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Leaning over her prone form, he bent his mouth to her bosom, taking the sweet peaked morsel of her flesh between his lips. There was time enough for another coupling before they needed to rise. She stirred at his touch and sighed; her eyes fluttered open. He returned her sleepy smile. She was so responsive, and who knew how long it would be before his conscience would allow him to enjoy his conjugal rights again.
Despite a coveringof snow upon the ground, they made good time arriving at the house just before luncheon. The staff turned out en masse to greet them, just as they had done in the London house. Gregory was both proud and irritated by the display. Holly refused to be chivvied along the line and spoke cheerily with each and every member of the household; again, he felt torn by conflicting emotions.
Finally, Williams, the butler, called for three cheers for the new mistress, and afterwards Mrs Lane, the housekeeper, guided Holly upstairs in order to show her the chambers Gregory had ordered allocated in readiness for his new wife. Her rooms adjoined those where he now slept, situated on the opposite side of the house from where he and Bunty had resided so happily in the past.
After a substantial luncheon, he left her alone with her maid to unpack and settle in while he caught up on his correspondence. Later, Gregory visited the stables and ordered a horse saddled for riding. This was not his favourite because the steed needed time to recover from the wearisome ride home from London.
Gregory rode around his estate, visiting families to discuss their plans for the coming season regarding crops and livestock, making a mental list of the cottages in need of repairs. He was back in good time for a meeting with his estates manager before joining Holly again for tea in the drawing room.
They chatted contentedly about what they had both achieved that afternoon. He explained about the estate tenants while she listened politely. He listened indulgently as she then prattled on about crumpled silks and crushed crinoline. He thought her rather sweet.
That night, despite his concerns, he found that thanks to his greedy cock, he was able to perform as a husband ought. Awoken late in the night by loud wailing, he turned onto his side and reached for his wife to offer reassurance but found the bed beside him cool and empty. To his disgust, Holly was missing. Gregory threw back the covers and reached for his robe then turned up the wick on the oil lamp. He held it aloft and left the room to search for her.
He knew which direction the cry had come from, and set off, certain Holly would have gone to find the source of the sound.
He came upon her as she was about to move up a flight of servant’s stairs.
“Whatever are you about?” he asked.
She started so violently that she dropped the candle she was holding. Quickly, he stomped on the burning wick, extinguishing the flame.
“Gregory, you gave me such a fright! There is something wrong; I heard screaming and crying coming from up there. Please go and find out the cause!”
He hesitated before replying. “Will it put your mind at ease if I go?”
“Of course,” she replied, a small frown of puzzlement crinkled her forehead.
“Very well, I shall escort you back to your chambers and then return to find out if aught is amiss. It was probably one of the maids having a nightmare and nothing more,” he reassured her.
“I will wait here,” she replied.
“No, it is cold and dark. You are shivering, come back to bed,” he insisted. Taking her arm, he began to stride in the direction of their chambers.
She yanked her arm from his, stubbornly refusing to move. Gregory had no intention of wasting breath in arguing. He dipped and hoisted her up so her head and arms lay over his shoulder, one arm curved about her thighs holding her secure.
“Put me down!” she demanded shrilly.
His reply was to land a hard swat on her plump behind. Holly squealed and thumped his back. Gregory pressed on regardless, ignoring her protestations until they reached the chamber, whereupon he sat on the edge of the bed and deposited her to stand firmly encased between his knees.
He shook his head at her, exasperated. This hysterical reasoning was the result of him marrying a bride barely out of the schoolroom. Well, he knew just how to deal with recalcitrant girls. Bunty had been but eighteen the day they’d wed. Admittedly, he had not been much older at twenty, but he had soon discovered that spanking his young wife put a stop to her histrionic vapours. It had also been a great way to settle arguments between them.
He had no intention of spanking Holly for simply being concerned about a servant, but he had no compunction at all about spanking her should he feel such action was required.
“There are servants aplenty to deal with someone having a nightmare. I assure you that none of them would be happy to find their master or mistress arriving within their private quarters, forcing them to admit to the fact they had disturbed their employer’s sleep,” he pointed out reasonably.
“I disagree…”
He landed a thwack to her rear before she could utter another word. Propelling her, he set her down to sit upon his lap. Her huff of surprise and indignant face caused his lip to twitch with amusement.
“In order to please you, my pretty little imp, I shall go and check if all is well upstairs. Do I have your word that you will remain here, warm in my bed? I have already lost one wife and I do not wish to lose another quite so soon.”
He couldn’t quite believe he had used levity in respect of Bunty’s death. He examined his conscience and was surprised to find nothing lacked.
“I’m sorry, Gregory, I know I have a strong will. Mama often warned me about it. I will do as you say and wait for you here, yes, but please could you leave the oil lamp burning and take the candle with you? I am nervous of the darkness.”
Gregory tucked her back into bed and kissed her forehead. Relighting the candle, he left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Holly creptalong the darkened passage. The lamp threw strange dark shadows on the walls, elongating her figure to a grotesque size. The bitter winter breeze gusted down the draughty corridors and cut through the thin lawn of her night-rail, she shivered. The lamp tilted as she tugged her shawl closed across her chest, dripping hot oil onto her wrist.
