“Was that dessert?” she whispered, laughing quietly. “One should not leap ahead to the sweet course.”
He smiled. “Quite right. Eat your partridge.”
They spent the rest of dinner talking of gloriously mundane things, and when they were not talking, they were sharing a companionable silence. Once dinner was done, they took another stroll in the gardens together, making the most of the mild weather.
Outside the Tea House, looking out over the beautiful roses, inhaling their perfumed scent, Cyrus put his arm around his wife’s waist and held her to him. He would never forget how she leaned into him, molded herself to him, resting her head on his chest as they gazed out together. It might have been the most peaceful moment of his life, everything quiet in his mind. No ghosts, haunting.
He could have stayed out there forever, but with the darkness and the first spits of rain, they had no choice but to head back inside.
“Shall I come to fetch my chapter?” Teresa asked, her voice faltering slightly.
They stood in the entrance hall together, the servants making themselves scarce. Although Cyrus got the feeling that they were being watched.
She is asking to share your bedchamber…
A lump gathered in his throat. “I will bring it to you.”
“As you prefer,” she said, her smile nervous.
“I will see you in a short while then.” He dipped his head to her, and walked off in the direction of his study.
There, he would decide whether or not he was going to visit her chambers or not, though he knew one thing for certain: there would still be no wedding night. He was not yet ready for that, and sensed he never would be, not when it carried the risk of children. For Darnley Castle was no place for children and, after him, there would be no Duke of Darnley.
Indeed, the title had never been anything but cursed.
Arriving at Teresa’s door with the promised pages in hand, Cyrus had not known what to expect. He raised his knuckles and rapped on the door, taking a polite step back as he waited for her to answer.
“Come in!” she called, her voice odd. A note too high.
With a breath, he opened the door and stepped inside.
Goodness…
He halted sharply at the sight of her, standing in the center of the room in nothing but her nightdress. It was not quite history repeating, but he forced himself to keep his attention upon her face, despite her figure being exceptionally lovely.
“I… did not know if you would come,” she said, shaking a little though it was not very cold.
He lifted the pages, waving them. “I had a promise to keep.”
She is terrified. Oh, my darling, you have nothing to fear from me.
Making a decision, he crossed the room with purpose and swiftly swept her up into the bridal carry she had likely waited for, considering how often the Captain did it with Miss Savage.
She gasped at the gesture, her eyes wide, her body trembling in his arms as he carried her over to the bed and set her down. Leaning in to press a chaste kiss to her cheek, he went around to the other side of the bed and climbed in. Propped against some pillows, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, patting his chest so she would know that it washerpillow, if she wanted it to be.
He heard her soft sigh of relief and smiled. “Have you ever noticed when bumblebees are carrying lots of pollen that they look like they are wearing breeches?”
She peered up at him, a bemused laugh upon her lips. “I cannot say that I have.”
“I would urge you to observe them.” He smiled. “Bees are incredibly fascinating.”
For the better part of half an hour, he spoke of the merits of bees and heard her thoughts in return. They lay side by side, so close there was no gap between them, but with his continued talk of those curious creatures, any ‘expectation’ disappeared. He was nottryingto bore her into forgetting about wedding nights, but he was not sorry that he was lulling her into slumber.
“Tell me about your mother,” Teresa asked sleepily, the pages of the most recent chapter clasped against her chest.
Cyrus pulled her closer, holding her to him. “You still have not finished the chapter,” he said, smiling against her hair.
“There will be time enough for that,” she murmured, yawning.
