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Just as she had.
The thought and its implications made her shiver.
Edge looked over suddenly, his eyes shaded despite the glare of candles. He detached himself and moved towards her and she tried to gauge his mood but could see nothing in his darkened eyes but polite interest as they skimmed over her. He turned to nod to Sir Henry.
‘Thank you for arranging passage so swiftly, Sir Henry.’
‘Think nothing of it, Lord Edward. HMS Lark is one of the navy’s swiftest vessels and could have you in Portsmouth in under three weeks if weather allows. Pity you cannot stay to see the marvellous new finds. Truly exquisite. But perhaps you will be returning next winter?’
‘Perhaps.’
‘Depending on your lovely wife, I am certain.’
‘Mr and Mrs Carmichael will remain a little longer, but my wife and I had best leave as we must now prepare for an early departure tomorrow morning.’
‘Of course, of course. Everyone will understand.’ Sir Henry laughed, his cheeks redder than Sam’s.
* * *
Once in the carriage the sounds and smells of Cairo took over. Sam watched the darkened streets and wished again that Edge could have found Rafe innocently lodged in one of the hotels. Then there would have been time to adjust, to become reacquainted, explore Egypt together...
She threw him another glance, but he was looking out the other window, his mouth a straight line.
She had no idea what to say to him.
Are you regretting this marriage? Resenting me? Thinking only of reaching England and finding your brother? Or of something else entirely?
‘You look very lovely.’
She started at his words—though he hardly sounded as if he meant them.
‘So do you,’ she said anyway and the corner of his mouth curved a little.
‘I’ve never been called lovely before.’
‘Well, perhaps that is not the best adjective.’
‘What is, then?’ He finally turned to her, but still she could see nothing in his eyes but faint amusement. It scared her—that this man was her husband and she could not read him at all. She had the strangest sensation that though he looked like the Edge she’d once known he was someone else entirely.
She’d married a stranger.
‘What is wrong?’ His eyes narrowed as they moved over her face. She forced a smile.
‘I don’t know. I think I’m tired. No, nervous. No, I’m scared I’ve forced your hand and you will come to resent me.’
That was more honest than she’d intended, but at least it sparked something in his gaze.
‘Sam of old wouldn’t be so plagued by doubts.’
‘I don’t know if that is true. But in any case Sam of old is long gone, Edge.’
He reached out to trace a line from her cheekbone to the corner of her mouth, paused, and then continued, settling on the curve of her lower lip. He applied no pressure, but her lips parted and she had to consciously draw air into her lungs. She wanted desperately to moisten her lips, but her nerve utterly deserted her. Sam of old’s bravado, sparked by the raw beauty of the desert, had lasted long enough to shift her life on to an entirely new course, but now the fear was back.
‘Is she? Gone?’
‘I don’t know.’
His hand dropped and he looked away.
‘I hope she’s not completely gone, Sam. You’ll need her strength to tolerate me.’
‘I think it’s rather the other way around. I dare say you are regretting this already.’
He laughed, utterly surprising her as he pulled her on to his lap, his breath warm against her temple as he spoke.
‘At the moment I’m only regretting we will only have one night to explore the attractions of our alliance, Najimat al-Layl.’
His lips brushed softly over her ear, resting for a moment on her earlobe, and she shivered as his tongue traced its curve.
‘I like when you call me that,’ she whispered. ‘Even though it is merely another reminder of what a nuisance I was.’
His hands moved over her back, loosening the laces of her dress under the cover of her light cloak, sliding under the fabric, warm and firm, making her skin dance with skittish pleasure. She arched against them, trying to meet or escape the pleasure unravelling through her.
‘You were impossible, Night Star. I kept waiting breathlessly for the next disaster.’ He murmured the words against her cheek, brushing his lips lightly over hers. His mouth was cool, but he was a blaze of dark heat wrapping around her, singeing her from the outside in.
This was what he wanted from her, probably all he wanted from her.
The attractions of our alliance...
It should worry her, but right now the only thing that worried her was as he said—that they would have only one night before they set out on the long journey back to England which meant for three weeks or so the best accommodation they would have would be the narrow bed of a naval frigate.
