Married In Haste

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  She chuckled. “A lot has happened since then, hasn’t it?”

  “Indeed, it has. I thought for sure it had been at least a week.” He paused. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been around much. It’s just that I’m not very good with people. It’s easier when my sister is around because she’s a pleasant person to talk to and she seems to know what to say in any given situation. I don’t have her gift. Nor do I have the ability to go up and talk to anyone like Stephen does. I’m afraid that when it comes to people, I don’t do very well.”

  “That surprises me because you seemed very confident when we danced at the ball.”

  “You made me feel comfortable. Also, you noticed the great care I took in decorating the ballroom. I can’t think of a single other person who’s ever complimented me on it.”

  “It’s easy to compliment someone when you mean it. This townhouse is beautiful.”

  He smiled. “I’m glad you appreciate it. I know people, especially my brother, think that I’m odd because I like everything to be symmetrical.”

  “If that’s your greatest fault, then you are an ideal match for any lady. I might’ve been under the illusion that most married couples were happy, but I’ve heard enough horror stories about rakes to know that there are many unsavory things a gentleman can be. I’m glad you’re not like that.”

  “No. As Stephen would say, I’m nothing but a bore.”

  “I don’t find you boring.”

  “You don’t?”

  She shook her head. “No. I never did. From the moment we met, I was fascinated by you.”

  “Were you really? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

  She offered him a smile. “I mean it. I was enchanted with you from the very first moment you took me to the dance floor.”

  Then, because she just realized that she had revealed too much of her feelings to him, she lowered her gaze and pretended to examine her fingernails.

  “I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation when we were dancing,” Brad said, surprising her. “I thought we might even make a good match.”

  Her heartbeat picked up. He had? She brought her gaze back to his.

  “Then you tripped and fell, and I went toppling to the floor with you.” He cleared his throat. “It’s hard to admit this, but I was so embarrassed about falling in front of everyone that I had decided not to pursue a courtship with you.” He winced. “You must think poorly of me after hearing that.”

  “Others have been embarrassed when I’ve been clumsy around them. I don’t try to be clumsy, but when I’m nervous, I bump into things. I wish I was graceful like other ladies.”

  “Whether or not you’re graceful shouldn’t matter. I don’t like it when people, especially Stephen, laugh at my peculiar habits of eating at specific times or how I don’t like odd numbers. I would rather they judge me based on who I am as a person. I should have offered you the same courtesy. As it turns out, you are as lovely and wonderful as I thought you were while we were dancing. I’m sorry I let my pride get in the way of pursuing a courtship with you.”

  “I knew I had embarrassed you when I tripped. That’s why I was surprised when I received an invitation to come over for a visit the next day. I didn’t expect you to ever talk to me again.”

  “But you came over anyway because you wanted to see me?” he asked.

  Despite the heat rising up in her cheeks, she nodded. “I wasn’t going to decline an opportunity to see you again if that’s what you wanted. I had no idea Stephen was the one who sent the invite on your behalf.”

  They grew quiet for a minute. She had exposed more of herself than she wanted to, but there was no sense in lying to him. She was still very much enamored with him. Even if he didn’t return her feelings, she felt better after she got the feelings off her chest. Yes, it made her vulnerable. Yes, other ladies would be appalled to be so exposed. But she was married to him. If she couldn’t be honest with her husband, then she couldn’t be honest with anyone. And besides, now he was assured that she really didn’t harbor any romantic feelings for his brother.

  Brad reached out and took her hand in his. His touch was as thrilling as she had thought it’d be, and it took all of her willpower not to swoon in excitement.

  “I don’t approve of the tactics my brother used to get us married,” Brad began. “Looking back, however, I don’t think we would have gotten together otherwise. Sometimes I can be too stubborn for my own good. I need to stop worrying about what other people think of me. I can see now that, by doing so, I am robbing myself of the best life has to offer. Years from now, I don’t want to regret the things I never did because I let fear hold me back. I want to start living my life so that when I’m on my deathbed, I don’t have any regrets. I do enjoy being with you. I’d like to see where things will go in this marriage.”

  The butler stepped into the drawing room. “Dinner is ready, my lord and lady.”

  Brad glanced at the clock, and sure enough, it was exactly six o’clock, which was when he liked to eat dinner. “I hope you’ll join me this evening. Stephen isn’t here, so we’ll have a chance to get better acquainted without him around.”

  She couldn’t help but notice that he was still holding her hand. Did he realize he was doing that? Or did he think he had released her hand? Pushing the questions aside, she said, “I’d like that.”

  “Thank you for not giving up on me. I know I haven’t been the best husband up to now, but I fully intend to change that.” Still holding her hand, he rose to his feet and gently encouraged her to join him. “My curiosity is getting the best of me,” he continued as he led her out of the room. “How much did you save on the gown you got today?”

  “Thirty percent.”

  His eyes widened in pleasure. “How did you manage such a feat?”

  “I chose a gown that the owner wanted to get rid of. In every shop, there’s always one or two gowns that have been available for far too long. Those are the ones that I can get the best bargain on.”

  Such hadn’t been the case with the gown she’d chosen yesterday, but yesterday, her goal had been to look attractive to Brad. She couldn’t care less how attractive she looked to Lady Eloise or the group. The only thing that mattered was that she had a pretty gown.

  “I want you to know that you have my permission to buy more gowns and accessories to fill up your armoire.”

  She didn’t know if she was ready to go out and do all that spending, but it was nice she didn’t have to feel guilty about buying a new gown every month in order to be a part of Ladies of Grace. What she might do was just buy a new gown once a month. If she did that, then she could easily fill up her armoire in no time.

  When they reached the dining room, Brad squeezed her hand and then led her over to her chair. Delighted that she finally had his affection, she sat down, looking forward to the night ahead.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Will you be coming to my bedchamber?” Ava asked.

  Brad hesitated to respond. This was why he had lingered in the drawing room with her after their dinner for as long as he had. He knew as soon as he escorted her up the stairs that he would be coming to a dilemma.

  They had been having an enjoyable evening—much more so than he had expected. If he didn’t go into her bedchamber, then he wouldn’t risk showing her how inexperienced he was. But she would probably assume that he didn’t want to be with her. Even if he explained that he was afraid she’d find him lacking as a lover, she probably wouldn’t believe it. She would assume he was lying in an attempt to spare her feelings. Which wouldn’t succeed. She would be hurt. And deeply so.

  The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. So he had to go in there. Even if he risked embarrassing himself, he needed to consummate their marriage this evening. It was why he’d sent Stephen out of the townhouse. Without his brother under the same roof, he wouldn’t be quite as self-conscious about everything.

  Despite his apprehension, he approached her bedchamber and opened
the door. He waited for her to enter before he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

  Now that no one would overhear him, he forced out the question that had been weighing on his mind all through the evening. “Have you ever shared a bed with a gentleman?”

  His face warmed. He hated to ask it, but he needed to know if she had someone to compare him to. If not, then this night would go a lot easier. If he turned out to be a complete failure, she wouldn’t know any better.

  “No,” she said, not hiding the hurt tone in her voice. “Did you think I wasn’t a virgin because I came up to your bedchamber when you were taking a bath?”

  “No. Of course not. You didn’t know I was in my bedchamber. You thought it would be empty.” He cleared his throat. “Forgive me for asking. It was very unkind of me to do.”

  She hesitated for a moment. “Is that why you didn’t want to be with me on our wedding night? You thought you weren’t the first gentleman I was with?”

  “No. That wasn’t why I left this room that night. I was… I…” Good heavens, but he couldn’t come right out and say he was afraid she’d find him lacking. That would be far worse than what he’d asked her!

  “You don’t want to be with me,” she filled in for him. “You had to marry me. You didn’t want to. You only did it because of the lies in the Tittletattle.” She turned away from him and went over to the small table by her canopy bed. Keeping her back to him, she traced the edge of the table with her fingertips. “You don’t have to explain anything. I understand. I’m sorry I put you in a situation where you felt like you had to come in here tonight. You may leave.”

  He winced. He didn’t know what was worse: her words or the fact that tears were in her voice. This whole conversation wasn’t going at all as he had hoped. She was supposed to reassure him that she was a virgin. He was supposed to be relieved. Then he was going to suggest she undress and get into bed while he went to his bedchamber. He would then undress and slip on a robe. Afterwards, he’d come back in here and do what the book had instructed him to do.

  He wasn’t supposed to make her cry!

  “I don’t want to leave,” he blurted out. “You’re a wonderful lady. I meant what I said. I enjoy being with you.”

  She brushed a tear from her cheek. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

  “No, I’m not. It’s the truth. I really do like being with you.”

  He hurried over to her, and as he got close to her, he stumbled on the rug by her bed. His arms flapping in the air, he desperately tried to maintain his balance, but it didn’t work. He ended up running right into her.

  She let out a startled cry and grabbed the drapes hanging down from the bed. He was sure he heard fabric ripping as they tumbled onto the bed and the drapes fell on top of them. He struggled to free himself from the ripped drape, but the more he tried to wiggle out of it, the more entangled he got. If that wasn’t bad enough, Ava was trapped in the mess with him.

  “Ava, are you all right?” he asked as he tried to find an opening in the heavy fabric so that he could poke his head out and see her.

  He felt her giggle, and that was when he was aware that she was pressed right up against him. The drape, it seemed, had wrapped them in a cocoon as he had tried to free himself from it.

  He finally managed to get his face free from the drape. To his surprise, she wasn’t as entangled in the drape as he was. The drape was wrapped mostly around her waist. He, however, was entirely caught in it.

  Certain he was a funny sight, he laughed along with her. And in the act of laughing, he felt the tension between them ease considerably.

  “You look like a caterpillar,” she told him. “All I can see is your face. Everything else is covered with the drape.”

  “I suppose I do make quite a sight.” He wiggled and managed to free his entire head from the drape.

  She laughed harder. “Now your hair is standing up.”

  She reached out and started to comb it with her fingers, an action which was surprisingly soothing. He took a moment to study her. She really was a lovely person. Not only was she gentle, but she was sweet, too.

  From the moment he’d met her, she had been kind to him. He would be a fool if he didn’t make love to her tonight. The longer he waited to do it, the harder it was to push past his fears. There was no better time to initiate lovemaking than right now, especially since they were already entwined together in bed.

  He lowered his head and kissed her. He hadn’t ever kissed a lady before, so the initial contact felt a bit awkward. But if she noticed, she didn’t let him know. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck in a silent invitation for him to continue.

  Relaxing, he deepened the kiss. This was nice. Her lips were warm and soft, and she had willingly accepted his advances. Recalling the book, he ventured to trace her lower lip with his tongue to see if it would entice her to part her lips for him. To his surprise, it did. So the book had been right on that count. And if it had been right in this area, then he was assured it was right in the rest of the things it had instructed him to do.

  He entered her mouth and brushed her tongue lightly with his. She, in turn, brushed her tongue along his. Feeling bolder, he proceeded to explore her mouth, surprised that such a simple action should bring considerable pleasure to his body, particularly to the male part of him that strained against his breeches.

  He had to get free of the drape. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to continue what he’d started, and at this point, he didn’t think his penis would forgive him for it. It was one thing to decline the opportunity to make love to Ava before he got into bed with her, but now that he was in bed with her – and she was pressed up nicely against him – his body would be pestering him all night if he backed out of this now.

  He ended the kiss and made an attempt to free his arms, but he only ended up jabbing Ava in the side. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  She giggled. “How did you get so wrapped up in this drape?”

  “I have no idea.” Being careful not to jab her again, he tried to pull one of his arms up, but it was secured to his side at an awkward angle. Giving up, he finally turned his gaze to her and asked, “Can you help me get out of this thing?”

  “I think so. Let me get out of it first.”

  She scooted away from him, and within seconds, she was free of the drape. He couldn’t help but note the irony in the situation. Here, he had labeled her as the clumsy one in the relationship, but he was the one who was causing all the accidents this evening. And worse, he couldn’t get himself untangled from the drape! He needed help. Well, that would teach him to be so quick to judge someone when they bumped into something or tripped on accident.

  “I don’t know if I want you out of the drape,” Ava said as she sat beside him. “You’re especially handsome when you’re disheveled. I might keep you like this all night.”

  For a moment, he thought she was serious, but then she found the edge of the drape and began unwrapping him, laughing as she did so. He was sure he was a sight – being rolled out like a pastry. In the end, though, he was able to move his arms and legs, so it was worth it.

  “Thanks,” he said as he crawled over to her. “Getting stuck in the drape was awful.” Offering her a teasing grin, he asked, “Do you still think I’m handsome?”

  Her cheeks turning pink, she nodded. “Yes, but I always thought you were handsome.”

  She did? Pleased, he settled next to her and brought her into his arms. “I always thought you were beautiful. From the first moment we met, I was attracted to you.”

  Without waiting for her to respond, he kissed her again. This time, the kiss wasn’t awkward at all, so he didn’t hesitate to explore her more intimately. The book had promised that the more he did this sort of thing, the easier it would get. He shouldn’t be surprised because that was true in anything else he’d ever done in his life, whether it had been making his first investment or riding a horse. Experience al
ways made things easier. Lovemaking, thankfully, would be no different.

  Encouraged, he brought one of his hands to her breast and cupped it in his palm. Her breast was as soft as it looked. The material in her gown was thin enough for him to make out her nipple. Curious, he ran his thumb over it, noting the way it hardened under his caress. The book had mentioned that particular thing would happen, but it was far more exciting to experience it than it was to read about it.

  Ava let out a contented sigh and wrapped her leg around his waist. Now being entwined with her was an altogether different sensation. This was pleasant.

  With a moan, he let his hand glide down her side, over her hip, and then cup her rear end. He then pressed her more intimately against his arousal and moved his hips. She, in turn, rocked her hips, matching his rhythm. They did this for a few minutes, intentionally teasing each other with what was to come. The whole thing thrilled him beyond his wildest expectations. If they were both getting enjoyment out of this with their clothes on, then doing this with their clothes off would be an exquisite experience.

  Even knowing this, he had to force himself to break away from her so he could remove his clothes. His body was crying out for him to go right back to her, and watching as she took off her own clothes only increased the urge. Before, he was just feeling her. Now, he got to see her without anything on, and that was far more exciting.

  Her entire body was a masterpiece. She had more curves than her clothes allowed him to see. From her breasts to her hips and down to her feet, she had a beautiful shape. He was so enchanted with her form that he almost forgot to take off all of his clothes. He hurried to do so and tossed them to the side. Then, his fear completely forgotten, he returned to her arms.

  This time when he touched her, he was touching her bare flesh. And yes, it was much better than it had been with their clothes on. He kissed her for a few seconds before the urge to explore more of her in earnest took over. He left a trail of kisses from her cheek to her shoulder then down to her breasts. He spent considerable time exploring them, first starting at one and then going to the other. He found them absolutely fascinating.