Page 43

Helmstead Gate

Three and one-half weeks later

Vanessa hummed to herself as she applied a dab of perfume behind each ear in preparation for dinner. Bending her mouth into a naughty smile, she applied a drop between her breasts, too.

She wore a new gown—a shimmering green-blue affair with silver threads woven into the material—that reminded her of a warm breeze blowing across the ocean’s surface on a summer day. The unique fabric changed color depending on the light, and she’d never seen anything quite like it.

Choosing to wear the gown tonight had nothing to do with her desire to impress Kingston or the new course she’d decided upon this very afternoon.

Liar, chided her bothersome but rational self.

Fine, she did want to see the glow of masculine appreciation in his eyes when he saw her in the garment.

Was that so very wrong?

They were husband and wife, after all.

Yes, but Vanessa was trying to change the terms of their agreement.

Indeed, she was.

For, the truth of it was she’d come to an irrefutable conclusion: There could be no better husband for her than Kingston. Not in ten lifetimes. And since she only had one life, she intended to seduce her husband.

Patient and kind with his family, Kingston was also quick to smile, give praise and encouragement, and on occasion, tease. Even she wasn’t immune from his playful jesting, which wrinkled the corners of his eyes in a disarming fashion.

If he wasn’t so dashed pleasing to the eye or didn’t send her pulse and heart into a fitful rhythm each time they were together, she might’ve been able to resist him and her growing feelings toward him.

For a man who’d known the horrors of war, he’d not barricaded his emotions behind an impenetrable wall. Truth be told, he wasn’t the least afraid to show his affection. His sisters received a hello kiss each morning and a farewell hug and kiss to their foreheads every evening. He’d grasp his brothers’ hands in a firm handshake as he pulled them in for a warm embrace, too.

Already, Vanessa’s servants adored him, and if there was a single merchant or laborer who had cause to find fault with Kingston, she’d not heard a whisper of it.

In short, he was everything she could desire in a mate.

Several times, Vanessa had caught a wistful glint in his eyes as he roved his gaze over her and his family when he bid them all good night.

He wanted to stay.

She could see the longing and desire in those blue depths, yet he held himself in restraint. Although she respected and admired his discipline in rigidly sticking to their marriage terms, she wished he wasn’t quite so honorable.

That smoldering kiss…

Vanessa curled her toes into her satin slippers as a delicious shudder rippled across her bare shoulders, and she touched a fingertip to her lips. When she closed her eyes, she could still feel his warm, soft, smooth mouth upon hers.

Who knew a man’s mouth could evoke such ardent sensations?

Such all-consuming feelings?

She’d relived every moment of that delicious melding of their mouths each night as she lay in her lonely bed, staring up at the ceiling and listening to the sounds a house makes at night. With each recollection, she’d fallen a little bit more in love with Kingston. Oh, she’d attempted to caution her foolish heart to cease with such girlish silliness until, at last, she stopped doing so.

In the still, dark hours of the night, Vanessa had come to realize an indisputable truth: the heart had a will of its own when it came to whom it chose to love.

And hers had picked Kingston Barclay. Former soldier. Future duke. Guardian to five delightful siblings.

Her husband.

Shaking out her skirts iridescent folds, she smiled, well pleased with the overall effect. Denying the fluttering in her tummy was anything other than nerves would make her a liar. It was a far better thing to take a risk on a grand adventure with him as her spouse than play it safe and wonder what could have been.

And so, she donned this bold confection of a gown, hoping to drive her unsuspecting husband out of his mind with desire.