Page 31

He smiled, and this time his eyes teared up. “My baby girl is truly grown up now. Dearest girl, I do so wish you every happiness.” He hugged her again. “I believe the duke will make you an admirable husband. He seems a fine upstanding fellow.

“I’ve done a little research on him, you know, as soon as I received his letter informing me of your betrothal.

I couldn’t find anyone with a bad word to say about him.

Except that he is a little formal and proud, which is to be expected of someone of his social standing.

And I have to say that the little I’ve seen of him so far has shown him to be far less high in the instep than I expected. ”

She smiled tearily at him and hugged him. “Thank you, Papa.” The last thing she was ever going to tell Papa was about Robert’s mistress. If he knew about that...

*

Sarah and the vicar were gone for a good half hour, during which time Robert made awkward conversation with Mrs. Watson, Lady Holbrook, and the two eldest girls.

He rose as soon as Sarah entered the room with her father and noted with alarm that her eyes were red. More tears! He took a step toward her but addressed Mr. Watson. “May I have a few moments alone with Sarah?”

Watson glanced at his wife, and then nodded.

“The back parlor is unoccupied,” said Mrs. Watson.

He looked at Sarah. “Will you?”

She gave him a small, painful smile and turned back toward the door. He accompanied her down the hall, noting the slightly threadbare nature of the runner. Everything was spotlessly clean, but he couldn’t help but notice the worn furnishings and scratched and battered furniture.

They entered the back parlor which was lit by a single candelabra on a side table. There was no fire, so the air was chilly, and Sarah pulled her shawl more tightly round her shoulders. He closed the door and turned to take her hands.

“You’re upset. What is it?”

“This is the last time I will live in this house; I had not expected—I shall miss it and my family.” She avoided his eyes.

“You will still see them any time you wish. You don’t think I would keep you from them, do you?”

She looked up at him, blinking in the poor light.

“I don’t know. Once we are married, I don’t know what level of autonomy I will have, if any.

The role of duchess is demanding. This has all happened so quickly, I am not sure of anything.

” The expression of confusion in her eyes smote him in the chest.

“Sarah, I would never—” He stopped, his throat suddenly tight with emotion. “My family is very important to me, and I would have to be blind and insensitive to an extraordinary degree not to see how important yours is to you. I would never seek to separate you from them.”

She lowered her eyes. “Thank you.”

He nudged her chin up with a finger so she would look at him. “Why would you think I would do such a thing?”

She shook her head, her throat working and the ready tears spilling over.

“Oh, Sarah!” He gathered her into his embrace and held her close, his cheek resting against her hair. “I know we got off on the wrong foot, but surely we can do better than this? I hate to see you so upset, especially if I am the cause. Tell me what I can do to rectify it.”

“N-nothing!” She wiped her eyes. “I just didn’t understand why you stayed away from me at Ava’s ball after—after—” She flushed.

“Ah!” Comprehension dawned on him, and he flushed, too. “You’re too much temptation, Sarah, and I was afraid I had frightened you,” he confessed.

“Oh!” She looked down and then up. She smiled shyly, and the expression was so sweet he couldn’t resist dipping his head and kissing her.

He meant it for a comforting kiss, a quick and gentle kiss and hug.

It quickly degenerated into something else as she leaned up into his kiss and his arms tightened round her.

His tongue delved beyond the barrier of her lips to explore her mouth more deeply as she responded to him, inching her arms up round his neck and enabling him to pull her closer against him. Sarah. Sarah. My beautiful Sarah.

A groan in his throat came involuntarily as his body ignited once more with a flood of heated desire.

His senses melted into tingling, delicious, aching need.

This happened every time he touched her.

He could feel every curving, soft, delectable inch of her body through her clothes as this time she molded herself to him, and his own hard heat responded fiercely.

Is she getting accustomed to our heated kisses? As he plundered her mouth with his tongue, he shifted his hold on her to pull her even tighter against him.

He pressed his hard cock into her belly, and he groaned in delight when she pressed back. Yes, Sarah, yes. Her breath was coming in quick pants, little noises in her throat, like whimpers of need, as he kissed her and kissed her, losing himself in her mouth.

His hands ran over her body, unable to keep as chaste as he had before. He wanted her closer, he wanted her naked beneath him, with her legs spread. He wanted to touch her and pleasure her and make her explode ...

He groaned, panting. Fuck, I have to stop, or I’ll be the one doing the exploding.

He finally broke the kiss reluctantly, diving back in for one more, and one more. Breathing heavily, he scanned her flushed face. God, she is so exquisitely beautiful.

“I want you, Sarah,” he said, husky voiced and panting. “I hope that is ample evidence of the fact that you are more temptation than I can easily withstand.”

She blinked at him as if surfacing from a dream, her breathing as ragged as his.

Getting control of himself, he pulled back a fraction and stroked a curl off her cheek. Smiling, he cupped her jaw and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

“As much as I want to, I can’t ravish you in your parents’ parlor. Whatever else you believe, I hope that you now understand that my desire for you is not feigned?”

She nodded. “Yes,” she said huskily.

“It is my sincere wish that we deal together better than we have to date. I want our marriage to be a success, Sarah. Will we rejoin your family now?”

She nodded and they left the room together, her hand tucked into his arm.

They found a game of spillkins in full flight and the duke got down on the floor to join in, much to the delight of the children and, judging from Sarah’s expression, her surprise.

He grinned and winked at her. The game lasted until the vicar intervened and sent the small fry off to bed, leaving the adults to conversation.

After the tea tray, he took his leave with Lady Holbrook and repaired to the nearby Blue Boar for the night, not unpleased with the way the day had ended.