“No,” he said, cupping her face and kissing her nose. “You look flushed and sated, very appealing.” He did up his buttons and went to unlock the door. It was to be hoped that the servants hadn’t heard them, but he rather suspected they might have. They hadn’t exactly been quiet.But damn it, if I want to fuck my own wife in my own drawing room, in the middle of the afternoon, I bloody well will.
*
The ball wasa success for the duchess by all standards set for such things, and Deborah and Lady Ava did not lack partners. For Annis, though, it was a trial of sorts. Emrys was attentive. He had gone to the effort of purchasing a new set of evening wear, all black of course, and his attempts to look kempt for her sake touched her. All the same, she rather liked him rumpled and slightly scruffy. This new, more polished Emrys was a trifle too handsome.
What if he starts attracting the attention of other ladies? Can I compete?Her old insecurities gnawed at her. She tried to push them away. Emrys was the faithful sort. She didn’t need to worry about him straying.At least not yet.He was as hot for her as ever, as this afternoon’s little encounter in the drawing room amply demonstrated.
His cronies teased him about his new look, in particular Lord Ravenshaw, who was, as usual, impeccably dressed and extraordinarily handsome. To think of her, little Annis Pringle, mixing with dukes and marquesses! She quailed when she thought about what they would all say if they knew the truth about her.
She had never truly discussed the actual status of her birth with Emrys. She wondered if he had guessed. It was implied, after all, in the fact that she had her father’s ring and that someone wanted her dead because of it. But he had never taxed her with it, and she was too afraid to raise it with him now that they were married. If her baseborn status came to light, it would cause yet another scandal for the poor man to bear, and she would hate to be the cause of that. For not even a duke’s imprimatur could overcome such a stain.
When he left her with the ladies and disappeared into the card room with his friends, Lords Ravenshaw and Pendrell, she tried very hard not to mind. After all, he couldn’t dance, as he had explained to her, so what was the poor man to do, prop the wall all night? But she couldn’t help feeling exposed not to have him at her side. They had been virtually inseparable since their wedding, usually spending a significant portion of each day in each other’s company and all night wrapped up in each other’s arms. The viscount was still sleeping wrapped round her like a limpet. She had grown used to it. If he stopped, she would miss it.
She sat with the dowager, as the duchess was flitting round the room as a good hostess should, and watched the young ladies being whisked off to dance. Which Annis was quite comfortable doing. As a governess, her lot had always been to sit on the sidelines and watch out for her charges. Although Emrys had assured her that she could dance if she chose, she didn’t think it would be proper, and in any case, she would much prefer to dance with him. She had been so surprised to discover what an accomplished dancer he was. She knew he could sing, but she hadn’t realized his talent for rhythm extended to dancing until he’d whisked her into a waltz.
She was therefore unprepared when Lord Hereward, the duke’s great hulking younger brother, asked her to dance. Hewas slightly over six feet tall and very broad through the shoulders and chest, and quite handsome, with curly dark-brown hair and soft dark-brown eyes. She glanced at the dowager for help when he asked, and she waved her away.
“Go on, child. It will do him good.”
He led her onto the dance floor for the Boulanger and said, “Mama insists we all dance.”
“And you don’t particularly enjoy it?”
He flushed. “I’m not much in the petticoat line, if you take my meaning. I tend to get tongue tied and develop two left feet if I like someone.”
“Hence choosing me, because I’m safe?” suggested Annis understandingly. This young man was like a big, awkward, tree trunk with soft cow eyes.
“Yes,” he admitted in a rush, and then reflecting on how that sounded, he said, “Not that I don’t like you its just—you’re a married lady.”
She smiled and patted his arm. “I understand.”
He relaxed then and said confidingly, “Kenrick’s much better at his sort of thing than I am. He’s my younger brother, but people often think he’s older. He’s a bean pole and charming and quite dissolute. That’s him over there dancing with the chit in yellow.”
“Gosh, she’s quite beautiful, isn’t she?”
“Yes, and she’s an heiress to boot—Miss Cecelia Woodrow. Whoever her chaperone is shouldn’t be letting her dance with Kenrick. Can’t be trusted to keep the line. I believe she’s engaged to Tavistock, but he’s not here tonight. I heard he was ill or something. He’ll be more ill if he hears of this.”
*
Emrys was enjoyingthe company of his friends, even if they were still teasing him unmercifully.
“Setting up to be an Adonis now, Ashford?” said Pendrell with a nod to his attire.
Emrys pushed the fall of hair off his brow a trifle self-consciously and shrugged. “Just trying not to embarrass Annis.”
“Must admit, took us by surprise a bit, old chap,” said Ravenshaw. “Getting married again so soon. Especially in the circumstances.”
Emrys flushed. “Aye, well, we needed each other, and the children need her, too.”
Ravenshaw glanced at Pendrell and back before leaving that alone. “I will say you’re the best advocate for marriage I’ve come across.”
“Hardly, after what happened with Caro,” he said shortly.
“That wasn’t your fault, though.”
“It was more my fault than you know,” he said quietly.
“How so? You weren’t unfaithful to her, I’d swear to it,” said Pendrell.
