Just One Kiss (32 page)

“You haven’t seen all of the house,” he panted.  Daphne looked up at him from under lowered lashes.  “You haven’t, for example, seen the Countess’s bedroom.”

“No,” Daphne agreed quietly.  She licked her lips, watching Edward’s eyes darken with lust as she did so.  “But perhaps… I’d rather see the Earl’s bedroom?” she whispered seductively.  Edward smiled, that slow
smoldering
smile that set Daphne’s blood pounding through her veins as if it was liquid fire.  “Or I could start writing your guest list?” she tried to tease, although her voice was raw.

“I think I know which option I prefer,” he growled, and then he lifted Daphne clean off her feet, sweeping her up into his arms and turning to walk back towards the main staircase.

Daphne squealed and clung to her husband.  Something had changed, she wasn’t sure quite what it was, but something was different now.  She felt- almost a
s though she was coming home. 

“The servants are going to see,” she whispered, but for some reason it no longer seemed so important.

“I’m sure they are,” Edward chuckled.  He stopped walking to steal a searing kiss.  “They’ll like having a mistress living here again,” he smiled, and then grinned wickedly, “
I’ll
like having my mistress living here.”

“Just the one, my lord?” Daphne pouted petulantly.

“Only ever the one,” Edward growled, claiming another kiss.  “Only ever you.”

Daphne wanted to believe him, so very,
very
badly, and what would it hurt, if just for a few days, a week at the most, she did let herself pretend that what she and Edward shared was real - that he
really
wanted her, loved her even, that she was more
than
just the girl that he had been forced to marry?

“I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you,” Edward panted, walking the rest of the way to his bedroom as quickly as he could manage.  Daphne thrilled at his words, and she let herself believe that he might really mean them, while simultaneously trying to persuade herself she was only playing a role.

“I’ve never wanted anyone but you,” she heard herself admit, blushing furiously when she
realize
d the significance of her confession.  Edward faltered in his next step.  He stared down at Daphne, opening and then closing his mouth several times before he was able to speak.

“I don’t deserve you,” he rasped, putting her down suddenly and taking an unsteady step away from her.  “I never- I never deserved you- never treated you right,” he said difficultly, shaking his head from side to side. 

Daphne felt her heart breaking for him.  She had been Edward’s victim as much as he had been hers, if not more so, but seeing the guilt that filled his eyes… he couldn’t be feigning such heartbreaking remorse!

“No!” she breathed, throwing herself forwards, clinging tightly to Edward’s chest.  She balled her hands in the fabric of his waistcoat, clutching at him desperately.  “That’s not true!” she argued.  “It’s not,” she shook her head, only relaxed a fraction when she felt Edward’s hand move to cup her cheek.

“It is,” he murmured.  “It is true, Daphne, but- if I could change what I did…” his voice trailed off hopelessly.  “I know I can’t,” Edward said bleakly.  “But I can try and make what we have now good enough for you.  I can make it up to you, Daff!” he swore, placing a hand on either side of her face and tilting her head back so that she was looking up at him.

“I know you can,” she smiled shakily, and then she stood on tiptoes and brushed a kiss against his mouth.  She didn’t want him serious and apologetic, not now, not when she was burning inside.  Daphne flicked her tongue against the seam of his lips.  “You could start now?” she whispered provocatively.  “Making it up to me?” she purred, scratching her nails down over Edward’s chest. 

He looked momentarily surprised by her forwardness, but he recovered with a slow, if slightly hesitant, smile.  “And how do you propose I do that, Lady Coventry?”

Daphne smiled brightly, loosening the knot in the tie she had so
recently
ti
ed before slipping it off her husband’s neck completely.  “I’m sure you’ll think of something, if you just use your imagination?” she murmured breathily, wondering where she had learnt to be so daring!

“My imagination?” Edward smirked wickedly, looking with interest at the length of silk in Daphne’s hand.  “I’m not sure you’re ready for some of the things that I’ve been imagining,” he drawled huskily.

“Oh is that so?” Daphne giggled, lifting one curious eyebrow.  “Well why don’t you show me, and we’ll see if I’m ready or not?” she teased, backing away from Edward, sauntering playfully.

“Well now, I just might do that,” he grinned wickedly, following after his wife, snatching the tie back from her hand before dragged her into his arms for another heavy, heady kiss.  He plundered Daphne’s mouth until she was breathless and dizzy, only releasing her after she had melted in his arms.  “This way,” he murmured, nudging her toward a door on the right.

“What’s this way?” Daphne asked breathlessly.

“The Earl’s bedroom of course,” he whispered thickly, guiding her inside. 

Chapter 33

D
aphne might think that she was at Packwood for a trial period, but in Edward’s mind she was home to stay.  This ball that he had been initially against, but which had proven to be his saving grace, would be the perfect opportunity to demonstrate to society that the Earl of Coventry
had
truly found his Countess.

Edward reached out a hand and stroked Daphne’s cheek lightly. 
After a thorough exploration of the Earl’s bedroom- including the Earl’s bed- she had fallen asleep. The hours were slipping away, but he couldn’t bear to wake her.
She looked so beautiful and peaceful.  She also looked
happy,
even asleep.  Surely that wasn’t something that someone could feign, and not something that he could misread? 

Edward withdrew his hand guiltily as she began to stir. Her eyelashes fluttered, before flickering open.  A sleepy smile formed on her lips when she caught sight of her husband watching her.

“I was afraid it was a dream,” she sighed, not fully awake yet, but
her words gave Edward such a boo
st of hope!

“It’s real,” he grinned, kissing Daphne’s cheek and then watching her stretch.  “Hungry?” he asked, listening to his own stomach rumble.  Daphne gave her head a small nod, and then looked about the room, taking in the long shadows that were cast by the low sun.

“How late is it?” she squeaked, chewing her lip nervously.

“Well, let’s just say, if we dress very quickly we might make it down to dinner,” Edward said sheepishly.  “Um- that’s assuming that Cook’s actually prepared dinner,” he mumbled.  He tried not to notice how horrified his wife looked.

“We’ve been up here
all afternoon
?” Daphne whispered, panicked. 

“And part of this morning too, I believe,” Edward couldn’t resist pointing out.  It was all very well for Daphne to be concerned about keeping up appearances, but she was his wife, this was his house, they had done nothing wrong and he wasn’t going to be made to feel like he had!  “In fact-” he made a show of stretching, pleased to find that Daphne had rather a hard time stopping herself from staring. “I think that we should ring for a tray of food to be brought up here.”

“Lord Coventry!” Daphne choked.  “We will do no such thing!”

To Edward’s disappointment she had already crawled out of bed, clutching a sheet around her body to conceal herself, to Edward’s
further
disappointment.  However, she ran into an instant problem.  Her clothes, crumpled and creased, couldn’t possibly be worn.

“What am I going to do?” she demanded of her husband.  “What am I going to
wear
?” she cried, glaring at Edward as though it was all his fault
. H
e supposed it was, partly, but he was only willing to take about fifty percent of the blame.

“That sheet looks rather fetching, my lady,” Edward couldn’t resist saying.

“Edward! 
Please
be serious?” Daphne whimpered, stomping her little feet, Edward had to fight the decidedly chauvinistic urge to get out of bed, sw
eep her up into his arms, deposit
her back on the mattress, and tell her not to worry her pretty little head about it – he wisely tempered this urge.

“Well-” Edward paused uncertainly, “-after we had this same little problem last time with the rain, I- I took the liberty of having a few of your things sent here from London,” he confessed, by ‘a few’ he meant all, but he wasn’t sure how Daphne was going to react to
his
highhandedness. 

Her mouth parted in surprise, but then she let out a sigh of relief- perhaps she was saving her annoyance for when she was dressed?

“But have they arrived yet?” she worried.  “It’s only been-”

“They came this morning,” Edward assured her, pointing her in the direction of the adjoining ‘Countess’s bedroom.’  He watched Daphne scurry away, but stayed in bed a little while longer himself.  He rather assumed that it wouldn’t take him half as long as his wife to throw on some clean clothes, and besides, he still had so many thoughts racing about inside his head.

He needed to send word to Dunnely.  Mrs.
Hargreaves
had to be told that her daughter wouldn’t be returning.  Edward supposed that a letter to Anthony in London was also called for – but he wasn’t stupid or suicidal, so he decided to ‘forget’ that little detail.  His brother-in-law was bound to hear what had happened sooner or later, Edward simply preferred later.  He wanted to have as much time as possible to convince Daphne that this – here with him at Packwood – was where she belonged, before Anthony appeared and tried to rip her away from him.

He couldn’t let that happen! 
Edward clenched his fists, but then forced himself to relax.

Things around the house were also in need of changing, Edward supposed.  He was no expert on the subject, but he rather thought that Daphne now needed to be responsible for the daily running of the household.  Packwood had been without a mistress for so long that Edward wasn’t sure how it was going to adjust- his mother had preferred keeping a house in London after her husband’s death, and William had never married
.

Well, Daphne would know what to do, he was sure.  She had been running a house of servants on her own ever since he had left her after all
.
Edward winced guiltily.  How was he meant to give her back the six years that he had stolen?  Whatever he did for her now, that would always be between them.  He sighed heavily, and then
realize
d that Daphne was standing at the foot of the bed, staring at him quizzically.

“My, you sound serious,” she said, looking nervous, and, Edward blinked, fully dressed!  He watched as his wife licked her lips hesitantly and then forced a shaky smile.  “You’re not having second thoughts are you?”

“Second thoughts?” Edward echoed, finally dragging himself out of bed.  He must have been lying there thinking for longer than he had imagined; he refused to believe that Daphne- that any woman- could attire herself so swiftly!  Then again… Daphne had an incentive.  No doubt she didn’t want to linger upstairs out of sight a second longer than necessary while the servants gossiped downstairs.

“Second thoughts about me staying?” Daphne whispered.

“What?” he choked, before crossing the room back to Daphne.  “Why would you even
think
such a thing?” he demanded, catching her hold by the upper arms- wanting to shake some sense into her.

“I- I just want to be sure that you want this, Edward,” she murmured, looking so heartbreakingly uncertain that he had to fight the desire to kiss her rather senseless.  “I know it wasn’t- not originally,” she whispered.

“Daphne,” Edward groaned. 

What could he say to make it better?  What did he dare confess?
  That he had enjoyed their very first cataclysmic kiss?  That he had dreamt of doing
more
than
merely kissing her the night before she had appeared in his room?  Or that maybe he had been drawn to her in just the same way that she had been drawn to him… only he had been too much of a coward to act on those instincts…?  Not one of those options overly appealed to Edward, he would have to confess too much, make himself look so bad…