Page 122 of Regency Whispers: Scandalous Matches

He tried to stand again, and this time managed to get to his feet, stumbling slightly as he moved. Alice reached out and steadied him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

‘You smell nice,’ he said, burying his face in her hair and inhaling deeply. ‘You always smell nice.’

‘I think we had better get you to bed,’ she said as he reached up and plucked a pin out of her hair.

‘You have such beautiful hair.’ With clumsy fingers he pulled out a couple more pins, allowing the soft waves to cascade over her shoulders. ‘You should wear it loose all the time. You look like a goddess.’

‘You are very effusive when you are drunk.’

He grinned at her. ‘Truthful. I’m truthful when I’m drunk.’

‘Do you think you can manage the stairs?’

‘Of course,’ he said, almost tripping over his own feet and looking up at her guiltily. ‘Perhaps with your help.’

Slowly they climbed the stairs, pausing halfway up for Simon to rest his head on her shoulder and declare she had the prettiest shoulders in the world.

Once upstairs they started along the hallway, passing the door to the master bedroom that was still Alice’s. Simon reached out for the door-handle and opened it, pulling her in that direction.

‘You don’t sleep here,’ she said, trying to pull him back into the hall, but her small stature put her at a disadvantage.

‘We should sleep together,’ he murmured. ‘We are married. There is nothing wrong with it.’

‘Do not jest, Simon.’

‘I am completely serious,’ he slurred, looking at her intently. ‘What man wouldn’t want to fall asleep with you in his arms?’

He had pulled her farther into the room now, and Alice looked back dubiously at the door.

‘You can sleep here tonight. I will take your bedroom.’

‘Stay with me, Miss James.’

‘Alice,’ she corrected him.

She stumbled back and sat down on the edge of the bed, almost sliding off onto the floor. Twice he reached down to try to pull his boots off, and twice he missed.

‘Let me,’ she said, placing a hand on his chest to stop him from bending down again. He caught hold of her wrist, his fingers caressing the delicate skin. For a moment she did not move, allowing herself to enjoy the caress. These last few days she had found thoughts of her husband touching her had crept into her mind unbidden far more than she would like to admit. It was typical that it took far too many glasses of whisky for her fantasy to become reality.

Brusquely she shrugged him off and bent down to pull off his boots.

‘Thank you,’ he murmured, lying back on the bed.

‘No, no, no,’ Alice said quickly, knowing if he fell asleep like this he would be uncomfortable and his clothes almost certainly ruined. ‘We need to get you out of your jacket and cravat at the very least.’

‘You want to see me naked, Alice,’ he murmured, a smile on his face but his eyes closed.

She remained silent, putting her energy into helping him sit back up and then manoeuvring the jacket from his shoulders. His movements were uncoordinated, and it took far longer than it should, but eventually he was just in his shirt and trousers.

‘Let’s get you into bed,’ she said, figuring he could sleep comfortably enough in the remaining clothes.

‘I’m not undressed,’ he murmured, and as she watched, he pulled his shirt over his head revealing the toned torso underneath. Although she had only ever seen him clothed, Alice knew he had a lean, muscled physique. Even through the layers of his shirt and jacket, the few times they had danced she had been able to feel the power he held in his body. Now, though, with his upper body bared in moonlight, she paused, her eyes raking over his half-naked form.

Alice felt something stir inside her, and she had to resist the urge to reach out and trail her fingers across his skin. In the state he was in, he would invite her in, forgetting about all the reasons he did not want to be intimate with her, but she would not do that to him, no matter how much she craved his touch.

‘Let’s get you into bed,’ she said again, adopting her best schoolmistress voice and trying to pretend she was completely unaffected by him.

Somehow she managed to get him standing so she could pull back the sheets and then help him climb into bed. As she leaned over to ensure the pillows were comfortable under his head, his arm reach out and caught her around the waist.