“You see, sir, for as long as I can remember, I have been unwanted, a burden, which has made me rather anxious at times and I do not always cope with things in the best way.
“However, I will give credit where credit is due and in recent weeks I have been under the tutelage of Lady Calliope and Lady Tempest and I feel I have made great strides, but the issue continues. Just this morning I stumbled getting out of bed and injured my toe. In only a few minutes of sitting upon this bench, I managed to get my sleeve tangled with one of the branches of this tree, as you observed. There is even a small tear in the sleeve of my dress. It seems I am constantly the cause of some type of distress, it is most disconcerting. I would understand, if you felt it was too much of a burden to undertake.”
Though it pained her deeply to make the offer, she felt in good conscience she could not inflict her discombobulated lifestyle upon him without full disclosure.
Well, a mostly full disclosure.
5
Lucas studied her, noting despite her admission of awkwardness she had in fact spoken with a quiet dignity which he wondered if she was aware of.
He had seen the disruption she was capable of creating, seemingly through no fault of her own. It was quite a remarkable quality, he had to admit. The question for him now was whether he wished to commit to a lifetime of such possibilities.
He had asked Lady Ambrosia to find him a bride. And she had done so. The girl clearly was a woman of some character for she offered up the opportunity for him to withdraw from their arranged marriage.
Her nervousness saddened him and made him curious.
What would cause such anxieties within this young woman? And furthermore, his medical mind was a bit curious. Could such a malady be cured?
He thought of the young women back in Briar Glen—the pushy and aggressive young ladies who had done nothing but seek out his intentions. And then he glanced down at the sweet young lady, who would actually offer to let him off the hook.
His heart softened further. “What shall become of you, Miss Moon, if I should accept your offer and decline to marry you?”
An embarrassed flush stole across her cheeks. “Dr. Spencer,” she said, “I appreciate your concern. But I am sure I will be able to find some situation suitable for me.”
It was a rather vague reply, and Lucas suspected he knew the truth of it. He decided to try another tactic.
“Tell me about the ladies who have accompanied you here today,” he said.
Her countenance brightened and she smiled up at him. “Those ladies are my very dearest friends I have ever met. Lady Calliope is married to Colonel St. Clair, who is my guardian. My father was a soldier and his dying wish was for Colonel St. Clair to care for me. The other young woman, the one with the red hair, is Lady Tempest Knox. She is married to Lord Knox, Lady Calliope’s son.”
“I see,” he said. “So they are in some way responsible for you, is that correct?”
“Yes, they are,” she said. She sat up straight and looked him in the eye, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “You have not answered my question, sir. It took a great deal of courage for me to ask it, and so I hope you will grant me the courtesy of not delaying your response any further, as I am quite anxious and if you should choose not to go through with the marriage, I should prefer to be on my way sooner rather than later.”
What an odd little creature she was, yet she had captured his heart.
“I apologize, Miss Moon. But, as you know, this is a significant decision for both of us and though we have agreed to allow Lady Ambrosia to select spouses for us, that does not mean we ought to blindly follow whatever she has decreed.”
“Oh, no. Of course not, sir. This is a most serious decision and I believe it would be less of a heartache for me to bear if you were to decide today I am unsuitable rather than coming to that conclusion after we have spoken vows. Being rejected on just a few minutes acquaintance would be unpleasant, but to have you come to despise me upon knowing me better—well, sir, that would be truly devastating to my soul.”
“Well,” he said, fighting back a smile for he would never wish to embarrass her by having her believe him making sport of her after such a serious statement, “I would not like to be the one who caused devastation to your soul.” He relaxed a bit and took the seat next to her, clasping one of her hands between both of his and looked deep into her expressive eyes. “I am a doctor in a village. I have a modest but comfortable home and a secure living. It will be nothing like what I expect you are accustomed to with the fine ladies who have brought you here today. Do you understand?”
She must have realized the import of his words and that he had not chosen to reject her outright, at least not yet. The delicate hand which he held between his, relaxed; her tiny gloved fingers unclenched and lay against his leather covered palm. “Yes, sir,” she said, her voice a breathy whisper as though she dared not speak too loudly for fear he would change his mind. “It may not come as a surprise to you to learn I have found myself lost several times both inside and outside at Primrose Park, the Knox family country home. So perhaps I am better suited to a more modest but comfortable home, like the one you describe.”
It was the strangest thing but hearing those words from her sent a feeling of warmth spreading through his body. It was a thrill of excitement and, truth be told, it was excitement both emotional and physical. She was so sweet and guileless, all he wanted to do was hold her in his lap and protect her. Taking a deep breath, he tamped down his enthusiasm, for there were still matters to be arranged between the two of them.
“I am pleased to hear you say you will find my home and lifestyle suitable. There is one other matter about which I must be quite clear with you.”
“Yes, sir. I am listening most attentively.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that,” he said. “Because this is of utmost importance. I expect an obedient wife and I am not a man to spare the rod when it comes to wifely discipline.”
A small gasp escaped her lips. “Y-you intend to spank me?”
“When the situation calls for it, yes. I intend to take you over my knee and punish your bottom. As we will be husband and wife, it will be upon your bare bottom. Among other punishm—”
Before he could finish his thought, she had withdrawn her hand which had been firmly encased in his and thrown her arms around his neck in an exuberant hug before she pulled away, embarrassed. “Oh, please forgive me, sir. It is simply that... well,” she had to pause to catch her breath and he could not look away for he was completely stunned by her reaction, “I know Lord Knox spanks Lady Tempest and even Colonel St. Clair disciplines Lady Calliope and I have never known men who love their wives as much as those two do. I would be honored to have a husband who cared enough to turn me over his knee. It would be a small bit of discomfort for such a worthy affection.”
Her spontaneity startled him, but her enthusiasm for being punished—or more accurately her enthusiasm for having a husband who intended to punish her—was beyond his comprehension, though he had to acknowledge she was absolutely correct in her assessment. A husband who truly cared for his wife and wished to protect her and assist her in improving her behavior had to be willing to turn her over his knee. Or bend her over the end of a sofa. Or a desk... or an examination table…
His heart pounded as he envisioned the possibilities, his delicate little wife stretched across his lap as his hand landed with firm precision over the smooth globes of her arse. The excitement which he had tamped down moments before reared its head again and Lucas knew he needed to take action soon to make this beguiling young lady his bride.
He took a deep breath and got down on one knee. “Miss Seraphina Moon, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Seraphina gaped at the handsome doctor on bended knee. She wondered if she might swoon. She was not actually sure what caused one to swoon, but she had read about it in several novels which Lady Tempest had encouraged her to read as part of her education in b
ecoming a proper lady and it sounded divinely romantic. She had told herself if ever a handsome man proposed to her, she felt certain she would be so overcome by the beauty of the moment she would assuredly swoon.
She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead in a move which she had read about as a precursor to a worthwhile swoon, but no swoon overtook her.
Despite the lack of a dramatic and elegant swoon whereby she would no doubt land gracefully at the feet of her true love, Seraphina had to admit it was still the most thrilling moment of her short life. Even in her most vivid imaginings, she had never conjured up a man so handsome and gallant as Dr. Lucas Spencer.
She clasped his hands and smiled broadly. “Yes,” she said, “oh yes, of course I will marry you.”
Somewhere in the distance she could swear she heard trumpets blasting to accompany her jubilation.
Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, and her breath came in short pants. She, in fact, did become somewhat lightheaded, and braced herself for the fainting spell which she was sure would accompany this most glorious of moments.
She gazed upon Dr. Lucas Spencer, the man who would soon be her husband—and the hero of every one of her romantic fantasies embodied in one person—and could hardly believe the stupendous good fortune which had come her way. Dr. Spencer stood up, and looked down at her with a most attractive smile. Not only was her heart pounding, but the intensity of his gaze combined with his extremely handsome features caused her tummy to flutter. She had, of course, read about these very feelings in a number of novels and knew for certain she had most definitely fallen in love.
“Now that we have settled that matter,” Dr. Spencer said taking her hand and helping her to stand, “I believe there is a wedding party waiting for us inside, shall we join them?”
“Yes, of course,” she said. “But I do not have a wedding bouquet.” She glanced around the garden. “That should be easily remedied.” And she set about plucking an assortment of flowers from the brightly colored blooms all around them. When she had collected a sufficient number, she clutched them together in her hand and nodded to the doctor. “I believe I am ready now.”
They went inside and joined the others
Both Lady Tempest and Lady Calliope jumped up from their seats, worried expressions upon their faces when they saw Seraphina and the doctor return.
“I apologize, Dr. Spencer, if I was too direct in my statements to you earlier,” Lady Tempest said. “I hope you will not hold my behavior against Seraphina, for she is a sweet girl, and I should hate for my abruptness to reflect poorly upon her. She is an exceptionally well-behaved young lady, I can assure you.”
Before either Dr. Spencer or Seraphina could respond, Lady Calliope jumped into the conversation. “Oh, yes, please, do not allow our silliness to deter you from taking Seraphina as your bride. We are merely a couple of dotty old ladies—”
“We may be dotty,” Lady Tempest said, “but I, for one, am not old. And I refuse to even consider the possibility.”
“My apologies, my dear,” Lady Calliope said. “It was merely a slip of the tongue, for no one could consider you an old married lady. Though,” she added with a wink, “you are the mother of two.”
“Yes,” Lady Tempest said, “those two will run me ragged. And likely send me to an early grave.”
“If we are all in agreement,” the vicar said endeavoring to cut off the possibility Seraphina’s two friends would continue to chatter, as they no doubt had been the entire time Seraphina and the doctor had been outside, “then let us not waste any time in getting inside the sanctuary in order to make this union legal.”
Lady Tempest and Lady Calliope practically squealed with delight as they walked on either side of Seraphina and her groom.
“Oh, your flowers are lovely. Is that why you went into the garden?” Lady Calliope said. “How very clever of you. How could we have forgotten about a bouquet, Tempest?”
“It is shocking, is it not? What sorts of help are we if we do not make sure a bride has a bouquet? However,” she added, “when I married, Lady Ambrosia made a bouquet out of the flowers I selected from a large vase. That was how she decided I ought to marry Lord Knox, so I expected the same today.”
“I had expected to be selecting flowers also,” Lady Calliope said. “I even wore a large flower covered hat in an effort to make the job easier for her, but she made me do cartwheels and other such tasks in order to find a match for me. And this morning, she did something completely different with our dear Seraphina.”
“Yes, I found it rather fascinating, did you not?” By now, Lady Tempest and Lady Calliope had begun walking together instead of flanking the bride and groom and they continued their conversation between the two of them.
“It was. Lady Ambrosia is full of surprises.”
While all this took place, Dr. Spencer slowed his pace, and by extension, Seraphina’s, until several yards separated them from the chattering ladies of Primrose Park. “Are those two always so talkative?” Dr. Spencer said, leaning down to whisper in her ear, his warm breath sending a shiver of excitement down Seraphina’s spine.
Because she, too, was a chatterer, Seraphina had never thought Lady Tempest and Lady Calliope were annoying with their excessive verbiage, but when her attention was more focused on her thoughts and feelings, as well as the handsome man who was about to become her husband, she could see how such prattle could be tiresome, particularly to a man with as many important thoughts as Dr. Spencer. She made a mental note to keep that in mind so as to maintain control of her own often loose lips. The thought of displeasing Dr. Spencer was not one she relished.
Though he had mentioned spanking. Her chest filled with warmth as she imagined his stern gaze when he ordered her to position herself across his lap. Oh heavens. He had said all her spankings would be on the bare. Heat suffused her face and her breath hitched in her throat. Dr. Spencer halted their progress and leaned down again, though this time out of concern and not to whisper in her ear. “Miss Moon,” he said, “are you quite all right?”
Through the haze of her thoughts she focused her gaze upon him. “Would someone who talked as much as they do earn themselves a spanking from you, Dr. Spencer?”
6
Bloody hell! The imp asked an impertinent question just as they arrived at the chapel and Reverend Ellis directed them to stand before the altar. How was he supposed to concentrate on his vows when all he could think about was taking the naughty little miss over his lap and applying his palm to the perfectly rounded globes of her backside? He imagined the smooth, creamy skin and the way her flesh would jiggle after each smack landed. His handprint would glow briefly against her punished bottom and then disappear just in time for him to inflict another swat.
“Dr. Spencer? I beg your pardon, sir.”
Lucas shook his head to clear the lewd thoughts from his mind and looked in the direction of the voice calling to him. Reverend Ellis stared at him. “Doctor, are you ready to proceed?”
Glancing around, Lucas realized all eyes were upon him. How long had he been daydreaming about his soon-to-be bride’s curvy bottom? “I beg your pardon, vicar. Please, proceed.”
Lady Tempest and Lady Calliope exchanged a glance and Lucas disliked considering what the meaning of that look might have been. No matter, he told himself. After the ceremony ended, he was unlikely to encounter those two gadabouts again.
Reverend Ellis cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved,” he began. “Aaahhchooo!” The vicar’s words were cut short by a tremendous sneeze which startled everyone in the room.
Next to him, Lucas felt Seraphina jerk quickly to stare at the source of the disrupting noise, her eyes wide and her cheeks quickly flushing scarlet. “What the he—”
“Oh dear.” Lady Tempest rushed forward, interrupting Seraphina’s words, but instead of going to the aid of the sneezing vicar, she grabbed hold of Seraphina’s arm. “I am sure that was not intended, but it certainly was surprising. But all is well now.”
Lady Calliope joined in, the two women apparently unconcerned they were disrupting the wedding ceremony. “Now, Seraphina, no need to be alarmed.”
If he was not mistaken, Lucas noted a swift look of anger cross his bride’s face but it was quickly dissipated by the words and deeds of her two female guardians.
“Of course,” Seraphina said after a moment, smiling beatifically. “Vicar, are you unwell?”
“My apologies,” the vicar said, reaching inside his coat for a handkerchief. “Shall we continue?”
“By all means,” Lady Tempest said, returning to stand behind the bride and groom and taking her mother-in-law with her. “In fact, if you would not mind speeding things up, I do not think anyone would object.”
Lucas had never met women like Lady Calliope and Lady Tempest and he rather hoped this would be his last encounter with them. It was no wonder their husbands, at least according to Seraphina, frequently administered discipline. He said a silent prayer for the sanity of those two men.
But he could not argue with her point. “I have no objection, Reverend Ellis, if you wish to expedite matters.”
The vicar, who was now in a full blown allergic fit, stifled another sneeze, blew his nose and hurried on to the vows.
“With this ring, I thee wed, with my body, I thee worship and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.”
There was a long pause as Lucas allowed the import of the words to wash over him. From this day forward, there would never be a time when Seraphina was not his wife, was not his helpmate and his responsibility. His to care for and protect.
His trained doctor’s ears detected additional sounds of sniffles and he looked round to see both Lady Tempest and Lady Calliope were awash in tears. “Do not mind us,” Lady Calliope said, waving for him to turn back around, “weddings always make me cry.”
Lessons for His Bride (Regency Matchmaker Book 3) Page 5
