Married by Moonlight

by Heather Boyd

  Fielding smirked at him and then opened his hymn book.

  Gilbert had performed a number of weddings before and knew the marriage service by heart. Instead of listening to the words, he watched his bride’s expression as Fielding spoke. He’d never seen her so lovely as when she committed herself to him.

  He took her hand, slipped a simple gold band upon her ring finger and sealed their lives together. His name to spare her life. He glanced at the guests, smiling, until he saw Lady Scott’s cold expression. That was another connection of Anna’s he had yet to win over. And he would, after the murderer was caught.

  He squeezed Anna’s fingers as the service concluded and kept hold of her hand as they were congratulated by their witnesses.

  Anna kept sneaking peeks at him until Miss Hayes joined them. “I always thought I would marry first,” Miss Hayes said immediately after kissing Anna’s cheeks twice and hugging her tightly.

  “So did I,” Anna promised, brushing away a happy tear as she laughed.

  Gilbert put his arm around his bride’s waist. “I know I am one very lucky man.”

  Miss Hayes beamed at him and then returned her attention to Anna. “You will write to me, won’t you, while you are away?” she begged.

  “We’re not leaving London,” Anna said at the same time he did.

  Miss Hayes appeared disappointed. “I thought you would have embarked on a wedding tour. Didn’t you say you always wanted to visit Cornwall when you married?”

  “We’re not going yet.” Actually, Gilbert hadn’t considered a honeymoon trip at all, but now he knew where he would take Anna when the time came. “But we will tour Cornwall soon, I assure you.”

  Anna smiled happily at the news.

  He looked away a moment to view the other guests. Carmichael appeared a little lost now the ceremony was over, and he was going to leave Anna to speak with him—until he caught Miss Hayes’ next whispered words.

  “Are you nervous about tonight?”

  There was a telling silence from Anna. Of course she would be nervous about her wedding night, but she had nothing to fear. He turned back to his bride before her friend could put ridiculous ideas into her head to make her dread the coming evening. “Darling, we should circulate.”

  “Of course,” Anna agreed. “Excuse me, Portia.”

  He looped her arm through his and kept her at his side for the next hour as they spoke to friends. He had to admit, facing Lady Scott felt just a little daunting. Apparently, she had only learned there would be a wedding service as Carmichael’s carriage brought her here. The lady was a little frosty with him but when she spoke to Anna, her voice was full of warmth. “Your mother would have been so proud of the way you comported yourself today.”

  “Thank you,” Anna murmured. “I like to think she was looking down on us today. As I was standing beside Father, I felt the strangest sensation across my skin, like a gust of happy breeze on a still day.”

  “I’m sure you did,” Gilbert murmured. “My late mother would have loved you, too.”

  Then the time came to sit down to the wedding breakfast, a vast feast his bride had rushed to prepare. “This is wonderful,” he whispered to her. “I can see I’ll never starve.”

  “No, my lord. I aim to keep you very satisfied at home.”

  He raised a brow at that statement. Anna was a fast learner when it came to intimacy, but he did not think she’d meant her words as they had first sounded to him. “I look forward to that,” he murmured, and then dug into what remained of the feast that left nothing to be desired, until it was time to leave.

  Full and replete from the wedding breakfast, he said his goodbyes, and then waited for Anna to do the same. Parting from her father seemed the most difficult. He was glad to be away in the end, glad to at last bring Anna safely to his home just as night was falling.

  Gilbert’s staff were lined up in the front hall, and he introduced them perfunctorily, conscious they had returned late. The servants picked up on his mood and scattered as soon as he dismissed them, returning downstairs to partake of their own evening meal.

  “Let me show you around your new home,” he murmured, snatching up a brace of candles to light the way.

  “I’ve been trying to picture you here, writing your letters to me,” she told him.

  “Those were written in the parlor. The servants’ staircase is behind the staircase down here to your left. The door to your right leads to the dining room, farther back is the master bedchamber and a dressing room.” He took her to the staircase and they ascended to the first floor, side by side. “On this floor is the drawing room and over there is the parlor. I spend most of my time in that room.”

  They stepped into the room and Anna looked about her eagerly. A fire was already burning and a selection of cold food and wine had been laid upon the table already in case they were hungry. Thanks to the sumptuous twelve-course wedding breakfast Anna had meticulously planned and served up, he would have to eat lightly for the next week.

  Against every wall of the parlor, piled high on every surface except the chairs, were books he had acquired during his visits to London over the years. He’d never been here long enough to have more shelving installed but he probably should one day. “The library in Kent is just as crowded.”

  Anna nodded. “This is a lovely room.”

  He leaned close to her. “I’m willing to share,” he promised.

  She glanced up at him, eyes bright with excitement and anticipation. “I do hope so.”

  That expectant look could cause mischief if he had the time to spare. “Second floor next.” He led her up the next flight by the hand. “I think you’ll find this floor most useful to you.”

  “Oh?” she murmured. “Why is that?”

  Gilbert opened the door to her new bedchamber. “My housekeeper spent the whole of yesterday in here straightening up so you would be very comfortable.”

  A fire burned in the hearth here too, the bed was newly made with fresh linen, and the space decorated with an abundance of sweet-smelling flowers and a dozen or so new pillows scattered about.

  “Oh, how lovely and large. I’m sure I will be very happy here.”

  “There’s a dressing room through there, a washroom adjoining it, and another smaller bedchamber and closet farther down the hall for any guests we might have one day.”

  She nodded and then turned, bottom lip caught between her teeth. She released it to ask, “Where do you sleep?”

  “I occupy the ground-floor master bedchamber. You won’t be disturbed by my coming and going.” A little frown line appeared between her eyes, so he hastened to add, “I’ve been keeping very odd hours. I should warn you that Carmichael often stays when he’s feeling low, too. Falling asleep in the parlor if he drinks too much.”

  She looked at him with a deeper frown. “Carmichael really did love Angela.”

  “Indeed he did. I don’t believe he’s sleeping very much at all, which makes him more emotional than ever.”

  “He looked so sad today. At our wedding.”

  “Yes, he usually hides his pain better. I’ve been worried about him. The way he’s been drinking isn’t healthy.”

  Anna sighed and began to remove her gloves. Gilbert covered her hands. “I will leave you now.”

  She glanced at him in obvious shock. “So soon?”

  “I thought you might like to be alone to settle in.”

  “But tonight is our wedding night,” she protested.

  He took her to the window seat and eased her down onto it. Gilbert sat at her side. “It’s not that I want to leave you, but I feel I should.”

  “Because we rushed to marry?”

  Gilbert nodded.

  She appeared very surprised. “You would wait?”

  “A week, a month, a year.” Perhaps a year might be too long to wait to be her husband. He did find her very attractive, and he thoroughly enjoyed kissing her and being kissed. But the type of intimacy he wanted required her full and
enthusiastic participation, and no doubts. “Whatever amount of time you need is yours.”

  A little smile appeared. “Thank you, my lord.”

  “Gilbert. Remember?”

  She leaned close to him. “We married so I could be alone with you, Gilbert.”

  He had wanted to marry a lady who desired him, and apparently he had. “Well, in that case.” He lowered his head a fraction more. “May I kiss you, Anna Bowen, Countess Sorenson?”

  She blushed. “Yes, you can kiss me, Gilbert. Anytime you like.”

  He bent his head the rest of the way and captured her soft lips with his. Anna lifted and wound her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. The passion of their first, second, and third kiss flared hot and immediate between them.

  Gilbert drew back reluctantly before he could get carried away. “I should give you a few minutes alone.”

  Anna’s lips brushed his cheek and then she laughed softly. “Why?”

  Her lips were so close to his ear that he shivered. He pulled Anna against his body a little higher, exploring her back and tiny waist with his hands. Leaving his bride alone on their wedding night seemed to have been the most ridiculous notion he’d ever had.

  He set her away from him firmly and struggled out of his coat.

  A hurried bedding would not impress Anna, and he intended to impress her all night long.

  Chapter 22

  Anna set her fingers to Gilbert’s waistcoat the moment he tossed his coat aside, and then slid her hands up to his wide shoulders. As much as she should appreciate his consideration for her feelings and the beautiful bedchamber around them, she would rather appreciate him at close range. “I’m glad we’re finally alone together at last.”

  He pulled her hands down from his shoulders, squeezed them, and drew her across the room. “I want to see you naked.”

  Anna’s stomach flipped. Without clothes. In front of him. She wanted to touch him everywhere she could reach, too.

  They stopped in a patch of moonlight near another window and kissed again. Gilbert cupped her face, and then she felt his fingers pulling pins from her hair rapidly.

  Her hair tumbled down her back, and Gilbert grasped the long strands while they kissed. She felt his fingers at the back of her gown, tugging at the buttons next. “Shall I turn around?”

  “We couldn’t kiss if you faced the other way,” he murmured against her lips. Another kiss and his large warm hand slid inside her gown, over her stays. Clearly, he was adept at undressing ladies. She didn’t care how he’d learned the skill so long as he only ever undid her buttons.

  Anna shivered, not from cold but from desire. Soon he would touch her everywhere, and she could begin her exploration of him.

  She searched for the buttons of his shirt, undid them and tried to push the garment aside. Unfortunately, she was less adept at men’s fashions than he was with hers.

  “We’ll need to remove my waistcoat first,” he suggested in a soft rumble of laughter. “And my cravat too.”

  Anna shivered again, closing her eyes momentarily. “Yes. Hurry.”

  His answer was a soft chuckle and the rustle of fabric. When he drew close again, her fingers met bare skin. Anna slid her hands up his torso, breathless again, discovering his skin soft and so very warm beneath her palms. She encountered patches of coarse hair in the center of his chest and lightly teased her fingers through them. Gilbert groaned as her wandering hand encountered a flat male nipple.

  She looked up into his shadowed face quickly. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “Never.” He lowered his lips to her ear. “I happen to love how you touch me.”

  She ran her fingers over his skin again, brushing out along his strong arms until she met his fingers. He caught her hands in his. “Let’s finish undressing and get into bed together,” he suggested.

  “That might be a good idea. I feel so very strange.”

  He turned her about, finished unbuttoning her gown and slid it down past her hips. “That means I’m doing something right, you know.”

  Anna stepped out of the gown quickly and turned to face him. Even though she was still wearing stays, chemise and stockings, she felt utterly exposed. “You are?”

  “I want you so damn much,” he told her. “I’m trembling, too.”

  Anna exhaled. That made her feel better. She tugged on the laces of her own stays and pulled them over her head, but became trapped when her shift lifted, too.

  Gilbert helped free her, laughing softly. She met his gaze and then leaned in to kiss him, quite embarrassed to be the only one naked but for her stockings, and not in bed. Gilbert pulled her into his arms, lifted her from the floor and wrapped her legs about his waist. He kissed her and moved them to the bed, where he gently set her down on the edge while still kissing her.

  When he stopped, she looked up into his shrouded face and smiled. “Now what?”

  “Now I’d better get out of these damn breeches and boots so I can make love to you all night,” he all but growled.

  “All night?” she asked in surprise.

  “Maybe,” he teased.

  He wasn’t gone long enough for Anna to become cold or self-conscious. She eased down to lie on the bed as he turned toward her. She caught one quick peek at his nakedness before he moved over her, lying between her spread thighs.

  He brushed her hair back from her face as he brought them closer together. He was hot against her side, exciting.

  “My God, you are perfect,” he whispered as he trailed his fingers from her shoulder to her hip.

  “I’m not perfect but you might just be,” she suggested, touching him in the same manner. She brought her hand back up and across his stomach. He sucked in a sharp breath as she slipped her hand downward. She smiled slightly. He was aroused and quite obviously so. “Did I do that?”

  “Oh, yes.” He nuzzled her neck. “Every time we kiss. You have very talented lips.”

  “I’ll add that to my list of accomplishments,” she told him, laughing along with him. She’d made the right choice in marrying Gilbert. He made her heart so happy.

  He settled closer, wrapping her legs about his thighs until she felt his naked heat all over her front. Her face grew warm yet again and she was very grateful for the shadows that hid her blazing complexion. Propped up on one arm, he ran his fingers down her body from shoulder to hip again, a little more firmly.

  Anna shifted restlessly beneath him. She could feel him, hard and burning hot between her thighs, and then he moved away.

  He moved his hand toward her stomach and then down into the curls between her legs. Anna gasped aloud as he touched her there, gently at first but with growing firmness.

  Slowly, she realized she was moaning to every stroke of his finger. She looked up into his face. “What are you doing to me?”

  “Loving you,” he promised.

  He moved to kiss her neck just below her ear, where she discovered she was most sensitive, and her whole body quivered with need. She lifted her hips toward his brushing fingers but that only made him slow his movements until he stopped. Anna wanted to protest. She widened her legs a little more, hoping to entice him back to touch her.

  Gilbert shifted over her again, one arm braced beside her head.

  He slid his other hand beneath her hip and grasped her bottom firmly. He tilted her hips up.

  A little adjustment and he was there, at her opening at last.

  “I’m afraid this may hurt,” he whispered.

  “I know it will,” she promised. “I’m innocent.”

  “Not for long.” He pushed her thighs a little wider. She felt pressure at her sex, a sharp sting followed, and then there was a little more discomfort to be endured. He withdrew a little then pressed against her sex again.

  “That’s it,” he whispered. “Just relax.”

  She was trying to. She blew out a breath as Gilbert settled fully over her, resting his weight on both arms.

  She put her arms up around his neck
, shifted her body a little against his invasion, seeking relief from the strange sensation of pain and pleasure.

  But he was inside her. She was a wife now.

  She flexed her hips again and discovered the pain had diminished.

  “Anna?”

  “I’m all right,” she promised, a little amazed by that. For the last two seasons, she and her friends had heard whispered stories about the wedding night horrors. It wasn’t as bad as everyone made out, if that was all the pain she’d suffer.

  He kissed her gently. “I’m going to move again now.”

  She gaped at him. “There’s more?”

  “Yes, that was only the beginning.” He moved again, and she felt the strangeness of him being inside her. There was no pain now but an odd fullness. She squirmed a little and found she liked the sensation better.

  She moved her hands down to his chest, discovered him warmer than before and his skin slightly damp with perspiration.

  He groaned as she brushed over his nipples accidentally. “Put your arms about me again,” he begged.

  Anna linked her arms about his neck and drew him down for kisses. Gilbert moved against her firmly, jolting her with each short thrust. She was beginning to feel warm all over, too.

  Gilbert was so close, becoming so much a part of her, that she almost couldn’t breathe. The intimacy between husband and wife was overwhelming.

  He eased back to push his hand between her legs. When he touched her there again, an unladylike moan tumbled from her lips. She sealed them shut as her body trembled anew.

  Everything he did to her just increased her restlessness.

  “That’s it,” he whispered.

  She looked up at him as he began to thrust slowly while he toyed with her sex. She lifted her hips, seeking more of that sensation.

  He thrust harder, and she struggled for breath. She was so hot, so desperate for more of this feeling.

  “Come for me, Anna,” he whispered.

  Anna had no idea how to do that.

  But when Gilbert moved one of her hands to her own breast, closing her fingers over her nipple, she shuddered. She squeezed her own breast as Gilbert thrust again, much harder than ever before. His fingers moved quickly over her.