Free A Bride for Lord Esher by P J Perryman Page B

and kissed it meaningfully.
    Chastity returned the pearls to the box and her husband put the jewels on her bedside table. He turned back to her and kissed her softly on the lips. Robert put his hand onto her curls and let the soft tresses fall through his fingers. She did not object as he pulled off her night shirt and pressed her down so she lay naked on the bed. She felt her curls tumble about her face on the pillow.
    “If I were a painter I would take your likeness now,” Robert said. He removed his shirt, revealing the taut muscles within. He then stood up to abandon his breeches, and then she watched as he crawled up from the bottom of the bed to plant himself directly on top of her.
    Chastity loved the way he smelled, his very skin was attractive to her, and she breathed him in deeply while he nibbled at her neck and shoulders. She felt his manhood primed and ready, and she opened herself wide to receive him at his pleasure.
    No words were spoken, but the heat between them was fuelled by their growing bond, and as her husband neared his climax, Chastity gasped as a wave of euphoria coursed through her veins culminating in her very finger tips. She cried out in delight and her husband was fueled on by her excitement and came quickly to release.
    Both sated and exhausted, he withdrew slowly then flopped down beside her, his arm resting languidly over his head.
    “Have you known many women?” Chastity asked.
    “A fair few.”
    “Is it always like this?”
    Lord Robert never answered, but turned and kissed the tip of her shoulder. “Those jewels light you up like a diamond, and I fear I shall lose my fortune lighting you up with more in the years to come.”
    The very thought of a lifetime with Robert made her happy, and Chastity stared mindlessly up at the ceiling, thinking blissfully of very little but basking in her contentment.
    After a moment’s respite, Lord Robert climbed off the bed and retrieved the jewelry box from the bedside table.
    “Will you not sleep with me tonight, my lord?”
    “Yes, I think I shall, but I will feel better when I know these jewels are back under lock and key.” He put the box on the bed beside her. “Select a few baubles for everyday use and I will put the rest away for safekeeping.”
    As Chastity sorted through the box, Lord Robert reached for his breeches and quickly dressed himself. She chose a few of the less expensive items, and he smiled at her selection, clearly approving of her choice.
    “Very good.” He scooped up the loose jewels in his hand. “I shall put these in your dresser, and will head downstairs to put this away. Can I ask the servants to bring you anything up?”
    “No my lord, I am fine.”
    “Very well.”
    She watched as Robert briefly disappeared behind the wall to her dressing room and then flopped down again on the cool pillow. She felt the proof of her husband’s affections between her legs, and wondered how long it would be before she could give him an heir. Her hand ran freely down her upper body, she could still smell him on her skin.
    Just as the thought occurred to her that Lord Robert was taking a long time to put her jewels in the dresser, the man himself appeared carrying something small in his hand.
    Chastity’s first thought was that he had some new treasure to share with her, but then she saw the anger and pain in his eyes, and she knew something was horribly wrong.
    “What is it?”
    Lord Robert said nothing. He looked like a man struggling to find the right words, for his jaws mulled over and over. Yet he remained silent, until at last, he sat with his back to her on the end of the bed, his head low as he stared at the object in his hand. She sat up, and though he could not see she reached out to him.
    “Are you ill, my lord?”
    More silence. Then at last, Chastity watched as he tossed a small object on the bed beside her. At first she had no clue what any of this meant. All she knew was that her husband’s silence scared her