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Rolling towards her, William did just that with a kiss that was long, sweet and as passionate as two lovers could share without it leading to forbidden pleasures.
The next morning, Elizabeth awakened to the feel of a warm hand covering her right breast and, quickly thereafter, the sound of William murmuring an apology for waking her as he placed a quick kiss on her forehead and slid from the bed to, as he put it, relieve himself. She watched as he crossed the room to the balcony door, went through it and proceeded down the balcony to his own bedroom—a route he often took instead of going through the sitting room.
Though she was an innocent, Elizabeth was not insensible to the signs that revealed William’s desire for her as they were not easily hidden. Moreover, since he was wearing only a nightshirt, it was obvious that he was aroused when he left her bed. Biting her lip at the realisation of how he must be suffering by adhering to Mr. Graham’s restrictions regarding their marital felicity, she wondered if she should bring up the subject of sleeping separately.
As William pulled himself from the tub of water this morning, he shivered as he dried off with one of the towels Adams kept nearby. If his valet thought there was something strange about his request to always keep unheated water in the tub until instructed otherwise, Adams kept those thoughts to himself—something for which William was thankful.
Once dressed in a shirt, breeches and the slippers he usually wore indoors, William looked at himself in the floor-to-ceiling mirror that stood in the corner of his bedroom. Running his hands through his still damp hair, he shrugged before crossing the sitting room to enter his wife’s bedroom again.
As he entered the bedroom, William was surprised to see the bed was empty. Crossing to the dressing room door, he could not suppress a smile at the sight of the woman he loved sitting before a large mirror. Wearing a lavender silk robe that matched the gown she donned last night, Elizabeth was struggling to comb out her hair using a silver-plated brush that had her initials on it—one of many wedding gifts from him.
Suddenly, a memory from one of his dreams popped into his head, and he walked over to slip the brush from her hand. “Allow me.”
At her look of astonishment, he added, “I had a lot of practice taking care of Georgiana’s hair although she will not allow me to touch it now. She contends that her maid does the job much more gently than I.”
Suddenly, he stopped brushing. “I am not brushing too hard, am I?”
Having closed her eyes when he began, Elizabeth murmured, “Not at all. In fact, I may let Mollie go and allow you to take her place.” As he continued brushing, Elizabeth sighed. “That feels so good. It is all I can do to keep myself awake.”
“You do know that you could have summoned Mollie to help you dress. Like my valet, Mollie was instructed to stay below stairs unless you ring for her.”
“How did Mollie end up as my maid?”
“I mentioned hiring one for you, and Lady Matlock assured me that she is an excellent lady’s maid. I brought Mollie in whilst you were ill, for I wished you to have time to become accustomed to her.”
“I could not be more pleased with Mollie. I am also very pleased that it is just you and I at present and I do not plan on summoning Mollie unless it is necessary.”
“I am also glad that it is just we two.” Leaning in to kiss the top of her head, her lavender fragrance filled his senses. “By the way, I love to smell your hair. My mother often rinsed her hair with lavender, and it brings back so many wonderful memories.”
“I am glad; lavender is my favourite scent.”
Elizabeth then quickly began to plait her hair in one long braid whilst directing an adoring smile at William. The smile made his body react and reminded him of why he had just suffered through a cold bath.
To redirect his thoughts, he asked, “Since we are alone, would you mind leaving your hair down?”
“If I do, you will regret it when next called upon to tame it!” she replied, laughing. “My hair is so curly that, if left to its own devices, it is often impossible to handle.”
“Perhaps I should confess then that your curls are one of the reasons I fell in love with you.”
Elizabeth stopped plaiting her hair. “You cannot be serious.”
“I am. That day you walked into Netherfield Park to care for Jane, your hem covered in mud, and your hair looking as though you had walked through a windstorm … well, to be honest, you were so beautiful that I was left speechless. It was difficult to try to hide my discomposure from Miss Bingley whilst thinking how I should greet you.”
“Then that explains why I thought you were looking only to find fault!” Elizabeth declared. “From the look on your face, not to mention Caroline Bingley’s expression of disdain, I assumed you both were aghast at someone with no scruples when it came to calling upon respectable people whilst looking like a milkmaid.”
“I cannot speak for Caroline Bingley, but I was too captivated to even form words.”
Elizabeth stood and turned, stepping into his arms. Reaching up to frame his face with her hands, she murmured, “My poor, poor darling. At that point I misunderstood everything about you.”
Instantly, he pulled her into a tighter embrace, and the evidence of his desire began to make itself known again. Reminded of how difficult it was for William to be married without the benefit of being able to have relations with her, Elizabeth said, “I think we had best reconsider your decision to sleep in my bed every night. It must be painful to suppress your desires … especially when we have no idea how long my recuperation may take.”
At his look of puzzlement, she quickly added, “I may be innocent of a good many things about … about the ways of men and women; however, I am not unaware when the evidence of your desires presents itself. If truth be told, I can barely contain my own desires to be yours in every way, either.”
William leaned down until their foreheads touched, determined to control himself before answering. At length, he kissed her forehead, her cheek and across to her earlobe, before kissing down her neck, saying in between kisses, “My darling Elizabeth, from the time I was breeched, Father drilled into me the principles of a gentleman—taking responsibility for my family, servants and tenants who depend on me, along with adherence to the highest moral standards. He also suggested ways to avoid compromising situations; though even his excellent advice was not always effective.”
“It was not?”
“No. Why do you think I appeared to be so obstinate and antisocial the first time we met in Meryton? That was just another ploy I devised to keep the ladies at a distance.”
