Tonight they would share a bed, but whether it would be for just one night, or the beginning of a whole series of nights, depended entirely on her performance.
They stopped once, at a coaching inn to rest the horses, and she heaved a sigh of relief as the honey-colored stone of Wansford Hall finally appeared through the rippled glass of the window.
Despite her disastrous first wedding night with the old duke, she had no bad memories of the place. It felt far more like home than the house she’d shared with her father, and she’d grown to love the staff and tenants. During her months of mourning she’d kept herself busy by familiarizing herself with the running of the estate, and redecorating many of the musty, outdated rooms.
With a start, she realized Thornton would be the first person to stay in the newly refurbished master suite, which shared an adjoining sitting room with her own chamber.
Would he come to her room? Or was she expected to go to his?
The staff had all lined up on the front steps to welcome them by the time the carriage reached the end of the long drive, and Tess smiled as she introduced Thornton to everyone.
“Welcome, Your Grace!” Mrs. Jennings, the housekeeper, bobbed a deferential curtsey to Thornton, then turned to Tess with a wide smile. “And welcome home, my lady. The staff would like to extend their warmest felicitations on your wedding.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Jennings.”
Mrs. Ward, the cook, stepped forward. “I know you must be tired from your journey, but I hope you’ll still partake of the dinner we’ve prepared for you both.”
“Of course,” Thornton said smoothly. “I’m famished. I can’t wait to sample whatever you’ve made.”
Tess watched in awe as the usually unruffled sixty-year-old cook blushed like a schoolgirl under his warm regard.
“Mrs. Ward and Mrs. Jennings are sisters,” she explained.
When Thornton moved on to greet the footmen and the grooms, Mrs. Ward sent her a subtle, congratulatory wink. “Anexcellentchoice, ma’am. If he’s as good-natured as he is ’andsome, you’ll be a lucky lass indeed.”
The only person Tess didn’t recognize was a tall, neat man, whom Thornton introduced as Simms, his majordomo, and she bit back a smile as she saw the irritated look her own head footman, Withers, shot this interloper.Withers vastly preferred the delights of London to the rural calm of Cambridgeshire; no doubt he was relishing the appearance of this newcomer as a chance for some much-needed entertainment.
Thornton was waiting for her at the top of the steps and Tess assumed he was merely being polite.
“Would you like me to give you a tour of the house now?”
He sent her a sly, sideways smile. “One moment. There’s something we have to do first.”
Before she could ask, he bent, slid one arm around her waist, placed the other around the back of her knees, and scooped her up into his arms.
“What are you doing?” Tess shrieked.
“Carrying you across the threshold,” he said with a grin. “I believe it’s customary at times like this.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The assembled staff let out a rousing cheer as Tess was swept through the open doorway, her skirts swishing against Thornton’s legs, her head cradled against his muscled shoulder. For a split second she marveled at his strength as he carried her with long, easy strides, then she remembered where they were.
She whacked him on the arm. “Put me down!”
He strode into the arched hallway and obliged, but when her feet touched the marble, he kept his arm around her waist. She was pressed against him, full length, a little out of breath. He, on the other hand, didn’t appear to have expended any energy at all. He wasn’t even breathing heavily.
“You look flustered, my love.” He smiled down at her, looking more lighthearted than she’d ever seen him. “I assume the previous duke never did such a thing?”
Of course he hadn’t.The old duke had been so decrepit his legs would have buckled if he’d tried to carry her anywhere, but Tess felt it disrespectful to say so. She sent Thornton a stern look instead, aware that the staff hadentered behind them and were avidly watching their byplay.
“He did not.”
She had no doubt that Thornton had just increased his standing with all those present. The women would think his grand gesture sweepingly romantic, and the men would be congratulating him for taking the manly initiative when it came to his new wife.
Tess stepped back, out of the shelter of his arms. Her whole body felt hot and bothered.
“Perhaps that tour can wait?” he suggested easily. “I’d like to bathe and change, after so long in the saddle.”
