AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I doubt he will come.”
“He does not have to be here. We only require his consent.”
Diana could hear the low regard he had for her father in his voice, and she did not blame him. For years, she had tried to find a father in the man who had sired her but was unable to. Perhaps she would never find him, and that thought pained her. Nevertheless, she had decided to embrace her new life and allow her wounds time to heal.
Matthew sat on the bench beside her, and Emma rose, saying, “I should find Albert.”
“You will find him in the green drawing room stuffing himself with small sandwiches.” Matthew smiled.
When they were alone, he took Diana’s hand and turned her palm up, staring at it. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Reading,” he murmured.
She giggled. “And what do you see?”
“Something beautiful and precious.” He raised his eyes to hers. “You.” She touched his cheek, thinking there was nothing she could not do for him. “Crawford confirmed he will attend dinner tonight.”
Diana sucked in her breath. “I want this to be over.”
“It will be, my love.” Matthew kissed her palm. She caught something she could not quite interpret in his eyes, but it vanished before she could study it. It looked like fear but she doubted it. What would a man like him be afraid of if one excluded the war he had seen? He was built like a Roman God, he had a castle and servants who revered him, and the respect of every person of consequence in England.
“Matthew?” she whispered. “Is something the matter?”
He smiled and shook his head. “Nothing, darling. I am eager to make you my wife.”
She grinned. “So am I.”
Glancing at the setting sun, he sighed. “We should prepare for dinner.” He stood and tugged his waistcoat down before scooping her up into his arms.
“Matthew, I can walk!” she protested with a giggle, wrapping her arms around his strong shoulders.
“You can limp, not walk,” he corrected, kissing her nose without any regard for who might have seen. He carried her into the castle and up the stairs to her bedchamber.
Two maids were in the room to help her dress for dinner, and she was slightly disappointed because she had hoped Mathew would be able to steal a kiss. When he set her down on a sofa, his gaze lingered on her, the heat gently sweeping across her skin.
“I will see you at dinner,” he murmured, rising.
Diana smiled, and when she looked sideways, she caught the maids biting back their smiles. She had no doubt they were the subject of gossip in the castle, and she and Matthew had just given the servants more to whisper about.
She had a bath and was helped into one of the dresses that Matthew had purchased for her. The pale blue velvet matched her eyes, and she loved the hem embroidered with gold thread.
By the time her hair was put up in an elaborate coiffure, Diana’s nerves had reached a new height. Matthew’s plan was a great one, but she still could not help feeling anxious. If everything went as planned, Crawford would be out of her life forever, and she prayed they succeeded.
With the cane that had been brought for her, she made her way to the door. A tiny gasp of surprise escaped her lips when she opened it and found Matthew leaning against the wall opposite the room, dressed splendidly in a dark blue coat, and his arms folded across his chest as he waited.
His gaze darkened as he appreciated her before he straightened, his smile wonderfully seductive. “You have stolen the air from my lungs, Diana.”
“Then I feel quite accomplished,” she responded, her heart fluttering, and the rest of her body beginning to ache for his touch.
“May I?” He began to reach for her. Matthew was proper yet he showed her how tenuous his restraint was, and Diana was delighted by it.
“Yes, you may,” she said, and he carried her. She did not protest this time because his arms were her favorite dwelling, and as he walked toward the stairs, she placed a kiss under his jaw, breathing in his familiar and comforting scent.
“Diana,” he whispered hoarsely, “you do not want to do that now.”
“Why not?” she taunted slyly, glad there was more distance to cover before they reached the stairs, and no one was about.
“You know why,” he rasped, tightening his arms around her. He had been to her chamber the night before and spent hours with her. Although he had kissed every part of her body and pleased her, he did not satisfy himself. Another example of him being very proper.
