She didn’t want to argue with him, but she had her doubts. He pulled her legs up about his buttocks and thrust his hips gently. Katie winced, wondering how anyone might enjoy this. His thrust both stung and made her throb with pain. He moved again, and she rather liked the flex of his buttocks against her ankles. She also found if she relaxed her back, her discomfort eased.
“Shall I stop?” he panted. “I can see you hate this.”
“I don’t hate it. I would simply prefer never to do it again.”
He laughed and rested his forehead on her shoulder. “We’ll try again another time.” He slid out of her and lay on his back beside her, throwing one hand over his eyes.
“Carlisle,” she said, rising on her elbow. “Is that…what we did, a requirement of marriage?”
“Give me a moment,” he said, and drew in several deep breaths. Then he seemed to steel himself and breathe deeply. “There are no children without that act,” he said.
“So I could have a child now?”
“Unlikely. I didn’t climax.” He gestured to his still-erect member.
“Oh. You’d have to move more for that to happen?”
He lowered his hand from his eyes. “Don’t sound so nervous. We’ll try again another time. Now that we’re to be married, we’ll have plenty of opportunity.”
“So I’m still ruined?”
“You’reveryruined.”
“Good.”
He chuckled and wrapped himself in the edge of the cloak, then pulled her against him and covered her as well. “I’ve never met a woman who was glad to be ruined.”
“I’m only glad because it was you.” And she closed her eyes and, even though it was the middle of the day, fell asleep immediately.
Chapter Sixteen
Henry felt whenher body relaxed into sleep. He wished his own body would relax, but he was still hard and needy for her. He’d never had to exercise so much willpower before. He hadn’t thought himself capable of it. She had felt so good when he was inside her that he might have succumbed to mindless rutting. He’d certainly been brought to a point of extreme arousal multiple times the past few days. He couldn’t think of any other time when he’d given so much pleasure to a woman without taking any in return.
In fact, he couldn’t think of any time in his life when he’d exercised this much self-control. No cards, no dice, no orgasms. He was a monk. Perhaps he’d go to Paradise when the Marquess of Shrewsbury shot him for defiling his daughter.
Henry scrubbed a hand over his face. What had he been thinking? The last thing he needed was a wife. Katie might think she could save him from himself, but Henry knew better. He’d tried and failed many times before to control his own gambling.
And that was before he had a curse hanging over his head. Was he supposed to drag Katie to Scotland so he could search for ways to reverse the curse?
And what was the alternative—or, rather, what had been the alternative before he ruined her? Leave her here? He would never have done it. He’d been a fool for trying to convince himself otherwise. If it hadn’t been for her, he wouldn’t havestayed at the dower house as long as he had. From the first time she’d accosted him on the lane to Carlisle Hall, he hadn’t been able to put her out of his mind. He wondered if, even that long ago, his fate was sealed.
He supposed, all things considered, this fate wasn’t so bad. There were worse things than marriage to a beautiful woman who professed to love him even though she knew his faults.
He turned his head and buried it in her hair, which smelled of soap and the afternoon rain. He’d have had to marry eventually, and Lady Katherine was beautiful, kind, clever, and strong-willed. If only she wasn’t the daughter of his arch-nemesis.
He’d ruined her, and he’d done it with full knowledge of the consequences. The best thing to do was to return to the estate when the rains stopped and prepare to leave for Gretna Green at dawn. He still had his coach and his horses. He had a little money to pay for food and a night or two in an inn for them and his outriders. After he married Katie, they could settle in Cumbria. He’d figure out what to do about the castle and the curse there.
The rain tapped relentlessly against the cottage’s lone window, and Henry finally closed his eyes and slept. At least, he assumed he slept, because he woke up when the crashing and the yelling began. He sat up, eyes bleary, at the sight of a woman screaming. His first thought was for Katie, and he jumped up, ensuring she was covered by her cloak. Of course, he’d forgotten he was naked, and the sight of him was enough to cause the woman who’d been screaming to start screeching. That was when a liveried man came forward and handed Henry a blanket, which he wrapped around his middle.
“What the devil is happening?” Henry demanded of the servant. That was when he noticed the livery the man wore was that of Carlisle Hall. And that was when he saw Mr. Robins hovering in the cottage doorway, his hand on his forehead.Henry looked at the wailing woman again and then at Katie, who was saying something to her.
“Mrs. Murray?” Henry said, holding out a hand. “Do I have the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Lady Katherine’s companion?”
“No, you do not!” the woman said, slapping his hand away. “I will not make your acquaintance. I will take no pleasure in meeting you. You have defiled Lady Katherine. You haveruinedher.” Her gaze settled on Katie, who looked rather calm, all things considered. “Do you know what this means, my lady?”
“I’ll have to marry him,” Katie answered matter-of-factly.
“You can’t marry him! Your father will never allow it.”
