Pleasure Me (46 page)

“It’s obvious you’re exceedingly happy.”

“We are,” Mrs. Cranston said with a nod of contentment. “We’ve been married more than twenty-five years now, and we have four wonderful children to add to our happiness. Three sons and a daughter. Our youngest just turned twenty last month, and she’s as hardheaded as her father.” Mrs. Cranston’s comment made Ruth’s eyes widen in surprise. Even if Mrs. Cranston had had four children in four years, it would still have made her at least forty when her daughter had been born. Trying to hide her amazement, Ruth was relieved when Simmons entered the parlor to announce supper.

The meal was a lively one, as the Cranstons regaled them with several amusing stories of their children. Despite knowing the reason for the couple’s visit, she found herself enjoying their company immensely. Garrick seemed especially pleased with himself, and whenever his gaze met hers, the determination she saw in his blue eyes said he intended to get his way. Reluctantly, she had to admit the Cranstons had easily dismantled her reasons for rejecting him. With each passing minute, her ability to refuse his proposal grew weaker. The knowledge filled her with a happiness she wasn’t sure was real. The hour was late when the Cranstons indicated they should return to the inn where they were staying the night until their return trip home in the morning. As she and Garrick saw the couple to their carriage, Mrs. Cranston stopped at the front door and grasped Ruth’s hands.

“I understand the fears you have, Lady Ruth,” the older woman said with a gentle smile. “But do not let happiness slip away from you, no matter what the reason. Even a half-wit could see Lord Stratfield adores you.”

With that parting remark, she moved out the door and down the steps to the waiting carriage. Squire Cranston said his good-byes as well, and as the older couple departed, Garrick slowly closed the door behind them. He stood there with his back to her for a long moment before he turned to face her. Emotion flashed across his face as he studied her, and she was certain it was fear. Despite his confidence and determination, he was afraid of losing her. It was at that moment, she knew he would never lose her. She was his forever and always. As if he’d suddenly made up his mind about something, he stepped forward, and with his hand at her elbow, he guided her back into the parlor. The sound of the key turning in the lock made her send him a questioning look. He shrugged.

“I don’t wish to be interrupted until I have the answer I want,” he said as he walked toward her with a slow, purposeful stride.

Despite the concern she’d seen on his face moments ago, he now exuded confidence and determination. Her heart began to pound wildly in her chest as he stopped less than a foot away from her. Sheer, raw male. It was the only way to describe him. It wasn’t just the spicy hot scent of him, but the harsh sound of his rapid breathing and the way his body was rigid with tension. Eyes closed, she leaned into him to breathe in his scent, and she heard the sound of his breathing change to a dark rasp that signaled his rising desire.

“An answer requires a question,” she murmured. She took a small step forward until there were mere inches between them. A low growl rumbled in his chest.

“Then hold out your hands.” The harsh command caught her by surprise, and she looked up at him in puzzlement. The unrelenting expression on his face made her step back slightly to offer her hand to him. “Both of them, palms up.”

Growing more puzzled by the minute, she did as he asked and watched as he pulled a small sack from his pocket. He turned the bag upside down and more than twenty diamonds spilled out into her hand. She gasped at the number and her gaze flew upward to meet his.

“I intend to have these made into a necklace for you to wear on our wedding day,” he said quietly as he picked up the largest jewel in her palms. He held it up to the light. “Look at it, Ruth. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?”

“No,” she said quietly as she studied the sparkling gem in the room’s soft light.

“I have.” The emphatic note in his voice made her jerk her gaze back to him. “I think you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life, Ruth.”

There was a look in his eyes that filled her heart with an emotion that spilled its way throughout her body until she was warm. This was what it felt like to be loved unconditionally. She was certain of it. The largest diamond still in his hand, Garrick held the sack in front of her so she could pour the smaller ones back into the velvet bag. He studied the diamond he held for a long moment, before dropping it into the sack and pulling the drawstring closed. The small bag disappeared into his pocket before he cupped her face in his and kissed her gently. Raising his head, he stared down at her.

“It takes thousands of years for a diamond to be made, Ruth. And no matter how old a diamond is, its beauty is incomparable,” he whispered. “You’re my diamond, sweetheart. You banished the darkness from my life, and I can’t live without you. Marry me.”

Tears welled up in Ruth’s eyes at the deep love and passion echoing in Garrick’s voice. As her vision grew blurry, he bent his head to kiss away her tears. He pulled her into his tight embrace, waiting patiently until she composed herself.

“Well?” he asked in a masterful manner.

“Yes, I’ll marry you,” she whispered. “But only if you promise to pleasure me whenever I ask.”

“Spoken like a demanding tutor, my love,” he said as relief flashed in his eyes and a smile curved his mouth upward. Her heart skipped a beat as his blue eyes suddenly darkened with fiery passion. “Shall we start pleasuring each other now?”

Garrick didn’t give her a chance to respond as his mouth captured hers.

Ruth sat in a chaise lounge on the rear lawn of Chiddingstone Manor. With the large, lush green lawn stretching out before her, she leaned forward as she saw Thad chasing his sister with a stick.

“Thaddeus Stratfield, put that stick down,
now
,” she called out sharply. The five-year-old immediately halted in his tracks and turned to look at her with a scowl on his face.

“But Clara called me a baby.”

“Your sister didn’t mean it, did you, Clara?” There was an unspoken demand for her adopted daughter to apologize, which the girl did with reluctance.

With the minor altercation resolved, Ruth leaned back and closed her eyes to enjoy the heat of the sun as it warmed her face. A sudden spasm in her belly made her grunt with discomfort as her hand rubbed over her rounded stomach. This child was far more active than Jack had ever been at this stage of her pregnancy. The thought of her firstborn made her smile. He was such a happy child. Another kick made her gasp. Perhaps a walk would soothe the babe. She was about to sit up when a shadow fell over her. Startled, she looked up to see Garrick’s face looming over her. A second later, he was kissing her warmly. When he lifted his head, he glanced down at her belly.

“Let me guess. The child has been kicking harder than usual.”

“Yes,” she sighed. “Jack was
never
this active.”

“What you need is a walk.” Garrick tugged her to her feet then wrapped his arms around her.

“I thought you were going to take me for a walk,” she said with a soft laugh.

“Is it a crime to hold my wife in my arms for a moment?” There was a mischievous glint in his eyes that she’d seen in their son’s as well.

“Not at all,” she murmured as she pulled his head down so she could brush her mouth over his. “In fact, I wish I wasn’t such an elephant at the moment. Although this
is
your fault you know.”

She stepped back and touched her belly as she sent him a playful scowl. He offered her his arm with a cheeky grin. “I seem to recall my wife pleading with me to pleasure her, and I willingly obliged.”

“You’re incorrigible,” she said as she wrapped her arm in his and they began to stroll toward the fountain at the edge of the lawn.

“But deeply in love.” The quiet confession made her smile as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“So you’re happy then?” Although she knew the answer, she wanted to hear him say it.

“Happier than a man deserves to be. And you, Lady Stratfield?”

“Well, despite my current size and level of discomfort, I am happy as well.”

They walked for several minutes in silence before Garrick cleared his throat. Ruth came to a halt and stared up into his handsome features. Concerned by the troubled expression on his face, she touched his arm.

“What is it, my love? Has something happened?”

“I’m afraid I’ve done something you won’t like.”

“Oh Garrick, did you bring home another stray dog?” She glowered at him. “I know it teaches the children responsibility by caring for them, but there are fifteen in the stables now. Even with the children’s help, the groomsmen are having trouble keeping up with them.”

“Not exactly.” Garrick’s voice betrayed a hint of uncertainty that astonished her. The man was always confident.

“What do you mean, not exactly?”

“Do you remember me telling you that Tremaine’s estate was sold off a year ago since he had no heirs?” His words made her shudder as the memory of the man darkened the sunny day. She nodded and Garrick frowned slightly. “The new owners have a child who is an avid reader, and the boy came across some papers in the estate’s library recently.”

“What sort of papers?” Ruth asked as she tried to understand how Tremaine’s papers might be of interest to them. Garrick frowned.

“The boy found a private journal Tremaine’s father kept.”

“I still don’t see what this has to do with us,” she snapped.

In the three years they’d been married, Garrick rarely did anything to upset her, but this particular topic was far too sensitive for her. The old viscount had ruined her mother’s life
and
hers because of his lies. Falsehoods that her father believed as truths, even to this day.

“The new owners turned the diary over to your father.” Garrick caught her hands as she tried to turn away from him. “The old viscount wrote it all down.”

“Wrote what down?” Ruth’s heart skipped a beat as Garrick’s hands tightened on her suddenly cold fingers.

“The old man’s journal detailed the truth about your mother, and how she refused him. Apparently the man gloated about having created the illusion of ruining her when she refused him.” The disgust in Garrick’s voice equaled the revulsion she was experiencing as well. She pressed her hand against her stomach to calm the churning. “The old viscount apparently took great pleasure in the way your father cast her aside. It’s no wonder his son was such a bastard.”

Garrick’s voice faded to a soft murmur as she realized the importance of what he was saying. Her father finally knew the truth. Knew that Viscount Tremaine had lied about her mother. An icy chill swept over Ruth, and she was suddenly trembling so bad she could barely stand. Garrick immediately pulled her into his arms and held her tight, his hand rubbing her back as he whispered soothing words in her ears. It took several moments for her to stop trembling, but when she’d grown still in his arms, Garrick grasped her shoulders and gently put her at arm’s length.

“Better?”

“Yes. I’m simply shocked, that’s all. I suppose the
Town Talk
is rife with gossip on the matter.” She nodded her head, and didn’t try to keep the bitterness out of her voice as she mentioned the newspaper. She remembered how vicious the Society paper could be when it came to private matters. “Is that how you learned of it or did Vincent inform you of it?”

“No, your father notified me of the situation.”

“Why on earth would my father feel the need to—” She sent Garrick an appalled look and tried to pull free of his touch, but failed.

“He’s asked to see you,” Garrick said in a quiet voice.

“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “I don’t want to see him. The day my mother took me to see him was the last day she was truly alive. She gave up living after that.”

“Ruth, don’t you think the two of you have suffered enough? Don’t you think your mother would want you to forgive him?”

“Forgive.” She jerked free of Garrick’s arms and sent him an appalled look. “I’m to forgive what he reduced me to? A woman who had to sell herself to survive. I’m to forgive him for abandoning my mother? Me.”

“Yes,” he said in a firm tone. The look on his face was a familiar one. It meant he intended to get his way. Well, this was one time she refused to give in.

“Well, I won’t,” she snapped. “This is none of your affair, Garrick. The Marquess of Halethorpe made his bed years ago, and I hope he rots in it.”

“Anything that affects my wife
is
my affair.” The sharp words made Ruth wince, and she quickly reached up to touch his cheek.

“I’m sorry, my love.” She sighed. “But I can’t. I can’t forgive him for what he did.”

“The man wants to make amends, Ruth.”

“Amends? How does one make amends for abandoning one’s wife and child?” She narrowed her gaze on him. “Would you be so eager to welcome your mother back if she suddenly reappeared in your life?”

“Eager?” He grimaced, and his expression made her realize it wasn’t the first time he’d considered the possibility of his mother’s return. “No, but I would not reject her outright. You gave me the world the day you married me, sweetheart. With so much happiness in my life, I could afford to be charitable if she returned.”

“I’m not sure I can be that charitable.”

“
We
have so much, Ruth, and your father has so little.” Garrick bent toward her and cupped her face with his hands. “We have what your father lost long ago. Happiness. With all that we have, can you not find it in your heart to at least give him the chance to speak with you?”

At his question, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself into his warm, solid frame. Did she really want to see the man who was responsible for so much misery in her life? She closed her eyes as the memories washed over her. Images of her parents arguing so horribly that one last time.