by Dawn Brower
Dawdling outside wasn’t helping him make any decisions. He should go inside the inn and at least get warm in the main room. After that he could make a decision to join her immediately, or wait until he believed she’d fallen asleep. He stepped through the entrance and was grateful for the heat that welcomed him. The innkeeper greeted him as soon as he noticed his entrance.
“Your wife is settled in your chamber. Would you like me to have a maid show you to your room?” he asked.
“Not yet,” he replied. “Can you have a meal sent up?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” he said. “We have a mutton stew and bread. It’s not much…”
“It’ll do,” he replied. “Send up something warm to drink as well, and I’ll have a mug of ale now in the common room.”
The innkeeper nodded. “Aye, Your Grace,” he replied. “Let me know when you’d like to be shown up to your room. For now I’ll have a maid bring your wife a meal.”
Satisfied he’d done his duty and ensured Juliette would be taken care of he headed into the main room. He found a seat near the hearth and reveled in the warmth. A few moments later a server brought him a mug of ale. He still hadn’t decided if he was going to join Juliette after her bath or much later. By his estimation he still had time to make a decision. Ladies took their time with their ablutions.
He took a sip of his ale and almost spit it back in the cup. It was a watered down mess that barely made it fit to consume. Grayson stared at the contents and considered his option: finish the ale, set it aside and ignore it, or just give in and find his room. It was where he wanted to be.
“What brings you to Scotland of all places? Please tell me you’re not here to elope. You’ve sworn off marriage as long as I’ve known you.”
Grayson turned and found Lord Payne standing directly behind him. He was at a loss for words, and really hated his assumption had been correct. The viscount had a reason for wanting Juliette—one he feared he’d not like much.
“Marriage isn’t for everyone,” Grayson replied evasively. “Although I have friends who swear by it.”
Lord Payne laughed. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t be caught in the parson’s trap.” He clapped him on the shoulder. “Now, I believe marriage will suit me fine. As soon as I take care of some unfinished business here I’m heading to London to sign a betrothal contract.”
That was good news of a sort. He hadn’t signed the contract yet so he had no legal claim on Juliette. It was something he could work with. Since he wasn’t officially tied to her, the viscount couldn’t demand he take her back to her father. Grayson, as her husband, could legally tell him to go to hell.
“What business do you have here?”
Grayson had an idea why the viscount was in Gretna Green, but he wanted a confirmation. Juliette was his to protect, and Payne was the reason they’d rushed to Scotland to be married. If he was looking for her it couldn’t be a good thing.
“My intended ran away from home. As I was close to the border her father asked me to see if she headed in this direction. I’ve been here a couple of days and she hasn’t made an appearance. She must have gone elsewhere.”
Did the man not wonder why Juliette would have run away? It had to be a clue that she didn’t desire the match, and yet he was here searching for her. “You sure you want a wife who has a penchant for disappearing?”
“She’ll come around after we’re wed. All women are rebellious at first.” He laughed maniacally. “They need a firm hand to tame them. I know how to handle her. Don’t worry about me—I’m rather looking forward to it.”
Grayson had an idea how he planned on bringing his intended to heel. The viscount’s penchant for beating his lovers was well known in certain circles. He’d been banned from a few of the more prominent establishments for that very reason. It was those clubs that Grayson learned of the man’s more sadistic tastes. One of the women had been beaten so bad she nearly died.
He’d told Juliette he’d not marry her at first, but one mention of the viscount and his heart froze in his chest. No woman deserved to find themselves the subject of Lord Payne’s attention, but Juliette wasn’t just anyone to him. She’d been his best friend when he was denied any close attachments. The very fact she’d come to him for help should’ve been enough. It shouldn’t have taken Lord Payne’s name rolling off her tongue to gain his notice. The viscount would never come near her. He’d make sure of it one way or the other. At least Payne was giving up on finding her in Scotland. Perhaps he would depart before them. Grayson would ensure Juliette stayed in their room either until Payne left, or their carriage was ready for them.
“You must want to marry her a great deal if you’re here looking for her.” Grayson drew his brows together. “What do you get out of this marriage? It can’t be a love match if she’s off hiding from it.”
Not to mention it wouldn’t exactly be a cordial environment after the wedding…
“She is to inherit some substantial property, it was part of her mother’s dowry,” he said. “There was a stipulation in the contracts it must be passed onto one of her children. Unfortunately she only had a daughter—so it became the selling point in marrying her off. I’m rather short on funds and with the income from the property and the yearly stipend I should sit nicely.”
“Gah, I can’t imagine having to marry for money.” Grayson shuddered. “You poor sod.”
Whatever woman he married would be the one Grayson would feel sorry for. He was glad he was able to save Juliette from that fate.
“Well, we all can’t have the money you do,” he said. “We do what we have to survive.”
“I wish you luck finding your bride-to-be,” Grayson said evenly. He didn’t want Payne to know how disgusted he was with him. “It’s been a long day, and the ale is rather hideous. I’m off to retire for the evening.”
Grayson stood and turned to leave. He didn’t take a step before the viscount caught his attention.
“You never did say why you were here,” Lord Payne said.
He cursed inwardly. How was he to explain why he was at Gretna Green of all places? There weren’t too many reasons for an Englishman to be in the Scottish border town, and all of them resolved around marriage one way or the other. He should be there to either prevent a marriage, or to have one performed. Should he tell Payne the truth? Would he even believe it?
“No, I didn’t.” Grayson said. His lips lifted into a cocky smile. “And I don’t believe I owe you an explanation either. My reasons are my own.” He tilted his head slightly. “Good night, Payne.”
Grayson didn’t want to wait around and leave Payne room to interrogate him further. The sooner he put distance between them the better. The only problem he could see is he had no clue where his room was. Why had he decided to lounge around in the main room? He should have gone upstairs immediately. So much for allowing Juliette some space…
He found a serving girl and asked for directions to his room. She gestured for him to follow and led him to his chamber. “Thank you,” he said, and entered.
Grayson shouldn’t have worried about disturbing Juliette. She was fast asleep already on top of the bed, and hadn’t even bothered to climb underneath the blankets. At least she’d been able to find a nightgown in the trunk he’d had his staff prepare for her. He lifted her gently and rolled the blanket down beneath her, then placed her back on the bed to spread it over top of her. Damn she was beautiful, even more so in her sleep.
A flash of light caught his attention. He pushed the top of her nightgown over slightly to reveal a gold chain. It seemed familiar… Grayson lifted it and gasped as recognition hit. It was the locket he’d given her at their final Christmas together. She’d kept it—he hadn’t expected her to. All right perhaps he believed she’d tossed it in a box and forgotten about it, but never would he have believed she still wore it.
What did it mean?
In the morning he’d have to ask her. It could be he was reading too much into the gesture, but in
his heart he hoped it meant they had a future together. For now he’d lay beside her and rest. Tomorrow was soon enough to begin their future together.
Chapter 10
Juliette rolled onto her side and hit a solid mass. What was in her bed? She’d been dreaming of her last Christmas with Grayson. It had been lovely and it warmed her from the inside out. If they could capture that feeling and hold onto it tightly she’d never feel lonely ever again.
At least until reality reared its ugly head. She opened her eyes and found him asleep next to her. When had he come back? She’d given up on him returning while she was in her bath. It had gotten cold too fast, and on the trip to Scotland she’d found she’d abhorred any frigid temperature. There had been two trunks waiting in the room along with her bath. Grayson had mentioned the last time they’d stayed at an inn he’d arranged for her to have clothing. This was her first opportunity to rummage through the trunks offerings. She’d sighed in relief to find a clean dressing gown, and a brush. As much as she wanted to wait for him to return her exhaustion overtook her. She only meant to lay down for a moment, and that was the last thing she recalled.
Grayson must have come back and found her fast asleep. He’d probably been relieved. Did he expect she’d demand he make her his wife in truth? They were legally wed, but he’d never love her. Not in any way that mattered. She’d like to have children some day, and he apparently hadn’t cared if she took a lover. Somehow she doubted he’d been truthful then. There had been a strange gleam in his eye that made her wonder what he’d really been thinking, but hadn’t wanted to press the issue.
Now that they were wed, she’d push harder. She wasn’t sure how to make him see that marriage to her would make him happy. Somehow she’d have to find the patience to see it all through. Juliette was determined to persevere.
“Good morning,” he said huskily. “Did you sleep well?”
“I did,” she replied. Her cheeks warmed. They’d been in each other’s company for days, but somehow this seemed more intimate. They’d never awoken beside each other in a bed before.
He lifted his hand and ran it down her side, and rested it on her hip. “We need to talk, but it can wait until we’re dressed. Do you want me to give you privacy?”
What could they have to discuss? The marriage was done. He’d not made love to her, and it didn’t appear he planned to. Maybe there was something they had to talk about. What was their next step? Would they return to London or to his country seat? How was she going to explain all of this to her father?
“You can stay,” she said. Juliette lowered her gaze. She didn’t want him to see how nervous she was. “There’s a privacy screen I can make use of.”
He lifted her chin and forced her to look in his eyes. “You don’t need to hide from me.” Grayson lowered his hand and skimmed his fingers across her neck. It rested on the gold chain she always wore. Juliette blushed and started to move away. How could she have forgotten she was wearing it? She’d been so careful to keep the locket hidden—hadn’t wanted him to realize how much he still meant to her.
“Don’t pull away,” he demanded. His fingers skimmed the chain and he pulled the locket into his palm. He pressed the latch and it slipped open with a slight click. Inside he’d find the miniature portrait of him as a boy. If she’d been able to update it to a more recent one she would have. It was enough to have a piece of him resting against her heart every day. “Why do you still wear this?”
There was a small hitch in his voice—it cracked a little as he asked the question. Did it bother him she still had the locket? “It’s a piece of my past that I don’t want to forget. A happier time that I’ll never have again.”
“What if you could?” He pulled her into his arms and rested his forehead against hers. His eyes remained closed. She didn’t know what he was asking of her, none of it made sense. What did the locket have to do with anything? He pulled back and his eyelids fluttered open. “You smell so good. I want nothing more than to kiss you—taste you the way I’ve been craving since the first time I saw the woman you’d grown into.”
“That was days ago. What’s been stopping you?”
He shook his head. “That wasn’t the first time I saw you in the past fifteen years.”
When had he seen her? She didn’t go out in society, and hadn’t since before her mother died. Even then it had been a mere two weeks, and except for her come out ball she’d hugged the wall. No one had wanted to be her friend. The gentlemen were nicer at her first official ball. Since it had been thrown in her honor she’d had plenty of dance partners.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “If you saw me why didn’t you come and talk to me. I’d have loved to have had some time with you. Where was this?”
Grayson didn’t answer right away. She didn’t know why he was holding back, and she was a fool. He’d said he wanted to kiss her and she’d stupidly turned into an inquisitor instead of demanding he put his lips on hers. Now she’d have to wait even longer to find out if it was as wonderful as she’d imagined.
“I was invited to your ball,” he finally said. “My father forbade me to go. He did that a lot while he was alive.” Grayson closed his eyes again and sighed. “He didn’t like how close we’d become. I was usurping the plans he had for me, and he was making sure I followed the path he set for me. That’s why I had to stay away from you, but I couldn’t resist seeing you. I didn’t know when I’d have the chance again. So I sneaked inside through a back entrance—I couldn’t be announced formally. I watched you dance and laugh. It hurt, but I was glad you were so happy. After that I kept my distance.”
Her heart beat rapidly inside of her chest. He did care about her, and always had. This was something she had been wanting to hear for so long. Damn his father for keeping them apart. Their lives might be so different if he’d not been hell bent on controlling his son. “Kiss me,” she demanded.
Grayson cupped her cheek in his hand and lowered his mouth to hers. His lips were warm and soft. It was sweet at first, but it quickly changed to something far more than that. His hand left her face and roamed down her shoulders until they rested on her hip. Juliette wanted more—of him. He pulled her against him and ran kisses down her cheek and then her neck. She squirmed in his arms simultaneously pushing at him and wanting to crawl as close to him as possible.
Kisses were marvelous things and she’d never have enough of them.
“Gray,” she said breathlessly. “I love you.”
He groaned and pulled her on top of him. “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”
Why would she do something so heinous? “I wouldn’t do that to you. You mean too much to me.” She caressed his cheek. “You don’t have to say it back, but I hope one day you will.”
Grayson pushed his hands into her dark tresses and pulled her down to him. There gazes were locked together, and their lips just short of touching. “You don’t have to wait for me to say those words to you. I’ve always loved you. You’ve owned my heart since we were children, but what I felt for you then doesn’t compare to what’s in my heart now. What’s between us is as real as anything out there, and I look forward to making a lifetime of memories with you.” He closed the distance between them and kissed her again. Passion ignited between them.
Juliette lost all thought and just reveled in the feel of his body against hers. The kisses, touches, and loving were all more pleasure than she could imagine. They hadn’t had a wedding night, but Grayson made up for it with a morning she’d never forget… He made sure there would be no doubt she was his wife, and Juliette couldn’t have been happier if she tried…
Grayson should’ve waited to make love to Juliette, but he’d never been a patient man. Besides with Lord Payne hovering around the inn it was for the best. Afterwards they’d lingered in bed as long as he dared let them. The sooner they headed back to London the better. Originally he intended to take her to Kissinger, but it was better if he dealt with her father first. They couldn’t ha
ve anything being held over their head—not if they wanted to have a happy life together.
So he rolled out of bed and dressed before he was tempted to love her all over again, then he helped her with her gown. Dressing her was almost as much fun as he imagined it would be to take the gown off her. He placed kisses all over her as he buttoned it up.
Juliette laughed. “You’re rather good at this.”
“This is only the beginning, darling,” he whispered in her ear. “We have a lifetime for me to explore you, and I intend to take my husbandly duties seriously.” He brushed back her dark curls and kissed her shoulder. “ Do you need help with your hair too?”
“Shoo,” she said. “I will pin my hair up myself. It will be done much faster without your attentions. Go see to the coach and have our trunks taken to the carriage.”
Grayson spun her around to face him. He leaned down and kissed her with all the love in his heart. She matched his kiss with equal fervor. When he pulled back he felt the loss of her heat, but was pleased with how plump her lips remained from their shared passion. “Something for you to think about while I’m gone.”
“You’re wicked,” she said breathlessly. “I like this side of you. I’m glad you’re mine.”
He kissed her forehead and said. “Stay here until I come and get you. It is safer for you here.”
She scrunched up her nose. “What danger could possibly be lurking in the inn?”
“Jules…”
She held up her hand and interrupted him. “Don’t bother telling me about protecting me and all that nonsense. It’s going to take me a while to pin my hair up anyway. I’m sure by the time the horses are hitched to the carriage and the trunks ready to be loaded I’ll be finished with it. So go take care of business and leave me be.”