“Yet, I do not deserve you,” he repeated. “Your own wedding ceremony should have been as joyful as this one. Instead, we spoke our vows and after a toast or two, we were on the road. I was blind to having my own way, and you were the one who suffered. Instead of treating me with bitterness, all I have known is your forbearance. Iwish—no, I beg that we may start fresh. I mean to treat Lady Annalise Beaufort with the honor she deserves.”
After that, they walked among his late grandfather’s people, always hand in hand. Later, they joined the others in escorting Sean and Meredith into a small cottage that had been thoroughly cleaned and decorated, where the couple would spend the night.
Twilight was falling. “We should see my grandmother home,” he said.
“Could we not dance together at least once, my lord?” she asked in hopeful tones.
“Absolutely, my lady.” He led her to where the dancing took place. “Might we have a slow reel for this dance?” he asked the fiddler. Then, Beaufort took her into his arms as if they were dancing a waltz in a London ballroom. After a few missteps, they adjusted to the tempo and danced as if they had danced together for a thousand years. “I adore having you in my arms, Lady Beaufort,” he said softly as he nudged her closer.
Afterwards, they drove his grandmother home and saw Lady Klare settled. Annalise was feeling a bit awkward as he led her back to their suite. “I assuredly may retire to my quarters, but I would prefer to share your bed, if you believe such is to your liking,” he suggested as they stood together in the room’s middle.
Annalise swallowed hard. They were finally going to consummate their marriage. “Yes,” she whispered.
He immediately cupped her face and lowered his head to claim her lips, while one hand caressed her neck. “I promise all the harm I have caused you is a thing of the past,” he groaned as he peppered her cheeks with a row of kisses.
Annalise wished to be closer still, but Beaufort raised his head, and, for a moment, she wondered why he had stopped, but he quickly bent and lifted her into his arms to carry her to her bed. “You are so beautiful,” he said as he followed her down, and, for once in her life, she actually felt pretty.
