Rose sat opposite Titus in the carriage, trying to read his face by the light of the lantern swinging left and right above her head. He seemed furious. “Have I done something wrong, Papa?” she asked after a long silence. “Is it because you had to leave your horse behind? Father will ride it back for you. Please don’t be angry.”

“I’m disappointed,” Titus said at last.

“In me?”

“In your parents. They took you out before you were ready. They introduced you to a man most unsuited to being a husband. They brought on your tantrum.”

“You don’t like Jonathan either?”

“How could I like him after what he did to you?”

“I thought you might have forgotten about that.”

“Have you?”

“Heaven knows I have tried.”

“It is better to remember and learn from such things. Never trust an honourable respectable gent; they are the worst liars and rogues.”

“Including yourself?”

“I am no gent.”

“You are too modest. You are the brother of Thaddeus Burlingham? Future member of the House of Lords and all that.”

“That’s Thaddeus, not me. I am apparently the black sheep of my family.”

Rose frowned, leaning towards him. “I meant to ask you about that. Why do you do this tutoring when you have a family fortune at your disposal?”

“Because it is not at my disposal. Thaddeus is the elder brother. He gets the estate. If I begged him, he might scatter a few coppers in my direction but I have no intention of doing that. I much prefer to make my own way in the world.”

“I don’t think that’s the only reason you do it.”

“No?”

“I think you enjoy it.”

Titus let out a laugh. “I suppose I do.”

“There’s that smile. I thought it had perhaps gone forever.”

“Anything else you want to know about me?”

“Do you love me?”

“That’s a bold question, Rose.”

“Will you answer?”

“At the end of the week. It would not be proper to talk of such things whilst I am employed to tutor you.”

“Proper? You talk of propriety? Was it proper for you to come inside me?”

“That is not the talk of a lady!”

“No, but it is the talk of a little Rose who wants some love from her Papa and receives none.”

“You are not in charge around here and it would do you good to remember that.”

Rose pouted, sticking out her tongue and folding her arms to sulk.

“Enough of that, little Rose. Put that tongue away.”

“I won’t!”

“Right, on your knees and I’ll give that tongue something to do.”

Rose slid from the seat, squeezing into the tiny floor space of the carriage whilst Titus fumbled with his trousers. She saw his hand reaching inside and then his member was in front of her face. Her tongue remained sticking out as he ran the shaft along it, the heat of his spongy but hard flesh making her eyes light up with desire. Without prompting, she took him into her mouth, sinking down onto his length whilst staring up into his eyes.

She felt his hands on the back of her head, pushing her down further onto him, making her gag. Her throat grew sore as he thrust into her mouth harder and faster but she didn’t care. She belonged to him, she was his to use, no other man would ever do this to her, she vowed it in that moment. She only wanted him.

When he lifted her head off him, she took several gasping breaths before he growled at her. “Do not move.”

She watched as his hand wrapped around his shaft and he began to rub up and down, his fingers becoming blurred as he stroked himself whilst she remained perfectly still, wondering just what he had planned.

A minute later, he let out a groan and then the shaft in his hand jerked back and forth. A second later his hot seed spurted from the end, coating her face. It splashed onto her cheeks, trickling down over her lips to her chin. A second spurt came out as he moved closer, wiping the tip of him over her face, marking her as his property.

“Sit back up there and do not touch it,” he said, pushing his member back into his trousers. “That is to remind you who is in charge around here. You appear to have forgotten.”

Rose did not mind at all, in fact she liked the feel of it on her skin, a physical sign of how he felt about her, the impact she could have on him, the intimacy they had just enjoyed, such a private act and yet the evidence of it was there on her face.

By the time they reached home, the seed had begun to dry on her skin. “Get out and follow me into the house,” Titus said, pushing open the carriage door. Once the two of them were down on the pavement, Titus called up to the driver. “You may return to collect Mrs. Winter; Mr. Winter will ride my horse back, I believe.”

“Very good, sir,” the driver replied, urging the horses on and leaving Rose alone with Titus.

“You looked at the ground so he didn’t see,” Titus said, matter-of-factly. “I will not have you hide what I have done. Walk into the house with your head held high.”

Rose followed Titus into the house, a maid crossing the hallway took a glance at her then did a double take before continuing on her way, vanishing through the door to the servants’ staircase, no doubt to gossip with the rest of the staff.

“Upstairs,” Titus said, leading Rose through the house, taking her to the second floor and then into her bedroom. “Into bed.”

She climbed in and he tucked the blankets around her shoulders. “I am glad you brought me home.”

“Your parents want me to punish you for your tantrum.”

“I have no doubt, they do. Is this not punishment enough?” She pointed at the dried seed on her face.

“That was for questioning me. We will deal with your tantrum in the morning. For now, I will bid you good night.”