“I like it when it rains, ooh, I know,” she said, sitting down. “I love it when it thunders and you’re all safe and cozy inside,” she smiled, but then started and chewed her bottom lip when she caught sight of Edward frowning.
“I hate thunder,” he said quietly. “It reminds me of cannon fire.”
“I’m sorry,” Daphne breathed quickly. She reached out to stroke his hand. Edward was surprised how much comfort he gleaned from the fleeting little touch. He curled his fingers around her own, not letting her draw back now that he had her close. “I didn’t think. I-”
“There’s no reason why you should have,” he said, as carelessly as he could manage. Edward lifted Daphne’s hand to his lips and dotted a kiss against her knuckles, unwilling to let, what had been, such a lovely, happy moment, pass them by. “You still owe me one more of your likes,” he teased gently.
Daphne shot him a small smile, which slowly widened, as if she too had been fearfully aware of how close they had come to losing their newfound ease and comfort.
“I-” she began, and the flush that rushed into her cheeks caught Edward’s interest.
“You?” he prompted, dying to know what thought could have brought such a glow to his wife’s skin.
“I like,” Daphne began again. Her blush didn’t lessen, if anything it increased. “I like your kisses,” she whispered a little breathlessly. Edward grinned, and wondered if that meant he was allowed to steal one now.
“I like your kisses too,” he purred, leaning closer to sample the delights of Daphne’s lips. Only, his wife laid a finger against his mouth and smiled sweetly.
“I don’t think you’re allowed to steal my like, Lord Coventry,” she teased, giggling as her husband caught her wrist and laid a searing little kiss against the pulse point in her wrist.
“You mean I have to come up with my own idea?” he asked wickedly, eyes racking hungrily over Daphne’s delectable form. “In that case I like-” but he stopped himself deliberately. “Well, I could show you what I like if you’d rather?” he murmured, breathing into her ear hotly.
“Could you?” Daphne sighed breathlessly.
“Oh I definitely could,” Edward assured her huskily.
“And, will I like it?” she asked, giving her eyelashes a coy little flutter that sent Edward’s blood pounding through his body.
“Why don’t we go upstairs and you can tell me exactly what you like?” he whispered.
“Again?” Daphne half giggled, half gasped. “Edward,” she murmured. She leant a little closer to him and Edward felt his body tighten in response. “Is it normal to-I mean, do all couples-you know-quite so often-?” she asked awkwardly. The color flooded back to her cheeks.
Edward chuckled with laughter. “Well the ones that don’t definitely should!” he grinned.
He hooked a finger under Daphne’s chin, tilting her head to best angle her lips to be ravished. Six years of kisses he had missed, that was. Edward shuddered, that was over two thousand nights that he had wasted! He had a great deal of lost time to make up for!
Daphne parted her lips almost instantly to welcome the slick invasion of Edward’s tongue. He gently probed her mouth, exploring the sweet hollow with a slow languid care that his wife found completely intoxicating. She moved her hands to his shoulders clutching him close as her body tingled responsively to Edward’s touch.
“Upstairs, Daff,” Edward murmured thickly.
Chapter 17
Daphne gave her head a slow heavy nod. She tried to make a move to stand up, but instead, Edward swept her into his arms, lifting her clean off her feet.
“Edward!” she gasped, senses knocked askew as she found herself wrapped in her husband’s strong embrace. “The servants will see!” she squealed.
“So let them see,” he chuckled darkly. “They must surely know after all.”
Daphne didn’t think that her cheeks could possible burn any hotter, and she was reminded again of what had the night before. Was this really all her marriage amounted to after all?
“Edward, wait,” she whispered, and something in her voice must have been serious enough to give her husband pause. “I-I can’t do this now,” she whimpered, forcing the words out difficultly.
Edward frowned, but he put her back down. Concern was the dominant emotion in his eyes at present, but there was anger lurking there too, and once he knew why she was refusing him Daphne suspected that the anger would win out.
“Why not?” he pressed, keeping an arm locked around her waist. “Did I… hurt you earlier?” he asked guiltily. Daphne shook her head quickly. “Then is it-are you-” he stammered awkwardly. Daphne could scarcely believe it as a faint hint of blush touched Edward’s cheeks. “You know,” he sighed with a small cringe, and this time color rose in Daphne’s cheeks.
“Oh no, it’s not that either!” she said hurriedly. Really, she was sure that there were certain things that one did not discuss with one’s husband-her monthly courses certainly being one of them!
“Then what is the matter?” Edward growled. As Daphne had anticipated, the concern had dimmed, replaced by a disgruntled and frustrated anger.
“Why do you want to?” Daphne blurted, in one breath, so that it came out more like: whyd’youwantto? Edward frowned, and didn’t have any luck trying to decipher what had just been spluttered at him, so to her humiliation Daphne was forced to repeat herself.
Edward started to choke. “I would have thought that was obvious!” he barked.
Daphne nodded sadly. “You want to get me with child so that then you’ll have your heir.”
Edward didn’t choke this time, but he did gape at her rather unnervingly. His jaw opened and shut several times, but no words came out, at least not until he managed to splutter: “That’s why you think I want you in my bed?”
Daphne looked up at him in puzzlement. “But that’s what you said you wanted when you came back. You said that you wanted me to bear you a son,” she nodded.
“Daff,” Edward croaked.
He really didn’t look too well Daphne realized, and she began to chew her bottom lip anxiously. “Do you want to sit down?” she asked him nervously. Daphne was sure that Edward muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like – I think I need to lie down, but when she asked him to repeat himself he refused.
Edward cleared his throat, and Daphne waited expectantly for him to speak. “Hasn’t it occurred to you that men and women might engage in-might make love because they simply enjoy it?” he said difficultly.
“Well, of course,” Daphne nodded sensibly. She was sure that was why so many foolish young girls got themselves in trouble, and really, she wasn’t opposed to finding merely pleasure in Edward’s arms… “But you said-” she began again, only her husband interrupted her.
“I know! I know what I said,” Edward ground out the words, catching his wife a little off guard by his harshness. “But Daff!” he groaned torturously. “You have to see-you have to know, that I want so much more than that from you, don’t you?”
“You do?” she gasped, eyes widening hopefully as she took a small step forward. “What else do you want, Edward?” she breathed.
Damn. He didn’t know. At least, Edward didn’t think he could put it all into words yet. He wanted… “Everything,” he whispered, catching hold of Daphne again and pulling her close. “I want everything from you, Daff,” he puffed, sensing that this had been exactly the right thing to say.
Chapter 18
Edward woke the next morning, and reached for his wife only to find that he was lying in bed alone. He jolted, sat up straight, and scanned the room quickly, relieved, if frustrated, to find that Daphne was sitting at her dressing table. He frowned, when he realized that she was already fully dressed with her hair perfectly styled.
“Ah good, you’re awake,” Daphne said brightly, catching sight of her husband’s moving reflection in her mirror.
“Come back to bed, Daff,” Edward purred huskily, his v
oice rough with sleep. He hoped, rather than believed, that she might obey.
“Edward, it’s Sunday!” she scolded, although her husband took a morsel of comfort from the fact that a rather delightful blush had risen to Daphne’s cheeks. “We have to leave for church.”
“Church?” Edward choked. His hand had been wandering beneath the cover, intent on delivering the relief that Daphne seemed determined to deny. His fingers immediately froze in their pursuit however. He never went to church when he was in London – usually owing to the fact that Saturday night would have been spent at White’s or somewhere similar, and Sunday morning was needed to recover.
“Edward,” Daphne smiled, turning on her stool to look at him. “You sound just like a sulking little boy! Now, I’m going to go down for breakfast, you may get dressed and meet me downstairs in half an hour when we’re leaving.”
Edward opened his mouth, but there really didn’t seem to be anything for him to say, so he just nodded his head obediently-and then he really did feel like a little boy! So this was another part of the wonderful world of marriage was it? Edward mused, watching as Daphne sauntered out of the bedroom with a satisfied little smile, being controlled and manipulated by one’s wife?
Half an hour later, dressed, and relatively calm, Edward found himself standing in the hall of his late brother’s town house (he was certain that he would never get used to thinking of it as being his house) waiting for his wife and their carriage. Edward almost audibly groaned when he caught sight of Anthony walked down the stairs toward him.
…waiting for his wife and their carriage and his wife’s psychotic brother. How had he forgotten that latter little detail, Edward wondered?
“Good morning, Anthony,” he said evenly.
“Is it?” Anthony shot back coldly.
Edward sighed and raised his eyes to the ceiling. It was hard to remember, hard to even imagine now really, that once upon a time he and Anthony Hargreaves had been the very best of friends. Other friends had come, and some had gone too, but no one had ever quite filled the void that had been left by the loss of his childhood friend.
“Oh Anthony! Good, you’re just in time to join us.”
Edward and Anthony turned, just to see Daphne as she came walking out into the hall. Edward was sure he caught his brother-in-law rolling his eyes, but the man sighed and nodded. Edward didn’t quite know what Daphne was playing at this morning. Perhaps she thought that they were all going to be overcome by love and forgiveness once they stepped inside St Paul’s?
There certainly wasn’t an outpouring of love and forgiveness in the carriage on the journey to the cathedral. Anthony took every opportunity to shoot glances of pure loathing at his sister’s husband, while Edward himself silently fumed at this treatment as he worked hard at biting his tongue. Anthony’s threat still loomed over him after all, although, Edward was slowly growing a little more confident that, if push came to shove, Daphne would choose him over her brother. He didn’t really want to test that theory, however, and he had only one more day to endure.
His eyes flickered across the carriage to where his wife was sitting, gazing out of the window. One more day, and then he would have her entirely to himself, his lips twitched in a grin he suppressed; he’d have her to do with whatever he pleased.
Perhaps marriage agreed with him after all?
Edward was just giving his imagination full rein when the absent little smile that had adorned Daphne’s face altered into a look of pure horror.
“Daphne? What is it what’s wrong?” he demanded, leaning slightly forwards in his seat. Anthony tensed instantly too and shot a worried glance in his sister’s direction.
Daphne meanwhile colored and gave her head a little shake, almost as if she was trying to clear it. “Nothing, nothing’s wrong,” she said quickly, too quickly for Edward’s liking. “I just thought I saw someone outside that I recognized, that’s all,” she said airily.
Edward frowned. “Who?” he demanded, peering out of the window, but the carriage had continued moving, passing whoever it was that had given his wife such a fright. “Who, Daff?” Edward pressed, when his wife remained silent. He was amazed when she continued to ignore him. “Daphne!”
“No one important,” she muttered, and Edward’s frown darkened. Who had she seen? A man? Someone she had been considering entering into an affair with perhaps? His jealous mind whirred as the carriage rolled to a stop.
It didn’t cease whirring all through the Sunday service. He wasn’t even sure what the lesson was on, and twice had to be prompted to stand by Daphne when the hymns came to be sung. She started casting him a few furtive little glances after that, but she soon reabsorbed herself in the teaching, leaving Edward to silently stew.
Edward found it an enormous relief when they were finally bid ‘to go in peace.’ He was indeed so eager to be back outside in the fresh air that he completely forgot his hat. He muttered a curse, which earned him several severe looks of reproach from people nearby, and darted back to get it, promising Daphne that he’d catch up with her in just a minute.
Daphne frowned, but nodded, accepting her brother’s arm as Anthony led her out of the cathedral. Edward had been behaving most peculiarly throughout the whole service, most peculiarly in fact since Daphne had happened to see his mother’s coach heading for St Paul’s.
She had been terrified of bumping into Lady Margaret, but fortunately the size of St Paul’s had enabled her to avoid her mother-in-law entirely, or at least it had… in the bustle to get outside Daphne unluckily came face to face with the older woman. Her grip on Anthony’s arm grew so tight that he glanced down at his sister. He followed her gaze, and encountered Lady Margaret standing only a few feet away from them.
“Ignore her,” he snarled, tugging Daphne quickly outside, but they weren’t to be so fortunate.
“I want a word with you, gel!” Lady Margaret’s voice carried over the soft murmurings of the general congregation.
Anthony insisted on pressing Daphne forwards, urging her towards the carriage, but Lady Margaret’s next shout of ‘Lady Coventry, I insist you stop!’ really couldn’t be ignored; people were staring to stare and point.
Daphne cringed, not again, not now, not in front of everyone, she glanced around desperately for Edward. Surely he would have to save her from his wretched mother? But her husband was still nowhere in sight.
“Lady Margaret,” Daphne said, turning and forcing her lips to assume a bland little smile. “How can I help you?”
“I don’t think you really want to hear my answer to that, young lady,” Edward’s mother sniped.
“Now just a minute-” Anthony growled. He wasn’t given to arguing publicly with ladies, especially not well thought after ladies of Lady Margaret’s social standing, however, there wasn’t a lot that he wouldn’t do for his younger sister.
“Yes quite, what I have to say will only take a minute, Mr Hargreaves,” Lady Margaret declared sternly.
Anthony opened his mouth to speak again, but Daphne cut him off. She was all too aware of their audience and desperately didn’t want to cause anything approaching a scene.
“What is it, Lady Margaret?” she said, scanning the crowd for Edward, willing him to arrive soon.
Lady Margaret huffed. “I see your manners still require improvement,” she sniffed. “However, given your other failings a lack of social refinement can hardly be surprising, I suppose.” Daphne stiffened visibly. “The scene that you caused at the Butterworth’s ball – explain yourself.”
Daphne opened and closed her mouth several times without managing to make a sound. Anthony was beginning to look thunderous, but now a portion of that anger seemed to be directed towards his sister. No doubt he was wondering what she’d done this time.
“I don’t know what you mean, my lady!” Daphne managed to splutter at length.
“I mean that I have heard that you spent most of the evening on the arm of a man who is not your husband. I have also heard moreov
er that my son was forced to escort you home after witnessing your disgraceful behavior,” Lady Margaret said, utterly scathingly.
“That’s not true!” Daphne blurted. Oh not exactly at any rate… she hadn’t wanted to be accosted by Harry Beckham, and Edward’s anger had shocked her as much as anyone else.
“Are you calling me a liar, Lady Coventry?” Lady Margaret asked, in a great booming voice that Daphne was certain everybody heard. In fact, people seemed to be lingering all around them, putting off getting into their carriages so that they could hear what was being said.
“I think my sister-” Anthony began. His voice was a low growl, however he was interrupted once again by Daphne’s mother-in-law.
“Edward!” she called. “There you are.”
Daphne sagged in relief when her husband appeared. He glanced between the two women, a confused frown on his face, and asked what was going on.
“Your wife,” Lady Margaret hissed. “has just publicly accused me of lying, Edward!”
“What?” Edward frowned turning on Daphne.
No… she thought, no, no, no… this was all wrong! He wasn’t supposed to be looking at her like that! He was supposed to take her side!
“Daphne is this true?” he demanded.
“No,” she croaked. “I didn’t mean-”
“Everybody heard her,” Lady Margaret said accusing.
“Daphne,” Edward sighed, and she could hear the reproach in his voice, everyone could hear it, oh god, she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her! It wasn’t fair! It just wasn’t fair!
“Anthony,” she said quietly. “I think I’d like to go home now.”
Daphne’s brother turned to look down at her, and the second he saw her face she knew that he understood exactly what she meant… He gave his head a resolute nod.
“Of course, whatever you want, Daff,” Anthony assured her, and then, taking her arm again, he guided her through the throng of people towards their carriage.
Behind them Daphne could hear her mother-in-law sniffing haughtily, and saying: “You see the caliber of these people, Edward? No good-breeding or manners whatsoever!” She didn’t hear her husband’s reply; Anthony had moved her too far away from the crowd.
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