Lady Ines Scandalous Hobby-Chapter 171 - Hundred And Seventy One

The heavy velvet curtains were drawn tight, blocking out the bright sun of Carleton. Inside the master suite, the air was warm and smelled faintly of musk, lavender, and the remnants of sunflower oil.

Silence hung heavy in the room, broken only by the steady, deep breathing of Carcel.

Then, a sound broke the peace.

Knock. Knock.

It was a polite but firm sound against the heavy oak wood.

Ines stirred. She was buried deep under a mountain of down quilts. Her hair was a tangled mess of reddish brown waves spread across the white pillow. She blinked, her eyelashes fluttering as she tried to make sense of where she was.

"Mm?" she mumbled.

Knock. Knock.

Ines pushed herself up on one elbow. She rubbed her eyes. Her body felt heavy, a delicious kind of exhaustion that seeped into her bones.

"Come in," Ines called out. Her voice was sleepy and rough.

The door handle turned with a soft click.

Edith stepped into the room. She was followed by a small procession of three other maids carrying basins of steaming water, fresh towels, and a tray of tea.

Edith looked impeccable. Her gray dress was crisp, her apron was starch-white, and not a hair was out of place. She walked with a new authority. She had been made the head maid in charge of Ines’s upkeep, and she took her role very seriously.

"Your Grace," Edith said softly. She stopped by the bed and dropped into a deep, respectful curtsy.

The other maids followed suit, bobbing low.

Ines sat up on the bed. She forgot, for a moment, that she was not alone. She forgot that she was not wearing her high-necked nightgown.

The heavy blanket pooled to her waist.

It exposed her nakedness to the cool air of the room. Her skin was pale against the dark headboard. But it was not unmarked.

Her neck, her shoulders, and the swell of her chest were covered in marks. They were dark reddish-purple spots. Love bites. Hickeys.

They formed a map of Carcel’s passion from the night before. There were mark on her upper arms where he had gripped her, and her lips were swollen and red.

One of the maids, a young girl named Daisy who couldn’t have been more than sixteen, looked up as she straightened from her curtsy.

Her eyes went wide. She stared at the Duchess’s neck.

Daisy gasped. It was a loud, sharp sound of shock.

She realized her mistake instantly. She slapped her hand over her mouth, closing it quickly so as not to wake Carcel. But the sound had already escaped.

"Your Grace," Daisy whispered, her voice trembling with genuine fear. "What happened to you?"

She looked terrified. She looked as if she thought the Duke had beaten his wife.

"Your neck... it is all purple," Daisy squeaked behind her hand. "Are you hurt? Should we call for a doctor?"

Ines froze. She looked down at herself. She saw the marks.

Heat rushed to her face, turning her cheeks a bright crimson. She pulled the sheet up to cover her chest, holding it tight against her collarbone.

Ines smiled, though it was a shy, embarrassed smile. She glanced at Carcel, who was sleeping soundly beside her, his face buried in the pillow. Then she looked back at the naïve maid. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"It is nothing," Ines said gently.

"But the marks..." Daisy persisted, her brow furrowed in concern.

"Something bit me," Ines lied smoothly.

She touched a particularly dark mark on her shoulder.

"It’s nothing to worry about," Ines added. "Just... a very large, very persistent mosquito. The countryside is full of them, isn’t it?"

The two older maids standing behind Daisy exchanged a look. They bit their lips. They looked at the clothes scattered all over the floor—a shirt here, a chemise there, a pair of trousers hanging off the lamp.

They knew exactly what kind of "mosquito" had bitten the Duchess.

One of the older maids turned away, pretending to arrange the towels, her shoulders shaking.

They giggled. It was a soft, knowing sound. They had been in the hallway yesterday evening. They had walked past the door at night. They had heard the bed creak rhythmically. They had heard the low groans and the high cries of the new couple’s blissful indulgence.

Edith cleared her throat loudly. She shot the giggling maids a stern look. They straightened up instantly, their faces becoming masks of professionalism.

"Daisy, bring the water to the stand," Edith ordered. "Martha, arrange the Duchess’s attire for the day."

Ines watched them work. She felt a sudden wave of panic. The sun coming through the crack in the curtains looked very bright. Too bright for morning.

Ines turned to Edith.

"What time is it, Edith?" she asked.

Edith walked to the window and pulled the curtain back just an inch to peek out.

"It’s almost noon, Your Grace," Edith replied calmly.

Ines’s eyes widened. Her jaw dropped.

"Noon!" She exclaimed.

The word came out louder than she intended. She clamped her mouth shut immediately. She turned her face quickly to the pillow to check if her outburst woke Carcel up.

Carcel stirred.

He shifted under the blankets. He didn’t open his eyes. His dark hair was messy, falling over his forehead. He looked relaxed, younger than usual.

He reached out a heavy arm. His hand searched the empty space on the mattress until it found Ines.

"Ines..." Carcel mumbled into the pillow. His voice was thick with sleep, deep and gravelly. "Don’t go too far."

His hand found her waist. He pulled her back down slightly.

"Stay a little longer," he groaned.

He held her by the waist, his fingers digging into her hip possessively. He let out a long sigh and continued sleeping, his breathing returning to a steady rhythm.

Ines froze, letting him hold her. She looked at his sleeping face. There were dark circles under his eyes.

Ines let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to wake him up.

She knew why he was so tired. He had been up all night. He had been insatiable. Every time they tried to sleep, he would reach for her again, whispering that he couldn’t get enough, that he needed to make up for lost time. He had spent hours satisfying their urges, worshipping her body until the sun began to rise.

She wanted him to sleep more. She wanted him to regain his strength.

She carefully peeled his fingers from her waist. She placed his hand on the pillow and tucked the blanket around his shoulders.

She slid out of bed, wrapping the top sheet around her body.

She walked over to Edith, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper.

"Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?" She asked.

She felt embarrassed. A Duchess was not supposed to still be in bed by this time. A Duchess was supposed to be up at dawn, writing letters, inspecting menus, and drinking tea.

"Noon, Edith!" Ines hissed. "What will Aunt Rowena think of me now? She will think I am lazy. She will think I am a sloth who cannot run a household."

Ines wrung her hands. "I promised her a tour. She must be waiting in the drawing room, tapping her foot."

Edith smiled gently. She took a robe from the chair and held it open for Ines.

"Do not worry, Your Grace," Edith soothed.

She helped Ines into the silk robe, tying the sash around her waist.

"Lady Rowena told us not to disturb you," Edith replied.

"She did?" Ines asked, surprised.

"Yes," Edith said. "She came by at nine o’clock. She listened at the door for a moment—"don’t look at me like that, she will be worried!"—and when she heard silence, she told us to go away."

Edith picked up a hairbrush.

"She said, ’Let the poor dears sleep. They have had a long journey and a busy night,’" Edith mimicked Rowena’s tone perfectly.

Ines blushed again. So Aunt Rowena definitely knew.

"She said we should wake you and prepare you for the tour that has been scheduled to noon," Edith finished. "She pushed the tour back herself. She is currently in the garden, eating lemon tarts and reading a book."

Ines let out a breath. The tension left her shoulders. Aunt Rowena wasn’t angry. She was understanding.

"Oh," Ines said. "That is... very kind of her."

She looked back at the bed one last time. Carcel was still out cold.

"Let him sleep," Ines instructed the maids. "Do not open the curtains fully. Leave everything the way it is, im afraid the cleaning might wake him up and leave a tray of food on the table for when he wakes. After he had woken up, you can clean the room."

She turned back to Edith. She straightened her spine.

"Alright then," Ines said, lifting her chin. "I’m in your hands. Make me presentable and beautiful of course. We have a tour of the mansion to attend."