The truthof the matter was that Arthur much preferred intimate interludes in daylight. There was something seductive about a lazy afternoon spent abed in amorous pursuits. He liked the light, whether it was sunny or raining. He liked the sense that time had halted. He liked feeling that whatever was done was not a secret or a stolen moment or an interval seized before sleep came upon them both.
To be sure, he also enjoyed liaisons at night, when the shadows added mystery to the encounter, but overall, a rainy Sunday afternoon was ideal.
He could think of no better time to first seduce his wife.
Patience, despite her comments, was still vibrating with uncertainty and he moved more slowly than was his wont, not wanting to startle her. The fire had been lit in her room and the cats had claimed both chairs already. He opened the bag she had brought from her sister’s home and lifted out a pile of loose sheets of paper. They might have been a sheaf of letters, for the text was written by hand. “This is the book?” he asked in surprise and she nodded, an enticing flush touching her cheeks. He read the title aloud. “The Ladies’ Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction.”
He could not help but think that had promise.
Patience came to his side, her fingertips dancing over the pile of paper as she spoke. “Catherine says she is still editing it, and that new pages came this morning.” There were, in fact, several sheets loose on the top of the bundle, which she claimed. He watched her read the first of them. “Oh!” she said, her gaze flying to him with surprise.
Arthur smiled as he plucked the sheet from her hand.
“Upon the importance of first encounters. Suggestions for the lady and for the gentleman,”he read.
“That one is for the lady,” Patience said, switching sheets with him. She evicted Tar and settled into a chair to read with enviable concentration. Arthur found himself watching the way she bit the ripe perfection of her bottom lip, the grip of her slender fingers on the sheet. Even more delightful was the exposed softness of the inside of her wrist, the curve of her neck and the loose tendril of fair hair beside her ear. If he had an ability to draw, he would have captured the sight of her in charcoal on the page. As it was, he could only stare and admire.
She cast a reproving glance at him. “You should not look at me thus,” she whispered.
“How?”
“As if you would gobble me up.”
“I am tempted. You look delicious.” He bent and kissed the side of her neck, then grazed her skin with his teeth. She shivered in a most delightful way.
Her cheeks pinkened as he had hoped they might. “You are full of nonsense,” she chided.
“You did wed a rake and a scoundrel. I would not have you disappointed to find me a sober man of honor instead, of sedate temperament and modest appetites.”
She laughed aloud at that, her eyes dancing in a most attractive way. “You are wicked.”
“Agreed. The question remains is whether you will reform me or whether I will lead you astray.”
“We could each continue as we are and not influence the other a whit.”
“And how would that be diverting, Patience? The only thing I could not abide in a marriage is mutual tolerance.” Her gaze brightened at that and he wished he had not spoken thus. “There. It is decided. I must lead you astray with as much haste as possible to avoid such a dire fate.”
“You should read your sheet. I have read mine already.”
“But it is so much more satisfying to prompt your blush.”
“Arthur!” she said in mock outrage so that he was delighted by her sparkling eyes. “Read it!”
For once, Arthur did as instructed.
His own lips curved into a smile as he read, the advice reassuring him immeasurably.
Upon the responsibility of a wedding night…for gentlemen.
I recommend that those ladies who have not as yet been introduced to the pleasures of the marital bed offer this page to their husbands in advance of that event. For there is little that can be so sweet as one’s first encounter with a partner, nor are there many events that can go so badly awry. Worse, the first night of a marriage may well set the tone and expectations for all future years of such encounters, and so, the required deed should not be embarked upon without thought and preparation.
Gentlemen, you hold the power to ensure your lady’s devotion and her satisfaction, by your persuasive indoctrination of said companion to sensation and pleasure. Most ladies come to their matches in innocence, and an innocence that is so complete in its ignorance of such body matters that many men fail to anticipate the breadth of the chasm between the expectations of bride and groom.
I encourage you to be leisurely, to coax her laughter in her uncertainty, to awaken her to your touch with gentle caresses. I invite you to explain what will happen, to indulge in physical comforts beyond your own satisfaction. Compliments, given in good faith, can only encourage us all when we are uncertain of our path. I urge you to remain with her afterward, to hold her while she sleeps, to whisper plans for your shared future. Confessions made abed, be they sweet or audacious, are inclined to bind a couple more closely together.
Above all, do not rush.
If you conjure your lady’s response with sufficient fortitude, you may earn a lifetime of merry moments abed together, the loyalty of a devoted partner and the joy of complete trust, one in the other. The lady you introduce to pleasure may ultimately ensure that you conquer higher peaks of satisfaction than ever you dreamed—for the act of union is made more potent with emotional intimacy, and that far beyond the expectancy of many a man who seeks only momentary relief.
