Two Notorious Dukes by Lyndsey Norton Page A

Elizabeth.’ Robert
whispered and Argyll was surprised to see an expression
of pain on Robert’s face.
‘I get the feeling you wouldn’t like that.’ Argyll
said softly.
‘No I wouldn’t.’ Robert responded without
thought and then looked up abruptly. ‘I wouldn’t like it
to happen to any woman!’
‘Of course not.’ Argyll laid his cards down. ‘My
hand I think?’
Robert staggered to bed at about one o’clock in
the morning. He carelessly stripped off his clothes and
sank back into the pillows, with the sheet negligently
draped over his lower body. He started to snore almost
straight away.
Elizabeth was lying in bed looking at the ceiling.
She had been looking at this ceiling for two nights now,
as she was finding sleep elusive in the suffocating heat.
Why can’t I walk in the garden she thought or go naked
to bed. Why must I always have to wear a smothering
nightgown? And she was so angry about the unfairness
of life; she clambered out of bed, stripped her
nightgown over her head, pushed open the French door
and stood on the balcony in the cool breeze. She could
see the lightening flickering in the distance and with the
wind in her face she knew a storm was coming. A part of
her was scandalized that she would act so brazenly, but
she really didn’t care right at that moment. The cool
breeze was blissful on her sticky skin. She stretched
every muscle as if she was just waking up and
pirouetted like a ballerina. She heard a distinct shout
and flew back into her room to rescue her nightgown,
forcing it over her body she went back out onto the
balcony and listened carefully, but all she heard was the
rumble of thunder in the distance.
To call it a balcony was probably wrong; it was
more like an upper terrace that ran along the wing of
the house and she went towards the front of the house.
She could hear moaning and was surprised when it was
coming from Robert’s room. She stood outside the
French door and listened to him groaning and moaning.
At first she wondered if he was tupping one of the
house maids, but then he shouted again. ‘No! I can’t
leave!’ and then nothing and then another shouted
‘NO!’ Elizabeth silently pushed the doors open and
stepped into the room. She could see Robert tangled in
his sheet, thrashing from side to side. There was a flash
of lightening followed by a rumble of thunder. Elizabeth
saw the lamp in the flash and went to the nightstand,
struck the flint in the tinderbox and lit the lamp.
Suddenly Robert was bathed in soft light and she took a
deep breath when she saw the indentation in his
shoulder. The thunder rumbled louder. ‘The barrage is
starting!’ he shouted and then he screamed.
Elizabeth didn’t quite know what to do, so she
called his name. ‘Robert, wake up. You’re dreaming.’
She said and gently shook his shoulder. ‘Robert!’ she
shook him harder and suddenly he was awake, sitting
bolt upright, his face filled with terror and looking at her
like she was a ghost.
‘You were dreaming.’ She said softly. ‘Are you
alright now?’ she asked and gently stroked the hair off
his forehead as another actinic flash of lightening
brightened the room. The thunder rumbled even louder
as the storm approached. Instinctively Robert reached
for her and clutched her in his arms, pulling her astride
his lap and burying his face in her bosom. At first
Elizabeth was shocked and she cringed, but she realised
there was no sexual intent; Robert was like a child,
afraid of the storm, both in his dreams and outside the
window. She wrapped her arms about his shoulders,
stroked his head and rocked him, as if he was a child,
murmuring as a mother would. She felt her breasts ache
with the need to succour. The rain hammered on the
roof, the lightening continued to flash and the thunder
crashed over head, as if the heavens were going to fall
on them. She felt his body relaxing and soon his arms
fell to the bed as he returned to slumber. She carefully
manoeuvred his heavy upper