The Perfect Duke Read online

  “I haven’t invested anything yet, but I love having control over my money. I’m fortunate that my husband is allowing me to have a say in what happens to it.”

  “You are fortunate.” Lady Steinbeck poured more tea into their cups. “I’m sure your husband will get to meet Mr. Jasper. Mr. Jasper is my husband’s favorite person in the entire world. The two are like little children playing over a toy when they’re together. I’d be jealous if I didn’t know my husband loved me as much as he does.”

  Tara chuckled. “It’s nice your husband and Mr. Jasper get along so well.”

  “It is, but sometimes they forget their wives are in the same room with them.”

  “I think that’s rather darling.”

  “If you and your husband ever come to one of the dinner parties they’re both at, you might not think it’s so darling. I used to joke that I’d have to wear a gown made of money to get my husband’s attention. Sometimes I still feel that way when they’re in the same room.”

  “Maybe if we wore gowns made of money, gentlemen would take us seriously when we said we wanted to do business with them.”

  Lady Steinbeck laughed. “Maybe they would, but I think we’d have every other gentleman chasing us to get to the money we’re wearing.”

  “You’re probably right. We don’t need a group of gentlemen pursuing our money.” Just the thought made Tara chuckle again. Once they stopped laughing, she asked, “Does it bother you that I’m a co-leader of Ladies of Grace?”

  “Why would it bother me?”

  “Well, I know things haven’t been ideal between you and Lady Eloise.”

  “Since finding out that the Duke of Cathorn is Lady Eloise’s father, I feel sorry for her. She might have brought on the criticism of the Ton by her actions, but she had no control over the arrangement the Duke of Cathorn and the Duke of Silverton made.”

  “No, she didn’t.” Since she had brought up the scandal, Tara asked, “You don’t think people will think less of Lady Whitney because of this, do you?”

  “Are you thinking she might not be a good fit for Ladies of Grace?”

  “Oh, no. I would never think that. She’s an asset to the group. We need more people like her.” Tara shifted the cup to her other hand. “What I mean is that she’s never done anything to hurt another person. She’s a sweet and gentle lady. I told her she has nothing to worry about with the Ton. But now I’m wondering if I spoke in haste. Do you think I was wrong?”

  “If I can feel sorry for Lady Eloise in this regard, then be assured that everyone feels sorry for Lady Whitney. She didn’t ask for this scandal to be exposed, and she certainly had no control over what happened all those years ago.”

  Tara relaxed. She had hoped Lady Steinbeck would say that.

  “I think your group will be better off with Lady Whitney in it,” Lady Steinbeck said.

  “My hope is that with Lady Eloise out of the way, the group can be a pleasant one. Not all of us in the group were happy with the way Lady Eloise handled things.”

  Tara saw no reason to tell her what Lady Eloise thought of her, and for all she knew, Lady Steinbeck was already aware of it anyway. What she most wanted was to stick to pleasant topics.

  The doors opened, and their husbands came into the room. Since the two were smiling, Tara surmised their conversation had proven as fruitful as the one she and Lady Steinbeck had just shared.

  Nick sat beside Tara, and Lady Steinbeck hurried to pour tea into two other cups. Lord Steinbeck settled next to his wife and accepted the cup when she held it out to him. She then gave Nick his cup.

  After taking a sip, Nick patted Tara’s arm in a gesture that conveyed a sense of intimacy that surprised her. It was one thing for him to touch her in the privacy of their bedchamber, but knowing he chose to do it around others sent a surge of pleasure through her. Returning his smile, she sipped her tea then turned her attention back to Lord and Lady Steinbeck as they continued discussing investments.

  ***

  The next morning when Tara woke up, she did the same thing she did every morning: she stayed in bed with her eyes closed and thought over everything she needed to do for the day. The top priority, of course, was taking a stroll in public with Stacey so that Stacey would see that others didn’t think less of her because of the things her father had done. Meanwhile, Lord Steinbeck would introduce Nick to Mr. Jasper.

  Afterward, she supposed she’d come back here and spend the rest of the day with Nick and his family. However, if Nick delayed in returning home, she would just be with his mother and sisters. Which might be a good thing. The three could use some new clothes. Perhaps she ought to take them shopping even if Nick was no longer with Mr. Jasper and Lord Steinbeck. He did have a couple of Lord Steinbeck’s books on investing to read. It wasn’t like he didn’t have something to do.

  Yes, that seemed like a good plan for the day. She’d pay Stacey a visit and then take Nick’s mother and sisters shopping.

  Soft lips brushed her shoulder, and she smiled. One thing she certainly enjoyed was being woken up to kisses and tender touches. A lady could get used to this.

  Opening her eyes, she looked over at Nick as he kissed her shoulder again. “Your trick worked,” she told him, a giggle in her voice. “I’m awake.”

  He lifted his head. “I wasn’t trying to wake you.”

  “No? You think I wasn’t going to wake up if you kept kissing me?”

  With a sheepish grin, he said, “I wouldn’t have been disappointed if you had woken up.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer. “I suspected as much.”

  Ever since they married, he’d touched and kissed her often, especially when they were in bed, and it didn’t matter if it was at night or first thing in the morning. She certainly didn’t mind. It was wonderful to feel adored by someone like Nick.

  She encouraged him to bring his head down to hers and brushed her lips with his. Nick, as it was turning out, was a very considerate lover. She wasn’t privy to the private lives of married ladies, but she was sure she had one of the better marriages in London. She’d gotten lucky in that regard.

  Nick deepened the kiss, and she experienced the all-too-familiar thrill of excitement course through her. She might never figure out how he managed to make her feel powerful and weak all at once. She was sure while some of the pleasure stemmed from the way he made love to her, she suspected part of it had to do with him allowing her so many freedoms within the marriage, too.

  She’d meant what she’d told Lady Steinbeck. She had more liberties than she’d ever had under her brother’s guardianship. Nick not only paid attention to her wishes, but he followed her advice on what to do with the money she’d brought into the marriage. So really, she was the one in control of it. He didn’t look down at her as a silly chit who was better leaving the financial decisions to the gentlemen in her life. He respected her opinion. He treated her as an equal.

  And that made being intimate with Nick so much nicer than it would have otherwise been. His talent for bringing a lady pleasure in bed would have enabled her to enjoy lovemaking on a physical level, but the way he treated her as a person enabled her to give all of herself completely to him.

  With a contented sigh, she gave into the desire of being with him. He spent considerable time kissing her and caressing her breasts before he let his hand go to the patch of curls between her legs. He was never in any hurry to make love to her. Everything he did was slow and deliberate, as if he wanted the moment to last forever. And she didn’t mind. She rather enjoyed the way he took his time in stoking the fire inside her until she was consumed by it. It only made the climax that much more intense.

  As he slid his fingers into her, he brought his mouth to one of her nipples and teased it. She let out a moan and shifted so that his fingers went deeper inside her. He found the sensitive spot deep in her core and then proceeded to rub it while fondling her nub with his thumb. Everything he did felt so incredibly wonderful.


  Murmuring his name, she ran her hands through his hair and rocked her hips gently to the rhythm of his ministrations. The fact that he continued teasing her nipple only intensified the sensations, and as much as she wanted to prolong the sweet torment, she reached a point where she couldn’t delay the inevitable and gave in to the need for release.

  She cried out and squeezed his shoulders, loving the way he continued to stroke her in an effort to give her the most pleasure possible. Once she relaxed, he got up on his knees and entered her. He groaned and then brought his mouth to hers. His tongue brushed her lower lip, and she welcomed him into her mouth.

  He stayed still inside her for several long moments, again in no hurry. She wrapped her legs around his waist and brought him deeper into her. He felt good. It seemed that her orgasm only made her more sensitive to the feel of him inside her, and when he began to move, sparks of pleasure coursed through her core and made her toes tingle. Using her legs, she encouraged him to move faster.

  He did, and soon, he had established a rhythm that made her groan right along with him. She didn’t often climax a second time, but there had been a couple of times when she was so aroused that she did. This happened to be one of those times. Gripping his arms, she gave in to another orgasm, this one gentler than the other one but still as wonderful. He grew taut, moaned, and throbbed inside her as he filled her with his seed. They hadn’t climaxed together before. Knowing they were experiencing their heightened pleasure at the same time made her feel a little bit closer to him.

  Gently, they both returned to Earth. Through his heavy breathing, he whispered her name and kissed her cheeks, forehead, and chin. Once his breathing calmed, he brought his mouth to hers and kissed her for quite some time.

  “I think this gets better every time we do it,” he whispered as he kissed her neck.

  She smiled. “If you keep this up, we might never get out of bed.”

  “Would that be so bad?” He brought his hand under her behind and lifted her hips. He moved deeper into her. He wasn’t erect anymore, but the action still excited her.

  She groaned in frustration. “I can’t spend all day in bed. There’s too much to do.”

  “But as soon as we leave this room, my mother and sisters will be rushing over to you. The only time I get you to myself is when we’re here. We can have breakfast brought up to us.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “We can stay here all day.”

  Pleased, she asked, “Do you really miss having me all to yourself?”

  “Sometimes I wished I had asked the coachman to go slower on the way to and from Gretna Green. Then it would have taken us longer to get back to London. I didn’t realize my mother and sisters would hover around you so much.” He gave her another kiss. “The only place safe in this townhouse is this bedchamber.”

  “I have to meet with Stacey this afternoon, and I want to take your mother and sisters shopping so they have better gowns. But, you and I could take a horse ride together by ourselves after breakfast.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Once things get established with Ladies of Grace, I don’t think I’ll be so busy all the time. Then we can do more things together.”

  He smiled and gave her another kiss. She had no idea how much it meant to him that she spend more time with him. When they agreed to marry, she had assumed he’d want to do his own thing most of the day. She knew he’d be coming to her bed in hopes of having an heir, but she honestly didn’t think he’d take an actual interest in her as a companion. This was nice.

  He ended their kiss and shot her a wicked grin. “You mind if I call for a bath? I wouldn’t mind washing you.”

  Amused at the way he wiggled his eyebrows at her, she chuckled. “That’s an activity that might be better done after the horse ride.”

  “You’re right. It’ll be more fun to get to wash you and then make love to you again.”

  Before she could answer, he gave her another kiss and then got out of bed, looking very happy that he’d get to have her all to himself. Feeling immensely pleased, she followed his lead and got ready for breakfast.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “You’re not a social outcast,” Tara told Stacey after another lady offered them a greeting that afternoon as they took a stroll through the park. “It’s just as I said. No one holds any ill will toward you for the things your father did. They know you’re innocent.”

  Stacey offered her a smile. “I suppose you were right all along. It’s just hard to see things clearly when your father was involved in a horrible scandal.”

  “I understand. It’s to be expected. That’s just another reason why we should stick together. We can help each other through any gossip that comes up. A house divided against itself will fall. The same is true with groups. The better we can unify in Ladies of Grace, the better off we’ll be.”

  “Can we really be unified in the group with Lady Blakemoor wanting me out of it?”

  “That’s no longer the case.” Deciding not to tell Stacey why Lady Blakemoor had changed her mind, she hurried to add, “I was thinking we should talk to Miss Duff.” Tara slowed her steps and glanced at the townhouses. Where, exactly, did Miss Duff live?

  “What’s wrong?” Stacey asked.

  “Nothing’s wrong. I was just trying to remember where Miss Duff lives.”

  “She’s in that direction.”

  Tara’s turned her gaze to where Stacey was pointing. “Do you know her exact townhouse?”

  Stacey nodded. “I remember it from the time Lady Eloise went by it to make sure she lived in a respectable area of London.”

  Tara laughed. “I forgot all about that.”

  “The only reason I remember where Miss Duff lives is because Lady Eloise made comments about each townhouse along the way. Miss Duff is between the townhouse with a group of flowers planted outside the windows and the townhouse with the dog that barks whenever people walk by it.”

  “Do you remember the street she’s on?”

  Stacey nodded. “It’s Georgetown.”

  Tara’s eyes widened. “That’s very impressive. We had that walk only once, and I can’t remember that much.”

  “I’ve always had a good memory when it comes to little things like that.”

  “It’s a gift. I don’t know if any other lady who was there that day would remember those details.”

  As the two went in the direction of Miss Duff’s residence, they greeted more people along the way, something Tara was sure made Stacey feel even better. Stacey was a sweet lady. Tara didn’t want her to keep fretting over the scandal her father had left in his wake.

  By the time they reached Miss Duff’s townhouse, Tara saw the flowers and heard the barking dog, just as Stacey had remembered.

  Tara reached the door first and knocked on it. She glanced at Stacey. “Miss Duff’s parents are both alive, aren’t they?”

  Stacey nodded. “They are Lord and Lady Jackman.”

  “You really do remember things. I’m impressed.”

  Though Stacey shrugged, a blush crept up her cheeks.

  Surprised Stacey should have such a difficult time taking a compliment, she said, “You deserve the praise. Don’t be shy about accepting it.”

  The footman opened the door and greeted them.

  “Good afternoon,” Tara replied. “We were wondering if Miss Duff is able to see us.”

  Tara was ready to tell him she had sent Miss Duff a request to visit with her, but he shook his head. “I’m afraid Miss Duff has left London with her brother.”

  Tara’s eyebrows furrowed. The last time she talked to Miss Duff, the lady hadn’t said anything about leaving London, but then, she didn’t know Miss Duff very well.

  “Do you know when she’ll be back in London?” Tara asked.

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t. Would you like to speak with Lord or Lady Jackman?”

  Hiding her disappointment, Tara replied, “No, thank you. I don’t want to trouble them.”

 
As she headed back down the steps, Stacey asked, “Why didn’t you ask to talk to her parents? They might know when she’ll return.”

  “I’d rather send a missive asking Miss Duff to tell me when she’s back in London.”

  “You’re disappointed you didn’t get a chance to speak with her today.”

  “Yes, I am. I think she could be an asset to the group. I know we can’t allow any members into the group unless there are two votes. At least Lady Blakemoor can’t let someone in who wouldn’t benefit us.” She sighed. “I was just hoping to get Miss Duff back into the group right away. I should have invited her back into the group before I headed out to Gretna Green.”

  “You didn’t know she was leaving.”

  They reached the sidewalk, and she turned to Stacey. “I know, but I was so preoccupied with trying to get married that I let that little thing slip.”

  Tara chuckled. “While we’re waiting for Miss Duff’s return, let me know if there’s any lady you think would be good for the group.”

  “All the ladies I’d recommend are in Enduring Friendships.”

  “Is that ironic? I was one of the people who thought nothing would come from that group when it started, and look at where we are today. They have prospered, and we were almost completely ruined.”

  “We don’t have to be in competition against them.”

  “We’re not.” Recalling Lady Blakemoor, she added, “At least you and I aren’t. London is big enough for two ladies’ groups. There’s no reason why there should only be one.”

  “I agree. London is a big place.”

  Tara took a deep breath and released it. “We’re going to make Ladies of Grace work. It’ll be better than before. This time we’ll not only be influential in the Ton, but we’ll care about people.”

  “I like that. I wish Lady Eloise had had that goal for the group.”

  “We can’t do anything about the past. All we can do is focus on the future. Together, you and I are going to make sure this group is worth being in.”