An Earl’s Broken Heart by Ella Edon
Chapter Thirty-Three
Isabel stared into the mirror asHannah brushed her hair into a seamless sheet of honey blonde. It spilled over her shoulders and down her back, accenting her cheekbones and lips in a way which always gave her the utmost confidence.
This was a big day for the Earldom of Carter. Their very first ball. It had been Michael’s idea and after long persuasion, Alexander had accepted the plan as it would be undoubtedly good for further trade alliances. The Estate had come a long way in a few short months, but the other Dukedoms and Earldoms needed to know that they were secure and successful now.
The gardens had been restored to glorious health, the walls had been repainted, and the rooms had been polished and buffed to gleaming spotlessness. She had to admit that when her husband wanted something done, he went to every length to make sure it was done well. Loving her was what he did best of all, and as she stared into the mirror, she almost laughed at how beautifully her fortunes had changed. Never had she imagined she would be this happy and yet here she was dressing for guests who she he hoped could share the love that was found bountifully in their home.
Her dress was cut from iridescent pink, over a semi-transparent tissue slip. The bodice was corseted and laced to do her physique every favor and on her neck was a peerless diamond ornament that Alexander had brought back from his last business trip.
Every day was a new adventure in love and with every moment spent in Alexander’s company her passion for him unfurled even more. In the months since they had been wed, they had begun to allow themselves to feel and feel completely with no fear and no worry of shame. Their commitment to love with all their hearts was one they renewed daily, and they had grown to become something powerful than she could have possibly anticipated.
A knock sounded at the door and they both turned in unison.
“Come in,” said Isabel.
Lady Emily Branthwaite poked her head into the room and smiled. She wore a gleaming brooch about her neck and had her hair done up in a crown, twined with flowers.
“You look wonderful, Lady Carter,” said Isabel.
Isabel gave a deep curtsey. “As do you, Lady Branthwaite.”
Lady Branthwaite smiled and made a shy gesture with her hand. “A kind word for an old rose.”
“Old roses still bloom.”
Lady Branthwaite rolled her eyes. “I am always enamored by your most musical tongue, Lady Carter, you are a triumph and a treasure.”
Isabel blushed and smiled.
“I just came to say congratulations. Since I was a little girl, I dreamt of the day that Carter Manor would host a ball again. I feared I would not live to see it again and here I am, chastised with a happy surprise. My cousin has found in you a more wonderful woman than he could have ever hoped for, and my heart is gladdened by the prodigious splendor of your union.”
Isabel bit her lip and found herself swelling with pride. “You are too kind, Lady Branthwaite.”
The low rumble of music began to swell from the lower floor letting them know that the ball would soon begin.
Lady Branthwaite smiled and stepped towards the door. “Thank you for forgiving my cousin, and for loving him all this while.”
With that she stepped outside before Isabel could give any response. She drew in a deep breath and turned towards the door.
“Shall we, my Lady?” asked Hannah.
Isabel nodded. “I think, we shall.”
The Manor Ballroom had been artfully decorated to accommodate a line of tables on either side topped with white linen. The parlor was furnished for comfort and gave way to a gleaming parquet floor.
At the center of the room stood the man of her dreams. He looked his very best in a dark velvet coat over an ash grey waistcoat. He had a fighter’s build but in his eyes was all the peace and softness of a summer flower. As soon as he saw her, his face shifted into a wide smile, and he looked at her as though there was nothing in the world that could inspire more desire. This was the pinnacle, a loving, diligent man to call her own.
Michael stood at his side, already deep in conversation with some early guests, almost certainly discussing the most prospective business ventures for the Estate. Alexander might have been leading that conversation had he not been so taken in by her as he watched her enter.
Amongst the guests were her sister Elizabeth and her husband Lord Blackthorne, Lord and Lady Addlington, Lord and Lady Greyweather, and most happily of all, her father, the Duke of Lichfield.
She moved to Alexander, oblivious to the stares that settled upon her as she approached the parquet floor. Almost on cue the volume of the music rose as the orchestra set to earn their night’s pay. Alexander—seemingly unable to wait the few moments it would take for her to get across—closed the distance and took her by the hand. They talked and greeted guests and played the perfect hosts to those who they had deigned to call friends in the times past. After some time had passed, Alexander locked eyes with Isabel.
“May I have this dance, my Lady?” he said, locking his fingers in hers.
“Only if you promise it won’t be our last, my Lord.”
He smiled. “I promise.”
They danced, smooth and close, all the while looking at nothing but each other’s eyes. Before long many others joined the dancing as the hosts had opened the floor. It was a ball to rival all others and Isabel was almost certain that many matches would have been formed that night. They drank wine and they danced and they laughed until they had their measure of joy.
When the moon was at its night brightest and the candles set in glass globes had given the ballroom its most clandestine glow, their guests finally began to depart. Not one person left without remarking upon how much they had enjoyed the occasion and wished the couple the very best. It had been markedly successful on the business front, too. More than a few men and women of business expressed an interest in the Estate’s burgeoning sugar trade and their designs on expanding into other markets.
When the party had finally met its end and all the music was done playing, they retired to their bedchamber, eyes alight with the desire for one another.
They had scarcely closed the door before Alexander took her by the wrist and pulled her into a passionate kiss. She met his passion and returned it with interest pulling his shirt as she kissed him back.
His hand travelled up her spine with delicate reverence until it came to the small of her back. He pulled her closer as he kissed her forehead,then the arch of her brows and the bottom of her lobe. She thrummed with pleasure and grabbed his thigh, pulling him ever closer.
The race to naked bliss began in earnest and she pulled, ripped and tugged at his clothes, desperate to feel her body pressed against his warm skin.
“You must have known that this dress would lead me to want you as soon as I saw it,” he whispered as he eased the sleeve of the dress over her shoulder.
“You say that about every dress I wear,” she said, finally freeing his chest from his linen shirt.
She felt his hand slide up her thigh, over her belly, and settle finally at her breast. She shivered as he pulled her into a hungering kiss, all the while rolling his thumb over her nipple. A low moan escaped her throat as the pressure of the kiss forced her head back and she arched into him.
His body was hard as stone, yet warm and supple as she glided her hand over his chest. He drew in a sharp breath and lifted her chemise to fondle the back of her wetness. She exhaled audibly as she let herself go as he quickened the pace of his fingers. Small, shuddering sobs broke from her throat as she felt the pleasure rise from her center.
She gripped at his breeches and forced them down, fondling desperately for the stone firm length of his manhood. Not to be undone in the act of pleasure he immediately took her nipple in his mouth, and she let out an unbidden squeal. A tremor of bliss travelling from her toes to her neck. She tried to speak, but this was no time for words. All that came out was a stream of wordless pleading.
He professed his love in a whisper as he slid his fingers inside her and she moaned aloud.
Her body tightened with urgency as she grabbed what was left of his shirt, pulling him close. His heart thumped hard against her chest as their bodies met and she thrashed as the stroke of his fingers quickened.
She gripped him about the wrist feeling herself come to crescendo. “I want you. I want you now.”
He kicked off his pulled down breaches and guided her gently to the bed. She let herself fall back as she gripped the sheets tight for grip. His weight on top of her was a sweet reassurance as he eased her legs apart with his knee.
She pressed her lips to his ear and whispered sharply. “I want you now.”
He obliged. With one hard thrust he entered her, and she sat up with a broken cry, her entire body rocked by the jolt of electric pleasure. Her nails dug into the pillows as she cursed aloud. Almost immediately another wave of pleasure followed as he withdrew a little then thrust home again.
“Christ,” he breathed, his fingers digging into her hip to hold her tight against him.
Any effort to provide a response was utterly futile. She could barely speak. She breathed as though in a drunken stupor as she looked up at him reveling in the heady thrill of his love. Gritting her teeth as she began to move her hips against his.
“Isa—"
He couldn’t manage to finish her name as he closed his eyes and began to move his hips in time with hers. Her voice choked off completely as they moved like practiced dancers in the music of their love.
Alexander’s breath moved from deep heaves to quick sharp breaths and Isabel knew the time was upon them. She gripped him at the elbow, and she felt his hand tightened at her hip as they moved against one another at inhuman speed.
She opened her eyes, and he bared his teeth, eyes narrowed. They locked eyes as they reached the apex and then every muscle in her body twitched as the climax hit.
She let out a high-pitched cry as she felt the incredible release. She gripped his arm and found his muscle hard as steel. After that she lost all awareness of time and place. All she felt was Alexander, thick as a Grecian pillar inside her, his cool breath soothing on her neck. Wave after wave of sensual happiness shot through her body with each earnest thrust. She heard herself sobbing even as her body rose to meet his thrusts, harder and faster than ever. She dug her nails into his back, feeling the joy rise to crescendo as they were pressed close against one another. Their eyes met and for a moment it seemed as though there was nothing but silence in the world. She felt herself climax and saw Alexander go suddenly still, shuddering as though something in his skin was trying to get out. His grip on her hip tightened for an almost painful moment then he let out an almighty breath and hunched over.
“Oh… Lady Carter.”
She tried to say something clever in return but all she could manage was, “Alex.”
Minutes later they lay in each other’s hot embrace, every fiber of their being wholly satisfied. She looked at him, with a mischievous gleam forming in her eyes. “Lord Carter.”
He opened his eyes, “My love?”
“If this continues, I should surely be with child before the summer,” she said with a playful twinkle in her eye.
Alexander beamed. “My love, nothing could possibly be of more importance nor more essential than the continuance of this great love. These are the days we have both been waiting for all our lives.”