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“Well, we are married now.” Ellie winked at him. “I’m sure nobody will care if newlyweds sneak away for some… time alone.”
“Hold that thought.” Derrick kissed her again before pulling back quickly. “I have a lot I want to do to you, but it’s going to take longer than a few snatched moments.”
“Oh, you have?”
Derrick just gave her a sly smile and took her hand. “Let’s go. We’d better allocate your sisters some servants before Dorothea falls into the pond again.”
“You make it sound like she needs a nanny.”
“But fair point?”
Ellie bit back a smile. She wasn’t about to agree to that, even if Derrickdidhave a point.
Chapter 16
Derrick checked himself in the mirror. He looked presentable enough. It was only dinner with his mother, after all. She wouldn’t mind if he looked a little scruffy.
Who was he fooling? Of course she would care. He had to look perfect in any situation.
If she knew about any of the situations I’ve been in, she would end up in the grave far earlier than she planned.
A knock at the door had Derrick turning.
“Come in.”
Matthews entered the room, giving a slight bow. “The dowager countess has arrived, my lord. She’s in the drawing room.”
“Thank you, Matthews. Have Miss Regina and Miss Dorothea arrived yet?”
“Not yet. Would you like me to send one of the footmen over to escort them?”
“No, don’t bother with that. It’s not that far to walk. Besides, I want to speak to my mother alone.” Derrick reached the door. “Will you be able to give us some time to talk in private?”
“Of course, my lord.”
Derrick left his bedchamber and headed towards the stairs, pausing as he passed Ellie’s room. He was tempted to sneak in and see her, but that would mean they would be longer in getting downstairs. While he didn’t think his new sisters would care, his mother would.
They could wait until later. It would make things so much sweeter.
When Derrick entered the drawing room, Lady Northampton was sitting by the window. The sun was setting, so the orange glow that came through the window seemed to make the dowager countess light up in her burgundy dress, her hair delicately pinned up on her head. She did look magnificent, almost as if she had planned it.
Derrick smiled as he approached her. “Mother.”
“Derrick.” Lady Northampton stood up and clasped his hands, accepting his kiss on her cheek. “I must say, when I found your invitation in my home when I arrived this morning, I was very surprised.”
“How so?”
“I didn’t think you would want to have dinner with me so soon after getting married. You did say you wanted to be alone with your wife and didn’t want me to intrude.”
Derrick laughed. “You do realise that we can still host and entertain while we’re meant to be in ‘wedded bliss,’ as you call it. Besides, I’m taking Ellie to Cardiff for a honeymoon in a few days, and I want to see you before we go.”
“Cardiff? Honeymoon?” Lady Northampton blinked. “But I thought you weren’t going to do a honeymoon. You said there was no point.”
“Ellie and I agreed to that, but I want to surprise her with something, so I was planning on taking her to Cardiff for a couple of weeks.”
Derrick had only decided that while he and Ellie were at the cottage tidying up for her sisters. She was special, and while this was a practical marriage, their night together showed that there was a lot between them that they should be allowed to explore. They wouldn’t be able to do that with their relatives close by.
While Derrick didn’t think it would be malicious, he had an image of Regina and Dorothea interrupting the two of them while they were being intimate, and Ellie would take the focus off them and onto her sisters. Derrick wanted his wife to relax and not have to worry about any of that.
