Lords of Honor (37 page)

He sighed heavily as he entwined his fingers with Libby’s
.
“Lucy
never p
articipated in
lovemaking
.
I tried to give her pleasure, though I’m not certain I ever did
.
I suppose it did not appeal to her
.
She did not like me kissing her either
.
She would turn her face away
.”

“Lucy
did not understand my society business or my quest for knowledge
.
She wanted to be in London
.
To her life was about
parties and fashions and being seen
.
She liked her title
, for my father passed on some years before and I
had
inherited the title by
that time
.
She hated to be confined to Horethorne Hall
.
Lucy m
ade it hell
for everyone at the
Hall
when we were
in residence
here
, especially for my poor mother
.
”

He continued, “
She wanted the life of balls and parties
and longed to be in London
.
H
er mother lived on the other side of Templecombe
at that time
.
She has since moved away
, thank God
.
She came to visit here every day
.
She t
old Lucy what
she should
do and how
she should
do it
.
And Lucy did whatever her mother told her to do
.
She
never
g
a
ve my mother’s suggestions any merit
.
Still
I hoped that someday Lucy would truly
come to
love me
.
I think
perhaps
she might have
in her own way
.
She was young
, two years younger than I
.
She wasn’t hateful or mean
to me
.
Just not the wife I’d dreamed of.
”

Micah sighed,
“
I
realize
now how s
elfish
Lucy was
.
It took many years
after her death
for me to
truly
see that
.
But her mother
thought only of herself
and raised her daughter
to be
the same
.
She married me because I
was
a Viscount and heir to an earldom
.
She never truly knew
me
,
Libby
.
I don’t think she wanted to
.
She wanted a husband in name only
.
She wanted to be a Viscountess
and ultimately a Countess
, for I shall inherit the Earldom from my Grandfather when he passes
.
”

Micah continued, “
When I found out she
carried my child
, I was very excited
.
I
hoped the birth of
our
baby
might bring us
closer
together
.
She
did not like being pregnant
and
stayed in
her
bed for most of her pregnancy
.
She complained a lot
.
Her mother insisted on having a physician from Salisbury deliver the baby instead of the
local
surgeon or
midwife
.
There were complications
.
I
finally
went out and
brought the midwife
back
.
It was too late
.
The babe
died
inside the womb
.
T
he physic
i
an
harmed Lucy
while trying to get the babe out
and she lost too much blood
.
I blamed myself for a long time because I didn’t stand up to
Lucy
and her mother about the
surgeon
.
My mother was already ill when we found out Lucy was
with child
.
She was so saddened by the loss of her grandchild, and by my devastation, she didn’t last much longer after we buried them
.”

He sighed and hugged Libby tighter to him as he continued, “
I buried my mother some three months later
.
I wish she could have met you Libby
!
Mother
was kind to Lucy, but I could tell she did not care for her
; n
o doubt because she knew the
union
did not make me happy
.
She would have adored you as I do
, Libby
.”
He tenderly kissed her temple.

Micah
s
miled
at his wife while a
single tear slid down his
cheek
.

Libby wiped it away
.
She shook her head and
became visibly up
set
.
“Oh Micah,
forgive me,
please
!
I did not mean to
bring
you
pain
.
I would never
knowingly
cause you
to hurt
.”
Her arms wound around his neck
.
She tucked her head under his chin.

Micah rubbed her back
.
He k
issed her hair
.
“Sweetheart,
you have not caused me
any
pain
,
whatsoever
.
I’m not crying because I’m sad
, Libby
.
I’m happy
.
I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anyone else
.
When I was
last
in Glastonbury, I watched Harry and Rowena fall in love
.
They are so perfect for one another
.
Rowena is a scholar
.
She and Harry
share many of the same interests.
”

Micah
smiled
and continued, “
I realized that is what I wanted
;
s
omeone to love, who loves me in return
.
I wished for s
omeone to share my life with
, a
ll of it
.
I wanted
a
wife
who understood my interests, and who might share
hers
with me
.
I did not have that with Lucy.
I’d been
a recluse for so long
,
I
was unsure
how
to
find
such a person
.
Before I left
Glastonbury
I went up to the tower of St. Michael on the Tor
and I prayed to him and asked
him
to help guide me to the perfect woman, the perfect wife for me
.
I found a white feather at my feet when I finished
my prayer
.
I keep it in my coat pocket
.
Since I
found
you
in Andover
, I always think of you when I look at
my
feather.”

“The feather you wore today for our wedding?” Libby asked.

Micah nodded
and caressed her cheek lovingly.

She
smiled sweetly at him.

“
Five weeks
after I left Glastonbury
, Libby, you
literally
fell into my arms
.
I was
actually
thinking about you, Libby, while I sat
in the public room at the
White Hart
.
I
planned
to
go to
Devon
for a visit with you and Owen
to see if you were interested in me
.
I found myself very attracted to you the last several times I visited Roseland
.
Remember, I told you that day at the cottage?
”

Libby
nodded
, “I remember, Micah
.
”

He continued, “
Then you
walked in
to the White Hart
.
I knew almost immediately
you
were
her
;
the one
!
I soon realized you
were
her;
t
he
perfect
wife
and companion for me
, the answer to my prayers to Archangel Michael
.
The first night at the Rose and Crown
in Salisbury
you
experienced
a
nightmare
and told me when you woke you prayed to Archangel Mic
ha
el
before you walked into the White Hart
.
I prayed to him too
, Libby
!
I was
certain
at that moment that
we were meant to be together
, that it
was
no coincidence our meeting in Andover as we did
.
I love you
s
o deeply.” Micah kissed her
gently, lingeringly
.
He
lifted her chin,
smiled at her and w
iped a rolling tear from her cheek
.
“I feel
our
soul
s
are joined
, Libby
.
I prayed for you, Libby, and you came to me
.
The love I felt for Lucy is a
mere
shadow
compared
to the love I feel for you, sweetheart
.
You are my heart, and my soul
, Libby
.”

Micah
’s long-fingered hands caressed her shoulder
s
.
He
l
ooked
i
nto her sapphire eyes
as he said,
“I love you more than I
ever
loved Lucy, Libby
.
And you have shown me much more love
already
than she ever did, and made me
the happiest man in the world
.
That is why I was crying, Libby
.
Not because I’m sad, but b
ecause I’m
so
happy
.
I feel complete and whole with you.
”

“I love you too, Micah
, s
o much
.”
Libby placed soft feathery kisses on Micah’s mouth
.
Covered only by her wrapper, she untied it and pushed it back so it slid down her shoulders and arms
.
She rose up on her knees between Micah’s legs, cradled his face in her hands and kissed him passionately.

Micah’s hands glided lightly up and down her back
,
then
moved to
squeeze the firm globes of
her
derrière
.

Micah carried her to the bed
.
Once again, they made passionate love to one another.

The newly wedded couple
took a short nap
after they ate the food brought to them at midday
.
A bath would be brought to them
a
t
f
our
.
T
hey would
bathe,
dress
for dinner
,
and
leave their love nest and go downstairs
to join the others for dinner
.
They would go
b
ack
in
to the real world.