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“Gambling? Oh, no,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Whatever association you wish to have with your gambling hall is your decision, I would not seek to stop that, but surely you cannot seek to make me a part of the sordid business?” Something in her words darkened his expression. Suddenly, all traces of those smiles he had shown before were gone. In their place, there was a deep frown, and his thin lips were pressed together.
Would he smile again if I kissed those lips? Oh! Behave! You cannot have such thoughts…
“As I said, I do not gamble myself. You wish to call it a sordid thing? Well, I could think of many other names for the occupation. A waste of time, a temptation that leads men to debts and misery. Yes… perhaps gambling is akin to the apple God placed in the garden of Eden.” His frown set deeper than before. “At least I could understand why Eve took that fruit as she needed to eat. No man needs to gamble.”
“You have strong opinions,” Marina remarked.
“As I said, I believe in discipline. Just as I want there to be rules for the two of us, I have rules for myself.” He gestured to what remained of the bouquet in his hands and inched it toward his own chest. “No gambling is near the top of that list.”
“Why?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Why?” she asked again, her brow creasing. “I suppose a man as disciplined as you could gamble a little and not have the habit ruin his life, yet you refuse temptation anyway. Why is that?” she wondered aloud, watching him closely as she tilted her head to the side.
“You watch me as an owl watches its prey.” He smirked a little as he stared back at her.
“Perhaps I’m curious about you.”
“Hmm.” His voice had deepened, and the sound that escaped him reached deep into Marina as if it made her stomach vibrate. She liked the depth of that sound. “Do not be curious about me, Marina. Your interest is a distraction only. Another temptation I will not allow myself.” He used what remained of the flowers to press them under her chin and lift it, so she sat squarely looking at him rather than at a tilt.
“So, you are tempted?” She couldn’t help being thrilled by the idea. If he was going to set this infernal rule for them not to share a bed together, then at least she would get some pleasure from knowing he was as dissatisfied with the rule as she was.
“I’m tempted by many things in this world.” Once more, his voice had deepened. “Yet I do not intend to come too close to you, just as I will not get too close to gambling.”
“Strange that you should have us both under your roof then,” she jested, smiling widely. He chuckled too and nodded with an approving laugh.
“You have wit about you. It was not something I noticed very much before.” The carriage seemed to be slowing. As it did, he passed the bouquet back to her. The way his fingers brushed her own had a heat blooming in her stomach. It spread wide, deep, and low to a part of her body she had not known it was possible to feel heated in.
Gathering the flowers together, she looked down at the petal heads, not wishing her husband to see how she blushed at his touch.
“We are here,” he announced as the carriage came to a stop.
James, as she was now to think of him, stepped down from the carriage first. He did not wait for a footman, as many men would do, but strode out happily himself then turned back and offered his hand to Marina.
She took it carefully, still thinking of that heat as she stepped down, following him. Momentarily, she was distracted from his touch, looking at the house ahead of them.
Oh, it is grander than I thought.
When she’d heard James owned a gambling hall, she half expected his home to be a narrow town house, perhaps on the wrong edge of town, but that was not the case.
They were situated not far from Hyde Park with a vast house sitting back from the main road with a small drive leading away from the black gates and up to the front porch that was built of white marble struts. The red brick contrasted the white pillars and the window frames. The whole effect was one that was pearlescent and beautiful.
The frost around the garden was beginning to melt, revealing tulip shoots and daffodils that were poking their heads skyward, making dapples of color like flourishes on an artist’s palette. To one side of the garden, there was the stable, alive with activity as the horses were being attended to by the stable master. On the other side of the garden, there was a trail leading toward trees and a fountain, all being attended to by gardeners.
“Are you surprised I could have a respectable home?” James asked at her side before he scoffed, “Well, you would not be the first to presume I lived in a den of sin.”
“That is not what I thought,” she insisted as she followed him down the driveway, heading toward the house. When he raised one eyebrow, she smirked a little. “Perhaps it is a little of what I thought.This…it is a grand home indeed.”
“I work hard to keep it that way.” He paused, stepping in front of her. “That is why I need you to grow accustomed to the business and be familiar with it.” At his words, she was ready to argue, wanting nothing to do with it, but he went on before she had a chance, “You do not have to like it. I do not like it. Yet business is business. You are my wife now, and you represent the business as I do. I need you to understand how it works.”
“I see.” She nodded slowly, realizing she could make little objection to the idea. If he was trapped into marrying her, then the least she could do is make the effort to understand his business.
“Thank you.” He stepped away, about to ascend the white stone steps toward the porch before he clearly realized she wasn’t following him. Her eyes were darting between the gardens, the stable master, and the fine house. For a minute, it was easy to trick herself into thinking this could be an ordinary marriage of the ton. She could have a husband and a friend, but then his heavy stare reminded her of the rules he had placed upon them.
He will never be intimate with me.
“Do you not wish to see your new home?” he asked, gesturing to the house.
