by Lucy Langton
~*~
Ada woke from a lovely afternoon rest in what had always been Flynt’s room. She opened her eyes and looked about, noting the masculine paper on the walls that reminded her of looking at a birch tree. The carpet was a dark brown in contrast while the curtains over the windowpanes were burgundy.
The four-poster bed was made of a mahogany wood while the lines were white and silk. It was so luxurious that Ada didn’t want to rise from the bed when she woke. Instead, she took a deep breath to inhale Flynt’s unique smell and thought of how excited she was to share a bed with him tonight.
When Ada did finally rise from the bed, she knew that it would only be a matter of time before she and Flynt consummated their marriage. It was the proper thing to do, after all. And it would be the only way that Flynt could produce an heir. She wasn’t sure why he seemed so nervous around her or made their time together awkward by either choosing to say nothing at all or boisterously talk of unimportant things like the weather.
Despite the way Flynt had acted in Bath, now they were put together in one room as a married couple should. Therefore, she knew that this evening she could lay down with her husband and truly to get to see the bits of Flynt she had been curious about ever since she had first seen him home from the Navy.
With a blush on her cheeks, Ada rose from the bed and pulled the servants’ cord to summon her lady’s maid. Upon marrying, Ada had once more become used to having servants of her own much like how she had been raised. With the experience of being in employment, she tried hard to be a benevolent mistress. Ada was kind to the maids and footmen, ensuring all their needs were met and that they felt appreciated. Sometimes she found herself talking more with her lady’s maid than she did her husband while in Bath. Therefore, she had become rather close to Miss Jane during the last few weeks.
“Afternoon, My Lady,” said Miss Jane, a woman a bit older than Ada herself, as she came into the bedchamber and quickly helped her change into a dinner gown.
“Dowager Statham and Dowager White are looking forward to visiting you once more. And Lord Peterson will be in company as well,” Miss Jane explained as she quickly braided her hair.
“Thank you, Miss Jane. And what do you know of Miss Butler?” Ada asked, curious about the Dowager Statham’s new lady’s companion.
“She’s quite a talker,” Miss Jane said with a chuckle. “A Scottish woman for sure. She keeps the women entertained.”
“Well, perhaps I can say that my friends do not grow bored then,” Ada mused.
“Certainly not, My Lady,” Miss Jane confirmed. When there was a knock on the door, Miss Jane answered it as Ada looked at her reflection in the tall looking glass. She’d chosen the emerald gown to best accentuate her features. With this night being her first with Flynt, she wanted to look her best to perhaps persuade him to finally open up to her.
She looked in the reflection as the door was opened, and Flynt himself stepped into the room. She smiled, turning to face her husband as Miss Jane curtsied and quickly left the room. Ada had rarely had a private moment with her husband because servants always lurked nearby. He had not approached her in a bedchamber before, even when they were travelling, so this situation felt divine.
“I’ve come to escort you to dinner,” Flynt explained as he kept his hands behind his back. Ada arched an eyebrow at him, for he’d never done such a thing before.
“Thank you, Flynt,” Ada said, always trying to use his Christian name when he could. He smiled as she approached him and finally moved his arms to show that he was holding a small box in his hand. Without an explanation, he handed it to her, and she slowly opened it to reveal a beautiful pearl necklace inside. Ada’s mouth dropped open as she ran her fingers over it, thinking it was absolutely beautiful.
“Flynt, are these for me?” Ada stuttered as she looked up at him. His smile brightened then as he nodded and helped her remove them from the box and put them on.
“They were my grandmother’s,” Flynt explained as he helped her wear the necklace, the touch of his fingers on the bare skin of her neck sending shivers over her body. “My father had willed them to me to one day give my wife. And now that we have returned to Town, I thought it time to give them to you.”
“It’s truly an honour to wear your grandmother’s pearls,” Ada said as she turned back around to face Flynt. “Thank you for such a lovely gift. I will treasure them always.”
“You deserve them,” Flynt said, lowering his eyes to the carpet then. “You’ve born my sour mood this past month, and I realize now that it was unkind of me to try to keep you distant. You are my wife, after all.” Ada couldn’t help smiling as she laced her fingers together in front of her. She was curious to know from where this confession came. And she couldn’t help thinking he’d received some sort of counsel from Lord Peterson.
“Flynt, I understand that our marriage was quite sudden and for a specific purpose to help you mainly. But that does not mean we must dislike our marriage or one another,” Ada said softly, drawing Flynt’s attention back to her. She smiled up at him, locking her eyes with his bright blue ones. “We may not feel love towards one another, but I am hopeful that one day we may.”
Flynt nodded once more as his eyes drifted away, seeming to be looking at the bed before focusing on her once more. Then, he stepped forward and placed a hand on the side of her face before lowering his lips to hers. She was so shocked by the sign of affection because he had never done such a thing before. His kiss to her lips was light and gentle, but ever so powerful as she closed her eyes and relaxed into it. She pressed her lips back onto his soft ones, wanting to encourage whatever behaviour he had in mind.
When the kissing ended, Ada slowly fluttered her eyes open as she looked up at Flynt, the space between them still very little. Had they not been expected at dinner, she might have taken this opportunity to seduce her husband to bed to explore where that kiss might lead. But when Flynt’s hand dropped slowly from her cheek, she knew the chance had passed.
“Thank you,” Ada said slowly.
“For what?” Flynt asked, his cheeks flushed.
“For kissing me,” Ada said with a smile. “Your kisses are wonderful.” Flynt chuckled then as he ran his fingers through his brown hair. Ada thought he could use a good trim, but now wasn’t the time to discuss such matters.
“Shall we go down now?” Flynt asked as his hand went to the doorknob. Ada nodded, encouraging Flynt to open the door and lead her from the room. As she wrapped her arm around his and walked with him down to dinner, she smiled to herself, thinking that returning to Town might be the start of their actual relationship.
Chapter 15
Flynt was doing his best to keep his nerves to a minimum. He didn’t try to drown himself in brandy to rid himself of the tension that seemed to want to claim his arms and legs. He tried to focus on what was happening around him instead of thinking of the moment when he’d retire for the evening with Ada. He’d promised Lord Peterson to be a better husband for his wife, but the action of doing so was much harder than promising the words.
As he dined with his family and his mother’s new lady’s companion, he thought from time to time of the kiss that he’d shared with Ada. It had been an instant decision to kiss her pretty lips after seeing how excited she’d become at receiving his gift for her. Seeing the light in her eyes like she had appeared at the concert had made him want to kiss her. And, them being properly married, he couldn’t think of a reason not to.
Though the kiss had been gentle and light, it had done something to Flynt. It had stirred his desires like none before, and he couldn’t quite understand that. It was true that Ada was a beautiful creature, and when she played the piano and sang, it seemed to soothe his grief-stricken soul. But kissing her had almost undone him, making him want to strip his wife of all her clothes and feast upon her innocence.
“Do you ever miss the open sea?” Miss Butler asked. It took Flynt a moment longer to realize that the question had been direc
ted at him, and he had to quickly jump out of his deep thoughts.
“There are aspects of sailing I did enjoy, Miss Butler. But for the most part, I enjoy having two firm feet on the ground,” Flynt explained, trying to soften his appearance and relax. He looked towards Ada at his side and smiled at her.
“Are you enjoying the dinner?” he asked her.
“Very much,” Ada replied in kind. “I enjoyed the waters of Bath, but I had missed my dearest friends.”
“I was quite confident I had made such an impression on you,” Lord Peterson quipped as he raised his glass towards Ada, causing them all to laugh in turn.
“My dear, you’ll discover that Lord Peterson is a humorous fellow. You must never take what he says seriously,” Flynt retorted.
“Then perhaps I shall share some stories of our boyhood, Statham. Then she can decide for herself if my stories be true or false,” Lord Peterson said as he lowered his drink to his lips, a sly smile on his face. Flynt chuckled, thinking that some stories from the past would make a good distraction.
Lord Peterson then entertained them with several stories from when he and Flynt were in boarding school together and later in their adult studies of earldom. There was the mention of the fish fiasco with the professors, which had them all laughing.
“My word, I had no idea that my son was such a trickster,” Dowager Statham declared as her mirth had subsided. “But I am happy to laugh, for I have not laughed so since you two did depart.”
“We are pleased to be back in Town,” Ada spoke up. “I’ve truly missed being home.”
“But I am sure your honeymoon was well spent,” Miss Butler said with a chuckle. Not wanting Ada to feel embarrassed by the question, Flynt reached his hand and rested it on Ada’s as a public show of affection as he smiled down at her. She looked up into his eyes, almost surprised, but returned his smile, nonetheless.
Flynt might not have had the greatest ideas of marriage and what it meant to be a husband, but he would try his best to give Ada the life she deserved. After all, she’d put up with him long enough and now needed the type of husband who would be willing to show kindness in return.
Once the dinner had ended, and they had all retired to the drawing room, Flynt went over to the pianoforte and began to thumb through the sheet music.
“Is there a particular song you are looking for?” Ada asked as she joined him.
“There is,” Flynt admitted. “When I first returned home from the Navy, you played a song I had never heard before. I found it rather relaxing after everything I had gone through. I was hoping you would play it for me again.”
“You won’t find the sheet music for that one,” Ada said with a kind smile, taking the music from his hands and setting them aside. “That particular song is one of the first ones I learned when my mother hired a tutor to teach me how to play the piano and sing. I know that song by heart.”
“It’s fascinating that you would remember which particular song I am referring to,” Flynt said, a smirk on his lips as he stepped back for Ada to sit down at the pianoforte.
She pushed back the cover over the keys before looking up at him and saying, “It was our first time meeting, and your mother had spoken very highly of you for years. Therefore, I wanted to play one of my best songs for you, even though you weren’t in the drawing room.”
“I have never forgotten it,” Flynt said in a soft voice, sitting down in a chair not far from the piano so he could give Ada his full attention. She smiled at him, her brown eyes shining as she started to press the keys. The familiar melody rose into the air, and Flynt sighed with relief.
As Flynt watched Ada play the song and sing the words, he felt as though it was only the two of them in the room together. Everything that had been bothering him or plaguing his mind with fear and anxiety seemed to wash away like the sand on the beach as the tide came in and washed back out again.
He thought he could sit and listen to Ada sing for hours if only to feel a respite from all the dark memories that often swam through his mind on a daily basis. With her voice in his mind, he seemed to be able to reclaim some sort of normalcy and who he was before he went out to sea with the Navy.
“Bravo,” Lord Peterson cheered when the song came to an end, causing Flynt to recover from her mesmerizing voice and applaud with the rest of the company. To him, Ada was a siren who could calm the raging storm that was his mind and soul.
“Ada dear, would you play my favourite?” Dowager Statham then asked.
“Of course, My Lady,” Ada replied as she picked up the sheet music and went through it quickly to find his mother’s most requested song. It wasn’t as pleasant as the one she had just completed because the melody was of a faster pace and more cheerful than he would have liked. However, despite his opinion, he still enjoyed watching Ada perform for the small audience. It gave him an idea as he watched her, thinking he may know very well how to please her beyond belief.
“Lady Statham has such a lovely singing voice,” Miss Butler said, pulling Flynt’s attention away from his wife as she settled into a chair next to him. He nodded his head in reply, not wanting to appear rude to his mother’s lady companion.
“I can see why you chose to marry her,” Miss Butler continued. Flynt smirked, thinking his mother had not explained to her new lady’s companion the reason Flynt had to marry Ada. But he was content with her thinking that they were in love. Perhaps Ada was right, and that one day, they would feel love towards one another instead of a mutual understanding.
“Lady Statham has the most beautiful singing voice of any person I have ever heard,” Flynt commented, not taking his eyes off of Ada.
“Like a siren that has led sailors to her shores with the sound of her voice,” Miss Butler mused. Flynt nodded, thinking that was an accurate description. Miss Butler stood once more and returned to her employer’s side, giving Flynt the space he desired as he watched Ada. But soon, Lord Peterson took up the empty chair beside him.
“I can tell that the tension has left you, Statham. Surely you are making better choices for your family already,” Lord Peterson said in a soft voice so that only Flynt could hear him.
“I have discovered that my wife needed only a bit of encouragement. Already she is so happy,” Flynt observed.
“And the necklace was a lovely idea,” Lord Peterson encouraged. “You may not think you are capable of bringing this woman true happiness and yourself in the process. But I have known you for a long time. You are capable of more than you could ever fathom.”
“It sounds like you should become a tutor,” Flynt quipped. “You use such encouraging words.” Lord Peterson chuckled as they returned to paying attention to Ada and the lovely performance she was willing to give them.
When Dowager Statham declared that she was ready to retire for the night, Miss Butler was quick to lead the widowed sisters to bed while Lord Peterson took his leave for the night. Flynt promised to call upon him again, that his friend might be a frequent visitor to their home. Then, when all had gone to bed, Flynt turned to Ada and extended his hand to her.
“Shall we retire as well?” he asked as he helped her to her feet.
“Yes, I suppose that we should,” Ada said as she yawned openly. “Travelling these last few days has truly been exhausting.”
“Did you not find the rooms at the inn comfortable enough?” Flynt asked as he led her to his bedchamber, trying to ignore the beating of his heart.
“I don’t sleep well in places that I am not familiar with. I was more afraid than relaxed despite the quality of the room and bed,” Ada explained.
“I’m sorry; I did not know,” Flynt confessed.
“Yet, now you do,” Ada reasoned. “I would not have asked to share a bedchamber with you because I knew that you are quite nervous about the idea. But it would have been nice not to feel so afraid.”
“I will not forget such detail, Ada,” Flynt promised as he opened the door to his bedchamber and ushered her in.
&n
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