The Earl of Ice (11 page)

Diana arrived back in Yorkshire radiating joy. Her father was thrilled with her news and eagerly awaited the arrival of the earl.

“The Earl of Ice is really coming here?” asked Pru. “I will be so afraid of him. Is he really as severe as everyone claims?”

Diana laughed. “Well, yes. His face is very stern and he never outwardly shows any emotion. He is extremely handsome, though, and I assure you that I am not afraid of him at all.”

“Oh, it’s so exciting!” declared Pru, with a little skip and clapping of hands that betrayed her youth.

On the following Monday, the sound of carriage wheels crunching the gravel driveway outside the window alerted the ladies to the Earl of Brockwood’s arrival. Diana straightened her gown, her stomach fluttering with nerves. Lady Westbury had to pull Pru away from the window where she was craning her neck in a most unladylike fashion to get her first glimpse of the Earl of Ice. “Sit down, both of you,” she instructed her daughters.

The tension in the drawing room was palpable as the ladies waited for the earl to finish speaking to the viscount. Diana knew that her father did not have any objections to the marriage, but could not prevent her case of nerves from escalating the longer they waited.

Eventually her father entered the room with the earl. The viscount’s smile told Diana that all was well. She stood and smiled broadly back at him and then at the man to whom she was now betrothed. She brushed away her tears of happiness. “Forgive me,” she said. “I am being silly.”

Pru flung her arms around her sister and caught herself from dancing a jig. She knew she should congratulate the earl, but when she looked at him all words fled from her mind. He did look so fierce. How could Diana not be terrified of him?

Rollo, used to such a reaction, swiftly rescued the situation. “You must be Prudence. Diana has spoken of you.” He bowed over young Pru’s hand.

“P-p-pleased to m-meet you, my lord,” stammered Pru. “Congratulations.”

Diana wanted the opportunity to speak to the earl in private to find out what plans were being put in place. “Would you care for a walk to the stables to see Demon?” she asked.

Rollo, wondering how best to make his escape from the enthusiastic good wishes being bestowed on him, gladly accepted. “It would be my pleasure.”

A short while later Rollo and Diana were strolling toward the stables.

“I will post notice of our wedding on my return to London and we can arrange for the banns to be read at the church here before I leave. Would a spring wedding be too early?” asked Rollo. He was eager now to get the deed done.

“A spring wedding would be lovely,” replied Diana. “It is beautiful by our church when all the daffodils are flowering.” Her eyes shone.

A familiar whinny alerted Rollo that they had reached the stable block that was home to Demon.

“Will I be able to bring Demon with me to Brockwood Hall?” asked Diana tentatively. She remembered the problems the gelding had caused there.

“Of course. I am not sure how my head groomsman will feel, though. His life has been much easier since Demon left our stables.”

Diana smiled. “You must inform him that Demon will bring his groom from here, who can take sole responsibility for him. Come, you can meet her.”

“Her?” Rollo thought he must have misheard, but at that moment a small figure, clad in breeches and a flat cap, but unmistakably a girl, bobbed out of the stall housing Demon.

“Hello, Mary,” greeted Diana. “We were just talking about you. I am hoping that you will agree to move to Hampshire with me when I marry Lord Brockwood so that you can continue to look after Demon.”

“Ooh, I’m not sure,” said the girl. She had heard the rumours about Diana’s betrothal.

“Your sister, Tilly, will be coming to Hampshire with me.” Diana told her, then looked at Rollo. “Her sister is my personal maid, and they share sleeping quarters,” she explained.

“Well, if that’s the case, I’d love to come to ’ampshire wi’ thee,” was Mary’s enthusiastic response. Her pretty but very grubby face broke into a wide smile. “Did you ye ‘ear that, Demon? We’re off to ‘ampshire.”

Rollo shook his head in disbelief. What his groomsmen and stable boys would make of Mary he could only imagine.

* * *

Rollo enjoyed his visit to Yorkshire. He went riding with Diana and Pru most days through the lanes and villages of the Caulder Hall estate. If the weather was fine, they rode out of the estate and explored the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales.

His fear of Diana’s safety while riding Demon diminished as he saw the rapport she had built with the horse. Pru would trot along next to them on her spirited little pony, Daydream, and grooms would follow at a discreet distance.

“I have been invited to visit my friend Anne at Meerstone Hall,” said Pru one morning while peering down at the note she had received. She looked hopefully at her father, wanting the use of the carriage.

The viscount smiled. “Sorry, my dear. I am going into town today, but you can take the gig if you want.”

Pru pulled a face. She had wanted to arrive at her friend’s house in style.

Rollo rescued the situation. “Perhaps Diana and I can ride there with you in
my
carriage.”

Smiling now, Pru accepted this offer with alacrity and soon the small party headed out. The trip took over an hour, but eventually the redbrick chimneys and slate roof of Meerston Hall came into view.

When they’d exited the carriage in front of the main entrance, a butler appeared at the door.

“Good morning, Miss Wells and Miss Prudence,” he greeted in his thick Yorkshire accent. Rollo gave his name and he followed the girls as they were led into a spacious reception hall. In no time at all, their coats were removed and they were ushered into the drawing room, where they were welcomed by Pru’s friend Anne, her mother and sisters.

After fifteen minutes or so of polite conversation, Anne began to fidget. “Mama, may I take Pru to the stables to see the new kittens?” she asked.

“Yes, but wrap up warm. Perhaps Lord Brockwood and Diana would like to go with you …”

Anne frowned. She wanted an opportunity for a good gossip with her friend Pru without others listening.

Diana noticed the frown. “I think Lord Brockwood and I would prefer to take a stroll around your lovely gardens, while you and Pru visit the kittens,” she suggested. She could then have some time alone with Rollo.

This arrangement satisfied all, and the four set off together down the path to the stables. The younger girls disappeared to visit the kittens, leaving Diana and Rollo to continue toward the ornamental lake and topiary garden.

As they ambled along, Rollo had a sense of peace and well-being unlike he’d ever had before. The day was a bit nippy, but the sun was shining, and he had the attentions of a lovely lady, a lady who had agreed to be his wife. “I have enjoyed my visit to Yorkshire and have found your family most welcoming,” Rollo said truthfully,

Diana, enjoying the feel of his arm under her hand, smiled. “You will be the saviour of my reputation when you marry me. How can my family not welcome you?”

Rollo frowned. He needed Diana to understand that he had offered marriage out of genuine affection for her and not due to obligation. Her hand on his arm felt right, as if it belonged there. When he looked at her smiling face and trusting brown eyes, how could he not have feelings for her? His pulse raced when he thought that she would soon be his wife. But he could not easily convey his feelings to Diana; he was not a man of pretty words. He steered her in the direction of the orangery and was pleased to find the door unlocked.

“Come, it will be warmer in here.”

The heat enveloped them as they stepped into the glass structure with its banana plants, orange trees and exotic blooms. Rollo gently pulled Diana toward him in an embrace he hoped would demonstrate to her his feelings. She did not pull away and so he lifted her chin until their eyes met. They stood gazing at each other, suspended in time, Diana intensely drawn to his eyes.

“Ah, Diana. You are so lovely. I am going to kiss you,” warned Rollo, his voice a husky growl.

From her head to her toes, Diana wanted this kiss. She started to tell him so but before she could, Rollo’s lips met her slightly open mouth, his tongue seeking hers. This was not a fleeting kiss like the one at the folly. This was a passionate intimate kiss that demanded a response. Diana tentatively reached her arms up around his neck and returned the kiss shyly, then boldly. She had never dreamed that this was what a kiss was all about. This ravishing of the mouth, this startling invasion of her body and senses. When Rollo groaned and his hands moved to cradle her neck and head and deepen the kiss, her body trembled and her knees felt weak.

How long the kiss lasted Diana’s muddled senses did not know. Rollo broke contact when he realized that he was in danger of not being able to conceal the extent of his arousal.

“I will always protect you,” he promised, his voice deep with passion. “When you are my wife, no will hurt you or snub you. I will not allow it.”

Diana was overwhelmed and felt her eyes misting. “I will do my utmost to be a good wife and make you proud of me.”

Even as she said these words, a tiny part of Diana mourned the fact that when they were married, Rollo and she would never share the marriage bed, at least not in the way husband and wife were meant to. She would have to be content with what he offered.

They stood for some time in the warm embrace, each with their own thoughts.

“Diana, where are you?” Pru’s voice penetrated the silence and caused them to spring apart and head out of the orangery in the direction of the younger girl. It was getting cold and would soon be time to return home.

* * *

Thanks to wet weather, the young people did not have a chance to enjoy the outdoors again before Rollo returned to Brockwood Hall. Although he had enjoyed his stay at Caulder Hall, he knew that he needed to get home and make sure that Brockwood Hall would be ready for its new mistress come the spring. Diana and her family would be very busy planning and preparing for the wedding and he would only get underfoot if he stayed any longer. It seemed that Diana wanted a small wedding. She was too disillusioned with how society had treated her, both in London and in Bath, to want to extend invitations any wider than family members and very close friends. This suited Rollo. Having made the decision to wed Diana and having held her in his arms, the sooner the wedding took place and the less fuss the better.

The wedding took place on a very chilly morning in early March. Rollo, with his mother and brother, had arrived in Yorkshire two days before the wedding. To preserve the custom of the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding, they had taken rooms at the Crown Inn.

The plan after the wedding was for Diana and Rollo to stay the night at Caulder Hall before setting off on their journey to Hampshire the following day. A suite of guestrooms had been prepared for their use. Diana would find it strange being at home but not in her own bedroom. She and Tilly had checked that everything was in order with the rooms, and Tilly was all giggles as she laid out the beautiful white cotton nightgown, a gift from her mother, that Diana was to wear on her wedding night. It was made of fine cotton and trimmed with sprigs of pink flowers.

Tilly dressed Diana with care on the morning of the wedding. The fine white cotton bridal gown was gossamer thin; the dressmaker had embroidered delicate white flowers in satin stitch on the fabric, and ruffles of lace trimmed the hem and the neckline. Diana wore a bonnet with matching lace and white kid gloves. Before she left the house for the short carriage ride to the church, she placed a soft silk shawl around her shoulders. Pru had been out in the early morning and picked a bunch of daffodils for Diana to carry and had tied these with a white satin ribbon.

“You look beautiful!” her mother breathed and handed her a small box. “This is for you from your father and me.”

Diana opened the box carefully. Inside lay a magnificent single-pearl necklace. “It is so pretty, thank you,” she managed to say around the lump in her throat. She turned and removed her shawl so her mother could fasten the necklace around her neck.

Her father popped in. “Right, are we ready to go now? You do not want to keep your groom waiting too long.” With that, he shooed his wife and daughter out the door, held open by the patient butler.

The small church was picturesque, with the daffodils in full bloom in the surrounding grass. Someone had tied large bows of yellow and white ribbon and had hung them on the church doors. As she descended from the carriage, Diana could hear the organ playing.

Pru was waiting. She had arrived a little earlier, sharing a carriage with Caroline and Caroline’s parents. Pru was Diana’s attendant and would precede her sister down the aisle. She looked as pretty as a spring picture in a gown the colour of buttermilk and a yellow pelisse.

As she took her father’s arm and her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting in the church, she caught sight of her husband-to-be at the altar. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure this was not a dream. Then she and the viscount moved down the aisle.

Rollo looked magnificent. His black double-breasted coat with a velvet collar was worn over a white satin waistcoat. He was wearing long trousers, rather than the old-fashioned knee-length breeches, and his yellow cravat matched perfectly the colour of the daffodils Diana carried. In his hand he carried the beaver hat he had removed upon entering the church.

The service was brief and only two hymns were sung. When the time came for them to exchange their vows, both Diana and Rollo did so without faltering. Rollo’s voice carried clearly to the back of the church; Diana’s voice was quieter but firm, and no one could doubt her happiness.

When the time came, Rollo placed a plain gold band on Diana’s finger. It slipped easily into place and Rollo felt a surge of satisfaction. She was
his.
Finally. He admitted to himself that he had been afraid these past few months that she would change her mind, or that something would happen to keep them apart. But now the deed was done. Together they went with the clergyman to sign the register. Rollo signed his name with sure bold strokes. Diana’s hands were a little shaky as she dipped the nib into the ink, but she wrote her name clearly. The witnesses added their signatures to the document and the marriage service was completed.

“Are you happy?” Rollo asked Diana as they walked slowly back down the aisle to leave the church. “There doesn’t seem to be a dry eye in the place.”

Diana smiled. “Yes, I am very happy, my lord.”

“Come, wife.” Rollo liked the sound of that—“wife.” “You must call me by my name, not ‘my lord.’”

“You wish for me to call you ‘Earl of Ice’?” teased Diana.

Rollo did not smile but his eyes twinkled with laughter as he replied, “Rollo will be quite adequate.”

They were a long time between exiting the church and climbing into the trimmed open carriage to return to Caulder Hall for the wedding breakfast. Most of the villagers were there and everyone wanted to congratulate them.

The wedding breakfast was a leisurely affair. Vast quantities of hot rolls, eggs and cold meats were consumed, along with coffee and hot chocolate. It was well into the afternoon when the rich fruit wedding cake was cut and slices handed around.

“Did you know, Pru, that if you put a slice of wedding cake under your pillow tonight, it is said that you will dream of the man you will marry?” Diana told her sister as she passed her a slice of cake.

“Do I have to put it all under my pillow?” asked Pru in dismay. She had been looking forward to eating it.

“I shouldn’t think so, but here is another slice—so you can eat one and take the other to your bed,” Diana soothingly offered.

The afternoon passed quietly with guests drifting home until only immediate family remained for the evening meal. At nine o’clock Pru declared that she was going up to bed. “Shall I send your maid to you?” she whispered to Diana while throwing her a saucy wink, causing Diana to blush.

“I…I think I will retire, too,” Diana said, her voice quavering a little.

“And I shall follow you in a few minutes,” Rollo said quietly.

Everyone assumed the blushing bride was soon to enjoy an intimate wedding night. Diana, feeling a sharp pang of disappointment, knew differently.

* * *

Diana entered the prepared guest suite. Tilly was waiting to help her into the beautiful nightgown that Tilly had laid out earlier.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror on the dresser, Diana felt another pang of disappointment that her bed on her wedding night would not be shared. She sat on the low-backed chair before the mirror, and Tilly began to brush her hair in their usual nightly ritual, a hundred strokes. This action usually relaxed Diana, but not this evening, and so she dismissed Tilly and continued the brush strokes herself. The sound of the bedroom door opening caused her to turn and look. What had her maid forgotten?

To her surprise, it was Rollo who entered the room. She smiled, pleased to see him, although she had not expected to. Diana was not a naive girl; she had been around the stables enough and heard enough gossip to understand the basics of how babies were made. Knowing that Rollo did not want children from their marriage, she was fairly secure in her assumption that he would not come to her bed.

Rollo’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of his new wife sitting at the dresser, the light from the fire causing her gown to become almost transparent and offering him a silhouette of her slender, yet shapely body. She looked relaxed and this surprised him; he’d assumed that she would have some apprehension about her wedding night. For the briefest moment it flashed in his mind that maybe she was not a virgin. This thought was quickly dismissed by her greeting.

“The adjoining room has been made up for your use, but I expect the servants have directed you here.”

So, thought Rollo, she wasn’t expecting him to share her bed. That was why she looked so calm. He would have to tread carefully.

“Your maid showed me this door,” he confirmed as he walked over to her at the dresser. “Here, let me.” He leaned over her and took the brush from her hand, then began slowly and rhythmically pulling the brush through her long hair.

Diana initially tensed and then her body gradually relaxed as the firm brush strokes calmed her. Her eyes closed as he continued. When his free hand gently caressed her neck as he gathered a lock of hair that had fallen in front of her shoulder, her eyes flew open and she met his gaze in the mirror. His eyes held hers as he began to caress her neck and shoulders with both hands, the hairbrush forgotten. Diana sighed as heat suffused her body, and she could not have moved away if her life had depended on it.

Her reaction caused Rollo’s own body to stiffen in response, but he forced himself to remain gentle, his hands kneading her neck and shoulders. When his hands moved out to her upper arms, the nightdress slipped somewhat off her shoulders.

Diana was adrift in a sea of sensation, the like of which she had never before experienced. As Rollo caressed her neck and arms, her abdomen tightened, and when his thumbs brushed the tops of her breasts, her nipples hardened and made her whimper with pleasure. Hearing herself brought her to her senses, and she pulled away while she still had the strength to do so.

“You should not be here,” she whispered. How cruel of him to awaken these feelings when they both knew he would not make love to her!

“I am your husband, so why should I not be here?” Rollo questioned softly and at the same time resumed the gentle massage of Diana’s upper body, now turning his attention to her back, gently massaging her shoulder blades thorough the thin material of her nightgown.

The movement of his hands was almost Diana’s undoing. She found it difficult to think straight. “You…you do not want children,” she said, wishing he would stop his torturous caresses, yet at the same time wishing he would never stop.

Rollo was too entranced by his exploration of his new wife’s body to make any sense of her comment. He knew he didn’t want any children, so why was she telling him this? “Yes, we both agreed there would be no children.” His hands moved down her back and around her slender waist, stroking and pressing. How satisfying to feel her body tremble!

Diana’s body, her traitorous body, now cried out for something more—and that something, she knew, was not to be hers. Tears began to fall down her cheeks. “Please stop,” she begged. “If we are not to share a bed, I would rather not have you awaken these feelings in me. It is too much. Too unkind. I do not know what to do. I…I cannot think clearly.”

Rollo stilled his hands and rested them gently on Diana’s shoulders as understanding dawned on him. She thought that because he did not want children, they would not consummate the marriage. That was why she had mentioned the adjoining bedroom and why she was pleading with him to stop. Perhaps he needed to explain a little more about how babies are made, because he had every intention of making love to his beautiful bride tonight and would use every ounce of his skill and patience to ensure that she also enjoyed the experience.

He bent over and, holding her hair out of the way, placed soft kisses on the nape of her neck and across the top of her shoulders. When he could feel that her body had again relaxed and was responsive, he whispered, “Tell me, Diana, do you know how babies are made?” His low voice was like a further caress.

“Yes,” Diana said, blushing. “A man and woman come together and make love.”

“How do they do that? How do they make love?” asked Rollo as he continued his kissing and stroking until her senses reeled. Diana found that his questions, together with his caresses, were causing her body to become further aroused.

“I know that the man places his…shaft inside the woman and that it can hurt, but some also say that it can be pleasurable.” Would he think her unladylike for knowing this?

“You are right, but did you know that it is the seed that spills from the man into the woman’s body that creates babies?”

“Ah…ah, I think so.” She was completely distracted now, as Rollo’s hands began to caress her breasts.

His own body was becoming so aroused Rollo realized that he was in danger of spilling his seed before they got as far as the bed. He took several deep breaths and regained some control. “So, if we join our bodies but I make sure I pull out before my seed is spilled inside you, there will not be any babies,” he explained. “I want you to come to bed with me, Diana, and I want to make love to you.”

Diana’s body was in complete agreement with him, but her mind was still a little uncertain. “Will it hurt?” she asked quietly.

“I will be gentle. Any pain you have will be over quickly, and I promise it only happens the first time.” He came around the chair, reached for her hands and pulled her up until she was standing in front of him. He was still fully clothed, while she had the barest amount of fabric covering her body and he could feel the heat pulsating from her. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, setting her there, whereupon he helped remove her nightgown. Timidly she began to unfasten his clothing, removing it one piece at a time. Impatient now, he quickly shed what was left, then allowed her a thorough exploration of his body. She was surprised to find that, by touching him, she herself became aroused.

Eventually the exploration of each other’s bodies was no longer enough for either of them. The kisses became deeper and more passionate, the caresses more demanding and intimate, until Rollo could hold back no longer. Diana gasped as his fingers checked her readiness for him, and then he straddled her and entered her. He stilled, and when her tiny cry told him that he’d broken her maidenhead, he began moving slowly and rhythmically inside her until she clutched at him frantically, gasping, and he felt her contractions pulsating around his shaft. In moments, he felt his own climax rushing to overtake him. Just in time he pulled away from her moist warmth and his seed spilled onto the bed linen, mingling with the bit of blood that evidenced that Diana was no longer a virgin.

Rollo gathered his wife in his arms. Their naked bodies were glistening in the firelight and he reached down and pulled the covers over them. They lay silent and languid in the aftermath of their lovemaking, and eventually Diana drifted off to sleep. Rollo, looking down at her, allowed himself a rare private smile.

* * *

The sounds of servants bringing the house to life roused Diana the next morning. She smiled and snuggled up to her husband, whose arm was draped possessively across her hips. Her fingers traced the contours of his face, which, in sleep, had lost its cold hard appearance. He appeared much younger and, Diana thought, more handsome. His eyes flickered open and he gave her a sleepy smile before drifting back into slumber.