgiana blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. “I did not know that you noticed.”

“Of course I noticed! I am your sister.”

“Yes.” She offered a wet smile. “Yes, you are.”

“Oops, am I interrupting?”

They both turned to see Robert at the doorway, looking rakishly handsome in a blue cravat, his black coat so well-tailored that it emphasized both the breadth of his shoulders and the narrowness of his waist.

“Good evening, ladies. You are both looking very lovely tonight,” he said, though his eyes lingered on Georgiana.

She had chosen a deep green gown with ruffles along the bodice. She smiled at him. “You are quite passable looking yourself,” she teased.

He walked over to her, never taking his eyes off her. Daisy let go of Georgiana’s hands and stepped away, giving Robert space to take hold of her right hand and bring it to his mouth to kiss her knuckles.

“Why thank you, Your Grace.”

She blushed. “You are most welcome.”

There was a slight knock on the door, and they all turned to see Sinclair standing straight-backed and correct.

“Dinner is served,” he announced.

Robert offered them both an arm. “Ladies, shall we?”

Robert had been afraid that dinner would be awkward, but his fears proved unfounded within minutes.

Daisy immediately launched into an account of her day, before asking them what they had been up to.

Georgiana laughed shaking her head. “Such a stubborn girl I swear,” she said affectionately.

“Why do you say that?” Robert asked.

“Well, she wants to know what you were doing all day in my chambers.”

Robert laughed in surprise before turning to Daisy. “Now, dear girl, you know very well that what happens in a marriage is between those two people and no one else.”

“Is it?” She picked up her glass and took a sip of wine. “I have never heard that before.”

“Well, now you know,” Robert said with amusement.

“Humph! You two are no fun!”

Robert and Georgiana exchanged amused glances.

Dinner was indeed going very well.