The castle halls of Derek Cox, Marquess of Bedlam, were vast and imposing, reflecting the grandeur of his title and unwavering loyalty to his King. Cox had always been a dedicated man, both on the battlefield and at court, but now , a new mission tormented him. Amidst the hills that delimited the kingdom's lands, his mind was stuck on a much more personal issue: marriage.
“I cannot continue to postpone this matter, Cox,” said Sir Hector, the Marquess's advisor, with a serious expression. — The king was clear. A man of your station needs a wife.
Without legitimate heirs, your enemies on the borders will see this as a weakness. Cox stood up, walking to the window where the golden light of the setting sun shone over the fields. He was a man used to being in control, but the idea of marriage made him feel trapped.
Love, for him, had never been more than a game of seduction, an exchange for pleasure and temporary satisfaction. — Marry me… any woman who comes to fulfill a protocol? — His voice was lower than he intended.
—That would be a burden. Hector, familiar with the Marquis's amorous adventures, gave a slight smile and suggested: — Then buy a wife, my lord. It need not be more than a convenient arrangement.
The proposal sounded cold, but practical. A purchased woman would require nothing more than a contract, allowing Cox to pursue his pleasures without guilt. Cox, although reluctant, knew he had no choice.
Camille Laurent, young and delicate, had green eyes as vivid as the forests that surrounded her village. His life changed drastically after his mother's death. Her stepfather, a cruel and self-serving man, treated her like a nuisance.
When he received the proposal to marry Camille to the powerful Marquess of Bedlam in exchange for a fortune, he didn't hesitate. Camille, on the other hand, felt trapped. She had never dreamed of love, but the idea of being sold as merchandise to a man she didn't know broke her heart.
“There's nothing you can do, girl,” her stepfather said harshly, his eyes fixed on the purse full of gold coins he now possessed. — You will do what I say. The days that followed were a mixture of resignation and despair for Camille.
Fate handed her a dark future, but at the same time, she saw no other way out but to accept it. When he finally arrived at the Marquis's castle, the cold and grand environment offered him no comfort. Camille had been welcomed only as an arrangement that would make life easier for the man she would have to marry.
However, my dears, to Camille's total feeling of insignificance, the Marquis had taken to the castle a woman who would provide him with pleasures in the right proportion to his needs, since the lands he occupied were far from major social events. She was Lady Evelyn, a cunning and cruel woman, who now saw Camille as an intruder. The wedding was quick, without pomp or celebrations, and soon after the ceremony, Camille found herself alone in the property's large rooms.
To her surprise, on the first night of marriage, Camille discovered that the Marquis would spend the night in his room with Lady Evelyn. The next morning, Lady Evelyn, seeing Camille sad in a corner, teased her, saying: — Do you think this marriage means something? — Evelyn hissed, while Camille, shy, tried to stand her ground.
— He always comes back to me, no matter how many vows he makes. Day after day, Camille endured humiliation. The castle, with its lofty towers and stone corridors, was as cold as her husband's gaze and his lover's whispers.
But Camille, despite her pain, was strong. She didn't complain, she didn't cry in front of anyone. However, in the silence of the night, sitting by the fireplace in her room, she prayed for a breath of peace.
But I have one thing to tell you before continuing with this story, my dears! Cox was a man of passions, a libertine, but not completely insensitive. As he observed Camille looking sad in the corners of the palace, he tried to maintain a close relationship, not only with the aim of showing his gratitude for having agreed to marry him, without having ever seen each other, but out of pure concern for her.
—Camille, I see that you live around the corners of the castle and shows deep sadness. Am I right? —And that worries you, sir?
Does my sadness at being forced to marry a man who doesn't love me surprise you? —Yes, Camille, because you accepted my proposal and the money I offered. —Derek said —Sir, I was not consulted if I wanted to get married.
I was simply forced. After this speech, he told his entire sad journey living with his stepfather, after his mother's death. She talked about hearing every day that she was a nuisance… Dead weight and worthless.
In the end, he concluded: —For me, it is indifferent to suffer here or in my stepfather's house. . .
The Marquis was really surprised to discover the truth about the agreement he made with her stepfather, however it was too late. The wedding had already taken place and if he returned her to her stepfather, her suffering would continue. As they talked, Lady Evelyn watched them from afar.
She thought to herself: —I have to put this little woman in her place and demonstrate that, despite not being officially his wife, it is with me that he takes pleasure. And so Lady Evelyn did. He chased Camille to humiliate her every moment he could while they were alone.
However, for a man notoriously known for his vigilant and observant character as Marquis Derek, Lady Evelyn's actions did not go unnoticed. As the weeks went by, he noticed the way Evelyn treated Camille. There was something about Camille that was beginning to disarm him—her quiet strength, her grace even in the face of humiliation.
He never heard a complaint from her, and that intrigued him. One afternoon, as he passed through the gardens, he heard a low cry. He approached and saw Camille crying.
At that moment, he felt something stir deeply in his heart. For the first time, without her seeing him, the Marquis noticed the beauty of his purchased wife. —How beautiful she is!
—He thought to himself. Strangely for Lady Evelyn, that night the Marquess did not want her professional services. He was in no position to think about another woman, as his heart was filled with the beautiful and sweet memory of Camille's image in the garden.
The next morning, Cox ordered Evelyn to leave. His decision was firm and unexpected, leaving his lover astonished. — Are you leaving me because of her?
Evelyn laughed bitterly. — You don't know what you're doing. — I know very well, Evelyn — replied Cox, with a serious tone.
— I'm protecting my wife. With Evelyn's departure, the castle was transformed. The Marquis began to approach Camille, not as the man who had bought her, but as someone who wanted to get to know her.
He believed that Camille deserved him to know her better because she got married. I knew that a woman dreams of a marriage full of love and I understood the suffering that Camille lived in for having been so humiliated. They began to stroll through the gardens, sharing moments when the words became softer, and the smiles more genuine.
— Why didn't you ever complain? — Derek asked one day, as he watched her in the soft evening light. — I knew it wouldn't help — Camille replied calmly.
—But I also knew that, deep down, you are not the cruel man you seemed to be. Those words hit Derek deeply. He felt something more than desire, for for the first time, he wanted to protect someone other than himself.
—But how can he make her fall in love with him, if what he saw in her eyes was just sadness and loneliness? — The Marquis thought day and night. However, my dears, we must not forget that Derek was a seductive and attractive man.
Certainly, it wouldn't be difficult to win a love-thirsty heart like Camille's. One day, the Marquis approached Camille and spoke in her ear: —You are more beautiful than ever today, my wife! As she felt the approach of Derek's virile body, Camille shuddered.
Something about that approach made her virginal desire arouse. Surprised by his feeling, Camille walked away, saying: —Thank you, Derek, but I don't have any attraction that pleases you. He laughed and replied: —You're wrong, my dear, you are a jewel of a woman.
It has all the attributes that please a demanding man like me. — When he finished speaking, he gave him a look of pure desire. My dear ones, how can we stop the flame of passion?
I don't know! I can only say that it was impossible for Camille to stop that desire to be possessed by him. She looked at him, embarrassed by his boldest thoughts and hurriedly left.
With her noticeable signs of wanting him, the Marquis advanced in his attacks. On a moonlit night, he knocked on her bedroom door, with a bottle of wine in his hands, saying: —Today we have been married for five months and I would like to celebrate the date. To that end, he brought us some wine.
Can I come into your room? Camille shuddered at the idea, but she didn't have the strength to refuse the possibility of having her husband, whom she had already wanted for a few days, in her room. —Of course, Derek.
They drank the wine, looked out the window at the beautiful night and a veiled desire reigned between the two, until the Marquis took her in his arms, saying: —Camille, I want you as mine…I want you in my arms as my wife really… She was shaking with pleasure and emotion. —But I don't know how to please you in these matters, Derek! —Don't worry about it, because I know enough to teach you.
You will discover the delights of a night of love and pleasure in my arms. . .
That way, he kissed her passionately. Camille felt the world spinning and wanted to faint in his arms, such was the pleasure. .
. The whole night was a dream come true intoxicating and full of pleasures that Camille had never imagined existed. The Marquis showed that he truly wanted her and Camille enjoyed every touch on her body, moaned with every kiss and gave herself over to the new pleasures she was experiencing.
Time passed, and what began as a marriage of convenience blossomed into a sincere and passionate relationship. Derek found himself captivated by Camille's simplicity and strength, and she, in turn, discovered the noble man behind the title. In the end, the Marquis, who thought he had bought a wife, ended up discovering the value of true love, while Camille found in Derek a companion capable of taking care of her heart with the same intensity that she had once used to dominate the borders of the kingdom.
