THE SENSE OF HONOR
Page 33
Unable to hold back her amusement a moment longer, Sophie Pemberton laughed out loud. When people looked her way, she tried to hide her smile behind a lace fan. However, the more she tried not to laugh, the more she found it impossible.
“Really, duchess, do control yourself.” Then, with his most elegant bow, he winked at his mother. “By your leave, madam.”
He circled the perimeter of the room, greeting guests and otherwise conducting himself as required of a proper host. The fact his gaze kept returning to his wife couldn’t be helped. Stunning in a ball gown of gold silk, her hair swept up and adorned with ropes of pearls, it took considerable fortitude to not pick her up and carry her out of the hall in front of their guests.
“Evenin’, Yer Grace.”
Recognizing the distinctive voice, he turned and studied his costumed guest. “Only you would be so bold as to come dressed like a highwayman, Blackjack.”
The smuggler shrugged then turned his attention to the other side of the room where Christiana stood. She held hands with young Sarah Lloyd, the both of them laughing as a magician pulled a coin from behind Sarah’s ear.
“Never seen her so happy,” Blackjack said.
Glancing back at the giant’s awkward manner, Devlin wondered how long Blackjack had been at the ball. Had he been watching Christiana from a distance, perhaps concealing his presence behind one of the stone columns?
“Go speak with her, Blackjack. She will be delighted to see you.”
“Did ye tell her ye invited me?”
“Tell my wife I went to The Mermaid Inn looking for you? After what almost happened the last time with that wench, Millie? I hardly think so. I might add, I have not forgotten you gave Christiana that bloody blunderbuss years ago—and she knows how to use it.”
With a low chuckle, the leader of the Ravens walked to the other side of the room. He lingered in the shadows for a time. Then, he walked up behind Christiana and whispered into her ear. With a cry of surprise, she released Sarah’s hand and embraced the giant.
A slight catch in his throat, Devlin procured another glass of champagne and crossed the room. He’d give his wife another hour, no more. A husband could only muster so much control, and his was fading fast.
Resplendent from the wondrous lovemaking she’d enjoyed earlier with her glorious husband, Christiana turned in half-sleep to snuggle next to his warm body and felt an empty space. She looked about their darkened bedchamber and saw him seated at the desk, reading something by the almost spent light of a sputtering candle.
Endeavoring to be quiet as possible, she tiptoed over to him. The handsome devil had her diary again. Determined not to laugh, she covered his eyes with her fingertips and whispered in his ear. “If you want to know what I am thinking, come back to bed.”
With a soft laugh, he took her hands away from his eyes, kissing each palm in turn. “For your information, my darling wife, I have written my own quote for the day.”
She kissed the delicious corner of his plump upper lip. “Is it a naughty limerick?”
“You wound me.” He pretended a frown, but spoiled the performance by smiling. “If you must know, I found myself unable to sleep for thinking upon what a beautiful, clever, caring, witty, and incredibly passionate wife I have. There I was, wide awake in bed, listening to the soft, contented snoring of my beloved.”
She slapped his arm playfully.
“Then, lo and behold, I remembered a poem that captures my thoughts precisely. It is what I would have composed were I so clever with words.”
“May I read it?”
He pulled her down onto his lap. Turning her attention to the open page, she read the beautifully scripted words.
“To see her is to love her, and love her but forever;
For nature made her what she is,
And never made another.” ~ Robert Burns
Happy birthday, my darling Christiana.
A lifetime is not long enough to love you,
An eternity would be too short.
You are my heart and my life. ~ Always yours, Devlin”
“Oh, Devlin.” Turning in his arms, she kissed him. “If this is a dream, I hope never to wake.” Overcome with emotion, she hugged his neck, breathing in the sandalwood, nutmeg, and arousing manly scent uniquely her husband.
He held her close, gently stroking the length of her hair. “Christiana, do you remember what I said about dreams that day we first made love?”
She looked up at his face. “That one cannot find dreams in shadows?”
“Yes.” He slid a hand beneath her hair and caressed the nape of her neck. Then he pulled her still closer and kissed her—a slow, wet, deep, erotic kiss that all but curled her toes. She sighed and moaned, helpless against the magic of this man.
He smiled against her mouth and nipped playfully on her bottom lip. Then, he looked at her with a tantalizing, seductive smile that melted her insides, and whispered, “But I also said this dream has only just begun.”
And so it had.
NOVELS BY ASHLEY KATH-BILSKY
Spirit of the Wind
A Windswept Texas Romance
http://www.amazon.com/Whisper-Wind-Ashley-Kath-Bilsky-ebook/dp/B00CC6ZZJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405743282&sr=8-1&keywords=whisper+in+the+wind
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Best-selling, award-winning author, Ashley Kath-Bilsky writes Timeless Historical Romance with Mystery, Suspense and/or Paranormal elements. She also writes Historical Gothic Young Adult and New Adult fiction.
Woven like a delicate thread into the fabric of every Ashley Kath-Bilsky book are unforgettable characters, compelling, suspenseful plots, as well as a timeless romance and enduring love story that you'll always remember.
Interested in genealogy and historical research, as well as historical and environmental preservation, Ashley is also a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Happily married and the mother of three sons, she lives with her family in Texas.
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