Page 66 of To Steal a Kiss

“Stop it!” she said, her voice stern. “You know very well how much I enjoyed living there.”

Nate moved back to the coach and took her hand. His heart ached. Matilda deserved this kind of happiness, far more than he ever would.

“It’s all right, Nate,” she said with a sigh, squeezing his fingers. “Truly. I’m so happy for you, and I’m looking forward to having a place of my own. It’s about time and, with your generosity, I will be able to live like a duchess. Now, run along, children,” she said, laughing and making a shooing motion with her hands. “Go and have your happily ever after.”

With his heart in his throat, Nate closed the coach door, and watched his sister wave and smile as it rolled out of sight.

Alice slid her hand back into his. “We’ll get her to come back, Nate,” she said, and he looked down to see the sincerity in her eyes. “And then we’ll find her a good man, so she’ll be as happy as we are.”

Nate lifted his wife’s hand to his mouth and kissed the fingers. Matilda’s future was still very much his concern, but for now, he had other matters to attend to, and another life to care about, another heart to protect. He swore to do a better job for both the women in his life than he’d ever done in the past.

“Come along then, Mrs Hunt,” he said, wondering if the novelty of saying that would ever leave him less than smiling and dazed with the depths of his good fortune. “We have a wedding night to see to.”

“It’s not even two in the afternoon,” Alice said, blushing a little.

Nate snorted and swung her up into his arms. “Darling girl, if you think I’m waiting until darkness falls to make this marriage official, you’ve really learned very little about me since that kiss in the moonlight.”

“Oh,” Alice said with a happy sigh. “How lovely.”

***

Alice laughed as Nate insisted not only on carrying her over the threshold, but all the way to his bedroom.

“You’ll hurt yourself,” she protested as he kicked the door open and slammed it shut again.

“If lifting a little slip of a thing like you from the ground will damage me, I dread to think what you are expecting of our wedding night,” he said, a trifle indignant as they finally found themselves alone.

“Wedding afternoon,” she corrected, as he set her down on the floor. She kept her arms about his neck, having to stand on tiptoe to keep them there.

“Afternoon and night,” he said, his voice firm, before frowning and looking around. “Where is it?” he muttered. “Oh, here we are.” With a boyish grin he disengaged her hands and moved across the room. Alice admired the view as he bent and then hefted a solid looking footstool over his head. “I’ve had one put in every room,” he admitted.

“Oh, Nate!” Alice laughed, as he placed it before her and held out his hand. She took it and stepped up, sighing with pleasure as she found herself eye to eye with her handsome husband. “I love you,” she said, finding it easier each time the words left her mouth.

Nate sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers, sliding his arms about her waist and pulling her close. “I love you too.”

They stayed like that for a long moment, and then his eyes flickered open, a rather devilish light evident. “Aren’t you going to kiss your husband, then, Mrs Hunt?”

Alice bit back a smile. “Aren’t you supposed to lead the way?” she said, attempting to look chagrined. “Why is it you always make me do all the work?”

“Because you’re more daring than I, love,” he said, his voice low and intimate, making her shiver with longing. “And you’re so good at it, too.”

“Hmm,” Alice said, wondering why she didn’t feel more afraid of what was to come, or why she wasn’t dying of nerves or shyness. “At kissing, perhaps. I’ve had a little practise at that. A handsome stranger taught me on a moonlit balcony, you see.”

“A stranger?” he said, sounding scandalised by the idea. “What kind of wicked, wanton creature have I married, by God?”

“This kind,” Alice whispered, pressing her lips to his.

He sighed against her mouth, allowing her to lead, to nip and taste and tease his lips, tantalising him with the tip of her tongue as pulled her closer.

“What a lucky wretch I am,” he murmured, as Alice giggled and deepened the kiss. “Remind me to thank that handsome stranger if ever we see him again.”

To her relief, he took the lead thereafter, as for all her newfound boldness and confidence, she didn’t really have any very certain ideas of what was to come. Prue had whispered a few reassuring words to her, but there had been no time for confidences or revelations.

Nate’s hands fell to her buttons, fumbling a little, which was both amusing and reassuring. At least her sophisticated husband wasn’t totally unmoved by events. She trembled with anticipation as her gown fell to the floor, followed by petticoats and stays until she stood in only a fine cotton shift. Alice trembled, expecting a final unveiling and unsure if she was relieved or disappointed when he returned to stand before her, and a swift grin flashed.

“Your turn,” he said, gesturing at his buttons when she returned a blank look.

“Oh!” she said, a little surprised, but pleased to take a turn.