They’d decided to wait to tell his mother and sister about Charlotte’s condition. William desired a few more weeks of freedom from another layer of his family’s emotions centered on him and Charlotte could understand that.
A week later, she was very glad they’d remained at her London townhome in lieu of a wedding trip, as she did not want witnesses to the dispute that was brewing between the newlyweds.
William had been treating her like the most fragile of flowers. She could not stand up without him leaping toward her to ask what she needed then fetching it for her. She had to sneak downstairs for fear he’d offer to carry her. In bed, he’d insisted on her lying back and accepting pleasure without effort on her part, so as not to disturb the baby. They were still enjoying all the intimacies of marriage, but he held himself back during the act of sex. Up on his hands, he’d enter her slowly and then make shallow thrusts, often kneeling up to take her over with his finger on her pleasure button as he moved, then fisting his cock to empty it on her belly.
At first, she’d enjoyed the royal treatment. Then she tried to be patient with him. Now, she was done. She would strangle him with his cravat before the baby arrived if he tried to tether her movements for another five or six months.
In addition, she craved reclaiming control. She’d been surprised and aroused by his occasional dominant behavior in the past, particularly when she had not felt well. It was another layer of service but with an added core of strength, and it was not something she’d had in her first marriage.
However, she was an independent woman who had led her whole world, in and out of the bedroom, before she’d met him. His control over her movements, her body, was at an end, as was his authority in the bedroom, at least for the foreseeable future. Her world was out of balance, and her puppy was out of order.
Before she knew she was pregnant, she’d bought a leather flogger from Beth and Robert Orford as a wedding gift for William. She was eager to see if he’d enjoy it, as they had not played with the edge of pleasure and pain much. Apparently, she would need to cuff him for that, though, or he might try to object to her wielding the flagellator. She needed to set the tone for the remainder of her pregnancy, and hopefully for future ones as well.
After supper, she poured herself a sherry and him a whiskey and took them upstairs. Puppy behavior in full force, he followed at her heels.
Placing the drinks on her dressing table, she glanced over her shoulder. “Unlace me, puppy.”
“Mistress, would you like to sit down?”
“Not tonight.”
“But—”
“I think tonight there will be no talking—”
“But—”
“—on threat of punishment.”
“Yes, Mistress.” He bowed his head and made fast work of her dress and stays.
Her core heated, trailing through her to bead her nipples and plump her nether lips. This, this was how they’d fallen in love and what she needed now.
She turned toward him, brushing her hip against him. Excellent, his trousers were already tightening over a growing bulge. Whether he was willing to admit it or not, he’d missed this too. Now she needed to ensure he understood where concern ended and irrational behavior began, and that she would not tolerate the latter.
“Puppy, sit on the edge of the bed, please.”
He opened his mouth, probably to invite her to sit with him.
She arched a brow.
He subsided, perching on the bed.
Handing him his drink, she sipped hers. “You always ask me to tell you what I need.”
He nodded, his whisky forgotten, clasped in his hands between his spread knees, his full attention on her.
“I need more freedom than I’ve had this past sennight. Not from the marriage”—she added when he looked alarmed—“but from you shadowing me. I appreciate your willingness to wait on me hand and foot, but you must realize that when we return to our daily lives, you will not have time.”
He was frowning.
She continued, “We have servants if I am too tired to fetch something, but I am perfectly healthy and for now at least, can go about my life. The physician even approved me riding for the near future if I choose, as long as I am not racing or hunting. I understand you are concerned, but women have babies all the time and I will be careful. I want this child as much or more than you do, William. I promise I will take care of myself and the child. I need you to trust me to do that, to give me back control.”
William slid to his knees. “Mistress?”
“Yes, William? I am sorry, I should not have decreed silence, this should be a discussion.” Her fingers started their habitual combing through his hair.
“Please, Mistress. I worry about everything. Your health, the baby, being a father, everything I’ll need to teach him or protect her from.”
