bottom. When she ran up the stairs, he’d actually glimpsed bare feet and slender ankles and he prayed that the limbs above the ankles were lithe and slim.
He had already made up his mind about one thing. The first time she came to his bed he wanted her in that white thing with its row of ribbon fastenings. The thought of opening them one by one made his throat go dry. There was that about her which suggested a man might find unmatched, pleasurable fulfillment if she would ever deign to bestow her favors.
Though he knew he had never laid eyes on her before, she reminded him of something or someone. He imagined himself deep inside her and he was instantly swollen with lust.
Ruark Helford said to the King, “I feel it only sporting to let you know I’m in the running after all.”
“Not a chance, Helford! Gad, I believe that’s the first unpainted face I’ve seen in two years.”
“Fifty pounds say I taste her first,” wagered Ruark.
“You are ordered to Cornwall, Helford, and I see no possible reason for delay.”
Summer’s auntie Lil was about to descend the staircase as the breathless girl flew past her. Lil’s eyes narrowed with speculation as she saw Charles Stuart larger than life in her foyer. At the foot of the staircase she swept into a deep curtsy and drawled in her plummy, provocative voice, “Your Majesty, you honor me by your visit but must it be before six in the morning, Sire?”
“Lady Richwood, your humble servant, madame,” Charles said, smoothly raising her jeweled fingers to his lips. “We are such intimate friends I believed I should be welcomed at any hour.”
She slid her eyes over the King’s companion. “Lord Helford, I believe you near frightened my niece to death with your dangerous good looks,” she drawled suggestively.
“Your, er … niece,” said the King delicately, “has caught my eye and I beg an introduction.”
Lady Richwood stiffened instantly, and to show the King of England he had committed an almost unforgivable faux pas she dropped the drawl and spoke crisply. “Gentlemen, that really is my niece, Lady Summer St. Catherine. I summoned her to Londonbecause of her father’s health. Sadly he passed away yesterday. We are in mourning.”
It was an age of loosest morals, but strictest manners.
“Lady Richwood, forgive us for clumsy fools. My deepest condolences, madame, on the loss of your brother. Helford, your suggestion to come here today was most ill timed.”
Lil Richwood’s voice softened immediately as she drawled, “You are quite forgiven…. I’m particularly partial to tall, dark cavaliers.”
Both men bowed formally and very deeply before they departed.
A untie Lil swept up the staircase, her eyes narrowed in speculation. She reassessed her niece with shrewd eyes before she answered the question that had burst from her lips. “It was His Majesty the King, darling, and he was definitely interested in you. But if I arrange a liaison, you will have to be a very clever girl to hold his interest more than briefly. Your competition would be formidable. However, it would be a way out of your financial difficulties.”
A little maid brought a breakfast tray with fruit and croissants and chocolate to drink. Lil grimaced at Summer’s healthy appetite. Slowly, between bites, Summer asked, “Do you mean share the King’s bed … for money?”
Lil watched her face carefully as she explained, “An alcove, a bathing chamber, a carriage, or wherever else he decided to have you, not just in bed. When your tail’s for sale, you might as well sell to the highest bidder.”
Summer shuddered. Then slowly she licked the honey from her fingers and asked, “Who was the other man?” She knew she could never land such a big fish as the King, at least not yet She was willing to start smaller.
“Ah, darling, I don’t think you’d be Ruark Helford’s type. His current mistress, Ann Ashley, is like a porcelain doll.”
“Helford?” repeated Summer
He had already made up his mind about one thing. The first time she came to his bed he wanted her in that white thing with its row of ribbon fastenings. The thought of opening them one by one made his throat go dry. There was that about her which suggested a man might find unmatched, pleasurable fulfillment if she would ever deign to bestow her favors.
Though he knew he had never laid eyes on her before, she reminded him of something or someone. He imagined himself deep inside her and he was instantly swollen with lust.
Ruark Helford said to the King, “I feel it only sporting to let you know I’m in the running after all.”
“Not a chance, Helford! Gad, I believe that’s the first unpainted face I’ve seen in two years.”
“Fifty pounds say I taste her first,” wagered Ruark.
“You are ordered to Cornwall, Helford, and I see no possible reason for delay.”
Summer’s auntie Lil was about to descend the staircase as the breathless girl flew past her. Lil’s eyes narrowed with speculation as she saw Charles Stuart larger than life in her foyer. At the foot of the staircase she swept into a deep curtsy and drawled in her plummy, provocative voice, “Your Majesty, you honor me by your visit but must it be before six in the morning, Sire?”
“Lady Richwood, your humble servant, madame,” Charles said, smoothly raising her jeweled fingers to his lips. “We are such intimate friends I believed I should be welcomed at any hour.”
She slid her eyes over the King’s companion. “Lord Helford, I believe you near frightened my niece to death with your dangerous good looks,” she drawled suggestively.
“Your, er … niece,” said the King delicately, “has caught my eye and I beg an introduction.”
Lady Richwood stiffened instantly, and to show the King of England he had committed an almost unforgivable faux pas she dropped the drawl and spoke crisply. “Gentlemen, that really is my niece, Lady Summer St. Catherine. I summoned her to Londonbecause of her father’s health. Sadly he passed away yesterday. We are in mourning.”
It was an age of loosest morals, but strictest manners.
“Lady Richwood, forgive us for clumsy fools. My deepest condolences, madame, on the loss of your brother. Helford, your suggestion to come here today was most ill timed.”
Lil Richwood’s voice softened immediately as she drawled, “You are quite forgiven…. I’m particularly partial to tall, dark cavaliers.”
Both men bowed formally and very deeply before they departed.
A untie Lil swept up the staircase, her eyes narrowed in speculation. She reassessed her niece with shrewd eyes before she answered the question that had burst from her lips. “It was His Majesty the King, darling, and he was definitely interested in you. But if I arrange a liaison, you will have to be a very clever girl to hold his interest more than briefly. Your competition would be formidable. However, it would be a way out of your financial difficulties.”
A little maid brought a breakfast tray with fruit and croissants and chocolate to drink. Lil grimaced at Summer’s healthy appetite. Slowly, between bites, Summer asked, “Do you mean share the King’s bed … for money?”
Lil watched her face carefully as she explained, “An alcove, a bathing chamber, a carriage, or wherever else he decided to have you, not just in bed. When your tail’s for sale, you might as well sell to the highest bidder.”
Summer shuddered. Then slowly she licked the honey from her fingers and asked, “Who was the other man?” She knew she could never land such a big fish as the King, at least not yet She was willing to start smaller.
“Ah, darling, I don’t think you’d be Ruark Helford’s type. His current mistress, Ann Ashley, is like a porcelain doll.”
“Helford?” repeated Summer
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