She smiled, then her smile faded that such an encounter was unlikely to be with Nicholas.
But there was more.
Upon the merit of forthright touch...
In those instances in which a gentleman insists upon remaining so, a lady may have to be unduly bold to secure her desire of the man in question. If she has exhausted the possibilities of light caresses, welcoming expressions and even glimpses of what might customarily be hidden from view, she may have to become more forthright in her touch to offer encouragement. This is most readily accomplished by many ladies in darkness, and even in secrecy.
Be advised that this counsel will often result in physical union. Once a lady steps upon this path of physical seduction, it may not be possible to halt the delivery of the gentleman’s full admiration. If any reader does not wish to proceed so far, then she is advised to stop reading this treatise in this very moment.
Those who continue with this passage are assumed to be seeking more than a caress or a kiss, and will find explicit detail in obtaining their desire.
Now this was interesting. Eliza moved closer to the candle, not wanting to miss a single word.
A man’s greatest sensitivity is in his member but that is not the only part of his anatomy that will respond to touch. A man’s nipples, for example, are often more sensitive even than those of a lady, and there is also the element of surprise in caressing them. Kiss his nipples, gently at first and then with greater vigor. Do not be afraid to use your tongue, or even to graze them with your teeth. Pinch them between finger and thumb. Roll them. Drag your fingernail across them. Each man, like each woman, has a specific menu of items he finds palatable and arousing—I can only encourage the merit of experimentation and observation.
Consider the following illustration to learn best where to touch him and when...
In that moment, a carriage halted in the street below. Haynesdale House could not possibly be the occupant’s destination, as they were expecting no one, but the horses stamped and Eliza set aside her reading to go to the window and look. She didn’t recognize the carriage and couldn’t see those within it. It had stopped on the opposite side of the street, alongside the park, and the footman opened the door on the far side of the carriage. She had a glimpse of a young lady embarking, which was curious. The girl held her cloak closed and had her hood up. She began to walk in the opposite direction that the carriage was facing, and Eliza assumed she visited a neighbor.
How curious that the driver had not stopped on this side of the street. The carriage moved on, the footman leaping off the back to offer a small satchel to the young woman. He passed it to her and raced after the carriage, leaping onto the back so quickly that Eliza thought she might have imagined the exchange. When she looked for the young lady, there was no sign of her.
She must have crossed the street to a neighboring house. She might have continued into the shadowed park in the midst of Grosvenor Square, though that was unlikely at this hour.
Eliza did not know her brother’s neighbors in town, though she had passed them once or twice. Their affairs were certainly not her concern.
And Mrs. Oliver’s advice was irresistible. Eliza returned to her reading, the young woman’s arrival utterly forgotten as she learned more specifics of male anatomy.
Nicholas returned to his aunt’s home in fine temper after his excellent dinner. All came together for his future with admirable ease and he found himself filled with newfound optimism. No less than six gentlemen had expressed interest in horses from his stables and this before he had even put Sterling to stud there. Even his aunt’s summons from the parlor could not influence his good cheer.
He joined her, as requested, casting his hat and gloves onto a chair, then bowed to her. “Good evening, Aunt Fanny.”
“You are in fine fettle tonight for a man who has abandoned his sister.”
Nicholas glanced up in surprise. “I beg your pardon?”
“You are to be at the theater with Helena and Mrs. North, ensuring that Helena has the opportunity to converse with the Duke of Haynesdale. I had understood that you had some influence over him.”
Nicholas straightened. “But Mrs. North abandoned their excursion to the theater.”
“When?”
“Yesterday, after I challenged Mr. Melbourne. She thought it unsuitable.”
“I thought it unsuitable, but Helena has gone to the theater all the same.”
“Alone?”
“Of course not! She attended with you and the duke and his sister...” Aunt Fanny’s voice faded to silence and she stared at Nicholas in horror. “Perhaps she did not know,” she said, but rose to look out the window in alarm.
“She knew,” Nicholas said flatly. “Did Mrs. North collect her all the same?”
“No.” Aunt Fanny was pale. “Helena insisted that she would go to Haynesdale House herself, the better to suggest that the duke joined the party.”
“But Haynesdale was not there. I was dining with him at White’s.”
“Good gracious,” Aunt Fanny whispered and sank into a chair. She was shaking a little. “This cannot be. There must be some mistake.”
“When was this?” Nicholas demanded.
