England; 1802
Lady Amelia slept through her first affair.
Tucked away in a corner of her mother's lavishly decorated salon, the tiny daughter of the Earl of Ravensburgh dreamt the dreams of the innocent in a silk-lined bassinet made special at the besotted Earl's request; oblivious to the coy laughter of her mother and the heavy breathing of her male companion.
"Why is the child here?" the gentleman whispered in the Countess' ear, swirling his tongue along the delicate peaks and valleys, before catching the soft lobe, gently between his teeth.
"Don't pay her attention," the Countess of Ravensburgh moaned, pulling his face down to meet her wanting lips. "She sleeps as if dead."
"Where is her nurse?" The gentleman inquired with mild interest. Slipping from soft lips to press kisses down the pale column of exposed throat, intent on reaching the lush globes enclosed in silk, currently heaving against his chest.
"Visiting her sister," the Countess panted. "Oh, love, please do not stop."
A surge of lust and pure male satisfaction raced toward his aching groin and the gentleman chuckled and used his teeth to pull the silk down and away from the heaving chest, exposing the perfect mounds he so desired.
The Countess of Ravensburgh, had been- and still was- one of the most desired women in England. The daughter of an English peer and French nobility, she had the English reserve mixed with the French sensuality. She moved with a unique air of confidence that an English lady could never pull off, a trait either inherited or learned from her French mother.
Unlike her English counterparts, the Countess' coloring was exotic. A tiny frame with pale skin and dark, lush hair, a combination that made a man want to treat her gently. But it was her large, gray eyes which dominated her small, heart-shaped face that drew every man to her. They were eyes that promised hours of sensuality and compelled even a hurried man to give her romance, time, and pleasure.
The Countess had spent her first London season flitting from party to party and toying with many a gentleman's heart. Until the Earl of Ravensburgh had entered the scene and, for all intents and purposes, captured the Lady's heart. Known for his strong looks and rich family seat, London society had been atwitter at the match, such a beautiful couple, seemingly in love. And of course, with the lady securely spoken for, the other eligible misses had a fighting chance.
The season had ended with a lavish wedding between the two. And within the first year, the new Countess bore her Earl an heir. A tow-headed child that favored his father. Having born the Earl's son five years prior, she loved him in a remote sort of way. Whether it was the fact that the good natured, tow-headed child looked so much like the Earl, or that the Earl excessively doted on his heir and thus, secured the child's allegiance, the Countess had left the boy's care almost exclusively to his father and nursemaid.
In Amelia, however, the Countess had found her perfect companion. The babe took after herself with a head of dark curls and large gray eyes, instead of a newborns more typical blue. She was quiet and self-reliant, as the Countess had always been. The most beautiful baby, the child turned heads as much as her mother.
Throughout her first year, the tiny daughter of the Earl of Ravensburgh deigned her mother's affairs to be of little importance, spending her time instead in a state of peaceful slumber as the Countess entertained her red-headed gentleman - undisturbed by the sounds and deeds happening close by.
Only once, as the red-headed gentleman slipped his fingers beneath the rich silks of the Countess' skirt, causing a long, pleasure-filled mewling to erupt from the ever-proper Countess, did the sweet angel in the corner stir and fuss. But the Countess wisely bit her lip and stayed silent as her companion stroked her closer to completion, and the babe, no longer disturbed, settled back to sleep.
