not thought that she would trust anyone, even a man as honorable as Westcliff. However, if she had taken thatchance, then the earl would undoubtedly offer strong opposition to her being removed from Stony Cross Park. It was also possible that Charlotte had earned his protection by sleeping with him.
The thought of Charlotte naked in another man’s arms brought an acid taste to Nick’s mouth, and he was suddenly filled with bloodlust. It must be jealousy , he thought incredulously. Christ.
“I’ll leave the choice to Miss Miller,” Nick said flatly. “If she desires my presence—or absence—I will abide by her preference. Not yours.”
Nick saw from the warning gleam in Westcliff’s eyes that the earl did not trust him.
The man had good instincts.
Chapter Four
The English celebration of May Day varied from village to village. It had been derived from an ancient Roman festival honoring the goddess of springtime, and over time each region had added its own customs in addition to the standard Maypole dance and a-maying songs. Nick had vague childhood memories of the May celebrations in Worcestershire, especially the man dressed as “Jack-in-the Green,” who cavorted through the village completely covered in fresh greenery. As a small child, Nick had been terrified by the sight of the plant-festooned man and had hidden behind his older sister Sophia’s skirts until he had gone away.
It had been a long time since Nick had seen a May Day celebration of any kind. Now, from his adult perspective, the sexual connotations of the holiday were more than obvious…villagers dancing withthe phallic staffs, the May King and Queen going from door to door and sprinkling “wild water” on the household inhabitants…the streets adorned with hoop-shaped garlands featuring pairs of marigold balls hanging in the centers.
Nick stood on a hill near the manor house with a crowd of other guests, watching the riotous dancing in the center of the village. Hundreds of lamps and blazing torches lit the streets with a golden glow. A cacophony of laughter, music, and singing filled the air as women took their turns at the towering Maypole. Blasts from hunting horns frequently punctuated the din. Young men danced with ropes woven of tail hair from cattle, which would later be dragged through the night dew to ensure a good milk supply for the next year.
“I expect good hunting tonight,” came a masculine voice from nearby. The speaker was Viscount Stepney, a brawny young man with a well-known penchant for skirt-chasing. His companions, the lords Woodsome and Kendal, broke into lusty laughter. Seeing Nick’s questioning gaze, Stepney explained with a chortle. “The village girls will go a-maying until morning. Catch one of them in the woods, and she’ll let you do anything you want. Even the married ones do it—they’re allowed to remove their wedding rings for this one night.”
“And their husbands don’t object?” Nick asked.
That question made the lords laugh in unison. “Why no,” Stepney explained, “they are too busychasing fresh young tails themselves to give a damn about what their wives are doing. A pleasant holiday, is it not?”
Nick smiled slightly, making no reply. Clearly Stepney and his companions considered it great sport to spend ten minutes coupling with peasant girls in the woods. “A poke and a wiggle,” as Gemma Bradshaw had dryly described the lovemaking style of most of the men who frequented her establishment. They had no conception of real sexuality, no requirement of a woman save that she spread her legs. Obviously a quick mating between strangers afforded a certain kind of release. But that was too simple, and too easy, to satisfy Nick. Thanks to Gemma’s tutoring, he had developed a complex palate.
The image of Charlotte’s face, her dark eyes and pointed chin and sweet mouth, hovered at the back of his mind. Let Stepney and his friends go in search of a quick tail-tickle. Nick had far
The thought of Charlotte naked in another man’s arms brought an acid taste to Nick’s mouth, and he was suddenly filled with bloodlust. It must be jealousy , he thought incredulously. Christ.
“I’ll leave the choice to Miss Miller,” Nick said flatly. “If she desires my presence—or absence—I will abide by her preference. Not yours.”
Nick saw from the warning gleam in Westcliff’s eyes that the earl did not trust him.
The man had good instincts.
Chapter Four
The English celebration of May Day varied from village to village. It had been derived from an ancient Roman festival honoring the goddess of springtime, and over time each region had added its own customs in addition to the standard Maypole dance and a-maying songs. Nick had vague childhood memories of the May celebrations in Worcestershire, especially the man dressed as “Jack-in-the Green,” who cavorted through the village completely covered in fresh greenery. As a small child, Nick had been terrified by the sight of the plant-festooned man and had hidden behind his older sister Sophia’s skirts until he had gone away.
It had been a long time since Nick had seen a May Day celebration of any kind. Now, from his adult perspective, the sexual connotations of the holiday were more than obvious…villagers dancing withthe phallic staffs, the May King and Queen going from door to door and sprinkling “wild water” on the household inhabitants…the streets adorned with hoop-shaped garlands featuring pairs of marigold balls hanging in the centers.
Nick stood on a hill near the manor house with a crowd of other guests, watching the riotous dancing in the center of the village. Hundreds of lamps and blazing torches lit the streets with a golden glow. A cacophony of laughter, music, and singing filled the air as women took their turns at the towering Maypole. Blasts from hunting horns frequently punctuated the din. Young men danced with ropes woven of tail hair from cattle, which would later be dragged through the night dew to ensure a good milk supply for the next year.
“I expect good hunting tonight,” came a masculine voice from nearby. The speaker was Viscount Stepney, a brawny young man with a well-known penchant for skirt-chasing. His companions, the lords Woodsome and Kendal, broke into lusty laughter. Seeing Nick’s questioning gaze, Stepney explained with a chortle. “The village girls will go a-maying until morning. Catch one of them in the woods, and she’ll let you do anything you want. Even the married ones do it—they’re allowed to remove their wedding rings for this one night.”
“And their husbands don’t object?” Nick asked.
That question made the lords laugh in unison. “Why no,” Stepney explained, “they are too busychasing fresh young tails themselves to give a damn about what their wives are doing. A pleasant holiday, is it not?”
Nick smiled slightly, making no reply. Clearly Stepney and his companions considered it great sport to spend ten minutes coupling with peasant girls in the woods. “A poke and a wiggle,” as Gemma Bradshaw had dryly described the lovemaking style of most of the men who frequented her establishment. They had no conception of real sexuality, no requirement of a woman save that she spread her legs. Obviously a quick mating between strangers afforded a certain kind of release. But that was too simple, and too easy, to satisfy Nick. Thanks to Gemma’s tutoring, he had developed a complex palate.
The image of Charlotte’s face, her dark eyes and pointed chin and sweet mouth, hovered at the back of his mind. Let Stepney and his friends go in search of a quick tail-tickle. Nick had far
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