His Reluctant Lady (16 page)

“
Agatha?”

Forcing her mind off her story, she
looked at Christopher. “Yes?”

“
Please tell me I’m not
boring you already. I was hoping we’d be married for at least a
year before you grew bored of me.”

Somehow she doubted he’d ever be
boring. Irritating perhaps, but never boring. “I don’t think
there’s any danger you’ll lose me to boredom,” she assured
him.

“
Then I’ll fare better than
my cousin. You thought I was joking when I called him Lord
Lackluster, but you can see what effect he has on
others.”

Curious, her gaze followed the
direction he pointed at, and she saw Sophie yawn again. She winced.
“She should know better.”

“
It can’t be helped. It’s
just the way he is. My sympathies go to her.”

“
And who would you rather be
around? Lord Ironfist or Lord Lackluster?”

He grimaced. “Neither.”

“
But if you had to
choose…?”

“
Oh, I suppose Lackluster.
At least he doesn’t make me clean chamber pots or muck out
stalls.”

She burst out laughing, something that
she couldn’t remember ever doing, but it was something that felt
surprisingly good.

“
You have a wonderful
laugh,” he told her. “You ought to laugh like that more
often.”

“
Yes,” she softly replied,
almost too shy to admit it. “Maybe I should.”

Chapter Fourteen

The wedding came much too soon, and
Agatha found herself surrounded by close family and friends at the
breakfast afterwards. The one good thing that came from it was that
Perry and Sophie got a chance to talk. Perhaps when Sophie wasn’t
being forced to ride a horse, she might enjoy talking to
him.

Though Perry should have sat next to
Christopher, she arranged it so that Perry could sit between Sophie
and their aunt instead. Not surprising, Christopher leaned toward
Agatha and whispered his thanks for her scheme because it allowed
him to sit next to Ethan. She caught the curious expression on
Ethan’s face, and she looked in the direction of her sister and
Perry. Understanding the silent message, he nodded and settled back
to talk to Christopher.

There was no way she could get out of
sitting next to Christopher since she was the bride and he was the
groom, but that evening, she’d have to be in bed with him so having
to be close to him during breakfast was the least of her concerns.
As much as she prided herself on being a strong lady, there were
times when she was aware that she only gave the appearance of being
strong. And this was one of them. She glanced at the guests and
prayed no one else detected the uncertainty within her.

“
Are you feeling all
right?”

Startled, she turned her attention to
Christopher who motioned to the food she’d barely touched on her
plate.

“
Are you feeling all right?”
he asked, his eyes filled with concern.

It was on the tip of her tongue to
feign an illness. Doing so might provide her a reprieve from
tonight, but that reprieve would only be temporary. Tomorrow would
come and he’d undoubtedly want to consummate the marriage then. And
there was nothing she could do to dissuade him. Sooner or later, it
was bound to happen.

Her first husband hadn’t wanted to be
with her but had come to her bed because he needed the heir. It
would have been more palatable if he hadn’t had to be with his
mistress first so she could get him worked up enough for the event.
Even worse, he felt the need to explain all this to her as he
slipped into her bed then proceeded to call her by his mistress’
name while he thrust his thing into her. Afterwards, he shoved her
aside and left the room, muttering how glad he was to get it done
so he could return to his mistress. Even today, she thought he did
it out of spite because he had to marry her, thanks to a gambling
debt he acquired with her father.

She pressed her hand over her stomach
and stared at the food on her plate. She had no appetite this
morning. She really didn’t know what to expect. Christopher didn’t
strike her as a vengeful gentleman. He wasn’t stiff or cold, nor
had her father arranged their marriage in the way he had with her
first husband. Christopher wanted this marriage, had even schemed
his way into getting her to agree to marry him. Maybe the marital
bed would be something she could endure without any pain. She
couldn’t believe Claire or Catherine would lie about enjoying their
intimate times with their husbands, though they had to be the
exception. She couldn’t believe most ladies could say the same
thing about their intimate moments.

“
Agatha?”

She jerked, once again aware that
Christopher was trying to get her attention. “What?”

“
What’s wrong?” he
whispered, his eyebrows furrowed. “You’re pale.”

She wished he wasn’t so observant. The
last thing she felt like doing was dwelling on the past. “I just
don’t feel like eating. I’m not used to getting up so early.”
There. Maybe that would appease him, and it wasn’t too far from the
truth. She was used to writing late into the night and sleeping
until mid-morning, sometimes even until noon.

“
Would you like to leave?”
he asked. “You can retire to your bedchamber and rest.”

“
No,” she quickly protested.
She knew better than to think he’d leave her alone if she went to
bed. She’d rather be fighting her nausea than be alone with him in
her bedchamber. “I’m just a little tired. Perhaps a nice stroll
will wake me up.”

“
All right, but if it
doesn’t, I want you to get some rest.”

“
I’ll rest tonight, if
you’ll allow it,” she mumbled, not sure she wanted him to hear her
but hoping he might pick up on the hint.

“
Well, we’ve been here long
enough. I suppose we can take our leave.” He scanned the room. “It
looks like everyone else is ready to leave.” A momentary wave of
apprehension came over her but he added, “Perhaps after we change
into clothes more fitting for a walk, we can go to Hyde Park? It’ll
be nice to spend some time there without having to chaperone Perry
so he doesn’t put Sophie to sleep.”

Relaxing, she smiled at his joke.
“You’re much too hard on your cousin,” she reprimanded. “I’m sure
he’s not boring his friends.”

“
But those friends happen to
also be boring, so what good does that do?”

Despite her better judgment, she
chuckled. She really shouldn’t encourage him to tell jokes at his
cousin’s expense.

He held his hand to her and she
accepted, feeling better after laughing. If nothing else could be
said for her new husband, he did have a way of making her feel more
at ease when she wasn’t sure about something. Hopefully, that trait
would follow him into the bedchamber.

After they took their leave, he sat
close to her in the carriage, holding her hand and kissing her. He
was eager for the evening, there was no denying that.

Ending the kiss, he squeezed her hand.
“What’s troubling you? Are you afraid I’ll restrict your
freedoms?”

“
Well…”

“
You have nothing to worry
about. Gerard Addison may continue spreading gossip to the
Tittletattle
and you can
keep doing whatever else it is that you do. I don’t mind knowing
your other secrets, should you care to divulge them to
me.”

“
If I didn’t keep any
secrets, then how would I keep you wondering what I’m doing when
you’re not around?”

He grinned. “I’d expect nothing more
than for you to do whatever you can to keep the mystery alive in
our marriage. That’s what I love most about you.”

“
We hardly know each
other.”

“
On the contrary, we’ve
spent a lot of time together, especially over the past week. I’d
say we know more about each other than other couples do when they
marry.”

She couldn’t argue his point, though
what she’d really meant was that what he knew about her seemed to
be more superficial things. Sure, he knew one of her secrets, but
he didn’t know her, though she couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t like
she’d been willing to open herself to him. Something like that was
easier said than done.

“
I look forward to learning
everything there is to know about you,” Christopher whispered then
kissed her hand. “I’ll even be content to let you keep a couple
secrets to yourself. I have no intention of being a burden to you.
All I want is for you to be happy with me.”

She studied his expression, trying to
determine whether he was being sincere or trying to push through
her carefully guarded wall. He was a hard gentleman to figure out.
Even if she wanted nothing more than to believe him, she hesitated
to do so.

The carriage came to a stop and he gave
her another quick kiss. “Do you still want to go for a stroll in
Hyde Park?”

“
Yes, I would,” she
admitted. “Then I’d like to spend a couple of hours alone in the
drawing room.”

“
Working on that secret of
yours?”

She nodded, wondering if he’d try to
coax her to the bed instead.

To her surprise, he said, “You may
spend as much time in your drawing room as you need.”

She hesitated then asked, “You mean
it?”

“
I wouldn’t have said it if
I didn’t.”

The footman opened the door and
Christopher motioned to it. “After you, my lady.”

With a smile, she accepted, thinking
her walk with him just might be pleasant after all.

***

“
Will there be anything
else, my lady?”

Agatha shook her head and dismissed her
lady’s maid. Once she was alone, she rose to her feet and, lifting
her head in resignation, went to the door connecting her bedchamber
with Christopher’s and knocked on it, using more force than
necessary. She gritted her teeth. How she resented this whole
thing. But the sooner she got Christopher in here, the sooner he’d
leave. Then she could go to sleep and forget the whole thing. She
crossed her arms and waited, wondering when he’d answer the
door.

Finally, after what seemed like
forever, he opened the door and leaned against the doorframe, a
wide smile on his face. “Are you eager for me, my love?”

She rolled her eyes. “Hardly. I just
want to get it over with.” Turning from him, she trudged to her bed
and slipped the robe off her shoulders, baring her naked body
before him.

“
Well, I can’t say that’s
the kind of response I was hoping for, but I assure you that you’ll
enjoy yourself.”

“
Sure, I will… Once you’re
back in your bedchamber.” She pulled back her sheets and settled on
the bed. “You won’t get a child if you stand over there all
night.”

Undaunted by her lack of enthusiasm, he
shut the door behind him and headed toward her. “I’m surprised you
didn’t wear a drab old nightshirt.”

“
What’s the point? You’d
only remove it.”

“
Indeed, I would have.” His
gaze traced her body. “You’re absolutely lovely, Agatha, but I
sense lovemaking can feel just a bit wicked if you keep some
clothes on.”

“
If you want wicked, you’ll
have to get a mistress. I’m a wife. There will be nothing wicked
about what we’re going to do.”

“
Always so quick with a
retort,” he replied, amusement in his voice. “That’s what I love
most about you.” Pressing his hands on either side of her, he
leaned forward, his lips mere inches from hers. “You are a lady of
great passion. I promise you that you’ll find enjoyment tonight,
and in the future, you’ll be eager for lovemaking. I don’t need a
mistress. Not with a lady who possesses the kind of fire you
do.”

She chuckled. “You poor misguided man.
There is no such thing as enjoyment in this act for me.”

He climbed into bed and turned to face
her. She fully expected him to grope her, but he shrugged out of
his robe then pulled the blankets over them.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you
covering us?”

“
Because tonight isn’t going
to be a quick, emotionless act. You’re my wife. I’m your husband.
This isn’t about getting a child. I have no title, nor will I be
inheriting one from my cousin. I have you and that’s all I need.”
He inched closer to her, careful not to touch her. Lowering his
voice, he said, “Today we were united in marriage. You’re now a
part of me, and I’m a part of you. I wouldn’t treat myself with
little regard so I won’t treat you that way either.”

He inclined his head to hers and
brushed her lips with his. After a moment, his mouth touched hers
again, his kiss soft, not demanding. Tentative, she responded to
him. He remained gentle as he proceeded to kiss her. She waited for
him to get aggressive, but he didn’t. Instead, he kept things slow.
At first, it unnerved her. Whoever heard of a husband doing such a
thing? Didn’t all gentlemen just want to get to it and enter their
wives as soon as possible?

When he ended the kiss, she was sure he
would move on top of her and do what he came here for, but he
proceeded to kiss her cheeks and her forehead. Then his lips
returned to hers, and this time she found herself relaxing. He was
spending considerable time kissing her and she couldn’t help but
wonder why. What was in it for him? It seemed to her that the only
person who was benefiting from this was her. Even when he parted
his lips and traced her lower lip with his tongue, she thought it
was rather pleasant. She accepted him into her mouth, and he cupped
the side of her face with his hand before he deepened the
kiss.