Just One Kiss (31 page)

“Fine,” she said, but she didn’t sound fine…

She didn’t feel fine either.  Daphne wasn’t sure how she did feel, but it certainly wasn’t fine!  Children.  She wished that Edward hadn’t raised the subject.  It was almost too painful and too wonderful to contemplate.  To sire a son - that had been Edward’s primary reason for returning, and Daphne had to make sure that she remembered that fact.  She had been in danger of forgetting.

“Daphne?” Edward was staring at her, wi
th a puzzled, concerned, frown
etched upon his face.  “What’s wrong, darling?”

The endearment was similarly cruel and kind.  If she could just let herself believe… “Nothing,” Daphne said, “nothing’s wrong, I just-” but her sentence trailed off feebly.

“You just what?” Edward demanded.  He was looking increasingly worried.  “What is it, Daff?  Are you sick?”

“No!” Daphne assured him instantly, unable to bear how anxious Edward looked, but a second later she wished that she had used the lie
to
cover up her slip, because her husband clearly expected to be told what
had
upset her.

“Well then…?” he pressed.  “What is it?”

“I just- you just surprised me, that’s all,” she mumbled, but that did absolutely nothing to lessen Edward’s frown, if anything it only increased it.

“What do you mean?”

Daphne sighed and looked up helplessly at the ceiling.  She wished that she had been able to keep her reactions to herself!  “It was just the- the talk of children,” she whispered quietly.  “I suppose- I suppose that I had forgotten your intentions,” she stammered awkwardly.

“My
intentions
?” Edward scowled.

Daphne bit her lip.  “Oh please, Edward, please don’t be cross?” she begged, reaching out to touch his arm.  “I didn’t mean to make you angry!” she cried, and then gasped when he pulled away from her, walking over to the window as he raked a hand through his hair.

“I don’t understand what I’ve done wrong this time, Daphne,” Edward growled, thumping his fist down on the windowsill.  “I thought-!”

“You thought what?” Daphne squeaked, taking a few little tentative steps closer to her husband.

“It doesn’t matter,” he snarled.  “Just forget it- forget the whole thing!”

“Edward!” Daphne exclaimed, and then, gathering her courage, she tugged him around to face her and shook her head firmly.  “Don’t!” she snapped.  “Don’t sulk!”

Edward’s eyebrows rose until they were almost lost in his hairline.  “Don’t
what
?” he choked.

“Sulk,” Daphne murmured, a little more hesitantly.  “Oh Edward, we were having such a lovely day,” she implored breathlessly, taking another step closer to him and gazing up into his face with wide, pleading eyes that no man could resist.  “Please don’t spoil it?” she whispered.

“But I-” he started to argue, however, he seemed to then stop himself.  H
e paused and drew a deep, calmling
breath.  “How do you suggest we rectify the situation then?” he asked smoothly.

Daphne gave a huge sigh of relief, and then looked deeply thoughtful.  “You know my lord, I think I know what you should do,” she mused, brightening a little.

“
We
,” he corrected her, his lips once again twitching.

“Well- if you like,” Daphne blushed.  “You’ve been gone for so long, Edward, and so many people are dying to see you again - you should throw a ball!”

“A ball?” Edward choked, again.  “A
ball
!  Here at Packwood?”

Daphne looked at him strangely, as though she found his reaction very odd indeed.  “Yes, a ball, here at Packwood,” she nodded, speaking slowly, almost as if she doubted his ability to comprehend her.  “You
are
the Earl of Coventry now, Edward,” she pointed out, as if this development might have escaped his notice.  “People will expect it from you
now
that you’re back.”

“I don’t care what people expect,” Edward grumbled.

“Oh but it could be such fun!” Daphne exclaimed, lighting up at the prospect of a good old-fashioned country ball.

“Could it?” Edward looked decidedly doubtful, but then a slow, thoughtful grin spread across his face.  Daphne shifted, suddenly uneasy at this change.  “And you would help host such an event?” he asked, pinning his wife in place with one of his most dazzling smiles.

“Well I-“

“After all, as the
Countess of Coventry
, I’m quite sure
that would be expected of you,” he bandied back at her amusedly.

Daphne pouted.  “Touché, my lord,” she sniffed.

“Does that mean you’ll help?” Edward grinned, but before Daphne could respond one way or another he continued: “in fact, I think that I should put you completely in charge of everything.”

“Me?” Daphne squeaked.  “I don’t- I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Edward.  People will-”

“People will expect my wife to host any ball that I might give in my house,” Edward argued, so logically and evenly that Daphne didn’t quite know how to respond.  “And as you’re the one who is so concerned with what ‘people’ think…” he let his sentence trail off meaningfully.  Daphne licked her lips, wondering what she should say, wondering what she was signing herself up for if she agreed to help him… she watched Edward shrug his shoulders while she hesitated.  “But if you’d rather just… forget the whole idea…?” he said slowly.

“Oh no,” Daphne contradicted him quickly.  “I- I don’t want you to do that,” she murmured chewing her lip nervously.

“Daff,” Edward breathed tenderly.  He took a step closer to her so that he was able to bend and place a light kiss on her forehead.  “It’s all right,” he whispered gently.  “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want.  We can forget the whole ball idea.”  He dipped lower and pressed his lips lovingly against her mouth.

“But I want-” Daphne whispered, her breath caressing Edward’s cheek.  “I want to help you, but I- I-” 

“What?” Edward murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist.  “What’s wrong?”

“I- I’m not ready to come back yet, but I- oh!” she stammered shakily, burying her head against Edward’s chest. 

She expected
him to be angry, to push her away, and
to
tell her not to be so
ridiculous and to stop messing
around, (the ball had been her idea after all!) but Edward didn’t do any of that.  He rubbed a soothing hand up and down Daphne’s back, holding her gently as he murmured calming words of reassurance.

“It’s all right, Daff,” he whispered, rocking her gently in his arms.

It wasn’t though
, Daphne thought,
she was behaving erratically
.  She wanted to be with Edward… at sixteen she had taken what she wanted, hang the consequences.  Perhaps that had been selfish and immature of her, but at least she had been strong enough to go after what she wanted.  Now, at twenty-two, she wouldn’t even lift a tentative hand towards what she desired?  Well that had to stop!

“What if we pretended that things between us were… normal?” she asked slowly.

Edward drew back a little, so that he was able to look down into his wife’s face.  “What do you mean?” he puzzled.  “Daphne?”

“I mean,” she began carefully, licking her dry lips, “what if I was to help you with the ball, just like you asked?  I could s-stay at Packwood,” she stammered.  “Only if you don’t mind that is!” she added in a rush.

“Mind?” Edward beamed.  “Why would you even think that I’d-”

“And then after I could go back to Dunnely and-”

“What?” Edward growled, his face instantly darkening.  “Go back to Dunnely?”

“Y-yes,” Daphne nodded awkwardly.  She watched hesitantly as a muscle jumped in Edward’s clenched jaw, he seemed to visibly work at calming himself down before speaking again.

“What if you didn’t want to move back to Dunnely afterwards?” he breathed silkily.  “What if- after the ball and its preparations you wanted to stay with me?  What then?” he drawled.

“B-but-” Daphne licked her lips again.  “We’d only be pretending-”

“In what sense would it be pretend, Daff?” Edward interrupted.  “You would be living here with me, alone, in our house…”

“Only for a short time though!” Daphne squeaked breathlessly.

“Perhaps,” Edward murmured grudgingly.  “But perhaps not.  Let me change your mind about me, Daphne?” he pleaded, clutching her close.  “Give me the time that it takes to
organize
one of these things to prove to you that I’ve changed?” he begged.

“What- what do you mean?” Daphne gasped, staring up at him with wide eyes.

“I mean, come and live with me until the ball takes place,” Edward blurted.  “Be my wife, or pretend to be my wife, whichever way you want to think about it, but come and stay with
me
here at Packwood, and then decide, after the ball, if you want to stay for good?” he breathed raggedly.

Oh it was tempting… so tempting…
  “What about my mother, my
brother
?” Daphne winced.

“They aren’t invited,” Edward somehow managed to joke.  “Not to stay anyway.”

“Edward!” Daphne scolded.  “Anthony will-”

“Anthony will be busy in London for at least the next week,” Edward assured her easily.  His wife frowned at him in confusion.

“How do you know that?” she queried, but Edward simply gave his shoulders a secretive shrug.  “Ed-”

“Yes or no, Daphne?” he interrupted, a note of real desperation creeping into his voice. 

Daphne looked up, into Edward’s face, and she knew that there was only one answer that she could possibly give. 

Chapter 32

“Yes,” Daphne whispered,
barel
y loud enough for Edward to hear.

“What?” he gasped, gripping Daphne by the tops of her arms and pushing her back slightly, so that he could look into her
eyes as he questioned her
.  “What did you say?”

“I- I said yes,” she stammered, a shaky smile breaking across her face.  “Yes, I’ll come and stay with you here at Packwood, Edward!” she giggled nervously, hardly believing herself just what she was saying.

“Oh God thank you,” he groaned, sweeping her back up into his arms.  “Thank you, thank you,” he murmured against the top of her head. 

Daphne wrapped her own arms around his waist, burying herself against Edward’s chest as he smoothed his hands possessively over her body.  She felt a little tingle of fear at her decision, but she also felt a larger wave of relief – she had made the right choice.

“I’ll need to send for some of my things from Dunnely if I am to stay, my lord,” she said, her words a little muffled because of the fact she was still speaking into Edward’s chest.

“Mmm,” Edward nodded, but he was u
nwilling to release her from his
embrace.  “We can deal with that later,” he sighed.

“Oh?” Daphne laughed.  “What do you propose we do in the meantime then?” she asked softly, trailing a hand over his waistcoat, seductively copying the patterns with her nails.

“I could show you the house?” he whispered gruffly.

“I’ve seen the house,” Daphne purred, tiptoeing her fingertips up to Edward’s tie, which had been knocked askew long ago.  She slowly untied it and then slowly retied it, listening to the catch in her husband’s breath as she worked.