Margaret Moore by A Rogues Embrace Read Free Book Online

Gently, yet insistently, he teased her with his tongue until she parted her lips. Then, unable to be patient, he thrust his tongue into her mouth while his hands caressed her supple back.
    A low moan escaped Elissa’s lips as she surrenderedto the passionate yearning his kisses enticed into fiery life.
    Her husband’s kisses had been chaste before they were married, and he had never kissed her after. In their bed, he had taken her swiftly, silently, roughly, so when Richard had taken her in his arms, she had instinctively stayed still, even when he kissed her.
    She had not known a kiss could be so … so incredible. The sensation of his mouth upon hers, his evident desire, the urge to be taken—
    She did not want to be taken, or possessed like an inanimate thing ever again. And she would not be distracted from her responsibility toward her son, not by any man.
    “Odd’s fish, this bodes well,” the king cheerfully declared before she could break the kiss.
    As they quickly moved apart, Charles strolled toward them. “We were wise to set the wedding date upon the morrow.”
    “Tomorrow, sire?” Richard inquired blandly, as if they were discussing nothing more exciting than the price of eggs.
    “Yes, tomorrow evening, after the performance of your play.” King Charles chuckled. “We trust you can wait that long.”
    Elissa drew in a deep breath. “Majesty, I fear that will not give Mr. Harding time to draw up the marriage settlement.”
    The king waved his hand dismissively. “He has all night and all morning. Odd’s fish, madam,you certainly looked impatient enough a few moments ago. You will spend your first night here, of course.”
    “Here?” Elissa whispered incredulously.
    The king smiled magnanimously. “It seems the least we could do, given that you are marrying at our command.” Then he winked as lasciviously as the waterman. “We are quite certain the groom will make you forget you are in the palace.”
    “Yes, Your Majesty.”
    Charles gave Richard a sly, knowing smile. “All seems well in hand. We never doubted you for a moment, Blythe.”
    “I try to please, Majesty.”
    The king’s raucous laugh filled the chamber. “Well, Mistress Longbourne, can a bride ask for more? Now, off with you both until tomorrow.”
    Elissa hurried toward the door. She didn’t know if Sir Richard followed close behind or not. Dismayed, disturbed, and disgruntled, she wanted to get out of the palace as quickly as she could, and away from Sir Richard Blythe with his dark, distracting eyes and his sinfully seductive lips.

Chapter 4
    “W omen are usually late,” Foz offered the next night as Richard stood beside him in the Great Hall of the palace, awaiting his tardy bride.
    They were not alone. Charles was seated on the dais, again surrounded by women and, as always, attended by several fawning courtiers. Courtiers who were not predisposed to fawn nevertheless hovered nearby and kept their eyes and ears open for anything they could use in their own favor.
    Queen Catherine was not in attendance, which was not unusual. More unusually, Charles’s grand
amour,
Lady Castlemaine, was also absent. Rumor had it she was expecting another child, and there was a possibility it was not the king’s, but the product of one of her other liaisons. Likely she deemed it wise to keep some distance between herself and her royal lover.
    Richard scanned the bevy of young women who would likely not be adverse to taking Lady Castlemaine’s place, even temporarily. At present, the king’s current favorite seemed to be a pretty woman who went by the name of Mistress Winters. Apparently, there was no Mister Winters, and Richard doubted there ever had been. Gossip said she had been a maidservant to one of Charles’s underlings until the king had taken a fancy to her and provided her with her own house a short distance from the palace. The distance was even shorter if one went by boat, and the king had his own Privy Stairs leading to