Page 75 of Wedded to the Cruel Duke

Phoebe was not entirely sure she did. She had indeed woken up with a delicious ache all over her body and had initially considered staying abed for a while longer. But alas, she needed to head to the breakfast room if she wanted to see Charles again this morning…

“His Lordship informed me in advance that you might want to take breakfast in your rooms,” Amelia quickly volunteered.

“That is, um, rather considerate of him,” Phoebe murmured. If she did stay abed, as she was rather inclined to do, it would be a blatant admission of the consummation of their marriage.

In any case, why should she feel embarrassed about it when the entire estate had probably expected such an occurrence?

“His Lordship also told me that he intends to visit you in your rooms after you have broken your fast,” the maid added.

Consideratenow seemed a rather pale word for the behavior Charles was exhibiting. As far as husbands went, this could be considered especially attentive—a fact that did not go unnoticed by Phoebe.

She smiled at the maid. “I think the Marquess made excellent suggestions. Do tell him that I will be looking forward to seeing him after breakfast.”

“He will be happy to hear that, milady.”

After she had washed up and changed with Amelia’s assistance, Phoebe was served an especially curated breakfast of all her favorite foods, as well as a pot of hot chocolate and a selection of fruits in season. Amelia was fairly staggering when she brought the huge tray in, even as she was assisted by two more maids.

Truly, Charles had thought of everything.

When he walked in just after she had finished her meal, Phoebe could not help but marvel at how dashing he looked. He had on a form-fitting jacket that displayed his broad shoulders splendidly, but he had dispensed with the cravat, opting instead to leave undone the first few buttons of his snowy linen shirt.

“Good morning, Phoebe,” he leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I hope you were able to rest well.”

She smiled up at him. “You, of all people, should know better if I was able to.”

The grin he shot back at her was one of pure masculine pride. “It was quite difficult for me to get up when daylight broke, too, you know.”

She raised an eyebrow at that. “I somehow doubt that you were afflicted with the same aches, my dear husband.”

“On the contrary,” he smiled at her, every bit as unrepentant. “It was the pleasure of your company that prevented me from leaving. If I had my way, we would never leave our bed for a day or two at the very least.”

The knowledge that he would vastly prefer to keep her abed sent a tingle running down her spine. To be sure, she found his attentions truly scintillating.

“Well then, why did you leave?” she demanded.

“Because,” he replied with a slight chuckle, “I did not want to be the inconsiderate husband who ravaged his own wife day and night without a moment’s rest.” He sat down beside her and gathered her in his arms. “I feared I might have been a little too rough last night…”

Phoebe felt that he had exhibited an incredible restraint upon breaking her maidenhead, but the next time, he was not quite as gentle. Even then, Phoebe had found herself moaning and wailing in sheer pleasure that even the memory of it now had her toes curling in her slippers.

“I liked it when you were rough,” she admitted softly. “I also liked it when you were not. Oh, there is nothing you did that I did not like at all!”

“Wife,” he groaned. “You had best stop looking and speaking to me in that manner, or I just might be unable to leave your side at all.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

“Now, when you put it that way, perhaps it wouldn’t be.”

He leaned in to kiss her, his lips sliding over hers gently in a provocative caress. Her arms came up to his shoulders as his hand cradled the back of her head, holding her captive as he deepened the kiss and pushed his tongue into her mouth.

This, Phoebe decided,is much better than the veritable feast I had been served for breakfast.

Even if a decade or five had passed, she did not think she would ever tire of Charles and his kisses. Every time he kissed her, she felt like she was always learning something new, discovering something that pleased them both.

“I think,” he rasped against her lips, “that it is becoming rather inconvenient to have to walk to the other side of the manor just to get to you.”

Phoebe smiled up at him happily. “Most inconvenient indeed.”

“Which is why I have told the servants to have your things moved in the rooms adjacent to mine,” he continued, his gaze searching hers. “If you would agree to that, of course.”