“I want to return to Cornwall. My family are set on making things difficult for us in London. And you are going to work yourself into an early grave if you have to keep the hours you are doing. I don’t want living in London to cost us our marriage,” she said.
She could quite happily go back to Mopus Manor and live there permanently. If James had not followed her, that had been her original plan.
“Your grandfather did offer for us to come and stay with him, and I have thought about his suggestion that I consider running for office. Truro is a big enough town for us to be able to get whatever we need, and London is only a three-day trip from there. But are you serious about it? I mean, it would involve leaving friends and family behind,” he replied.
Leah would not miss London, nor the pressure that living in the city would place upon James to earn enough money to keep his wife and family in the particular lifestyle approved by other members of theton. She did not want that for her husband, nor for their future.
She leaned over and placed a tender kiss on his lips. “Yes. I want us to be where you can pursue your passion, and where we can raise a family. I couldn’t think of anywhere better than my grandfather’s house.”
James pulled Leah to him and kissed her deeply. When he released her from the kiss and their gazes met, he nodded.
“Let’s do it.”
Chapter Fifty
Six months later
Leah sat on one of the high, dry rocks at the entrance to the sea cave, watching as the tide continued to go out.
A lone male figure appeared on the beach in the distance. She knew it was James from the soft roll of his gait.
She clambered off the rocks and went to meet him. As they drew close, she could see he was beaming.
“Wife! I have missed you,” he cried.
Leah leaped into his embrace, and James wrapped his arms around her. Hungry mouths joined in a long sensual kiss. The feel of her husband’s touch again after two weeks was magnificent.
“I have missed you too. How was London?” she asked.
“Good and excellent,” he replied.
She raised an eyebrow and he laughed teasingly.
“Good in that the dowry is now finally settled. Your father was his usual pleasant self when I met with him at his solicitors to sign the papers. But I was respectful and polite to him,” he said.
“And you being polite to him would have annoyed him no end. I am sure he would have much preferred it if you had engaged him in another battle of wills,” she replied.
It had taken six months of, at times, blunt correspondence between the parties to finally get Tobias Shepherd to release Leah’s dowry. He had been more than a little outraged to discover that she and James had given up London and relocated permanently to Mopus Manor. By refusing to stay and allow him to exact his petty revenge on them, Leah and James were beyond her father’s reach.
“So, what is the excellent news?”
He kissed her again. “Francis secured me an audience with the Prince Regent. After I showed him the new miniatures of theDerbyshire Twins, the prince immediately decided he wanted the main paintings. They are going to be hung in the royal pavilion at Brighton.”
Leah squealed. “You sold two paintings! James that’s wonderful. We must celebrate!”
A familiar look crossed his face. One she had been missing for the past few weeks. She went to pull out of his arms, intent on leading him home and to their bedroom, but James refused to budge.
He nodded in the direction of the rocks where she had been sitting.
“Here. Now. I can’t wait,” he growled.
When they reached the rocks, James took a seat before lifting Leah into his lap. The moment she was settled, he speared his fingers through her long, fine hair. As their lips met, he whispered, “Leah.”
Two weeks without waking beside him and having him make love to her felt like an eternity. The longing of those lonely hours they had spent apart was captured in a single kiss. They reached for one another, hungrily grabbing hold of clothing, hair, skin, anything. Neither were prepared to let go.
She gasped as he slipped his hand from around her waist and roughly tore open the buttons on her coat. His fingers touched the soft form of her breast, then brushed over the hardened nipple.
She raised herself up and straddled him. His face was now level with her breasts. She placed a hand on the back of his neck, then slowly rubbed. He lifted his gaze and she met a pair of warm brown eyes clouded with passion. He groaned.
