A clearly flustered Mette blushed a deep red and bobbed a quick curtsey before leaving the room.
There was no way Christian could leave the food untouched. Mette was a sweet woman. The last thing he wished to do this morning was to offend another member of the Jansson household.
He helped himself to two large portions of the home-style cooking and settled over his plate. “This smells wonderful,” he said.
“I am glad you like Mette’s cooking. She takes great pride in being able to serve a member of the royal family,” replied Erika.
Christian let out a slow, low sigh. He was relieved to see her. The worry that she was going to avoid him today eased a little.
Rising from his chair, Christian closed the door, leaving the two of them alone. “I want to apologize about last night. It was completely unacceptable of me to kiss you in such a fashion. I promise it will not happen again.”
A flash of what he thought might be disappointment crossed her face. It was there and gone in an instant.
“It was the end of a long night and both of us had probably had far more champagne than we are used to drinking. Let us put it down to a momentary lapse of judgement and move on. We have bigger things to concern ourselves with,” replied Erika.
She held out a pile of letters in her hand and waved them under his nose. “Thirty invitations arrived early this morning. Balls, parties, and private dinners are going to take up every waking moment for the both of us for the foreseeable future. It would appear that everyone and anyone wants to have the sweethearts from Sweden on their guest list. Which means . . .”
There was a long and uncomfortable pause during which Christian’s mind went to a number of dark places. How much damage had that kiss done?
“Which means?” he replied.
“We are going to have to work together in social situations while doing our best to ensure that we don’t slip up ever again and let something like last night happen. It was a onetime mistake, and it must remain so.” She dropped the letters onto the table and began to sort through them. Christian reluctantly resumed his seat and his breakfast.
The message was clear. Small tokens of affection were for public consumption only—everything else was off-limits.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-Four
Erika was grateful that King Charles had furnished Christian with a substantial line of credit. With all the social events they were now attending, she was spending a large sum of his money on new gowns and slippers. The cost of making sure they were the talk of the town was eye-watering.
Early-morning fittings at her modiste coupled with late nights at balls and parties left her exhausted. After she had fallen asleep in one of their planning meetings, Baroness von Rehausen had pressed upon her the need to start taking an afternoon nap.
“Believe me, after having been pregnant as many times as I have, you learn to snatch sleep wherever possible.”
Seated at her dressing table in preparation for yet another party, Erika studied the dark circles under her eyes. Her maid softly tutted. “We need to do something about your skin, my lady. Tomorrow I shall make a compress of cold tea to reduce the swelling. But tonight, we will just have to try and paint over it with powder.”
Erika nodded. It wouldn’t do for her to get about London looking tired. “Just do what you can, and I will start trying to catch up on sleep,” she replied.
The idea of having cold tea on her face did not appeal, but all efforts to look the bright young future bride had to be undertaken.
With her face fixed and the latest gown hugging her curves, Erika finally headed downstairs. Christian was waiting for her in the foyer.
His face lit up as soon as their gazes met.
I wish you wouldn’t smile at me the way you do. It breaks my heart.
“You look stunning tonight, Erika. The deep green of your gown is so beautifully set off with your fair hair,” he said.
She took his offered hand. “Thank you. It’s not the sort of gown I usually wear, but the Carlton House set do dress a little more risqué than the rest of London.”
A shiver slid down her spine as Christian’s gaze dropped to the bustline of the gown, or what should have been a bustline. There wasn’t much fabric on that part of her dress. It left the mounds of her breasts visible for all to see. But, as the baroness had said, if she was going to fit in with the Prince Regent’s crowd, she had to dress like them.
He leaned in close and whispered, “It is a sensual delight.”
Her pulse kicked up a notch as his heated breath skated across her naked décolletage. She longed to feel his fingertips on her skin and to have him kissing her softly between her breasts.
Heat pooled in the secret places that only she had ever touched. Her longing for him to explore her body flared hot and needy. That one kiss had awakened a hunger she feared would never be sated.
