Blind Man's Bluff (Ace Of Spades Book 1), page 7
“Then, do you mean to tell me that you are no longer game?” he feared the answer more than he showed.
“I have given you my word.” He followed Caspian’s lead, picking up a river rock, but rather than holding onto it, he leaned to one side and sent it skipping across the water, leaving two rippling rings. “I used to see Richard Collins as a good friend… and then I realized that while I was a good friend to him, he was nothing more than a business associate who overcharged me. His sins are coming back to haunt him and despite my concerns for sweet Gwen, my promise to you still stands.”
Caspian tossed one stone in the air, watching it flip over and over as it rose up and fell back down into his hand, clicking against the other two in his hand. Again, he tossed the stone and again he caught it with the others clicking together. He paused and tilted his head to the side for a moment, as if the clicking sounds were talking to him and then gave Duncan a half smile.
“I ask for nothing more than what he took from me,” He turned to the river again and launched a stone to skip across the water, one with every point given, “Home, family, and future.” He looked at the three rows of rippling circles on the water, each stone skipping four times over the water, before sinking, like three rows of bullseyes and he intended to hit his target with the same accuracy.
It had been nearly three weeks since Gwen made it out to the cliffs and took a moment to herself to listen to the water crashing below. The last time she stood there she had just been informed of the change in her life, how her father had sealed her fate in an arranged marriage. There was still so much she didn’t know and so many new questions had come over her since she had been forced to accept the odd proposal.
As a girl she had listened to her mother’s tales of love and romance, looking to her own future as some fairytale, but since she’d become a woman, those fairytales fell away for more practical thinking. Marriage had become the symbol of an institution where a woman was shackled to her husband, left to serve a man who would own all of her worldly possessions and even the rights to a child should she ever conceive. Many had labeled her as a strange woman and she had settled on the plan of being an independent spinster, but all of that had changed with Caspian.
It was a strange realization that after being married she discovered that she now possessed a respect that she could never have commanded before, and that despite the bizarre restrictions put upon her in her new home she had a freedom like she had never known. There was the confining truth to her legal independence, but something told her that she had nothing to fear from her husband.
Gwen climbed down from her horse and held the reins in one hand while she closed her eyes and invited the ocean breeze to blow over her. This was what she had been missing. Her eyes fell away from the vast ocean view to the pouch that was tied to the waistband of her skirt. Would it ever be possible for her to share this view with her husband or would she have to settle for only the salty smell, blindfolded? The cold coastal air was not able to penetrate the heavy velvet riding skirt and coat, but the wisps of hair that had fallen away from her updo blew in the breeze, licking her neck and the side of her face.
“Well, I never imagined I would see you about here for some time?” Paul Blane caught her by surprise walking through a break in the trees with his horse beside him and sauntering up with a coy smile.
“Oh, my,” she tried to hide her giggle, “I had not expected to see anyone while I was on my ride.”
“I like to come here on occasion, just to clear my thoughts,” he gave a pat to the scroll of paper sticking out of his saddlebag, “And try to get some work done. But what about you? I had figured you would be on some grand wedding tour.”
He was turning the tables on her with the question and she wasn’t certain if she was prepared to answer anything honestly.
“We decided it was best to postpone our holiday for the time being, I wished for an opportunity to accustom myself to such a large house and staff. “It was a weak excuse and only believable to anyone who did not know her, but Paul was not so easily fooled.
“I suppose you made the right choice, a holiday gives little opportunity for a couple to become familiar with one another… not that you do not know… My apologies, I fear I was stumbling on something that is clearly none of my business.” He was stumbling on his words though his point had been accurate.
“We are friends, there is no reason for us to pretend that my marriage was not rushed and perhaps it did not begin like a fairytale, but I am a practical woman and I have been happily surprised by what I have discovered.” She wasn’t sugar-coating it, and it felt wonderful to be so blunt and honest. “I did have a fairytale once, but…” she spoke without thinking
“But?” he pressed with a curious expression.
Gwen wasn’t actually prepared for this, but she hadn’t spoken of him for years, she had tried her best not to think of Gabe since he’d left.
“But then I grew up.” She filled in, not prepared to be so open with him.
They walked along the cliff, while Gwen questioned Paul over the plans for the railroad expansion and how the construction of a new mill would prove to be beneficial.
“New mill?” that simple question brought an end to the conversation.
“Forgive me, I think I misspoke, would you forgive me if we change the subject?” he clearly had forgotten that the news of a new mill and new competitor to her father’s business would not be received well. “I think, perhaps it is time I start to head back. Would you care to ride with me for a bit?”
Propriety for a married woman was something that Gwen was not accustomed to beyond loyalty and as far as she knew, riding with a friend did not infringe on that loyalty. They rode through the forest, along the narrow trails, taking turns taking the lead and when they reached a fork in the road, one direction leading to her new home and the other in the direction toward town, she gave him a happy smile with her cheeks flushed and thanked him for the brief escape. They parted with little said, beyond polite farewells and Gwen rode straight to the stables.
“Joseph?” she walked Gypsy to the stall, searching every dark corner of the stables for him, but he had clearly returned to his duties at the blacksmith as he had told her he would.
“Well girl, I guess it’s just you and me.” She lovingly petted the nose of the horse as it stepped over the fresh straw, spread out on the floor of the cleaned stall.
Gwen kept her attention on the horse, still in awe at the return of her old friend. Tack, saddle, and horse blanket were removed and hung up on the wall across from the stalls. She began to hum while she gave the horse a good brush, a tune she had heard played once while walking through town and passed by the saloon. She didn’t know the words, and was not so certain of the tune, but what she recalled of it she found to be a light melody and a toe-tapper. Her skirt weighed heavy around her boots and she kicked it out of her way as she stepped from the stall, giving into a playful turn and a quick couple steps that played to the tune.
“Did you enjoy your ride?” A phantom voice invaded her solitude and Gwen stepped back with a shriek. “Do not turn around.” He ordered with a stern, but not aggressive tone.
“If you are to insist that I hold true to my vow to you, you should pay me the courtesy of providing me with a proper warning.” She scolded her husband while keeping her back turned to the dark corner where his voice had emerged from.
“That is a fair request, but you would perhaps do well to be prepared for such moments.”
“And I am.” She held up the small pouch that hung from her waistband.
There was no reply and she remained standing there for some time in silence.
“Caspian?” she spoke his name, searching for him with her voice.
“I am still here.” There was an odd sound to his voice, a tone that she would describe as almost appreciative.
“What is it you wish of me?” standing there, she was growing impatient, was he waiting to kiss her, scorn her or walk her inside?
“It always marvels me as to the effect you have over me when I hear you say my name.” His voice was closer now and when his warm hand touched her shoulder, she gasped realizing he was now standing behind her. “Gwen,” there was admiration in his voice when he said her name that stirred up a nervous sensation in her stomach, like a thousand butterflies suddenly coming to life.
“What is it that you wish of me?” her words were far more direct than she felt at the moment, she was ready to fall back into him and submit to any request he had of her.
“Nothing more than to hear of your day spent.” He moved his hand off her shoulder, running his fingers down to the curve of her hip and moving both of his hands around to her front where he unbuttoned her riding coat, the thick velvet was nearly suffocating in the growing heat that burned inside her. “Is the horse to your liking?”
“Yes, but I assume you already knew the answer to that. I don’t know how you found her or knew about my Gypsy, but thank you, this was the kindest gift you could have ever given me.” She wanted to express her thankfulness more, but their marriage forbade her to turn around and tell him face to face.
“When I heard of the sacrifice you had made for your family, I thought it only right to reunite you with her.” The last button was freed, and he pulled the coat down her arms and lay it over the same bench that Joseph had been sitting on earlier that day.
“It was a kindness that not every man would do for his wife. Thank you.”
“Perhaps you judge men too harshly, or you simply compare all men to your father?”
“No, my father is many things, but when my mother was alive, he was a loving and loyal husband.” She had an instinctive loyalty to her mother’s memory to defend her father. “When she was alive, he was a different man, and to my mother, he was loving.”
Gwen’s eyes drifted off to the side as she welcomed the happy memory of seeing her mother greet her father at the door and how they would kiss with no thought to their daughters watching nearby. She was only ten when her mother died, but she could still remember. And with those happy memories she had sixteen more of seeing her father fall into a downward spiral of grief.
“Loving?” there was a slight twinge of judgement in his voice that put her on edge.
“He changed after she died, you cannot condemn the man when you did not know him then.” This was going nowhere.
“But I can judge him for his crimes since.” He aggressively wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. “But then again, his crimes have only helped to increase my fortune.” Kissing the back of her neck he changed the direction of this conversation, no longer was she able to think of her father, much less offer up any further defense of him, all that was on her mind was the man behind her and how he made her feel.
“And how should I judge you?” She closed her eyes and leaned her head to one side, inviting his lips to continue their quest.
“I am a man of my word and not one to be scorned. If you are good to me, I shall repay in the like and should anyone cross me or my wife they best flee before I strike.” There was a thrill that came over her when he claimed her in that statement. “The same can be said for any man who might have an eye for my wife.”
“You are safe from that,” she reassured him, turning her head, but keeping her eyes closed, “I do not have an eye for any man.”
“But you did one?” That was a question she had been anticipating since their wedding night, but one she was not fully prepared to answer.
“Yes, once… a long time ago, but he died.” Her head fell forward struck with a mournful pain after thinking of him twice in one day.
“I was not aware of that, I am sorry for your loss.” There was a sincerity in his voice that she had not expected.
“It was long ago and the pain of his loss has since been dulled with time. There is nothing I can do to bring him back and I am with you now.” She didn’t know how to measure him without tainting her memories of Gabe.
“And no other man has caught your interest since?”
“You,” she said with a coy giggle that inspired him to tighten his hold on her before he spun her around to lean her back, cradled in his arms so that he could properly kiss her. Her eyes were still closed tight, but the rest of her was soft and pliable in his arms as she melted into his kiss.
Gwen reached for the pouch to withdraw the blindfold for him to tie over her eyes, but to her surprise he whispered to her to keep her eyes closed, Kissing her eyelids and ensuring that she understood his instructions. Pinching one end of the silk blindfold he pulled the rest of it free, dangling it in front of her face until she could feel the silky soft fabric tickling her cheeks and lips.
“And can you see it in your heart to trust me?” it was an odd question, but one he could answer whole heartedly.
“Yes, of course,” she tried to turn her head up toward his voice to show him that her eyes were still closed as an example of her loyalty to her vow to him.
Once again, his lips touched hers, and he kissed her tenderly before turning her around to face the closed gate of an empty stall where her hands could rest he placed himself behind her once again. Her hair was still piled up on top of her head, but after the ride, curls had broken free, sending them tumbling down her neck. His hot breath blew down her neck, sending those curls to tickle her, but she didn’t giggle, his breath stimulated a burn in her that swept away her giggle and left her body screaming for his touch. One finger was placed at the center of her back and ran down her spine, leaving a heat signature though the linen blouse that was lost once over the corset, but then that same finger reappeared over her back side where his hand cupped the underside of her rear. Gwen gasped in surprise but closed her lips tightly, sealing it inside, then he lifted up her skirts inviting the cold air from outside to kiss her thighs above the tops of her stockings.
At the fist touch of his warm strong hand against her naked thigh she turned her head down, hiding the red stain in her cheeks from his discovery that she had gone out for a ride without any undergarments.
“A man would be struck with jealousy to discover such a thing.” He kissed her behind the ear and then quickly took a light nibble of her earlobe. “But if a husband had a reason to question his wife’s loyalty, I would have to question his ability to ensure his wife’s devotion…Is there anything I should fear?” he asked as one hand held the round underside of her ass cheek, a bold move that to her surprise she welcomed.
“No,” her voice was breathless and she licked her lips trying to command more of a voice, but still she could not speak above a whisper. “No.”
His fingers curled in, dragging his nails over her skin sending a tantalizing tingle over her skin. There was an involuntary reaction through her body forcing her to clench and relax muscles, as if every nerve were longing to dance for him and when he used one finger to part her sensitive entrance her body screamed out for more. She arched her back, increasing the natural curve to help present herself to him, as if her sex were reaching for him, beckoning him to explore further.
The grain of the wood left an impression in her palms as she tightened her grip on the gate while her legs grew weak and she feared she would fall in a heap on the dirt floor. The flex in her forearms strained as she struggled to hold herself up until he used his other hand to lean her forward, resting her chest against the gate, her hands sliding out on either side, he placed one hand over hers, the silk blindfold woven between his fingers. As he added another finger into her weeping entrance, he closed his other hand over hers, holding her hand securely in his and in a moment of pure surrender, she turned her head and kissed the back of his hand conveying to him her willingness to submit to him in that moment.
“Do you not fear what may happen should anyone stumble upon us? What would happen should young Joseph return to complete his daily tasks?” These were questions that she had not been able to ask herself while her mind was clouded by the intoxicating swell of desire, but upon brief reflection she realized that she didn’t care, she didn’t care if anyone entered or who would see them together, just as her vow had left her blind to her husband’s face, desire made her blind to logic.
“My need for you is too great to think of such things,” she answered honestly and that was all the invitation he needed.
Withdrawing his fingers, he threw the back of her skirts up onto her back and before she could take in another breath, he slowly slid the bulbus head of his cock home into her. She shifted her feet, spreading her legs a little wider, the heel of her riding boots stirring up dirt from the ground as he stepped between her legs, his feet touching the instep of her boots. Since their marriage she had become aware of the sexual satisfaction found in less common positions with her husband, but standing in the stable added a heightened exhilaration that she had not experienced before and all too soon they both were overcome by the sweet little death of their passion.
Chapter Six
A Ghost From The Past
‘What was that man doing there with her?’
That had been a question that tormented him for two days since he came upon his wife walking along the cliff with her horse. When he returned home to learn that Gwen had taken her new gift for a ride he rode out at once in search of her, eager to see her smile. It had been three weeks since he’d last seen her standing on that cliff looking out at the ocean and finding tranquility in the wind. So much had happened since then and so much had changed in him since she had agreed to become his wife. He had ridden to the same hill where he had seen her that day and while he expected to be rewarded with her smiling face instead he was met with the betraying image of his wife walking alongside the cliff with the surveyor Paul Blane.
For the minutes that he’d spent there sitting on top of his horse, Caspian made sure to take in every gesture and pause between the two assuring himself that she was not betraying him. It was improper for any woman, married or unmarried, to walk so intimately with a man, but despite his jealousy he saw nothing between them that should concern him. In the stable he had intended to catch her in a confession, force her to tell him that what he had seen was a lover’s rendezvous but instead, she spoke of loyalty and only of them. It had been a step too far to take his wife in the stables like she were some cheap light skirt. She hadn’t shamed him for his actions, but that was not necessary, he was ashamed on his own.
