by Em Taylor
He pressed kisses into her hair as her sobs subsided and she started simply to sniffle. He had no handkerchief on him. Stroking his hand down her long braid, he spoke.
“You have told me what you think of yourself and how you believe others view you, now let me have my say. I may not have known you more than a week or so, but I am coming to know a delightful, funny, intelligent, witty, sensual, beautiful young woman who is curious about the world around her. We are both very different kinds of people, Emily. We need to learn to live together and learn each other’s ways. That’s the case in all marriages, I would presume. You have given me a litany of what you perceive to be your faults. I could give you a long list of my faults. It seems to me that you only see your faults and none of the wonderful things that everyone else sees. Take Sophia for instance.”
“What about Sophia.”
“Do you trust her.”
“Of course. She is my very dear friend.”
“And you are hers. She trusts you, she likes you—nay loves you, as she speaks of you often. Do you think my sister a ninny?”
“Indeed not.”
“Then why do you doubt her judgement when it comes to choosing friends? She chose you. She likes you. Sophia sees many wonderful gifts that you have.”
Emily pulled back and gave him a sceptical look. “I feel like you have tricked me by using your sister.”
“There is no trick. Sophia makes up her own mind about people and, as you know, she does not suffer fools gladly.”
“That is true.” Emily smiled. He had a feeling she was remembering something that Sophia had said or done about some young lady of the Beau-Monde.
“Let me find you a handkerchief. I have no doubt that we have quite a distance to go before you feel happy about who you are and what type of person you are, Lady Emily, but I shall be your husband and I shall be there with you every step of the way.”
“Even when I fall flat on my face?”
“With luck, I shall be there to catch you every time.”
Chapter 16
Three evenings later, Gideon’s carriage trundled up the private road onto the Aelton Manor estate—the principal seat of the Earl of Whitsnow.
Gideon placed his gloved hand over hers. They had put on their hat, bonnet, gloves and were sitting up straight and ready to meet the Earl. Emily just hoped he was home… or did she? Perhaps it would be better if he was away to London.
The weather seemed better up here and the ground not so sodden. Perhaps there was not so much work to be done and Robert could be enjoying what little was left of the Season.
There were candles lit in the drawing room, she could see. There was definitely someone in residence. She sighed heavily.
“Come now. The worst that will happen is he will kill me.”
Emily glared at Gideon.
“That is not funny, my lord.”
He lifted her gloved hand to his lips and kissed it as the carriage slowed. “Worst thing that can happen. Most likely he will force us to marry.”
A footman opened the door and let down the steps. Gideon got out and handed Emily down.
“Welcome home, my lady.”
The footman bowed.
“Good evening Wilson. How is your Mama?”
“Very well, my lady,” said the footman, giving a sidelong look at Gideon.
“Very pleased to hear it. I shall be in my own room tonight and Lord Beattie will be in the blue room.”
“The Green room is made up for Lord Beattie, my lady.”
“Oh? That is too far away. The Blue room is fine.”
“But his lordship…”
“His lordship said the green room.” Emily looked up to see the bellowing figure in the doorway beside a slightly flustered looking Mr Parker, the butler. Emily had never seen Mr Parker look flustered in her life.
“Robert, darling.”
“Emily, go to your room.” She glanced down and saw a pistol in her brother’s hand.
“No,” she said once she had arrived at her brother’s side. “This is between you and me. You shall not harm Lord Beattie. It is my fault he had to elope with me. This is my doing.”
“Of course, it is, Emily. You are an imbecile.”
“How dare you Whitsnow. That is my affianced bride whom you insult.” Emily rolled her eyes. She could almost hear her mother as she shook her head Boys will be boys.
“She is my sister. She may be a ninny but how dare you debauch her.”
“He has not debauched me. I am an innocent. Now can we take this inside before you let all the servants know our business?”
Robert glared at Gideon.
“He has not touched you?”
Emily drew in her breath. “He has been the perfect gentleman.” She had not exactly lied but she had not exactly answered his question. She hoped he would not notice.
“Fine. Come up to the drawing room.” He passed his pistol to the butler. “Please ask Staines to put that back in the box in my study.”
“Aye, my lord.” Robert then pulled Emily into a hug. “I was worried about you,” he confided. “Aunt Gertrude’s letter said you had been spirited away to Scotland and she was not sure if Beattie’s intentions were honourable.”
He let her go. “Of course, they are.”
She and Gideon had said the same words at the same time. She laughed.
“I left your aunt a letter explaining what was going on,” Gideon said. “I thought I had given her sufficient explanation to set her mind at ease. Apparently not.”
“Aunt Gertrude always was a worry wart.”
They were climbing the stairs to the drawing room. When they got to the top, two footmen opened the large double doors to allow them to walk in.
“Did you order a tea tray to be brought up?”
“No need, we shall be dressing for dinner soon. Dinner is in an hour. I presume you did not eat.”
“No. Not yet.”
“Good.”
He motioned for them to sit. She did not like having to sit so far apart from Gideon after a week of being cramped beside him in a carriage, but, appearances must be upheld.
“So, you are to marry my sister, Beattie, eh?”
“With your permission. of course.”
“You do not need his permission in Scotland,” Emily started but Gideon gave her a look that told her to hold her tongue. She shut her mouth.
“As your sister rightly says, I do not necessarily need your permission, but I would prefer it. I’d rather not have to leave here with us both cowering from your pistol fire, but marry her, I shall.”
Robert waved his hand as if almost bored. “You may as well. Better that than she ends up on the shelf and living in the dower house for eternity.” Then he turned to Emily. “He’s sleeping in the green room and you shall be in there with him tomorrow night. It is suitably far enough away from my apartments that I won’t hear your screams when he breaks your maidenhead.”
Emily’s eyes widened and she turned to look at Gideon, who rolled his eyes and gave her an almost imperceptible shake of his head. His eyes—those green eyes—told her to trust him and she did. Her brother was being a pig, as he always was.
“My dear man, if you make your women scream, then you’re not doing it properly,” said Gideon, affecting the same fashionable ennui as was Robert. It was almost comical from Gideon.
“You speak like this in front of ladies, Beattie.”
“You were the one to bring up maidenheads, my dear chap. I thought perhaps you spoke like this in front of your sister all the time. Personally, I would never have considered speaking like this in front of dear lady Emily in such a vulgar manner had you not begun the conversation. My dear Lady Emily, how can you ever forgive me?”
Emily wanted to laugh. She schooled her features into her most understanding expression and nodded.
“Lord Beattie, I accept your apology. I believe my brother is just trying to
make me frightened, as he did on the night of my come-out ball and the afternoon I made my curtsey to the Queen. He told me such terrible stories of all the tragedies that might occur. Only two bad things happened. I ripped the hem of my dress on the way home from my curtsey when I tripped over my dress. Luckily, Robert managed to catch my arm and stop me from ending face first on the ground, and I spilt a little champagne on my dress at the ball, because of all the decoration. However, no one noticed.”
“Such a clumsy girl, Emily,” Robert said, rolling his own eyes.
She sighed and got to her feet. “Well, if you are finished trying to make me look like an idiot in front of my fiancé I shall show him to the green bedchamber.”
“I think not. You are not to be trusted alone together.”
“Oh Robert, we have been alone for a week together with just a coachman and a stable hand. If he has not debauched me yet, I doubt Lord Beattie shall debauch me before dinner.”
“Well no, I do like to be thorough.” Gideon was grinning down at her, one eyebrow raised. Heat flooded her cheeks. She glanced at Robert who was looking at them both through narrowed eyes. Did he suspect, as was true, that slightly more had gone on during the trip than they had confessed?
That said, the past few days, Gideon had been a perfect gentleman, much to her chagrin. They had not been forced to share a bed again, and on Sunday night when they’d had to share, Gideon had rolled away from her after kissing her slowly and softly good night.
When they arrived at his room, he raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
“It may hurt a little, Emily, but I promise to be as gentle as I can.”
“I know you will. I trust you.”
She turned and started to walk away.
“Emily!” She turned at his voice. “You are beautiful and delightful.”
Emily smiled. “Thank you.” As she turned to walk away she tripped, over her own silly feet.
She righted herself immediately and circled her ankle. She had probably swivelled around too quickly on her heel again. Stupid girl. She considered her ankle but she was sure it was fine. And then large arms were around her waist.
“Did you hurt yourself.”
Emily giggled. “No, silly. I am fine. Let me go before someone sees.”
“Is this what always happens?”
“I do not understand?”
“When you say you are clumsy?”
“Oh, all manner of things. I bump into things, I knock things over, I trip, I stumble. It has happened all my life. The doctor can find nothing wrong with me. I had no difficulties with my lessons. I was not very good at catching balls and playing the piano. That is why I sing. I am musical, I just could never make my left hand and right-hand work together. Now Gideon, I must get ready for dinner. I am unharmed as you can see.”
He sighed but pressed the lightest kiss to her neck.
“Be careful.”
“I shall.”
Chapter 17
The next morning was sunny. Emily could not believe her eyes. It was actually a sunny day. It had been months since she had seen the sun and it was shining on her wedding day. She had spoken to the maid the evening before about what she should wear. A dress which had been hanging up in her wardrobe was just the thing. It was yellow and had lace trim. It was not too fancy but not too drab.
Beryl, the maid, had suggested wearing it with her pearls and a bonnet decorated with roses. She had assured Emily that there were roses growing in the gardens of Aelton Manor. She had organised the head gardener to pick enough roses for her bonnet, a small bouquet for her and to pin on the jackets of the Viscount and the Earl, assuming the Earl would accompany them over the border.
She hoped he would but there was no guarantee.
She had breakfasted in her room, rather than going down to meet the men. They would be leaving early for the border.
She was standing in the large foyer, at the bottom of the sweeping staircase, feeling a little lost, when Robert strode out of his study and stopped. She noticed he had a rosebud pinned to his jacket. Did this mean he was accompanying them?
“Good God, Em, look at you.”
“Oh! I did not think to bring anything, well… I…”
“You look like a proper lady. Mama and Papa would be so proud of you.” He was scowling as he said it but his eyes looked suddenly very bright.
“Oh Robert, you are a beast.”
“In what way am I a beast? I am complimenting you.”
“You shall make me cry on my wedding day.”
He walked over to her and enveloped her in a great big embrace. “I’ve only ever wanted you to be happy, Tiny.”
“You have not called me Tiny since I was about five years old. You always called me clumsy, or Ninny.”
“Yes, well I sat and drank rather a lot of port with your fiancé last night. I was planning to give him a piece of my mind. It turned out, he gave me a piece of his mind. He told me that you have a rather low opinion of yourself because you think these things about yourself.”
She pulled away from him and swiped at her wet eyes. “It is true though.”
“Perhaps, but it seems to be something you cannot control or you would. I am a prize ass for being a beast about it. Beattie is quite right. I have not helped matters. More than likely it just makes you more nervous and more likely to get yourself into bother.”
“He said that.”
“He seems to care very deeply for you.”
“I sort of forced his hand. I did not mean to. I was a ninny.”
“He explained what happened. “
“You are not angry with him?”
Robert sighed and wiped a hand across his face. “I wish he had waited and married you by special licence instead of eloping. It’s still a bit of a scandal, in all honesty, Em. I understand why he did it. We might live far from town up here but you know we do still get the papers, albeit a few days late. I know what is happening in the south of the country and on the continent. We have not worked out the particulars. We shall discuss it on the way to Scotland. I shall bring my horse with us tied to the coach so that I can travel home more quickly. I have work to do.”
“I understand. Thank you for coming with us.”
“I would never refuse to attend my own sister’s wedding, Em. Come, I think we have left your fiancé waiting in the coach long enough. I think that is punishment enough.”
“You left him in the coach? Robert!”
Robert chuckled. “I may be willing to let up on being a beast to you, Tiny, but your fiancé has years left to catch up.”
She punched him on the arm, refused to take his sleeve and marched out of the house on the way to her wedding.
“Well, Scottish weddings are not too bad.”
They were sitting in a private parlour in an inn just back over the English border from Gretna Green after the wedding, and that was the considered opinion of the Earl of Whitsnow. Gideon swallowed his mouthful of wine and nodded his head.
“Not bad at all. It appears that we are properly and legally wed, my love.” Gideon grinned at the new Lady Beattie, she blushed and smiled coyly at him over the rim of her own wine glass.
Was the little tease thinking about what he was thinking about? He had a damned hard cock, despite the presence of her brother. Luckily, he still had two more courses to get his traitorous body under control, and Whitsnow was not sharing their carriage back to Aelton Manor.
“Really Beattie. Are you intending to make cow eyes at my sister for the rest of the meal? If so, I may just get on my horse now and go home. This is supposed to be a celebratory meal, not the damned prelude to your consummation.”
Gideon shook his head. “I do apologise, my good man. I was distracted for a moment. I have had a certain lack of sleep the last week. As you know, it is difficult to sleep when one is not in one’s own bed, and I suspect I have not fully recovered from the injury I s
ustained to my head.”
“Y-e-e-s, possibly,” Whitsnow had raised an eyebrow and did not look convinced. Gideon gave him his most innocent expression but had the most horrible feeling he was failing miserably.
Eventually, their meal was over. Emily had been correct. Her brother did live very close to the Scottish border. Robert jumped onto his horse, waved to them and dashed off. Gideon handed his wife—he liked the sound of that—up into the carriage and followed her in.
He sat down beside her, placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his side.
As soon as they were out of the inn yard and trundling along the highway, Gideon untied her bonnet and tossed it onto the seat opposite. He then removed his own hat and discarded it likewise.
Then he lifted her bodily onto his lap
“Husband?”
“Lady Beattie, you make me very hard when you call me that.”
She feigned innocence.
“Really Lord Beattie. Which part of you, in particular, gets hard.”
He peppered little kisses along her jawline and she sighed. A truly feminine sigh that went straight to his groin.
“My cock, Lady Beattie. My cock gets hard. Call me husband again.”
“My lord, are we going to make love in the carriage?”
He chuckled.
“No, my lady. We are not. You shall not be arriving back at your brother’s house looking completely tumbled. You shall arrive looking like a lady.”
“Then why, pray tell, am I on your lap, and why do you want me to make you hard?”
“You are on my knee because I am allowed to put you on my knee and no one can say a damned thing about it. I just wanted to hear you call me husband. I do not care that it makes me hard. I love when you do it.”