The Virgin at Goodrich Hall Read Online Free PDF Page A

tempting flesh.
    “I believe women find it enjoyable, but I would think for your first time, you should request your partner be gentler than Andrew was with Anna. Her body is used to the intrusion. Yours would not be and you could tear.”
    She flamed red at his words and dropped her gaze.
    “I do not say it to be crude, simply to warn you to be careful. The pain could turn you from the act if your partner is not gentle,” he said, seeking her gaze.
    Taking a deep breath, she looked back to him. “I know. It is silly for me to feel embarrassment at your words. Please forgive my ignorance. I have only one friend I could converse with on so plain a level, but she has recently wed. All talk of the act is now filled with notions of love and tenderness. I find it all rather nauseating, to be truthful.”
    Amused, Victor leant back onto his elbows, crossing his legs at the ankles as he reclined on the bed. “You find the mention of love in a tryst nauseating?”
    She huffed out a laugh, relaxing enough to rest her chin in the palm of her hands. “I suppose I am simply jealous of my dear friend. She has found happiness with a lord who, before I came to know him better, scared all sense out of me. People may think him a brute, but Belfort is so in love with Claire it makes me weep.”
    “Belfort? I missed his wedding. A shame, I was too busy with estate matters to leave. I am glad to hear my good friend is happy. I, too, know what you mean about Damon. He might appear a bear with a thorn in his paw, but he is loyal to a fault.”
    She gasped and covered her mouth. “You know him? I…I—”
    Reaching out, he tenderly took the hand from her mouth. “Do not fret.”
    “You know my friend! I should never have come,” she murmured, and looked longingly towards the door.
    Victor cursed himself for speaking so frankly. He was not ready to have her leave. For a man who had come here for a night of debauchery, he was suddenly quite content to sit here with Maggie and simply talk. It was a fact that shocked him to the core, but, nonetheless, it was true.
    “I do not know your friend—simply her husband,” he soothed.
    She gaped openly at him. “I will visit her regularly. What will happen if you are there when I am in attendance?”
    “We can be friends as well?” he said.
    Maggie closed her eyes and murmured under her breath before she looked back at him. “I could be married by then. My husband would not appreciate my…you…” She paused and narrowed her eyes at him. “I simply do not think he would approve.”
    “You are going to inform your husband about your dealings at Goodrich Hall?” Victor asked in surprise.
    She gasped. “Of course not!”
    He smiled. “Then perhaps we could become very close friends during our stay with the Belforts?” he suggested.
    Her eyes widened before turning hard. “While I may not love the man I marry, I will be faithful to him.”
    Victor was struck by how different she was to the normal chits that graced society. Most were after wealth and power. Maggie had implied an interest in neither. She was refreshing.
    “Then I applaud you. I can only dream of finding a woman who would grace me with such loyalty.”
    She studied him with her beautiful eyes for a moment, until they grew glassy with moisture. Instantly he felt regret—not for his words, but simply for her situation. It was much similar to his own, although, as a man, he was granted more freedom with his life. It was a wonder she had been able to attend tonight. Victor thanked the stars for her father’s inattentive eye.
    He reached up and cupped her face in his palm, moving his thumb under her mask to catch the bead of moisture that had broken free. She closed her eyes for a moment, more tears escaping before she opened them to look at him again. He felt so powerful under her gaze. She wanted him. He knew it, and it humbled him. How odd a feeling it was. Of all the women to grace his pleasure, none had held his