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Amazing.

“Time to leave,” he said.

Daisy curtsied before Viscount Peregrine. “If you’ll excuse me, my lord.”

Peregrine was a somber fellow, one who—thankfully—had never come before Miles in a criminal capacity. In fact, Miles had the distinct idea that the viscount was ethical to the bone, not a quality he saw often.

“Say no more,” Peregrine said, a faint smile in his eyes. “My wife and I are still newlyweds ourselves.” The viscountess was extremely pretty, especially as she smiled up at her husband.

Miles had that now. A woman who smiled at him like that.

Suddenly inspired, he swept Daisy up in his arms. Her gown didn’t rip, though panels of white satin fell over his arms.

“Miles!” she hissed. “What on earth are you doing?”

“Playing the part of Romeo.” He looked around the people in the room, collecting gazes. “Lady Devin and I are leaving, with gratitude for your attendance at our wedding. I apologize for the short notice.” He dropped a kiss on her nose. “Daisy turned me down a few months ago, and when she finally said yes, I was terrified that she would change her mind.”

Daisy began giggling, one arm around his neck. “Goodbye!” she called.

Miles walked out of the room to the sound of applause.

Once they left Regina’s house, Daisy said, “You can put me down now, Miles.”

“They might be watching from the windows,” he said, tramping over the lawn that separated his house from the Duke of Lennox’s.

Daisy was caught by the strange feeling that she was not living her life but watching it. From the duke’s windows, a groom carrying his bride must seem wildly romantic. In reality? She felt like a hefty bundle of laundry being hauled to the washhouse.

“Your arms must be aching.”

“Not at all.” He cocked his ear. “I don’t hear any screaming coming from the nursery, do you? Perhaps the tooth cut through.”

“That sounds violent,” Daisy said, realizing how much she had to learn about raising children.

Miles shrugged. “Once a tooth can be seen, there’ll be no more wailing. I might as well tell you that when Belle was still screaming at dawn, I decided that we might as well head directly for my county seat after the ceremony.”

“Of course, we should leave immediately,” Daisy agreed.

He headed for the front steps. “I’ve changed my mind. Based on our behavior in the chapel, I have the distinct impression that you and I alone in a carriage would result in connubial relations while jolting up and down on the toll road.”

Daisy felt herself turning pink. She cleared her throat but couldn’t think what to say. She’d never imagined people making love in carriages.

Her husband gave her a wicked grin. “All the movement should be mine, don’t you think?”

Why did she feel like arguing with him? She had absolutely no experience—no matter what Miles thought—but City of Eros talked about a woman bouncing on top of a man. Why should all the movement be his?

Miles cleared his throat. “I’m going to have to get used to this.” His voice was ripe with devilish amusement.

“What?”

“You don’t agree with me, do you? We’re lucky.”

“Because?”

“Bedding is the glue that holds couples together. That and honesty.”

Daisy managed a tremulous smile. But inside? Her heart was beating painfully fast. Yes, they had lust, but not love. They didn’t have honesty, either, since she had lied to him. Not to mention the fact that he was so thrilled about the erotic experience she didn’t have.

“We should discuss Belle,” she said, taking a deep breath. It was time to come clean.