Page 56 of How to Tempt an Earl

Ellie and Olivia had embraced Grace like a sister. “They are thrilled and have repeatedly told me so. I want them to live with me in my home. My mother wishes to stay with her sister in Bath.”

“Then you will have three women under your roof.”

“God help me.”

He continued to stare at Grace. She licked her lips, then reached for a flute of champagne from a passing servant’s tray. She was nervous. He knew her well enough now to recognize the signs. Was she thinking of their wedding night? Was she anticipating it like he was, or was she simply anxious at being the center of attention in a room full of their guests?

He watched as she sipped the champagne. He wasn’t worried she’d drink more than she should. Her previous experience of overindulging would not easily be forgotten.

Prudence approached and Grace gave her a genuine smile. Ian had met Prudence, Lady Wetherby’s daughter and Grace’s longtime friend, and found her to be a charming young lady.

“Ian Swift a married man. Who would have thought?” Brooks said.

Ian never took his eyes off Grace. “I told you why I agreed to wed.”

“To protect your sisters, I remember. I can’t help but think there is more to your motivation.”

“Such as?”

“The way you are looking at her suggests you have come to care for your bride, perhaps even grown to love her.”

Love? He didn’t believe in love. It was as reckless as placing a bet on the roulette wheel, and Ian never gambled. His heart was a cold, frozen organ, not capable of such foolish feelings. “Just because I anticipate my wedding night, doesn’t mean I feel something as foolish as love.”

“What do you think will happen when she discovers you still own the Raven?”

“I told her I would sell it. I never said when.”

Brooks stared at him. “She’s intelligent. She will eventually discover the truth. Then what?”

Ian’s lips thinned with irritation. “I’ll try to keep it from her. But if she learns of my involvement, it’s too late. We’re married. She will have to accept it.”

“Have you not learned anything about her at all? You think it will be that easy?” Brooks said.

Ian shoved aside his misgivings. “I think I’ll go fetch my bride now.”

Brooks merely shrugged. “Eager to start the wedding night.”

“Sod off.”

Despite his reflexive dismissal of Brooks’s words, they impacted Ian more than he’d let on. It was his wedding night. His gaze raked over his new bride boldly, hungrily, until a sense of urgency drove him. Brooks was right. They’d entertained their wedding guests long enough. Why wait?

Ian headed into the crowd with Grace in his sights.

…

Grace’s nerves were as tense as tightly wound clock springs. She took a deep breath and her lungs squeezed in her corset.

“I can’t believe you’re really married,” Prudence said.

The day had been a blur. Grace couldn’t believe it herself. Only hours ago, her father had walked her down the aisle, and she’d forced a smile, a show of high spirits for those in attendance. Then she’d spotted Ian waiting by the altar, and her smile had frozen on her face, and her heart had ceased to pump in her chest.

He stood tall and proud, his dark eyes watching her as she approached him. He looked resplendent in a navy swallow-tailed coat, striped waistcoat, and form-fitting trousers. His gaze was riveted on her face, then moved over her body slowly. An intense awareness passed between them, something deeply sensual and possessive. She felt a rush of pink stain her cheeks, and her heartbeat throbbed in her ears.

She remembered little of the rest of the ceremony. She vaguely recalled repeating her vows after the priest’s instructions. She did remember Ian’s hand on hers, the warmth of his body beside her as they kneeled at the altar, and the kiss after they’d been declared man and wife. His lips had brushed across hers once, then twice, then he’d deepened the kiss in a raw act of possession. Her pulse had pounded, but her head was light and she hadn’t the strength to push him away.

Now she glanced at Ian across the room.

Prudence leaned close to whisper in Grace’s ear. “I can see why you agreed to marry Lord Castleton. You were right. He is handsome as sin.”