Daddy's Here(86)
“Thanks to my horse. He would not let me ride on though Lord knows how he could see you in that darkness.”
Laura closed her eyes. “I owe her a carrot,” she whispered before falling silent again, the effort of speaking exhausting her.
Edward dipped the cloth in the water again, moving it down to Laura’s chest, stroking it over her breasts until not a trace of mud remained. She glanced up to see him looking at her nipples as he moved lower still.
“I will stand for you,” she said, getting slowly to her feet and allowing the water to drip down her, the heat from the nearby fire to further warm her skin, her fingers and toes thawing rapidly.
Edward moved the cloth to her legs, cleaning each in turn before turning his attention to her posterior. He worked downwards as she shuffled her knees apart, rubbing his way between her thighs as she held her breath, feeling her heart begin to pound. She found herself wishing he would remain there, rubbing that very spot for all time. But to her disappointment, he travelled down her legs once more before setting the cloth down. “Let me get you dry,” he said, wrapping a towel around her shoulders.
He helped her step out of the tub and over to his bed where thick blankets lay waiting. He caressed every inch of her with the towel whilst she stood breathing heavily, unable to ask for the one thing she wanted more than anything, a kiss from her saviour. She trembled again as he pointed towards his bed. “You will sleep in here tonight, not in the nursery. The others would have you up all night with their questions.
“I could not sleep in your bed,” she replied, shaking her head. “What would the littles say?”
“I care not for what they say,” he replied, pushing her under the covers and tucking her in. “Tonight you sleep by the fire and keep warm.”
“Very well,” she replied, smiling as he kissed her forehead. The feel of his lips on her skin made her tingle deep inside.
“What happened out there?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Briefly, she told him what Maria had done and as she finished, he stood up and walked over to the bedroom door.
“Where are you going?” she asked, her eyes already closing as exhaustion took over her body.
“I wish to have a word with your stepmother.”
Chapter 16
The next morning Edward was waiting for Laura to awaken. He wanted her to see this. He had not slept but tiredness had not yet taken over his body. He had found Maria back at Rothsfield House, fast asleep.
Making use of the skills he had learned in his childhood, he had sneaked into the house and tiptoed upstairs, finding her in her own bedroom, the furthest one from that of Lord Rothsfield. It was easy to tell where he slumbered by the sound of his snoring.
Into Maria’s room, Edward had gone, waiting by her bed for the perfect moment. It came a minute later. She rolled towards him, the covers sliding away. As she did so, he slipped the gag over her head, yanking the knot tightly before she was able to scream. As she blinked awake, he got hold of her left wrist, tying it to her right in a second and knotting it in such a way that she could do nothing to free herself.
Pressing himself against her as she fought to rise, he got her ankles tied and had her body over his shoulder seconds later. Less than a minute after she had awoken, she was outside with him and being loaded into his carriage. He tapped on the ceiling and the driver set off, leaving him to sit at the scowling figure of Maria as she sat bound and furious on the seat opposite him.
“I suppose I should be grateful,” he said as she glared at him. “Without your endeavours I might not have asked Lord Rothsfield for her hand for some time.”
“Mmmmm mmmm,” came the response.
“Oh dear. You should know that you must keep quiet when I am talking.” He reached across and grabbed her wrists, pulling her towards him. Draping her over his lap, he pulled up the back of her nightdress and rained smacks on her naked posterior, landing one blow after another as she screamed into the gag. He did not stop until her bottom was as crimson as her nightdress. At last he pushed her back to the other side of the carriage.
“That was for speaking out of turn,” he said coldly. “When we arrive home you will undergo the punishment for attempting to kill my beloved.”
When they arrived he carried her inside and up to the playroom, walking through it in the darkness until he reached the doctor’s examination room.
It was the work of but a few brief moments to bind her to the table and only then did he relax, stepping back and looking at her prone figure. “Well good night,” he said, walking out and closing the door behind him, ignoring the muffled moans which echoed through the playroom.