Read Online The Reluctant Bride (Regency Undone) by Claire Firth - Free Book Online
Authors: Claire Firth
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screamed.
And then she was flowing over the edge; her head twisting wildly, her body arching upwards, as wave after wave of sensation such as she had never experienced before, exploded within her. She did not want it to end and clung tightly to him for as long as she could.
When it was over, she lay there breathless and stunned. She felt Ralph plant a tender kiss there before moving slowly back up her body. When their faces were level again, his eyes glittered into hers with an intensity that made her catch her breath. She could feel him, hot and hard nudging at her entrance. ‘Well wife,’ he murmured huskily, rocking gently from side to side on top of her, ‘what feel you now about this terrible act you say no lady would enjoy?’
His eyes were filled with tender amusement but there was another look also that she could not identify, that held her captive.
She did not know what to think, but already, where he was swirling gently at her entrance, she could feel a return of that tingling sensation that had so consumed her. She gave a soft little moan, feeling herself opening to him, knowing that she wanted above all to feel him inside her.
‘I …’ she whispered
But whatever she had been about to say was lost; interrupted by a timid knock on the door.
Swiftly, Ralph pulled the bedcovers over them both before issuing the command to enter.
It was Sophia’s maid. She looked embarrassed, bobbing a curtsey as she apologised for intruding.
‘Only it is Mr. Browning, My Lord – the Estate Manager. He says he has an early appointment to see you.’
‘Oh.’ The frustration in Ralph’s voice was evident. ‘Indeed – I had forgotten. I will be down soon. Or better, ask him to return in one hour please.’
‘Yes, sir.’ The maid bobbed another curtsey and withdrew. Sophia felt mortified, sure that it would soon be around the servant quarters that the master had finally bedded his wife.
‘Now, where were we?’ Ralph murmured softly, turning back to take her once again in his arms.
But the interruption had acted as a timely intervention - and even though a part of Sophia wanted to experience more of the pleasures he had just shown her, another part of her needed time to assimilate what had occurred – to try to understand this enormous shift that seemed to be taking place in their relationship.
‘I do not like that man, Browning,’ she said quickly, as a distraction.
Ralph’s eyebrow raised in surprise. ‘I was not aware you knew him.’
She averted her gaze guiltily. ‘I do not ... that is ... not personally. But I have heard talk among the servants. He is not a kind man I fear.’
Ralph shrugged as he played with a wayward tendril of her hair, wrapping it gently around his finger and tugging her gently towards him.
‘It is not his job to be kind Sophia. His responsibility is to see to the smooth running of the Estate – a job he has done reasonably enough over the last few years. Now, enough of him …’
‘But you have no idea of the job he has done,’ Sophia retorted. ‘You have not been here to oversee it these last few years. A Manager is as good or as bad as his employer allows him to be and my impression is that he …’
‘Enough, I think.’ Ralph was scowling at her. ‘You know nothing of how I run this estate and it is not for you to criticise me on matters that are of no concern to you.’
‘I beg to differ, Sir. I am your wife and naturally it is of concern to me when I hear the tittle-tattle of our neighbours about the absent Earl of Avalon.’
Why was she doing this? Driving a wedge between them?
She could tell that Ralph was wondering the same thing as his face darkened even more, and he drew back from her. But there was another expression in his eye that, unlikely though it seemed, looked like hurt.
‘I think you overstep the mark, Sophia,’ he said stiffly. ‘I am not sure quite why we are
And then she was flowing over the edge; her head twisting wildly, her body arching upwards, as wave after wave of sensation such as she had never experienced before, exploded within her. She did not want it to end and clung tightly to him for as long as she could.
When it was over, she lay there breathless and stunned. She felt Ralph plant a tender kiss there before moving slowly back up her body. When their faces were level again, his eyes glittered into hers with an intensity that made her catch her breath. She could feel him, hot and hard nudging at her entrance. ‘Well wife,’ he murmured huskily, rocking gently from side to side on top of her, ‘what feel you now about this terrible act you say no lady would enjoy?’
His eyes were filled with tender amusement but there was another look also that she could not identify, that held her captive.
She did not know what to think, but already, where he was swirling gently at her entrance, she could feel a return of that tingling sensation that had so consumed her. She gave a soft little moan, feeling herself opening to him, knowing that she wanted above all to feel him inside her.
‘I …’ she whispered
But whatever she had been about to say was lost; interrupted by a timid knock on the door.
Swiftly, Ralph pulled the bedcovers over them both before issuing the command to enter.
It was Sophia’s maid. She looked embarrassed, bobbing a curtsey as she apologised for intruding.
‘Only it is Mr. Browning, My Lord – the Estate Manager. He says he has an early appointment to see you.’
‘Oh.’ The frustration in Ralph’s voice was evident. ‘Indeed – I had forgotten. I will be down soon. Or better, ask him to return in one hour please.’
‘Yes, sir.’ The maid bobbed another curtsey and withdrew. Sophia felt mortified, sure that it would soon be around the servant quarters that the master had finally bedded his wife.
‘Now, where were we?’ Ralph murmured softly, turning back to take her once again in his arms.
But the interruption had acted as a timely intervention - and even though a part of Sophia wanted to experience more of the pleasures he had just shown her, another part of her needed time to assimilate what had occurred – to try to understand this enormous shift that seemed to be taking place in their relationship.
‘I do not like that man, Browning,’ she said quickly, as a distraction.
Ralph’s eyebrow raised in surprise. ‘I was not aware you knew him.’
She averted her gaze guiltily. ‘I do not ... that is ... not personally. But I have heard talk among the servants. He is not a kind man I fear.’
Ralph shrugged as he played with a wayward tendril of her hair, wrapping it gently around his finger and tugging her gently towards him.
‘It is not his job to be kind Sophia. His responsibility is to see to the smooth running of the Estate – a job he has done reasonably enough over the last few years. Now, enough of him …’
‘But you have no idea of the job he has done,’ Sophia retorted. ‘You have not been here to oversee it these last few years. A Manager is as good or as bad as his employer allows him to be and my impression is that he …’
‘Enough, I think.’ Ralph was scowling at her. ‘You know nothing of how I run this estate and it is not for you to criticise me on matters that are of no concern to you.’
‘I beg to differ, Sir. I am your wife and naturally it is of concern to me when I hear the tittle-tattle of our neighbours about the absent Earl of Avalon.’
Why was she doing this? Driving a wedge between them?
She could tell that Ralph was wondering the same thing as his face darkened even more, and he drew back from her. But there was another expression in his eye that, unlikely though it seemed, looked like hurt.
‘I think you overstep the mark, Sophia,’ he said stiffly. ‘I am not sure quite why we are
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