Smoothing her hand down the nightgown, she smiled. It was truly beautiful. The white work was a wonder in itself.
When she had donned the garment earlier, she’d been concerned it would be too revealing, but the way it was constructed, the gown covered everything. It was simply lovely and soft. Much better than the starched linen of her costume.
Next to her Rupert stirred. If only time could stop and she could remain here with him forever. Not wishing to wake him, yet unable to keep her hands off his glorious body, she lightly wended the light blond hairs covering his muscular chest. If only they could remain here forever.
His stomach rumbled before she heard his words. “Are you hungry?”
Ravenous. Which was a surprise. Normally, she didn’t eat much, and when Edgar had visited her she’d lost her appetite for days afterward. “I am.”
“Let’s see what we have.”
Holding her hand, he led her to the table, which had been set with not only the fruit and cheese from earlier, but with small, tart-like pies. “I wonder what these are.”
“They appear to be a type of filled pastry.”
Rupert held a chair for Vivian before taking his own place, then put a little of everything on her plate. As she hovered her fork over the tart, Rupert bit into it and sighed.
“Is it that good?”
“Heaven. You didn’t tell me you had a cook here, or that he was French.”
“How do you know he’s French?”
“These, my dear, are made with a type of dough only the French and Italians make.”
Naturally, he would know. She ate a piece. Pork, but so tender it melted in her mouth, and perfectly spiced as well. “This is wonderful.” Then she remembered that Vivian knew about his travels, but Cleo did not. “But you must have traveled widely to recognize the crust.”
He gave her a quizzical look, and for a moment she thought he knew. “Before the war ended I traveled to the Levant as part of my Grand Tour. The entire journey was shorter than those of my contemporaries. I don’t like leaving my estate for extended periods, yet I visited places they did not. I simply did not stay as long.”
This time she could answer truthfully. “I wish I could have traveled. London is the farthest I’ve been from home.”
“I’ll take you to France one day.” He wolfed down another pie.
If only she could live her life as Cleo instead of Vivian. Cleo was as adventurous as Vivian was not, and Rupert desired Cleo, not Vivian. She choked down the rest of her pie. “I’d love to go to France with you.”
“Then we shall.” He covered her hand with his and smiled with his eyes as well as his lips. “As long as you are with me, you can do what you wish.”
Lord help her. She fell into his warm gaze and deeper in love with Rupert. She dragged her eyes away from his. “We shall see.” Somewhere in the house a clock chimed half three. “We should be going.”
“Soon.” He stood. “Have you had enough to eat?”
As if she could eat anything else with her stomach once again tied in knots. This time of her own making. “Yes.”
“Then let me love you once more.”
Rupert kissed her and it occurred to Vivian that she had a better chance of throwing herself off a cliff than resisting him. “Yes.”
This time, she came more quickly and harder than she’d done before, but still he caressed her and kissed her as if, like her, he couldn’t get enough. Under her nightgown, his nimble fingers touched and toyed with her bare skin. Setting her on fire. He gave a gravelly chuckle when she reached completion a third time.
Was he falling in love with Cleo? That was the only reason Vivian could think of. Why else would a man continue to pleasure a lady when he received so little? Not that she would complain. Every time her husband had exercised his marital rights, it had been excruciatingly painful. Tonight, she began to believe that with Rupert, it would not be.
Yet if they did mate, and if he was falling in love, he would surely hate her when she told him the truth. Perhaps she should simply leave without saying good-bye.
When he lifted his head, he was breathing heavily. “Will you keep until to-morrow?”
Regardless of her worries, she laughed. “Are you concerned I’ll not come?”
He gave her a wicked grin, and it took her a moment to realize what she’d said. Vivian could feel her cheeks heating in a blush.
