“Ugh, don’t call me that,” she muttered, managing a small smile even though she was overset.
He nuzzled her neck, inhaling the soft, sweet scent of her skin while he suckled the pulse now throbbing at the base of her throat. “You started off as a thorn in my side, and shall now always be a Thornebymy side,” he said with a husky ache to his voice, intending the pun on rose thorns and his family’s surname of Thorne.
Syd stared at him, although he doubted she could see much beyond the veil of tears still clouding her eyes. “Why are you being so obstinate when I am trying to save you?”
“I do not wish to be saved from you. How many ways must I tell you that I do not want to be without you, Syd?”
“How can you be so wonderful to me? What did I ever do right to deserve a husband like you?”
“I could ask the same about you. Why did good fortune smile down on me and give me the perfect wife?”
She laughed. “Dear heaven, I am far from perfect.”
“Neither am I.”
“Oh, you are so wrong about that, Octavian. There is not a man in all England better than you. So, how can you attach yourself to a wife who is not even real?”
“I did not marry a name. I marriedyou. We may have questions about your true identity, questions that will be addressed in time. If this requires Homer Barrow and his army of Bow Street runners to dig into your past, then so be it. But one thing I know for certain is that you are not Joan of Arc. So kindly stop tossing yourself onto that burning sacrificial pyre for my sake. I would rather have you in the lovely, pink flesh and not as the ashen remains of a burnt offering.”
“Octavian!”
“What? Am I not entitled to my opinion?”
She furrowed her brow and pursed her lips, making him want to kiss her again even though she was frowning at him. But then, he always wanted to kiss her. “You have not given this problem enough thought,” she chided.
“I have given it all the thought it merits. Shall I have supper sent up here? We can dine quietly in our chamber tonight. And we shall both sleep in this bed tonight and every night hereafter. End of discussion, Syd.”
“You are being most highhanded.”
“Sorry, but the thought of losing my wife over something that was not her fault has put me in ill humor. I’ll arrange to meet your parents tomorrow and find out what is really going on.”
“We’ll go together,” she said, easing back to look up at him. “I want to do this with you.”
He was not thrilled with that idea. “Syd, today’s visit devastated you. Are you sure you want to accompany me?”
“Yes.” She nodded emphatically. “I can face anything when you are by my side. You wonderful, big ox. How can you not hate me?”
He tweaked her chin. “Your parents caught you by surprise today. Your mother’s words were meant to be cruel, her barbs tipped with poisonous bile aimed at your lovely heart where they would cause the most damage. You were alone and unprepared for her attack. But you have me by your side for now and always. We shall deal with her tomorrow.”
She cast him a breathtakingly tender smile.
He ordered their supper brought up.
Syd hardly touched her food, merely pecked at her vegetables like a little bird.
Once all had been cleared away, they readied for bed. Octavian usually stayed awake later than Syd. His routine was to settle in one of the tufted chairs beside the hearth with a book and a glass of wine in hand. But Syd never fell into more than a light sleep until he joined her in bed and took her into his arms. Only then would she let down her guard and drift into a deep and unreserved slumber.
The more he learned about Syd, the more he grew to understand how much she had kept bottled up inside for much of her life. That she had grown to trust him and rely on him was an enormous compliment. It could not have been easy for her to let anyone in. In truth, no one had ever gotten this close to her before.
But she had let him in, trusting him to keep her safe.
This is why she held onto him even while asleep.
It was his touch that allowed her to shed her defenses.
For this reason, he altered his routine this evening. He still read, but did so while in bed. This allowed Syd to burrow against him and be comforted by his body beside hers.
This was a comfort to him, too.
