Lord Kressley's Stolen Paramour

London, 1817

At three-and-thirty and having lived long enough among the Ton to be mostly jaded by everything around him, Colin Nash IV, The Marquess of Kressley, would have considered himself impervious to a pair of pretty eyes and a striking face. After all, the stunning mistress at his side was far more beautiful than the young woman on the stage.

He had met Victoria when he was touring the continent last year, during the year without a summer, after everything had finally opened again with Napoleon’s defeat. She was a sophisticated and charming woman from Amsterdam, and she had taught him a few tricks. How could he not be enthralled by her beauty but find the actress on the stage left him stunned into speechlessness?

“Is everything all right, Colin?” whispered Victoria behind her black lace fan.

He nodded at her abruptly, still incapable of speech as he stared at the young woman playing the scullery maid in the farcical comedy being performed at the Avon Theater, where Victoria had asked him to bring her on one of their negotiated outings.

At first glance, she wasn’t particularly remarkable. It was when he looked closer that she snagged his attention. She had an interesting face, if not classically beautiful, with high cheekbones, a pleasing heart shape, and a tiny cleft in her chin. Her skin appeared luminous, though he knew that could be a trick of the makeup the actors used.

Her hair was certainly her crowning glory, an unusual shade of red gold he’d never seen on anyone else, and though it was tucked neatly under the mobcap required for her costume, he could still see enough of the color and the glistening shine under the theater chandeliers to want to take off the cap, unpin her hair, and see it fall around her face before he plunged his hands into it. His fingers twitched in the gloves he wore, eager to feel the soft, silky texture for himself.

To his regret, her role was fleeting. He watched the rest of the play with far more attention than he had given the first half, hoping she would return. He got one more glimpse of her when the entire cast came to the stage at the end and bowed before disappearing behind the curtain, but it was inadequate to whet his appetite.

He was hard and aching, and it took every ounce of willpower he had to endure the pleasantries exchanged among the patrons as they left the theater, waiting for his coach. After what felt like an interminable wait, Higgins finally drew up, and he waved at the driver to stay at his post, opening the door and handing Victoria inside before closing it behind him.

As soon as they were inside the coach, he ensured the curtain was drawn, and then he opened the fall of his trousers, freeing his cock. It strained upright, eager for attention, and he grasped Victoria’s hair to drag her closer.

She was eager, seeming not to care about being thrust onto the floor of the carriage. Her carnal appetite matched his own, and she was gifted in pleasing him. He moaned in anticipation, but as soon as she touched him, his excitement faded, his cock wilting. He stared at it, appalled by the reaction. That had never happened to him before.

She frowned in some concern, but she looked up at him through the veil of her lashes, batting them. “Never fear, darling. I shall simply coax him awake again.”

Colin nodded, but as she wrapped her lips around his limp member, he felt a surge of nausea rather than the anticipated pleasure. He tried to visually imagine his cock growing hard and sinking into her throat. He knew how talented her mouth was, but it did nothing to stir him. Instead, it caused a faint hint of repulsion. “Enough,” he said after a long moment of her continued attempts. “I have failed you this evening, my dear.”

She wiped her mouth discreetly as she returned to her side of the carriage while he tucked himself in. “It does happen sometimes even to the best of men, and I count you among the very best, dear Colin.” She sounded completely sincere, and he doubted she was affecting the tone or the words to impress him. Victoria was rather direct in her own way, though she was capable of coquettish behavior and knew how to seduce a man.

He was still perplexed, and when they drew up outside Victoria’s apartment that he paid for, she said, “Would you like to try again, my dear marquess?”

After moment, he shook his head. “I do believe it is futile this evening.”

She reached out to pat his thigh. “Perhaps it is simply a lack of sleep. You did mention earlier you are having nightmares.”

He nodded, hoping she was correct. Nightmares had plagued him for as long as he could remember, but they had been more vivid than usual of-late. He took her gloved hand in his and kissed it as his driver opened the door. He allowed Higgins to accompany Victoria to her residence, finding himself quite incapable of moving.

He leaned back, closing his eyes. First, he thought about his failure to maintain the erection that had been so painful it had hurt. It had truly never happened to him before, and he felt slightly unmanned by his inability to sustain his arousal. Victoria had been understanding, but he feared she might be laughing at him. That only increased his revulsion as he tried to picture her going down on him again, but it did nothing to bolster an erection.

Almost without conscious thought, the image in his mind became the sweet little actress he had seen on stage, her plump lips engulfing his member as she took him shyly in her mouth. He wasn’t certain why he was convinced she would be a little reluctant, but he thought she might. As an actress, she would’ve already had several lovers even at her tender age, but there was something almost innocent about her, and he wondered if that was what called to him.

The idea of despoiling her innocence made his groin tighten, and his cock grew hard again. He wasn’t certain if it rose from thinking about her, or from the idea of ruining her. Of course, she was already ruined, so that was just a dark fantasy.

He forced his thoughts back to Victoria again, but that same revulsion filled him, and he realized he was no longer interested in her. She had lasted longer than his other mistresses, going on four months now, and it would’ve soon been time to end the liaison anyway. He didn’t want his paramour falling in love with him and causing a scene when he ended things.

When Higgins let him out at his townhouse, he entered a short time later, and Bellingford, his ever-efficient butler, waited for him at the door. He took his greatcoat and top hat before Colin passed over his walking stick. Then he made his way upstairs, finding his valet waiting for him with his nightclothes laid out.

Of all his servants, Griffins was the one to whom he was closest. The man had been his father’s valet as well, and though he was getting up in the years and preparing his son to take his place, he maintained an unwavering level of energy and exactingness that hadn’t faltered as he aged. His cool unflappability was also one of the things Colin most admired about him.

“Griffins, do send a letter of parting and an emerald necklace to Victoria Engram tomorrow.” He remembered emeralds were her favorite, but that was because he had a sharp attention for detail, not because he’d memorized all the myriad preferences of the woman who’d been his mistress.

“Very good, sir,” said Griffins, his tone and expression revealing nothing.

It was a little unorthodox to have his valet handling the matter, but he trusted Griffins to do it discreetly and gently. His secretary was a brusque man, so he wouldn’t task Mr. Hartford with overseeing any matters of the heart, and the idea of his steward, Mr. Keen, seeing to the task was preposterous. And certainly, Colin had no intention of visiting her himself to end the liaison.

After the evening’s events, she would likely be unsurprised that he didn’t want to see her again. He knew she would be in a fine financial position, for though their contract had ended, he had paid her a generous monthly stipend, and she would receive a fine settlement. He was a man who refused to share his mistress’s attention, so she had been contractually obligated to entertain only him, but he knew she would have little trouble finding a new patron.

As simply as that, he set Victoria aside from his thoughts. Once again, the actress, whose name he didn’t even know, crept into his thoughts, making his cock hard. Like a callow youth, he ended up relieving himself to thoughts of her—something he hadn’t done in years.

Having assumed it was simply losing his taste for Victoria that had caused him to lose his arousal, Colin visited a discreet brothel two nights later. The women had the highest standards and were checked frequently for medical issues, but he still brought along his French letter. He had it in his pocket in a leather pouch, and he selected a brunette who had a pleasing roundness to her figure.

She giggled and hid her face behind a fan, clearly acting coy. It was her air of innocence that had attracted him, though he was certain it was patently false. That didn’t matter. This was all about illusion.

She led him into a room, and she stripped off her short dress, which took little time. When she stood naked before him, save for the corset around her stomach, she bent her head. “How may I service you this evening, my lord?”

“Suck my cock.” If he could not maintain his erection for that, there was no point in getting undressed and going to the bed. If he were able to maintain his hardness, he would screw her against the door or wall, for he preferred to avoid the bed and its questionable contents.

She immediately dropped to her knees, but even as she gripped him, nothing happened. He frowned in annoyance, but she seemed undeterred. The young woman licked her hand and started pumping his length, and though it felt nice, it did nothing to bring him to a state of arousal. She continued to try for a couple of minutes before he heaved a sigh and gently pushed her away. “I do not believe that is working.”

She fluttered her lashes as she looked up at him. “Perhaps two will ease your suffering, my lord? My friend Emma is most skilled.”

Intrigued by the idea, he nodded after a moment. It would not be the first time he had experienced more than one woman at the same time, but even the idea wasn’t enough to stir a reaction. He already felt it might be futile when the brunette returned with a redhaired girl. He was startled to see she bore a superficial resemblance to the actress who’d occupied his thoughts the last two days.

Her hair was darker in color, and her facial structure was wrong, but she was of similar height and build, and he felt a stirring of arousal. When she wrapped her hand around him, bringing her mouth diligently to service him, he clung to that arousal, even thinking about the actress when he felt like he might lose any hint of interest. It helped him maintain hardness for another long second, but as soon as he looked down and saw the wrong shade of hair, he lost interest again.

With a sigh, disgusted at himself and not the ladies, he pulled out a pound and gave it to them. “I thank you for your endeavors, my dears.”

“It does happen sometimes,” said the one he knew as Emma, the one who had looked similar to the actress, but not enough.

He nodded. “Yet, it has never happened to me before until recently.”

“Has something changed?” asked the brunette as she donned a dressing gown. She seemed completely sincere in her interest and desire to help. “Were you jilted, or have you fallen in love with an unsuitable woman you can never have?” There was a hint of the dreamy romantic in her tone.

To Colin’s way of thinking, there was nothing romantic about loving someone you couldn’t have. He shifted uneasily in his Hessians. “I have not fallen in love.” As though to contradict him, the image of the actress appeared in his mind again. “I did notice a woman who was distinctive. I have not had opportunity to see her again, and I do not know if she would be open to seduction.”

Emma stood up, straightening her short dress and fluffing the bustle before she gave him a sympathetic look. “Sometimes, only the original will do. I suggest you must approach her, sir, for she might hold the key to the issue.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed by the whole situation, though grateful they had given him something to think about, he added another pound note to the table, knowing he was being far too generous, but wanting to make up for his lack of performance and their genuine advice. Then he left the room.

As he walked past the madam, she seemed surprised to see him so soon, but he carefully averted his gaze from her, not wanting to explain what had happened. No doubt, she would demand an accounting from her girls, and he hoped the women were intelligent enough to hide the tips he had left them before they spoke to the madam, or she would likely take them away, though he had already paid for services.

***

Two nights later, Colin returned to the theater alone this time, having purchased a front row seat so he could have the best view possible of the scullery maid. He paid particularly close attention to the program he had been given this time and learned her name was Maddy Carew. There was nothing much about her, just her moniker, but it gave him a name to go with the face.

The first half of the play was as tedious as he remembered, but the entire experience changed when the scullery maid appeared. She was as beautiful as he remembered, and now even closer to her, he was convinced the luminescence of her skin wasn’t strictly from cosmetics and lighting.

She seemed a bit younger than he had estimated the other night, and that left him feeling uneasy. A dark part of him thrilled at the idea though, wondering how much experience she could’ve had? Surely, as young as she was, she’d had no more than one or two lovers before him. The thought filled him with rage, and he gripped his walking stick tightly in one hand, squeezing so hard he could feel the wood start to give.

He forced himself to relax and not think about that. Everyone had a past, and it would’ve been ridiculous for him to expect his next mistress not to be in the same class. After all, she was hardly a chit fresh from the schoolroom, and nor was she a lady of fine society. With his attentions falling on her, he’d accepted she would be no virgin, and that should be a relief, though he felt a renewed stir of anger as he imagined the man who’d had the privilege of taking her virginity, regardless of when it had occurred.

He managed to push aside the thoughts and focus on her, since her performance was brief. When it was over, he didn’t bother to wait for the rest of the play to finish. Instead, Colin got up from his seat and left the auditorium, moving around to the back where the actors, stagehands, and manager gathered.

He approached a man who appeared to be in charge, realizing immediately the man would be easy enough to bribe or intimidate, simply by the obsequious bow he gave Colin when he cleared his throat, not even speaking to the man yet.

“Hello, Lord Kressley.” The little man’s beady eyes shone with avarice. “I do not believe you have graced our establishment before.”

“For one other performance recently.” Before Victoria, he’d had no knowledge of the Avon’s existence. It seemed a respectable enough place, and there were members of the Ton he had recognized in the audience, but he didn’t spend much of his time in playhouses.

“I do hope you are enjoying our production, sir.” The man bowed again, looking like he might topple over for a moment.

Colin didn’t bother to hide his slight grin of amusement. “I have seen only one part I like.”

The manager looked disconcerted for a moment, as though he’d expected Colin to be seeking him out to praise the play. “Do you wish to lodge a complaint, Lord Kressley?” He asked the question in a respectful tone, but the man’s nose had curled now like he smelled something unpleasant.

“I wish to meet one of your actresses.”

The man’s eyes widened with acknowledgment. “Of course. Miss Isabella Darling is quite popular. Normally, she has a small queue, but I shall ensure you are the first to meet with her this evening, sir.”

Colin frowned, having no clue who the Isabella Darling woman was. “I am referring to Maddy Carew, who plays the scullery maid.”

The manager looked shocked for a moment, and it seemed to take him a second to collect himself before his expression became bland again. “Of course. I can arrange that for you as soon as the play ends. Would you like to return to your seat, sir?”

“No. I shall wait back here.” He wasn’t going to give the actress the opportunity to slip away. Not that she was likely to anyway, but he was determined to meet her this evening.

“Very good, Lord Kressley.” The man took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow. “I am Roger Stanton, the manager of our theater. We are always seeking patrons, my lord.”

“Perhaps you will find one if I get what I am seeking, Mr. Stanswell.”

“Stanton,” said the man as he cleared his throat. His balding head gleamed almost as much as his eyes at the news, and he sent Colin a bright smile. “I shall endeavor to ensure you get what you desire then, sir.”

Colin could’ve told him he didn’t need his help. He was equally determined to get what he desired, and he doubted it would present any major challenge. Within hours, he could be sinking into the luxuriant heat of the woman he planned to make his new paramour, and that was enough to make him grow hard again, though he focused all his attention on quelling the reaction. His trousers were tight and revealing, and he refused to embarrass himself by walking around with a hard-on.