Georgette disappeared into the crowd when William approached. He took Amy’s hand and fingered the wedding ring. “You didn’t eat much.”
“I suppose I’m too distracted.” In truth, she was nervous, but she didn’t want him to know.
“Ah, here are my friends,” Will said. “Amy, may I introduce Bellingham, better known as Bell, and Fordham.”
“Better known as useless but loyal,” Fordham said with a bow.
Amy laughed. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Bellingham and Mr. Useless.”
“I like her already,” Fordham said, laughing.
She noticed Bell was far more reserved than Fordham. Amy found the way he studied her a bit disconcerting, but she thought it must just be his way. “After Will and I are settled, you must both come to dinner. I wish to know his friends better.”
Fordham winked at her. “Will you serve roast beef and Yorkshire pudding?”
“Is that a badly disguised request?” She wondered how anyone could resist Fordham.
“Please?” Fordham said with a grin.
Amy smiled at Will. “Should I say yes?”
“You had better or he’ll not stop begging,” Will said.
After his friends left, she took Will’s arm. “Let us make a circuit of the room and greet everyone.”
There were a great many guests, including the Duke and Duchess of Shelbourne as well as the Marquess and Marchioness of Boswood. Amy made a point of introducing Bernice, Eugenia, and Cecile to Will.
“Congratulations,” Eugenia said. “We are all very happy for you.”
Will caught Amy’s eye. “I’ll give you a moment with your friends.”
Her heart softened. He’d understood she needed to speak to them. When Amy turned to her friends, they each hugged her. “You surprised us,” Cecile said.
“I imagine you’re aware of the circumstances. I’m very sorry I wasn’t able to call on you,” she said, fighting back her sorrow over the way she’d treated them. “I have missed you.”
“Do not tear up,” Bernice said. “This is your wedding day, and we want you to be happy, Amy.”
Amy inhaled. “You are right, and someday I will attend your weddings.”
When Will returned, Amy hugged each of her friends once more, and then she took her husband’s arm. After they had spoken to almost everyone, Will took her hands. “Are you ready to leave?” he asked.
She nodded, though she wasn’t ready at all. “I wish to say good-bye to my parents.”
“Let me escort you to them,” he said.
“Mama, I will miss you,” Amy said.
Her mother hugged her. “Be happy, Amy.”
She would try, with all her heart, to find happiness in this marriage.
Amy’s father took her arm. “I can’t believe my little girl is all grown up and married now.”
She hugged him hard. “I love you, Papa.”
“We will miss you,” Mama said.
Her papa removed his spectacles and polished them. She saw a suspicious sheen in his eyes.
“I will come to see you as soon as I am able, Papa.”
“You are married now, but we hope you will be able to come home on occasion.” He shook Will’s hand. “Take good care of my little girl.”
“I will, sir,” he said.
She hugged her mother and father once more. Then she took Will’s arm and soon they were emerging from the grand doors. Excitement tugged at her heart. She was married. Really and truly married.
An open carriage awaited them. Will threw coins for the children. And then he sat beside her and kissed her as the carriage rolled away.
Will led her to the cottage. “In Wales, the bride is always carried over the threshold for luck.”
“I’m no dainty miss.” The enormity of marrying him rushed over her. Once again, she felt as if this weren’t really happening, that somehow she would awake to find it all just a strange dream.
When the butler opened the door, Will lifted her in his arms.
She gasped, making him chuckle.
“You may be tall, but you’re light.”
She wrapped her arms round his neck. Her face heated as Will stepped over the threshold. While she felt she mustn’t take his charming ways to heart, she was a little undone by his romantic gesture.
He set her down in the foyer. They walked into the great hall, where the servants had lined up for inspection. There was Saunders, the butler, and Jenkins, the valet. Mrs. Beasley, the housekeeper, was a robust woman. Anna, the lady’s maid, curtsied. A footman, three maids, the cook, two scullery maids, and two sturdy laundry women made up the rest of the servant staff.
The housekeeper offered to show them about the place.
“Perhaps tomorrow,” Amy said. “I think I will be better able to concentrate then.”
“Yes, of course, Madame.”
Her world tipped sideways again at being addressed as Madame. She was no longer Amy Hardwick. She was Mrs. Darcett. Why did it feel as if she were losing her own identity?
Will led her upstairs and opened a door. “This is your bedchamber.”
Anxiety knotted in her chest at the sight of the bed. She looked out the window. Her stomach felt jittery when she thought of what would happen in that bed tonight. He was her husband, but he was little more than an acquaintance.
“If you prefer something different than the blue bedding, you may change it,” he said.
“I like the blue counterpane and blue bed hangings very well.” She walked over to the desk and looked out the window. “The view of the trees is soothing, and the light is good for my sketches.” Her words sounded flat and superficial to her own ears.
He joined her by the window. She caught her breath as he removed the gold bandeau and set the lace veil on her shoulders. He ran his fingers lightly all along her jaw. Then he took her hands in his and fingered the gold band on her finger.
He tipped her chin up and kissed her briefly on the lips. Afterward, she looked out the window again, and he suspected she was more than a little nervous about their wedding night.
“The weather is fine. Would you like to walk?” he asked.
“Yes, I would like that very much. I must change first.”
He pointed at the connecting door. “Knock when you’re ready.”
She hoped the walk would lessen her anxiety.
He held her hand as he led her along the path. His palm was warm, and his hand engulfed hers. She ought to feel reassured, but all she felt was a horrible panic building up inside her once again.
The path turned, and massive oaks formed a canopy of branches and leaves. She could not fully appreciate the rustic scenery when she was riddled with apprehension about her future.
Over the years, she’d envisioned how it would feel to marry. She’d imagined feelings of euphoria upon hearing a man declare his love for her. More than anything else, she’d wanted a happy union like her parents’. Marriage was supposed to be a holy bond, but the only bond she shared with Will was the resignation that they must marry to save their reputations.
She must stop dwelling on the negative aspects. There was no going back now. They were bound by holy matrimony for the rest of their lives, and she was determined to try to make the best of things. Perhaps if they conversed, she wouldn’t feel so nervous. “The shade must be nice in the summer.” The words sounded inane to her, but she’d needed to say something.
He adjusted his stride to accommodate her. “I like that you walk rather than mince like so many women.”
She smiled tentatively at him. The spring breeze was a little cool, and she was glad that she’d donned her blue spencer. At any rate, it looked very well paired with her sprigged muslin gown. Of course, he wouldn’t notice.
They walked for a while, and then he turned to her. “Are you always this quiet?”
His question felt like a criticism, but she remembered what Georgette had said. “Do I strike you as aloof?”
“No, you strike m
e as thoughtful. What are you thinking?”
I’m terrified because we are strangers to each other. She would not voice the words, for it would not help matters. Instead she would focus on him. “Tell me a little about yourself.”
“I traveled for many years and only returned to England last summer for my brother’s wedding.”
“Will you tell me about your journeys?”
“My friend Bellingham and I traveled through Paris and Italy with no idea if we would find lodgings or not. I grew accustomed to making do in all sorts of circumstances,” he said. “But the adventures made up for any small hardships.”
“Give me a specific example of how you made do,” she said.
“Once, the servant girl in our lodgings got ill, and there was none other to be had, because the rain was pouring. I figured it couldn’t be too difficult to make a pot of tea. Four tries later, I managed to produce tea that wasn’t full of leaves.” He grinned. “I even taught myself to cook eggs.” He grinned. “If we’re ever in need, I am capable of feeding us tea and eggs.”
She smiled. “That is a relief.”
“The best part of traveling is meeting people from all walks of life. You learn to appreciate their talents and their trades. Our clothing and coin marked us as men of wealth, but we didn’t advertize our aristocratic origins so that others wouldn’t fawn over us. It’s not something I can experience in England, where I’m known.”
Aristocrats rarely mingled with those they considered to be inferior, though there were exceptions, such as Brummel. Her family was considered part of the landed gentry. For her sake, her parents had kept the source of their fortune a secret. They had wanted her to reach as high as possible in society. Given what he’d said, he probably wouldn’t care that her grandfather had been a shopkeeper, but she suspected other members of his family would disapprove.
“You loved traveling,” she said.
“Those days are over.”
She paused as the realization set in. “Because of me.”
“No. My family objected.”
“You weren’t ready to give it up,” she said.
“A grand tour usually lasts one year. I spent four abroad.”
She didn’t miss the implication. He had not wanted to stay in England. But what had held him back? Had he succumbed to family pressure? Or was there another reason he’d agreed to stop traveling?
“I accepted a position as my brother’s land steward.”
“How do you like it?”
“I haven’t begun yet. Look, there’s the oak with the tree house ahead,” he said. “Let’s make a run for it.”
She never had a moment to protest, because he took off. When he stopped, she clapped her hand to her chest, because she was a little out of breath.
He wasn’t at all. “Look,” he said, pointing up to the branches.
She saw the ladder and the little wooden house in the tree. “I’ve never seen one before.”
He shed his coat and handed it along with his hat to her. “Be ready. I’ll hand down something to you. All right?”
“Yes,” she said, wondering what in the world he meant to retrieve.
Then he climbed the ladder nailed into the tree as if he’d done it hundreds of times before. She supposed he probably had.
Amy drew closer to the tree. “I’m here if you wish to drop something to me.”
He poked his head out. “Very well.”
She caught a blanket.
He looked down. “I confess I put it up here earlier. We need something to sit on so you don’t ruin your pretty skirts,” he said. “Step back. I’m climbing down with a basket.”
She gasped as he swung out with a basket on his arm. “Be careful. You don’t want to fall.”
He chuckled.
She held her breath, but she needn’t have worried. He was sure of foot and athletic. Her husband was strong and far more muscular than most of the gentlemen of her acquaintance.
He set the basket down and beckoned her with his hand. She went to him and held the basket while he shook out the blanket over the grass. After he removed his coat, he helped her to kneel. He took out two wineglasses and a bottle. Grinning, he uncorked it. “Hold the glasses for me so I don’t spill.”
“What is this?” she said, smiling.
“Wine for our private celebration.” He poured. “A toast to our marriage.”
She clinked her glass to his. While she sipped the wine, she thought it rather sweet of him to plan this little outing.
“Bell and I used to sit along the Seine and dine on a simple meal of bread, ham, cheese, and wine.” He drank. “Like peasants.”
“Did you keep a journal or make drawings?” she asked.
“No.” He tapped his head. “It’s all here.”
“Were you not afraid that you would forget?”
“I have an excellent memory, but you probably would have drawn pictures of all the ladies in their French finery,” he said.
“Perhaps I’ll draw you,” she said.
He set his wineglass aside, rolled on his side, and propped his head in his hand. “How do you like this pose?”
She smiled a little. “Is this indolent pose representative of you?”
“At the moment, yes.”
She sipped her wine and set it on the grass.
He reached for her hand. “I have a confession.”
She looked at him warily and wondered if he were about to tell her something he ought to have admitted before he’d proposed.
“I want to kiss you.”
She wet her lips and realized only afterward that it had been an unconscious act. “Oh.”
He sat up and took her bonnet off. Then he cupped her face. His scent enveloped her as he gazed into her eyes. He angled his head and kissed her. When he touched his tongue to her lips, she opened for him. She knew what to expect and liked the way he tasted her slowly and then with more intention.
Then he was urging her to lie down with him.
“Will?”
“Mmm,” he said, slipping one button free on her spencer.
She caught his hand. “We shouldn’t.”
He threaded his fingers through hers. “Amy, no one ever comes this way. We’re safe from prying eyes.”
She sat up, put her feet on the blanket, and wrapped her arms round her shins. They were married, but she didn’t feel comfortable at all. Acting on desire without any emotional attachment felt wrong.
He sat beside her and crossed his legs. “What is it?”
“Until today, I did not know your middle name,” she said.
“I’m not following the logic.”
“Don’t you see? I barely know anything about you,” she said. “Everything has rushed by too fast for me. I do not know your favorite color or if you prefer tea to coffee. I don’t know if you’re an early riser like me or not. I know about one incident in your childhood, thanks to your sisters. I met your friends only at our wedding today. A week ago, neither of us could have foreseen any of this.” She paused and added, “It is as if we’ve gone about this backward.”
“What happened can’t be changed,” he said. “I thought you had accepted that fact when you agreed to marry me.”
“You don’t understand.”
He let out a long sigh. “No, I don’t.”
“In the normal course of things, you would have called upon me. We might have taken walks or drives in the park. We would have talked about things that mattered.” She looked at him. “We are little more than acquaintances.”
“Let me see if I have this correct. You’re overset because I did not court you.”
Misery flooded her heart. She’d been forced to give up her dream of romance, and he didn’t understand the importance to her. “I should have said nothing.”
“Amy, tell me what is really troubling you?”
She turned away. “You were right about one thing. This is not what I’d planned.”
“What did you plan?” he asked
.
“The same thing all little girls dream about: a handsome, dashing prince who declares his undying love.” She looked up at the leaves overhead and huffed. “I feel utterly foolish for admitting that to you.”
“Is it the physical intimacy that scares you?”
“I need to know you first. I need to feel something for you, other than sheer terror that we may find ourselves utterly incompatible,” she said.
He pulled up a blade of grass. “I’m a rake, not a prince, and our marriage will not be the fairy tale you dreamed about.”
She whipped her face away, because she didn’t want him to see how much his words hurt.
He remained silent for several minutes, and then he spoke in a gruff voice. “If it is important to you, I will grant your wish and court you.”
Stunned, she turned her gaze to him. “Thank you.”
“I don’t want this to go on indefinitely,” he said. “There are so many strikes against us. A marriage in name only would be the death knell.”
“I agree,” she said. “I just need a little time.”
After a few moments, his mouth curved in a lopsided grin. “We need to establish the ground rules.”
“Rules?” she said, frowning. “That is unnecessary. You need only bring me flowers, and we will talk, so that we can learn more about each other.”
“No, that’s too easy,” he said. “If we’re to enjoy this courtship, then it must be challenging. I propose a wedding wager.”
“A wager?”
“You have only pin money, so it wouldn’t be sporting to make the prize monetary. I have something else in mind.”
She smoothed over her expression. He does not need to know the truth about my designs. She’d taken no money yet, but the compensation would be a safeguard, in the event he turned out to be a wastrel. Amy had misgivings starting out her marriage with this deception, but this was a marriage of convenience, something she must never forget.
How to Ravish a Rake Page 16
