Once the maid had left, she retrieved the shawl the maid had brought with her and draped it about her shoulders in an attempt to ward off the chill. Emma didn’t slow her pace as she walked past the closed doors of their bedrooms. She hoped he was up. To sit around and wait to apologise was more than she could bear. Tension already coiled tight in her belly.
When she entered the dining room, her heart sank. Only one place remained set, meaning Alexander had already taken his breakfast.
“Mr Hampton,” she called when she had settled at the table and saw the butler slip past the room.
He paused and stood in the doorway. “Your Grace?”
“Have you seen His Grace this morning?”
“No, Your Grace.”
Emma scowled. Where was he? Had he gone out? Perhaps he had decided to take a walk. Perhaps he was still angry with her. She glanced at the window and saw the snow was still as thick as ever but at least there was no fresh snowfall. When she looked to the doorway, the butler had gone, leaving her alone save from the footman standing stoically in the corner.
She tried to eat but her appetite was gone. He was going to leave her again, was he not? With a sigh, she took her cup of tea into the drawing room. She had spent far too many days eating breakfast alone and she would do so no longer. How much more pleasant would it be to sit by a warm fire at least.
Snowy jumped off what had become her chair and scrabbled up her legs. Emma gave her a half-hearted pat and allowed the dog to clamber onto her lap. A heavy weight sat in Emma’s chest when she spied the poorly wrapped presents under the tree. A sad smile curved her lips and she sat to drink her tea while fingering the gold locket Alexander had given her.
Oh, his gift. It was still in her room—likely buried under dust and snow. Still, she should see if she could find it. It wasn’t much—some monogrammed handkerchiefs—but she had thought she ought to get him something when he sent word of his intention to return. She hardly knew him at the time so he had not been easy to buy for.
Did she really know him any better now? Yes, she thought so. In spite of them only having spent a few days together, they were building upon their brief courtship and their first difficult month together. When they had courted, he had been kind and courteous, if a little stiff. And their first month he had been awkward and a little foul tempered. These were all facets to him. Individually, some of those traits had intimidated her, but when combined with his sensual, romantic side, she found she could quite tolerate them. After all, who could claim to be perfect? Not her, for certain. Lying to him about her brother had been her biggest mistake.
Placing down the tea, she coaxed Snowy off her lap and scowled when a thud came from upstairs. Where was everyone? With the exception of the footman in the corner and Mr Hampton striding by, the house was terribly quiet. Surely a small dinner for the two of them didn’t take that much work.
There it was again. She froze and tilted her head to listen. Another thud. What was going on up there? She faced Mr Jacoby. “Have you seen His Grace this morning?”
“No, Your Grace,” the footman replied stiffly as he stepped forwards to take her cup of tea and place it on a tray.
“Will you go into the kitchen and see if anyone has seen him please?”
He nodded, disconcertion coming across his face. Did he know where Alexander was? She waited until the footman had left and paused to listen to the scuffle. Perhaps the staff had decided to start clearing up her room without her. She would offer some help and see if she could not find the duke’s present.
By the time she had ascended the stairs, she knew for certain that the thuds and scuffles were coming from her room. Her heart warmed a little, taking away some of the ice that Alexander’s disappearance had left in her chest. The staff at Balmead—at least those who remained—were indeed a kindly bunch and she was extremely grateful for them. She supposed at least when Alexander went travelling again she would still have them. What a shame she had never achieved her goal of getting with child.
Emma pressed open the door and what she saw had her mouth dropping open. Gone was the snow and rubble and her bedroom had been restored to its former neatness. The bedding had been stripped and replaced with clean, pressed linens, and her few bottles of perfume and creams had been righted and placed neatly on her dressing table.
And in the centre of it all was Alexander, standing on a ladder, his shirt sleeves rolled up, his hair almost white with plaster dust. The thud turned out to be him hammering a thin sheet of wood across the ceiling.
“Alexander...”
He paused and lowered the hammer to smile sheepishly at her. “I’ve boarded it over from the attic. It shouldn’t collapse again and one of the stable hands helped me seal up the roof. We’ll need to get someone up there when the snow thaws but there should be no more accidents.”
“You must have been up for hours.”
She stepped into the room and swept a finger across the mantelpiece to find it clean and dust free. Tears made her vision blurry. No one had ever done anything like this for her. No one had tried to take care of her problems. The estate had been left for her to deal with, she had been left in this crumbling castle to maintain it. Even in her childhood she had been forced to make her own decisions. Her mother wanted little to do with the silly little girl she had borne and her governesses were not much better.
Alexander descended the ladder and placed the hammer down. He closed the gap between them and rested his hands on her arms. “I wanted to be sure you had a place to sleep should you wish... that is, if you do not wish to return to our marriage bed.”
“You want me back in your bed?”
“I do.”
She gazed up at this handsome man—her husband. A little dust fell from his too long hair as he tipped his head forwards and she swiped a finger down his nose to remove it. His brown gaze searched her face and she saw the uncertainty there. It seemed the duke felt just as unsure of himself as she did at times. The idea made her heart stretch. Perhaps they were more alike than she thought. After all, he favoured active pursuits over anything else and though she might not climb mountains, she was happiest when she was productive. Looking after the Balmead estate had been no easy task but she’d relished it.
“When you left, I didn’t wish to sleep in there. It felt cold and lonely,” she admitted.
“I don’t wish you to feel lonely ever again.”
She glanced around the room once more and fell against him, burrowing her head against the warm hollow of his neck. “Even if you go off and climb mountains again, as long as you promise me you shall return and join me in my bed, I shall never be lonely again.”
“I can certainly promise that, and I have little intention of spending eleven months climbing mountains again. Besides, Scotland has many for me to explore. I plan to spend as much time as possible here.”
A smile burst across her face, completely out of her control. But before she got carried away, she had to confess her secret. She forced herself to maintain a serious expression and took his hand to lead him to the bed.
“I must tell you something, Alexander.”
His own smile dropped but he let her lead him to sit down. He gripped her hand in his lap and stroked his fingers over the back of her hand. “You can tell me anything.”
“The money... the estate... I have not been mismanaging it or spending the money, or at least I’ve tried my best not to. But, you see... I have a brother.” Emma saw his brows rise in surprise. No one knew of her brother except for her and her late father. Not even her mother knew her father had been unfaithful. “My father never claimed him and his mother died when he was only eight. He found me quite by accident shortly before we married. He was in the Navy, but under a vicious, horrible captain.”
“When Geoffrey came to me, he’d been beaten badly. I could not send him away so I promised him whatever aid I could. When he left the Navy, I started sending him some of my allowance. And then once we married, I had him send hi
s bills to me so I could pay them, but we’ve had some lean months and it’s been getting harder to support him.”
Alexander rubbed a hand across the back of her neck and shook his head. “This brother, was he here after our wedding?”
“Yes, he came by briefly to tell me he’d found work in Sheffield, but it didn’t last it seemed.”
He closed his eyes then opened them. “I saw you two together. I assumed...”
“You assumed...?”
“He was your lover.”
Emma almost reeled backwards and probably would have done were it not for his hand coming to her back and holding her up. “A lover? Oh my goodness, no! I would never... why would you... oh my.”
He offered her a wry smile. “Let’s just say I will never jump to conclusions again. I figured out quite quickly that I had been wrong. But at the time you were so distant and you seemed so unhappy in bed. I had no idea how to please a woman. I was a virgin, you see.”
Emma found herself thoroughly charmed by his admission and any annoyance at his foolish behaviour vanished at the sight of his bashful expression. He had been a virgin too. No wonder they had struggled so much on their wedding night. Neither of them had known what they were doing.
“So I was your first woman?” she asked softly.
“You were indeed. My first and hopefully my only?”
She nodded, twisted and looped her arms around his neck. “Definitely.”
Alexander wrapped his arms about her waist and drew her down onto the bed so they lay side by side. Then he took her mouth in a firm kiss.
Alex lifted himself away marginally. “We shall help your brother,” he murmured. “I shall help him find work and together we’ll make this estate thrive once more.”
“Thank you, Alexander. Thank you.”
Unable to resist any longer, he kissed her again until her skin grew hot and her clothes were an annoyance. Then someone knocked at the door.
Alexander cursed. Then he kissed her again. Someone knocked once more.
“Damnation.” He pressed away and tore open the door. Mr Hampton stood on the other side and Emma quickly came to standing and smoothed her gown with a sigh.
“Hannah wanted me to let you know that dinner shall be ready in an hour.”
“Thank you, Hampton,” Alexander said tightly, causing Emma to giggle.
When Mr Hampton was out of earshot, he shook his head and cursed the butler again.
“He’s only doing his job, Alexander.”
The duke reached for her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “One day soon, I will get you to myself. If I don’t, I fear I shall turn into a raving lunatic.”
She nodded. “Yes, you will. Very soon. But first we must open our presents and have dinner.”
He groaned but released her hand. “Come then, let us do our duties as usual.”
“Smile, Alexander, it’s not all bad,” she said, pressing a hand to his cheek.
He nodded and his smile warmed. “No, you’re right. It’s not all bad at all.”
Inside, warmth swelled in her chest at his fond expression. She too burned with frustration but she also looked forward to a day spent with her husband. She looked forward to a day of no longer feeling alone.
Chapter Thirteen
Alex did enjoy exchanging gifts with his wife. He also enjoyed the dinner. He would, however, much rather have spent the day in bed with her. Emma had proved herself to be a kind-hearted woman and it only increased his need for her. Over the festive period they had become husband and wife in many ways but one. His desire to bed her had nothing to do with siring a child and everything to do with needing to feel those supple thighs wrapped around his hips.
And any nerves he might have had were gone. One touch from Emma did that. It astonished him that now the truth was out, he felt so much more confident. It went to show how important communication was for their marriage. He silently swore never to keep anything from his wife again.
Emma dabbed her mouth with her napkin and Alex eyed her lips, recalling the taste of them. It would be wholly inappropriate to take her to bed in the middle of the day, and certainly at Christmas, but, damnation, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait. Everything was against them it seemed.
He leaned back in his chair and peered out the window. The sun glinted off the snow and the day was bright and crisp and tempting. Almost as tempting as his wife.
“We could go for a walk?” she suggested, laying down the napkin.
Alex nodded, hoping he didn’t seem too eager. He needed to get out of the house for a while and burn off some frustration. “A fine idea. I think we need to walk off some of that dinner.”
Emma left to fetch her coat, hat and scarf and Hampton brought him his. He slipped on his leather gloves and wrapped his scarf around his neck then waited for his wife. He tapped his foot. There was a small cabin on the edge of the estate, he recalled. Perhaps they could walk there and get some privacy.
He allowed himself a grin. What a fine idea actually. No interruptions from supercilious butlers or roofs or flooding baths. No distractions. It was hardly proper but they had done everything properly on their wedding night and look where that had led him. He warmed to the idea the more he thought about it, but would Emma be as keen?
When he heard her footsteps on the stairs, he glanced up and felt his smile expand. With a few strands of red hair peeking out under a green hat that matched her thick wool coat, she looked like a beautiful Christmas present. And he urgently wanted to unwrap her.
She tucked her hand in his and they headed out into the snow. Cold bit into his cheeks and his breath puffed out in front of him. A few animal tracks in the snow were the only sign of life. The peaceful serenity of it all might have calmed his impatience had he been impatient for any other reason. It was slow going. The snow was thick and reached halfway up his calves and almost to the top of her boots.
“Alexander, slow down,” she said with a laugh. “This is meant to be a leisurely walk. We are in no hurry, are we?”
“No, I suppose not,” he grumbled. But then he recalled he had sworn not to keep secrets from her. “There is a cabin not far from here, do you know it?”
“The hunting lodge?”
“Yes.”
“What of it?”
“I wish to take you there,” he said, his voice gruff and low.
Two spots of colour appeared on her cheeks. “To be alone?”
“Yes.”
She released his hand and he feared for a moment she would turn and leave him, that he had shocked his quiet wife. But then she picked up her coat and skirts and began to dash across the snow in the direction of the cabin. She was hardly fast but it forced him to hasten to catch up with her. He laughed and snatched her waist to pull her to a halt.
“Where are you running to?”
“The cabin. With great haste. Come on, Alexander.”
Then she wriggled out of his arms and began her clumsy run across the snow once more. Pausing to admire the sight, he shook his head to himself and raced to her side. It only took them about ten more minutes to spot the cabin not far from the edge of the woods. They half ran, half skidded down the slope towards it. As soon as they arrived at the door, Alex pushed it open, urged her in and pressed her up against the wall to claim her mouth.
She gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck to press the kiss deeper. There was no finesse to the kiss and he had no patience left. For too many days he had been trying to bed his wife with no success. Nothing would get in the way this time.
Fingers tangling in her hair, he knocked the hat from her head and tugged her scarf from her neck. He released her mouth briefly to cast his gaze around the lodge and breathe a sigh of relief when he spotted the fire ready to be lit and the thick rug in front of it. Someone had expected it to be used upon his return by the looks of it.
Though he doubted they expected him to use it for this purpose.
He turned his attention back to his
wife and took in the image of her glossy lips and messy curls. “I just need to...” She grabbed the lapels of his coat and flattened her lips to his. “Need to...” he murmured between kisses, “need to light the fire.”
She released him long enough to let him get the fire started. Once the flames grew and lit the dark cabin with an orange glow, he stood and locked his gaze with hers. Standing by the door, she plucked at her gloves and eyed him. He saw the heavy rise and fall of her chest, and the air in the cabin grew thick. This was it.
He drew off his own gloves and unbuttoned his coat. She followed suit, casting them aside so they landed on one of the battered chairs. He flung his on top of hers and added his hat to the pile. His necktie came next, then his waistcoat. As he began to pop open the buttons of his shirt, she flung herself at him. Her lips against his, she clutched his shoulders and Alex gripped her waist to draw her as close as her clothing allowed.
Alex didn’t think he had ever undressed so quickly, and they made light work of all her skirts and blasted undergarments. Before long they were naked in front of each other. He had to concentrate on breathing as he took in her long limbs and beautiful curves. He reached out to draw her into him and recalled how to breathe when he sucked in air through his teeth.
Her nipples prodded his chest and his arousal pressed against her soft, soft skin. Alex skimmed his hands down to her back, traced her curves and cupped her rear. God, it really was the most beautiful bottom. He kneaded it and brought his mouth to her ear. She shuddered when he blew softly and tugged on her lobe with his teeth. He smiled to himself, gratified by her reaction.
Then he urged her down onto the fur rug. The dark fur contrasted with her pale skin and he took the time to stroke over her shoulders that were dusted with a few freckles and down to her breasts, before lying next to her and cupping a breast.
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
Rogues and Ripped Bodices Page 37