Page 36 of A Raven Repents

“Tell me what happened, Son.”

“Didn’t Christina already tell you everything? I thought that’s why you sent me to my room.”

“I sent you there so you could sleep. You’ve not been taking care of yourself. And as for Christina, she looked me right in the eye and told me it was none of my business.”

The image his mind conjured made him laugh, and it eased his soul. “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.”

“You may have fallen arse over elbow into this marriage, but you snagged yourself a good wife in the process.”

He sat up so he could see her face. “I think she probably is. I don’t really know her yet, but I am finally trying. In the meantime, I need a second room to stay in.”

“No.” His mother shook her head. “You’re married. You’ll not be staying in separate rooms under my roof.”

“It’s not that kind of marriage. Not yet, at least.”

“Do you need advice on how to seduce her?”

“Mother!” Warmth crept up his neck and into his cheeks and ears. “That is not a conversation I’m having with you.”

“Well someone needs to. She’s beautiful, and she’s your wife.”

He let out a sigh and rubbed the heels of his hands over his eyes. “I’ve treated her abysmally. I don’t see how she’ll ever forgive me for it. But that needs to happen before any sort of seduction.”

“She already has forgiven you, or at the very least, she wants to.”

“You said she didn’t tell you anything. How could you possibly know that?”

“Have you forgotten who you’re speaking to? Of course she told me things.”

“Even still. It’s not time yet. You have a dozen other rooms in this house.”

She shook her head. “She’s your wife, Giles. It’s your job to make sure she’s taken care of in every way.”

With a groan, he picked up his shoes and got to his feet.

“Have you been with a virgin before?”

“Will you never cease embarrassing me?”

She merely raised her brow.

“No, of course I haven’t.”

“Go slowly, and be sure she’s… eager.”

He covered his face with his empty hand. How was this a conversation he was having with his mother?

She tapped a finger against her cheek, as if this was all perfectly normal. He placed a hand on her shoulder and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

“Thank you, Mother.”

“No sleeping in the chair,” she called as he walked from the room.

He stopped outside the door to his room, listening. He didn’t want to walk in if she was undressed, but he also didn’t want to knock and wake her if she was asleep.

Slowly, he eased the door open. It was dark, except for the light spilling in from the hall. His eyes hadn’t adjusted, but he could barely make out her form on the bed. Quietly, he closed the door. She didn’t speak, so she must be asleep.

He sat down on the floor and placed his shoes beside him, leaning back against the side of the bed with a long sigh. His mother hadn’t said anything about not sleeping on the floor. There was rustling of blankets and a moment later, light sprang forth from the lamp beside the bed. It shined through her nightgown, outlining her body in shadow before she sat down beside him. Lust whispered through him at the sight. It had been too long since a woman last warmed his bed, so it didn’t take much.