“Magic?” Alex snorted. “I could certainly use magic at the moment, if only to fix the roof.” She shook her head. “I’m afraid magic is in short supply at Nimway these days.”
“Perhaps, but these dreams of yours—haven’t they served to bring you and Robert together?”
“They certainly have kept him in my head.”
“Perhaps that was the purpose.”
“To encourage something between Robert and me?” Alex scoffed.
“Why not? It’s entirely possible that I’m not the only one who thinks Robert is a perfect choice. Indeed, the more I think about it, the more I think this is a brilliant match. And not merely for the practical aspects, although he does seem to be the answer to all your problems.” Aunt Viv studied her over the rim of her teacup. “But I believe I saw a bit of a spark between you.”
“The dreams—”
“On both sides.”
Heat washed up Alex’s face. “Any spark is due completely to the fact that I find him annoying and arrogant and altogether too confident for his own good. Furthermore, as this is not a love match, I anticipate we will have a cordial type of relationship. A partnership, if you will. We are already friends of a sort, and I imagine that will continue. Obviously, given those silly dreams of mine, the physical aspects of marriage will be less awkward—at least on my part. But they are dreams and no more significant than those about falling off a cliff or finding yourself in the middle of a crowd in your nightwear.” It did make sense, and Alex was surprised she hadn’t realized it before now.
She met her aunt’s gaze firmly. “I am not under any illusion about this marriage or the future. Not everyone is destined for love. And apparently, just talking about the dreams out loud has put them in their proper perspective. I attribute them to nothing more than Robert’s presence in my life. As for them having anything to do with Nimway, I doubt that. Magic at Nimway has been absent ever since I became guardian. My fault entirely.” She thought for a moment. “I don’t recall dreams being mentioned in any of the histories of Nimway and particularly not in terms of encouraging a match. Besides, I thought it was the orb’s purpose to bring together two people who are supposed to be together. To provide a nudge in the direction of true love.”
“Goodness, Alex, there’s not a set of instructions for either magic or true love. There’s not a handbook one follows.”
“What a shame.”
“Not at all.” She pinned Alex with a firm look. “Finding your own path is part of the joy of it. At least in regards to love. And I daresay magic—especially when it comes to Nimway—follows its own rules. Rules that I suspect are something like a stream ebbing and flowing and never exactly the same.”
“Not much help, then, is it?” Alex muttered.
“It’s a guide, dear girl. What ultimately happens is up to you.” Aunt Viv smiled. “And I suspect when you think about it, you’ll agree you would have it no other way.”
It was a pleasant enough wedding if one liked ceremonies that were brief and to the point. Alex credited the new gown with the look in Robert’s eyes when he saw her, and she couldn’t help being pleased. It wasn’t until she was saying her vows that the enormity of what she was doing truly struck her. She was promising to spend the rest of her life with a man she barely knew. An American, no less. For a moment, she wanted to turn and run as fast and as far as possible. From Robert, from duty, from Nimway itself. She drew a calming breath, and the moment passed. This was for the best. When the time came that she expected a chaste kiss, he took her hand and raised it to his lips, his gaze locking with hers—intense and solemn and holding a promise of something as yet unknown. And something inside her fluttered. She ignored it.
Aside from Aunt Viv, only Lady Penwood and her nephew, Lord Kenton, were in attendance. A celebratory luncheon followed, and then she and Robert were on the train and headed home.
They arrived at Nimway late in the day to be greeted jubilantly by Pearson and what remained of the staff, as if this was a real marriage. But then, it was a real marriage even if Alex hadn’t quite realized it before now. Oh, certainly there would be no consummation tonight, but there would be at some point. For good or ill, she was now Alexandra, Lady Brynmore.
The air was heavy with the threat of rain, which only added to the tension—although she wasn’t entirely sure Robert had noticed. He thankfully left for Brynmore almost immediately, eager to check on the progress of the manor. Things between them had been awkward all day. During the long hours on the train, Alex had occupied her time by making and rearranging lists of what needed to be accomplished at Nimway, and Robert had perused what she assumed were business-related documents, which kept their conversation cordial and limited. And really, what was there to say? Every now and then, she’d surreptitiously sneak a quick look at him. There was something about the man. Something that went far beyond the wicked look in his eye and his abundance of charm and the way his laugh touched her soul. Robert made you—made her—feel, well, special.
He joined her for dinner, and the awkwardness persisted, as much as she tried to act as if this meal was no different than any other. As if this was not their first dinner together alone as man and wife. It was absurd, really. Certainly Lady Penwood had always been present before today, but this was nothing more than dinner, and there was no need to feel even remotely uncomfortable. Unfortunately, she couldn’t seem to remember how she used to behave around him. Every word, every gesture felt unnatural and stilted.
“Work is progressing nicely at Brynmore,” Robert said, cutting the excellent roast beef Mrs. Lamb had prepared for their first night home. “Wilcox has it well in hand.”
“He’s a good man,” she murmured.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be so awkward if she wasn’t so bloody nervous. She’d never been this nervous in her life. Indeed, she couldn’t recall ever having been the least bit nervous before. Of course, she’d never been married before either. It was ridiculous. She had nothing to be nervous about. Regardless, the world seemed horribly out of kilter. She kept reminding herself that they’d agreed to the terms of the marriage and agreed as well to wait to share a bed until they—she—was ready. She knew him well enough to know he would never go back on his word. Didn’t she? Admittedly, she was a terrible judge of men.
“Nimway looks none the worse for your absence.”
“Indeed,” she murmured.
And didn’t she have three disastrous mistakes to prove it? She’d fallen in love with Phillip because he was adventurous and dashing and a bit dangerous. She’d loved George because he was kind and thoughtful and easy.
“I assume you know where you want to begin with repairs.”
“I have lists.” She smiled absently.
And she’d been swept off her feet by Julian, who was clever and witty and because no one had looked at her that way in far too long. And each and every time, she had been wrong about the man she’d planned to marry. Dreadfully, horribly, painfully wrong.
“Excellent meal tonight,” Robert said. “Mrs. Lamb should receive a bonus and perhaps a small castle, off in the woods near the house.”
“She has outdone herself,” Alex said without thinking.
What if she was wrong this time? This time, she’d gone through with a marriage. What if Robert wasn’t the man she thought he was?
“I see the pigs are flying again. Shouldn’t someone round them up?”
Her attention jerked to Robert. Pigs? Good God, what had they been talking about? “Yes, well, probably.”
His eyes narrowed. “Where are you, Alexandra? You’re certainly not here.”
“Oh, my thoughts were just wandering.” She shrugged off the question. “You understand.”
“Forgive me for failing to hold your attention,” he said wryly. “If I am this boring on our wedding night, what does the future hold?”
“You needn’t be offended. It has nothing to do with you.” Not entirely, anyway. But she certainly wasn’t going to tell him sh
e was thinking about her past mistakes and wondering if he could be added to that particular list. Dear Lord! What kind of woman rushed into a marriage with a man who was scarcely more than an acquaintance?
“Even better.” He considered her coolly. “You’re having second thoughts, aren’t you?”
And an American at that? “Rather too late, isn’t it?” She paused. “Are you?”
“Not for a moment.” He grinned. “I got exactly what I wanted.”
“There are better-connected families, you know.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I still retain ownership of Nimway.” A warning sounded in her voice. “If that’s what you wanted—”
“No. That’s not it either.”
“Then what …” Her voice faltered. And she knew without a doubt what the man wanted. He wanted her.
At once, she realized she wanted him too. In a strictly carnal, physical, intimate sense. She wanted—no—she ached to know if what she’d found in her dreams could be found while wide-awake in his arms. Admittedly, while she was aware of the details of intimacy between a man and a woman, she’d never actually experienced anything beyond a passionate kiss. Robert had yet to even give her a real kiss. Blasted man.
Certainly, she did like him well enough, but she wasn’t in love with him, which should make everything that much easier. As long as she had no interest in love, this—whatever it was—would work out quite nicely. This was unadulterated desire, pure lust, if you will, and there was really no reason to put it off. Once intimacy was no longer hanging over her head, her dreams would stop, and life would return to normal. It made perfect sense.
And why not? She squared her shoulders slightly. She was the Guardian of Nimway Hall, an adult, in her right mind and now a married woman. If she wanted the man—if she wanted her husband—there was no reason in the world why she shouldn’t have him.
Her nerves vanished with her decision. “I’ve been reconsidering the terms of our marriage.”
“A bit late for that, too, isn’t it?”
“Not really.” She shrugged. “Aside from the legal agreements regarding ownership of Nimway, our terms were between the two of us. It seems to me they can be renegotiated at any time.”
Thunder cracked outside, and a moment later, lightning lit the dining room. How appropriate.
“And just what do you wish to renegotiate?” he asked mildly and sipped his wine.
“I think we should just get on with it.”
“Get on with what?” Curiosity sounded in his voice. Good Lord. What did the man think she was talking about?
“Consummation,” she said without hesitation.
“Consummation?” He nearly choked on the word. Good. She liked catching him off guard.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Consummation.” She pushed her plate aside, folded her hands on the table, and smiled. “Marital relations. Intimacies. Lovemaking.”
“Yes, I assumed that’s what you meant,” he said slowly.
“I think we should just get on with it and get it over with.”
“Do you?”
She nodded. “I do.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know if it’s been on your mind, but it certainly has been on mine. Surely you’re aware of the tension between us?”
He shook his head. “I really haven’t noticed.”
“Come now, Robert.” She scoffed. “There’s been a dreadful awkwardness hanging over us all day. The proverbial sword of Damocles, as it were. In a strictly practical sense, once we eliminate the looming uncertainty of sexual congress, we can return to the not-unpleasant companionship we have shared up to now. We did agree it was not necessary tonight, but it does seem to me we should simply carry on.”
“Carry on.” He paused. “Charge ahead?”
“Exactly.”
“Sally forth?”
“Without question.”
“Just … bite the bullet?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “It is our wedding night, and as such, it is traditional.”
“I do hate to go against tradition.”
“Excellent.” She beamed, a distinct sense of anticipation surging through her. “Now that we’re wed, I intend to move into the master suite. Pearson says the suite has been cleaned and is ready to occupy.” The master suite was comprised of two adjoining bedrooms, equal in size, one for the guardian and the other for her husband. Although she had always understood from things said between her mother and her aunt—and things she’d overheard—that just one bedroom was more than sufficient. She stood. “I shall expect you in, oh, say an hour?”
He grimaced. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh. Well, an hour and a half, then?”
He shook his head.
“Two hours?” Goodness, she would have thought the man would even now be racing up the stairs.
“No.”
She drew her brows together. “No?”
“No.”
She dropped back into her chair. “Then when?”
He shrugged. “When the time is right, I suppose.”
She widened her eyes. “I thought you wanted … that is, I assumed …”
“And correctly so. But not like this.”
“Not like what?”
“I don’t want to get on with it.” His tone was mild, deceptively so. “Nor do I want to get it over with. And I have no desire to just carry on.”
Her face heated. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that.”
“And yet it did.”
“But this is our wedding night. There is a certain expectation—”
“I do not intend to leap into your bed the instant we’ve said our vows. That’s what you said.” He shrugged. “I took you at your word.”
“That might have been a mistake on my part.”
“I believe I once heard someone say we learn from our mistakes. Was that you?”
She did hate having her own words used against her. Her jaw tightened. “I also said we correct our mistakes and move on.”
“Yes, I remember that. Sound philosophy, although in this case …” He shook his head in a mournful manner. “I’m not sure this particular mistake is so easily put behind us.”
Surely the man wasn’t really going to forgo her offer. “We agreed to wait until a mutually agreed-upon time. I think tonight is the appropriate time.”
“And I disagree.”
“Why?”
“It just doesn’t seem right.”
“But you want me,” she said without thinking.
His brow rose.
“I can see it in your eyes.”
“Can you?”
“Yes.” Although perhaps not at the moment.
“Are you sure?”
“Goodness, Robert, you’re not the only man to look at me that way. I can certainly recognize desire when I see it.”
“I am also a man of my word. Mutually agreeable means mutually agreeable. Both sides have to agree. And I don’t.”
“But—”
“Now, if you will excuse me,” he said politely and rose to his feet, “I have work to attend to.”
She stared. “You haven’t finished your dinner.”
“I find I’m no longer hungry. Good evening, Alexandra.” He smiled and took his leave.
What on earth had just happened? She had invited the man to her bed, and he had refused. Refused! How on earth was that possible? Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he didn’t want her.
No, if she knew nothing else, she knew Robert wanted her at least as much as she wanted him. This was obviously the disadvantage of being involved with an honorable man who kept his promises. Damn him.
She drummed her fingers on the table. At least she was no longer nervous. No, now she was determined. She wanted the man in her bed, and by God, she was going to get him there.
Apparently, she was going to have to seduce her husband. She’d never set out to seduce a man before, but how hard could it be if men did it all the
time? And everyone knew the baser urges of men were far more pronounced than those of women. It probably wouldn’t take any effort at all to get him into her bed. His resistance this evening was unexpected, but she’d no doubt taken him by surprise. Now that she had planted the seed in his head, she simply had to water it and watch it grow.
What Alexandra Hayden Curtis, Guardian of Nimway Hall, Lady Brynmore, needed now was a plan.
Chapter 13
Robert slept far later than he usually did, the result of a restless night disrupted by yet another leak in his bedroom ceiling and punctuated by erotic dreams of his new wife. Dreams no doubt directly attributable to Alex’s offer of consummation.
On one hand, he might well be the stupidest man in the world for foregoing what she offered that he wanted. On the other, he had certain feelings for her—more than likely love—and he didn’t want her until she wanted him. Until she felt the same. That in itself seemed an indication that this was not something he’d ever experienced before. It went completely against his nature, but there you had it. In the past, if he’d wanted a woman and she’d wanted him, what was the harm? But in this case, he suspected the price might be greater than he was willing to pay. Resignation was not what he wanted from her. He had no desire to see her valiantly square her delightful shoulders and raise her pert little chin and carry on, for God’s sake. Beyond that, it didn’t strike him as the best way to start the rest of their lives together.
Besides, he wanted more from her than physical pleasure. He wanted her heart. Until then, there would be no marital relations or whatever else she chose to call it.
Robert made his way to the dining room, where Pearson directed him to the small breakfast room. Of course. With Lady P gone, Alex would again do exactly as she preferred. He chuckled and headed to the other room. There were still breakfast offerings on the sideboard, but Alex was noticeably absent.
“Do you know where my wife is this morning, Pearson?” Robert asked after he filled his plate and sat down at the table.
“I believe she is outside, my lord.” Pearson poured Robert a cup of steaming coffee. “Speaking with Mr. Wilcox if I’m not mistaken.”
THE LEGEND OF NIMWAY HALL: 1888 - ALEXANDRA Page 14