Read Online Eliza Lloyd by One Last Night - Free Book Online Page A

felt like their first argument. It
felt like he knew her intimately, that he knew she had been unhappy with
Thomas.
    “When were you not unhappy? While you were married to the
duke? Now? Now that you’ve known sexual fulfillment and you plan to deny
yourself that pleasure for the rest of your life? Yes. You seem very happy to
me.”
    “How dare you. You don’t know me.”
    “Don’t I? Lucy, I’ve known everything there is to know about
you.” He rolled toward her, reaching for her hand and holding it over his
heart. “What you don’t know is what is in my heart. What I feel for you. If you
thought I did not love you, I would leave this moment. I saw every hurt you
experienced and I felt it with you. When your mother died. When Vincent was
ill. Even when the duke died. I was there. So when I speak boldly, it is
because I think you understand what it is that I say.”
    “John, what if in the end, I don’t love you? What if this is
all we ever have?” This was considerable—a cock that had her crying,
arms that made her feel safe and yes, loved. Was a man who had waited eight
years for her not worth the risk? Shouldn’t she give that a chance?
    “Then we should consider every night together is our last
night and we should enjoy it accordingly.”
    She had had the same thought.
    “So we can be just lovers?” Lovers! She had never seriously
thought of taking a lover. He kissed her forehead and she felt a gentle well of
laughter. She was going to take a lover—and a magnificent one at that.
    “As long as you wish. Forever or a day.”
    * * * * *
    When the Duke of Wallingford turned ten, his mother was in a
panic because she thought, mistakenly, that she was pregnant with her lover’s
child. That false alarm prompted a decision to holiday in Scotland. While the
duke was hunting with Mr. Darrow, his mother eloped to Paxington Toll rather
than Gretna Green and married secretly.
    The weight of their impetuous decision fell heavily upon
them as they thought of the consequences.
    “I am going to hate sneaking into your bedroom at night. Is
it such a ghastly thing to let the world know you are married to me?” John
asked.
    “Am I horrible and selfish?” she asked, throwing her head
into the pillow in a pout.
    “Somewhat, but then, I don’t know a duchess who isn’t.”
    “I’m not a duchess anymore.”
    “Sad. Just a plain old missus.” He lay beside her with his
head propped in his hand. With one finger he stroked along her skin, touching
anything that looked interesting.
    She groaned. “Mrs. Allen.”
    “You’ve given up so much,” he teased.
    “But I do love you.”
    “You used that trick on me over two years ago. You’ll have
to think of something more sincere to earn my forgiveness.”
    “I love you forever and ever, cross my heart.”
    “That’s better. I can forgive you now for not announcing it
to the world that you are my wife. But we will have to someday,” he added with
solemn veracity. He wasn’t sure when she would be ready for such an event but
wondered, foolishly perhaps, why he could not do something to change that.
    “But when? I’ve barely gotten over the shock. What is the ton going to say?”
    “They are going to say that she must have been sleeping with
him before the duke died.”
    She slapped at his hand. “That is a ghastly thing to say.”
    He laughed. “You know the ton . They must have their
amusements.”
    “Will they not think I married you for love?”
    “Since most of them haven’t seen my cock, I would say that’s
a fair assumption.”
    “You don’t deserve to be my husband.” She smiled in spite of
her words. He leaned in to kiss her.
    “You are right about that. Now, Mrs. Allen, do we not have
one last night together?”
    “An eternity of them, I hope.”
     
    They enjoyed a slow, sensual evening of loving. John was
relieved to know that Lucy was finally his but he could not have their secret
become public. He had held scant hope that they would