As always, a big thanks to all of you reading and reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. This chapter brings several discussions into play, and it turned into a longer update than I thought, but I didn't want to break it up.
Chapter Six
Discussions
As soon as Derek was finished at the stables, he went in search of Meredith. While he trusted that William would not spread any word of what happened, he did not put it past Rowena herself to twist the tale around to suit her purpose. In many ways, she was beginning to remind him of Addison, and he raked one hand through his hair in irritation. He stalked through the corridors, past maids flitting by, and footmen that kept out of his way once they saw the look in his eye.
After a quick tour of their suite, where of course she wasn't at the moment, he headed towards the solarium where he knew that the ladies spent their time when not in with the Queen. The door was open, and he could hear giggles and soft conversation among the women. Stopping at the threshold, his presence had an immediate effect on them. The conversation came to an abrupt halt, and he met Meredith's startled gaze.
"Forgive me for interrupting, ladies, but I need to speak with Lady Meredith." He nodded towards the group seated among the potted ferns, their colorful skirts bright against the greenery. A pot of tea and a tray of assorted dainty cookies were on a table between them.
Meredith rose to her feet gracefully, observing his disheveled appearance. Obviously straight from the stables, with his windswept hair and mud spattered boots, he looked dangerously handsome. She could hear a collective little sigh behind her from the younger ladies. Rowena was nowhere to be found, however, and she was going to find her after talking with Derek. The girl had a habit of disappearing at the drop of a hat.
"I will be right back, ladies," she told them, hurrying across the floor to join Derek.
He took her arm and steered her towards the first quiet alcove they came across. "Have you seen Rowena?" he asked once they were alone.
"No, and I need to speak with her..."
"She approached me at the stables, and made a blatant show of her desire. I made my feelings just as clear when I rejected her," he told her, his blue eyes dark with concern. "I wanted to tell you before she alluded to some sort of meeting between us, or before she gossiped with the other ladies and you heard about it second-hand."
"She did what?" Meredith demanded, her grey green eyes troubled. "That girl is far too bold, I will speak with her about that. What did she hope to gain from that? Did anyone see you?"
"William was there, love, and he can vouch that I did nothing to compromise her virtue," he assured her, touching her cheek.
Meredith rolled her eyes. "It's not her virtue I'm concerned with, Derek. I fear she has none. I believe she sneaks out to meet a lover at night, I just do not know who it could be." Derek cupped her face with his hand, and she leaned into it. "This is not I imagined when we were asked to come here," she sighed, inhaling the familiar scent of his skin and the leather from his riding gloves.
"Do you want me to be there when you speak with Rowena?"
"No, I will be fine. I've been patient so far, but she has pushed the boundaries to the limit." She lifted her face to him, and Derek brushed a soft kiss over her lips.
"I have to return to the stable," he murmured regretfully, wishing he didn't have to let her go so soon. "His Majesty indicated that he wishes to take a short ride before the meal tonight. There are other things I need to discuss with you, but we will talk at dinner, all right?"
Meredith nodded. "Very well. I love you..."
"I love you, vixen." He backed away from her, and then headed down the corridor again, and she watched him stride confidently away until he disappeared from view. With a determined set to her chin, she turned and made her way to the solarium again.
"Have you seen Lady Rowena?" she asked, joining the girls again.
"No, my lady," Cordelia spoke up first. "I believe she said she needed some air."
"I see. Well, I need to speak with her urgently. Perhaps she has returned to the castle. I'll check her bedchamber."
Rowena was indeed in her bedchamber, staring moodily out the window, her pride still stung from Lord Derek's rejection. At the sound of the rap on the door, she turned, ready to dismiss whoever it was. The door pushed open and Meredith was entering the room before Rowena could say a word. The look in Meredith's eyes made her freeze in the spot. The usually serene Duchess was angry, and obviously she had heard about what took place in the stables.
"My lady..." Rowena murmured. "Please do come in..."
Meredith stopped in front of the younger woman, who had edged toward the window seat. "I believe you had a discussion with my husband," Meredith started the conversation without any preamble. "You do realize that we are happily married, and that we have four children together...and that he is not interested in you?"
Rowena managed a nod, her mouth dry. "Yes, my lady..."
Crossing her arms over her chest, Meredith circled around the young woman. "You realize that and yet you still decided to flaunt yourself in front of him? For such a young woman, you have confidence beyond your years. That could be a good trait, however, in this case...it is deplorable. And not only have you been throwing yourself at my husband...I believe you are meeting a lover after you are supposed to be in bed, alone." She stopped pacing and met Rowena's gaze, tapping her foot on the floor. "Is that true?"
"You cannot prove anything in that regard," Rowena said with a frown. "I get restless, I need to walk to clear my head is all. There is no crime in that, is there?"
"No crime if that is that case, but I am not sure you are being truthful with me in that regard. You are here as one of the ladies in waiting to the Queen, that indicates a certain status, and you should hold yourself to the levels of propriety that dictates." Meredith touched Rowena's arm, trying to keep her voice level. "Every action is under scrutiny here, Rowena, have you not realized that? You cannot behave without a care here...and you cannot throw yourself at men, married or not..."
Rowena sank to the padded window seat, and sighed. "Yes, my lady..."
"I am not sure you understand, even though you say you do." Meredith was at a loss what else to tell the young woman. "I have not said anything to Her Highness yet, but rest assured I will if need be, and she will not hesitate to send you home in disgrace, Rowena."
"I shall be the soul of proprietyand discretion from now on," Rowena assured her, keeping her gaze fixed on the floor.
Meredith softened for a moment. "Be that as it may, you still need to stay in your own bed at night. What if you became pregnant?"
Rowena frowned. "I know how to take care of myself, Lady Meredith. I have been doing so for many years. Trust me in that regard."
Meredith could only nod at that point. "See that you follow through on that. I will not be able to help you otherwise. And just remember that Lord Shepherd is off limits, or you will be sorry."
"His Grace, Lord Shepherd, made it very clear as well that I had no chance. You are a lucky woman, Lady Meredith."
"I know, he and are both lucky, Rowena. You should hope for a man to love you like that someday." At that point, Meredith smiled confidently, and sailed out of the room, leaving Rowena to her own thoughts.
"You are going to race Lord Huntington...and the wager is Midnight?" Meredith asked, raising her eyebrows at Derek at dinner that evening after he filled her in on his conversation with Rhys. On top of the other revelation, she wasn't sure how to take this news.
"Just a friendly race," he replied. "I've looked at his horse, and while he is strong, I know Midnight is much faster. I will win, you know that."
"You're sure about that…" Her eyes slid to where Rhys and Rowena were dining along the other side of the table. Rhys caught her glance and raised his wine goblet in her direction and she smiled politely in return. "Midnight is rather dear to wager."
Derek took another sip of wine, regarding her over the rim of his own goblet. "Do you doubt my skill?"
"Never, husband…" she smiled. "Just that you are being rather arrogant about this."
"It comes with the territory, love. Being a Duke means that I am bred to be arrogant," Derek reminded her with a wink.
"Of course, what was I thinking?" Meredith sighed. "I can see that being here is bringing that aspect of your personality out."
"I'm not going to lose, and it's not like I am dueling at dawn," he frowned, rationalizing the situation. "No need to be disapproving."
"I'm not disapproving, just concerned. Lord Rhys is not trustworthy." Meredith finished the last bite of roast chicken from her plate, and dabbed the napkin to her mouth. "Speaking of untrustworthy, I spoke with Rowena, and she tells me that she is willing to behave, but I have my doubts."
Derek glanced towards Rowena, who attempted to keep her gaze innocent. "My love, she will never hold a candle to you." He took her hand and caressed the palm with his thumb. "How can anyone measure to you? And after making love to you, how could I want any other woman?"
A delighted shiver went through her. "I trust you implicitly, but I fear she would still try to compromise you in a heartbeat. Just as Addison attempted, if you recall."
"Vividly," he frowned, thinking of how she had tried to hide in his bedchamber in an attempt to lure him back. Needless to say, she was caught out and her plan backfired. Unfortunately, it had led to her eventual mental breakdown when she tried to shoot Meredith in a misguided belief that Derek should be free to choose her again. Derek ended up being the one shot in that fiasco, and as far as he knew, Addison was still locked away and he hoped she would stay there. "Lady Rowena is aware of my devotion to you. I'm sure she will shift her focus to another more eligible male if she receives no encouragement."
"Hmm...perhaps..." Meredith still wasn't so sure about that, it might just make the young woman more determined to pursue Derek even more avidly. Still, there were several single men at court that were likely interested in Rowena, so maybe she could put a word in the right direction. She glanced around the long table, wondering which one could be a likely candidate.
"What are you plotting?" Derek asked, seeing her look of determination.
"Just a little diversion, darling," she smiled back sweetly. "It's a shame that Izzie isn't here, she would enjoy this!"
"They will be here soon enough for the ball," he reminded her. "How are the plans coming along for that?"
"Very well. I admit, the scale of the whole thing is a little frightening, but with all of the experienced staff working behind the scenes, it should be a success. We will need to give some thought to what our costumes will be, though."
Derek groaned under his breath. "I had forgotten about that."
"Don't worry, I won't make you wear something silly. I was picturing you as a pirate, actually..."
"A pirate?"
"Oh yes...you know, big black boots with your riding breeches, with a sash and a sword tucked along your hip, maybe an eye patch and a scarf over your head...quite dashing, don't you think?" she teased him. "Of course, it would need to be a wooden sword..."
"Of course..." he said dryly. "And what are you going to be? Do I get some input on your costume...?" His voice turned rich with innuendo as he contemplated the possibilities.
"It will have to be within the bounds of propriety," she countered, tapping his arm lightly. "Even though I'm sure you have something decadent in mind..."
"You know me too well, vixen," he sighed. "But we could keep the scandalous costume idea for our own intimate enjoyment, hmmm?"
A slight blush touched her cheeks, even after their time together, he could still manage to surprise her, to find something new to seduce her with. "Oh my lord, you are ever the wicked rogue..." she murmured.
"And you wouldn't have me any other way..."
"Very true." She exchanged a flirtatious look with him. "We can finish this discussion later, I fear we are neglecting to be sociable..." It was too easy to get caught up in their own conversations at times.
"Indeed," he murmured, leaning closer. "I have just the place for a discussion, we can slip out after the children are tucked in for the night..."
Meredith glanced at him, wondering what he had in mind, but he only smiled mysteriously, before turning his attention to the person on the other side of him.
After the Queen retired for the evening, Meredith and Derek checked on the children. Meggie had them tucked in, and they raised sleepy heads as soon as they heard the door open. "We stayed awake..." Michael smiled happily, seeing his parents walk inside. Hannah and Ella were also waiting up, but James was fast asleep in his trundle bed. The room was large and well appointed, just as much as the rest of their suite. Originally, it had been planned to have the boys in one room, and the twins in another, but they had been too adamant to stay together. Along with the playthings they brought from Gracewood, there were also plenty of books and toys provided for their entertainment. Toy soldiers were marshaled along the window seat, dolls were grouped around a small table set for tea, and two hobby horses were set nose to nose close to Michael's bed.
Meredith sank down onto the twins' bed, pulling the girls against her. "Hello sweethearts...you should be sleeping." She kissed them each on the forehead, while Derek swung Michael up, making him chortle with laughter.
"Did you have more games today?" Derek asked. "Hunt dragons? Save the fair ladies?"
"Oh yes! We were chasing dragons...but I didn't save any fair ladies..." Michael told him, his eyes shining. "But when can we see the horses, Papa?"
"Well, soon enough, I suppose."
"When?"
"Yes, Papa, we would like that too..." Hannah chirped.
"All right, I will see what we can arrange soon," Meredith said. She knew how much they enjoyed spending time with their father. "For all of you, including James. We need to have a family day, I believe."
"Quite right," Derek grinned. He set Michael down on the bed again, and tucked him under the covers. "Now, time to sleep, all right?"
"All right, g'night Papa..." Michael replied, ready to dream about seeing all the horses at the stables. He was mad for horses, and missed having his own pony here. Derek kissed his cheek, before exchanging places with Meredith who had tucked the girls in again as well. Before leaving the bedchamber, they stopped to check on James, still sleeping through all of the conversations.
"I have missed all the interaction with them these last weeks," he admitted, stroking the chubby cheek of their youngest child. "I fear I am missing something important."
Meredith leaned in against him, sliding her arm around his waist. "I know, I feel the same." She ruffled the curls on James' head, and he shifted in his sleep, but stayed asleep.
"Soon we will be home again, love," he told her gently. "After the ball, we can see how the situation is."
"Good."
They stayed a few minutes longer, making sure all was quiet, before leaving Meggie and her charges once again. Out in the corridor, Derek took Meredith's hand, and tugged her along with him.
"Where are we going?" she whispered.
"You'll see..."
They made their way along the myriad of corridors, until they passed through a doorway that led out to the back courtyard. The air was cooler, and Meredith shivered slightly. Then she realized they were heading towards the stables. "You wish to check on Midnight?"
Derek nodded at one of the men guarding the stables, who nodded back, letting them pass by. "I thought we could take a little moonlight ride...continue our discussion."
"What? Oh, I'm not sure..." Meredith murmured.
"We won't be out long, just a nice little canter around the paddock. Are you up for a little adventure?"
By that time, they reached Midnight's stall, and the stallion nickered softly, recognizing Derek's scent. Some of the other horses stirred in their stalls as well, making soft sounds of interest.
"I'm not exactly dressed for riding, darling..."
"I wasn't planning on you taking another horse, I want to have you up with me," he informed her, as he saddled the big black horse, and readied the bridle. He winked at her, as Midnight shook his head, anticipating the unexpected late night expedition. From a trunk in the corner of the stall, Derek pulled out a long woolen cape and draped it over the saddle. "Now, we're ready."
"Aha...you have been planning ahead for this," she smiled at him. She moved out of the way, letting Derek lead Midnight out of his stall. Outside of the stables, he donned the cape and then swung up into the saddle. He held his hand out to her, and she managed to lift her skirts and place one dainty foot up over Derek's boot so that he could lift her up in front of him. Settling back against him, she could feel the heat emanating from him, and she snuggled in gratefully while he wrapped the cloak around them both. His arms went around her, and he held the reins expertly, guiding the big horse out into the paddock. All was quiet, and the clear night sky above them was studded with twinkling stars.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" she sighed happily.
"Of course you are..." he murmured, his breath fanning her ear.
"I meant the stars," she giggled. "But thank you..."
They rode along quietly for awhile then, enjoying the night and each others company. Derek eased the horse into a slow canter, moving along the edge of the fence line, towards the stand of trees along the edge of the paddock. Midnight took the lead eagerly, carrying the combined weight of them easily.
"We're so fortunate, love...to have each other, and the love of our family," Derek commented softly.
"I agree..." Meredith enjoyed the gentle motion of the horse beneath her, with the strength of Derek's arms around her.
"Would you like to try something a little adventurous?" he asked, after they were far out of the sight of the castle.
"Now?"
"Yes, now..." Derek slowed Midnight again, before kissing Meredith's temple.
"What did you have in mind?"
"Making love to you out here..."
"Derek! We have no blankets...the grass is far too damp and cool at this time of night!"
"Little love, I have no intention of taking you on the ground," he murmured seductively.
"So where...?"
"Trust me."
"You know I do implicitly..."
"Good. I just need to stop for a moment, and adjust your position..." Midnight stopped reluctantly, and Derek maneuvered her slender body easily so that she was facing him, her skirts hiked up, her legs astride the powerful horse. His arms held her easily, and his mouth found and ravaged hers in the desire that flared up between them. He kicked lightly against Midnight's flanks and the horse began to move slowly. Their bodies rocked along with the motion and she moaned against his mouth.
She was caught up in the moment, feeling how hard he was between her legs, the insistent heat against her intimately. Even though the air was cool on her legs, bared except for the stockings, the slow burn of passion was building inside of her. Midnight continued to trot along, more docile than she expected, as they moved out of the paddock. Derek pulled at the fastening on his trousers, so that his cock was free of the confining garments. Her senses thrilled at the illicit pleasure of the moment, her fingers straying along the hard length of him.
"Wait...give me a moment..." he whispered, pulling a small package from his waistcoat pocket.
"What are you doing?" she whispered back, her whole body tuned to the moment, wetness already seeping out of her. She eyed the object in his fingers, as he slipped a thin sheath of some sort over his straining erection.
"In lieu of Rose's methods..." he murmured, "this is to help prevent conception, love..."
"Oh..." She touched him, her fingers matching where his were still on his shaft, thinking it felt rather odd, and she glanced up at him.
"Talk in the stables covers a variety of subjects, Meredith, and not just relating to horses..." he grinned at her in the darkness, his eyes flashing with sinful intent. His voice was husky with want. "Are you willing to try this?" His fingers touched the damp skin of her thighs, and she shuddered.
"How do we do this?"
Derek reined Midnight to a stop for the moment, pausing along the fence. "Just like this, love..." he replied, lifted her upwards, over him. Her body contracted, just as she slid down over him, and they both sucked in a breath at the sensation. For a moment, they held still, getting accustomed to the different feel of the lambskin barrier. Then he filled her completely, the angle of her body over him affording a deep penetration. Her arms went around him, and she leaned backwards, over Midnight`s neck. The horse began to move again, the swaying motion adding to their pleasure.
"Oh my lord..." Meredith gasped, totally consumed by the feeling of him inside of her as the horse moved beneath them. The rocking added to the rocking of his hips, insidious as always against her. Pleasure flooded her, and the orgasm began to take over so quickly that she was helpless to stop it. She clung to him, desperate for relief, each stroke and bounce sending her close to the edge. "Harder..oh I want you harder..." she pleaded, nearly mindless with want.
Derek eased Midnight into a faster canter, while he drove up into her at the same time. He was aware that Midnight could proceed without any other supervision, and he gave himself up to the feeling of Meredith's sweet body around him. "Yes, love, all of me is hard here in you...take it all..." He was almost incoherent with the feeling, out here in the open, buried deep in her body where she squeezed around him. Midnight cantered elegantly, even as the reins went slack in Derek's hands.
His hands gripped her hips, the gathering of silk and brocade covering her, just as her intimate part gripped him. "You feel so sweet, so slick..." he breathed, before kissing her lips, his tongue dancing over hers in the familiar duel she welcomed. His cock swelled inside of her, and he groaned in satisfaction, as the climax took over. So good, so decadent...he kissed her harder, feeling the relief of the moment even as she still pulsed around him. "I adore you, Meredith...always..." he managed to tell her.
"Always..." she sighed in sated happiness. "Nothing will ever come between us..."
Note: I did a little fact checking on the history of condoms, and they have been in existence in some form or other for several centuries! Of course, it would take awhile to evolve into the glow in the dark kind that Dr. McDreamy prefers! ;o)