Delia's Debt Page 6

  “This is for you,” she whispered just above his cock before licking the head, tasting the salty liquid that dripped from the source of all that was good.

  His hands tangled in her dark hair. She had no idea what he was thinking. His words were few and far between but she could hear each breath he took, loud and vocal as she licked his shaft and sucked the head of his cock. Her mouth moved deeper over his hardened member, taking him as far as she could. Delia’s hands caressed his balls and she moved her lips and mouth back and forth, giving him the ultimate sensation as her eyes glanced up to watch his reaction. She wanted to hear him scream her name. Would he call her by her position of governess or by the name her parents chose for her?

  She guided him deep toward her throat but not all the way in as her mouth was much too small to accommodate his size.

  Moaning he grabbed Delia by the arms and pulled her up toward him, gasping for air. He flipped them around, hovering for only a fraction of a second before he guided his cock inside of her warmth.

  She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper inside of her warmth. He stretched her beyond capacity, forcing her fingernails to dig into his back as she accommodated his size. Delia’s lips found his, their kisses hot and fevered as he pounded into her quim. She grew close, the sensation tingling in her veins and forcing her toes to curl. Delia pulled him deeper, leaning up, keeping him in her embrace as her cunny clenched onto his cock. Struggling to keep her eyes open she listened to his moans and trembled in his arms as the second orgasm ripped through her body while he spilled himself inside of her.

  Delia collapsed back onto the bed, panting hard.

  Charles rolled off her body and onto his stomach. His eyes shut, gasping for breath.

  A smile grazed her face as she reached out to run her hand over his back. Greeted with soft snoring, she slipped from his bed, found her nightgown and put it back on before stepping out into the hall. She would worry about the rest of her clothes come morning. She did not want the rest of the staff to know what had transpired between them.

  Chapter 4

  Quietly Delia slipped from Charles’s bedroom and into the hall, careful to shut the door without waking him or anyone else.

  The moment the door shut, Ida’s head shot up. She sat on the floor across from the door, evidently waiting for Delia to leave.

  “I knew it!” Ida pointed her finger at Delia and stood. “How dare you betray all of us!”

  “Excuse me.” Delia kept her tone calm and even, careful not to wake Charles. “How did I do anything to offend you? You led me to the room, you had my bag brought up. Were you not trying to humiliate me?”

  “That is beside the point.” Ida’s top lip snarled as she stepped closer to Delia.

  “Why, because he chose me over you?”

  Ida reached out, slapping Delia across the face, her palm landing flush on the young woman’s cheek. Delia’s hand came up to cover the sting, shocked that Ida would raise a hand to her. Is that how she treated the girls too?

  “I am not jealous.” Ida shook her head and crossed her arms. “You are mistaken if you think what you see is envy. I know what you are, nothing more than an urchin on the street that steals from wealthy men like Mr. Charles.”

  She could not deny the fact she had stolen from him, but the arrangement had been made to clear her name and her crimes. He had been kind enough to keep the police out of the mess and protected Delia on apparently more than one occasion. She owed him her loyalty and had no reason not to give it to him.

  “You can say all the mean things that you would like, Ida, but you are nothing more than a bitter nanny who can never have the man she pines for.” Delia was no fool. From the moment she stepped foot into the Hayward residence, Nanny Ida had not wanted her there. She had thought it was because of the children, concerned that Delia would not stick around as the other governesses had run off. The more she considered the situation, she began to realize that might not have been true.

  Ida huffed under her breath, stormed across the hall and slammed the door making it quite apparent that she was mad. Delia glanced at the doors to the rooms in the hall. Hers was likely to be one of the bedrooms and given she knew now which was Charles and Ida’s, perhaps she could rightfully find the room she belonged inside for bed.

  She walked to the room beside Ida’s and hesitated with her hand on the doorknob. The rooms were all shut tight and she did not desire to wake the sleeping children. Not only would Ida have her head but Charles would not be too pleased either.

  Pressing her ear to the door, she listened for any indication of life on the other side. When there was no noise, she quietly turned the handle and inched the bedroom open, poking her head inside.

  Two small beds sat nestled across from one another. The young girls were both sound asleep. She had no desire to wake them and had to be extra careful as she pulled the door shut, the wood whining and the click of the lock forcing her eyes to widen and pray no one else heard but her.

  Perhaps seeing as how the children had slept through the argument with Ida, they must have been heavy sleepers. It however did very little to slow the pounding of Delia’s heart. She inched further down the hallway, careful not to make a sound as she opened the door. The bedroom was far darker than the hall. At least there had been a lantern in the hallway bathing the home in warm amber light. The bedroom was pitch black but as she kept the door open for several seconds, she could see the bed was empty.

  If it was not her room, she would apologize tomorrow and find out where she was supposed to sleep. Surely Charles had not expected the two of them to share a room together. As much as she would have liked to do that, it was not appropriate it. Besides, who knew what would wake Charles in the morning? Would his two girls come bouncing into the bedroom and startle him awake? It would not be appropriate to find Delia in bed with him.

  This was a much better idea.

  She shut the door and her eyes adjusted as best as possible to the darkness. She stumbled for the bed, her hands out, finding the mattress under her fingers after several long strides. Delia sat down and slipped under the covers. The room felt chilly without the comfort of a fire. Beneath the cool sheets she shifted, drawing the quilt higher up and over her head, burying herself in the warmth of the blankets all around her. Why had she been stupid enough to slip from the warm bedroom and comfort of lying beside Charles? He had not asked her to leave or even said anything about what happened.

  Delia shut her eyes. She would have to deal with a difficult Nanny Ida. She did not want to consider how Charles would respond to what happened. Tomorrow would come soon enough.

  * * * * *

  Charles awoke to the sound of the maids filling his bathtub with water. He mumbled in his sleep, feeling over the bed looking for Delia. The space beside him felt cold. Not only was she not in bed but it seemed she had not been for some time. Charles rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Naked beneath the covers, his clothes had been abandoned and strewn across the floor. The items had not moved an inch since they had been discarded haphazardly. Where had Delia gone?

  His eyes moved over the clock. It would soon be time for Emma to begin her lessons with the governess. Perhaps she had gotten dressed and ready for her first day. Running a hand through his hair, he waited for the housemaid to finish filling the tub with heated water. He would bathe and dress, then have breakfast, after which he would find Delia and make sure she was doing all right.

  The moment the housemaid left the room, he stalked across the room and into the tub, sinking into the warm water as steam coiled from the layer of water. It felt heavenly and after last night’s activities with Delia, he needed to get cleaned up. Stretching out in the bath, his eyes shut, relaxing as he enjoyed the quiet morning. It had always been his favorite part of the day, when the sun rose and the first light stretched along the horizon. He had taken yesterday off, a rarity in his line of work, but with the governess coming to his home, Charles had insisted on being there to gree
t her. The last thing he wanted was another young woman to run off.

  Thus far he had not thought he had scared her. Their interactions had been quite interesting though he tried not to dwell on it. She was young, naive, and would need as much schooling in submission as his children needed in a proper education. There was a hidden fire inside of Delia. He had seen it the first day that they met at her father’s shop. Why had he ignored the signs? Though what would he have done differently? Perhaps he had been fortunate that she had desired a job and a life away from her home.

  A repetitive insistent knock sounded on his door.

  “Yes?” Charles said, hoping whoever it was would leave him in peace.

  “It is Delia.” Her soft voice made him smile. She sounded so timid and unsure of herself.

  “Come in and please close the door.”

  “Your children. I was supposed to teach Emma this morning. I know you keep a strict schedule and I went to the nursery but the girls were not there. I can not find the children anywhere.”

  Charles frowned confused as to where else they would be. “Did you find Nanny Ida? Perhaps they are having breakfast or still in bed?” He pushed himself up from the claw bathtub and reached for a towel, drying himself off. The cold air forced goose bumps to form on his skin.

  Delia momentarily looked away while he dried off and retrieved clean clothes. His drawers were pulled on first. “I checked in the girls’ bedroom, the dining room, the nursery, and outside.”

  That was not like Nanny Ida to disappear with his girls without a proper schedule and giving notice. Did they have plans that he had forgotten about?

  “Have you asked any of the other staff?” He buttoned his shirt and slipped on his trousers before heading for the door.

  “No one has seen the three of them since before dawn.”

  Charles sighed. It did not make sense. Where would Nanny Ida have taken Emma and Alice? Surely she knew Emma had lessons with the governess and he was adamant about keeping a strict schedule. Had she done this for attention? Perhaps she had been jealous of the new governess? Ida had certainly intended to embarrass Delia given what she had done to her the previous night. That could not be the reason for her disappearance with the girls, could it? Had the plan backfired on her when she had realized Delia had not left the bedroom?

  Delia stood in her pink gown and he smiled glancing her over. “Were you planning on wearing that while teaching my young impressionable daughter?”

  Her cheeks burned and she turned, prepared to head out of the room.

  “Delia. Your clothes are in here. There is no reason to rush out in such haste. I am sure Emma and Alice are fine. Nanny Ida is probably just looking for attention. Get dressed and meet me downstairs for breakfast.”

  “What about Emma? I am supposed to begin her lessons this morning.”

  “She will have to wait,” Charles said. He usually did not dismiss the education of his children but what was the harm in having a morning off? Charles would enjoy a nice breakfast with Delia before he had a second look around the house to make sure his girls were not hiding. He wouldn’t put it past them to be playing a trick on Delia, especially at the hands of Nanny Ida.

  * * * * *

  Delia’s stomach flopped. Could Charles be right and that was no real concern with the girls not being ready on time? Emma was supposed to be ready to begin her schooling, Nanny Ida knew that. Had she intended to irritate Delia or just show Charles that the new governess could not keep time? She would do as told, enjoy breakfast with Charles before worrying herself further on the care and well-being of those two young children. If the girls’ father was not worried, why should she be? Surely he knew Nanny Ida far better than Delia had, spending just a day with her.

  Breakfast was difficult to stomach. Delia lost her appetite at the mere thought of something tragic happening to his two children. Did Nanny Ida have it in her to bring harm to the Hayward girls? The woman seemed unstable at best. Had there been no tell-tale signs prior to Delia’s arrival? Surely Charles should have noticed if the nanny had been acting in an odd or peculiar manner.

  “Is something wrong with your meal?” Charles asked.

  Had he noticed that she had refused to take a single bite of porridge, instead spooning it repeatedly in a circle, as though she were mixing the contents.

  “No.” What was wrong was the fact his children were missing and he was waiting to go in search of them. Perhaps Charles was right and Nanny Ida was intending to make a mockery of Delia, proving she had no control or power in the Hayward home. “I am concerned for the girls.” There was little point in lying to Charles. “I saw Nanny Ida last night, after I left your room.”

  “You did?” Charles asked, his eyes stared deep into Delia’s, refusing to look away or blink.

  It seemed he had not been aware that she had left long before morning. “She waited outside the door, probably to scold me or laugh. I do not know which. Either way, she seemed quite angry at what transpired between us.”

  “Ida is jealous,” Charles said, matter of fact. He sighed, taking a bite of bread before shaking his head. “Even so, it does not give her the right to harass you or keep my children from their studies.” He sipped from his water before returning his attention solely to Delia. “Emma should be in class right now with you. This troubles me far greater than I thought earlier.”

  “I suspect that Nanny Ida is trying to shield the children from further abandon by a governess.” Delia was not quite sure that was what the nanny had intended but she was giving the older woman the benefit before she had time to explain herself. Charles had replaced the position of governess far more times than any child should have experienced in just seven years.

  Charles stewed on Delia’s explanation. “Very well, if you believe that to be the reason, then why are you pushing the porridge around in your bowl? Why do you have no appetite?”

  He had seen through the fact she was trying to cover for Nanny Ida, even after what that woman had done to her. “I am concerned for the girls’ safety and whether they will return home,” Delia said, expelling a sigh of relief as the confession slipped from her tongue.

  He pushed back his chair, the groan of wood sliding against marble as he headed straight for the door. It seemed he ate all he was going to for breakfast. “Are you coming?” Charles asked, glancing back at Delia as she sat with the spoon in hand.

  She dropped the silver utensil and rushed toward the door, following him into the foyer. She bundled up, wearing her cloak to keep the morning chill from making her cold. The air by the afternoon would be warm and welcoming but a cold front had not loosened its noose on the city.

  While Delia buttoned her cloak, Charles found Frank and brought him into the foyer. “We must leave at once to find Nanny Ida and the girls. Do you know where she may have taken them?”

  Delia retrieved the children’s coats from the closet and slung them over her arm. The children would likely be cold and uncomfortable wherever they had gone off to.

  “She could not have gone far on foot,” Frank said. As the coachman for the Hayward residence, Nanny Ida could not have traveled more than a few miles without a carriage or horses. “Perhaps we should try the park.”

  “Lets go,” Charles said, heading for the front door. He unlocked the door and headed outside, barely wasting a second, a different attitude then he had earlier. Had the discussion during breakfast made him realize that Nanny Ida had not only been out of line but possibly out of her mind?

  Delia followed, not wanting to be left behind as she swiftly climbed into the back of the coach. “May I make a suggestion?”

  Charles sat across from Delia, riding backwards. Frank wasted not a second as they headed onto the trail away from the house for the park.

  “Go ahead,” Charles said, nodding for her to speak.

  “Nanny Ida was not thinking rationally. If she had been, the girl’s coats would be with them. Taking the girls to the park would have been for Emma and Alice�
��s benefit but I do not believe that was her intention. We should pay a visit to the train station.”

  Charles’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure?”

  Delia was not sure but she knew that if she had been hauled up with a man who had not noticed her and she had been deeply in love with him, then she was likely bent out on revenge, which meant she had the forethought to kidnap two children. There was little chance Nanny Ida would stick around. Leaving town would be the most sensible. Had Ida wanted to be the girls’ mother and had that been the reason she had brought them with her? Did her desire to care for them outweigh all sensible thought, or had it all been a plot of revenge, to cause Charles heartache because he had chosen Delia over her?

  * * * * *

  Why had Nanny Ida run off with his children? Had she no respect for the years of service to him and his girls? Anger bubbled beneath the surface and though he tried to hide his discomfort as his chest ached and his stomach knotted, he had no choice but to listen to Delia.

  “Frank!” His voice bellowed from inside the coach. “Change of course. You shall take us to the train station.”

  “Yes, sir.” Frank headed away from the park and rode north toward the nearest station.

  The ride felt as though it took a lifetime, each second ticking away seemed like minutes. Charles’s leg bounced anxiously, finding it impossible to sit still as he glanced out one window and then the other on the opposite side of the carriage.

  Delia had not said a word since suggesting the train station. Had she worried that she was wrong? Charles did not know which was worse, being right and discovering his girls were gone or that he had been led like a fool and had not known where to look for his children.