Chapter Twenty-Four

"Y ou weren't exaggerating when you said Guy would end the dinner party at 9:30," Elizabeth told Felix as the two entered their home.

Felix gestured that the footman and butler could retire for the evening. There was no need to keep them up when all he planned to do was spend a couple of hours in his library sorting through books. He helped Elizabeth out of her shawl. "What made you think I was exaggerating?"

She grinned. "I didn't think you intentionally exaggerated," she assured him. "But it did seem hard to believe someone would end a dinner party because of the moon."

"Well, for all we know, he turns into a werewolf when the moon is out, and we wouldn't want to see that," he joked. "Seriously, though, I can't say too many bad things about him. He apologized. To that, I owe him some credit. Now, do you want this shawl on the coat tree, or would you like it in your bedchamber?"

It wasn't until he said the word ‘bedchamber' that he realized how personal that sounded. He was ready to add that he wasn't taking the shawl as a pretense to get into her bed, but she spoke up before he could do so.

"You may take it to my bedchamber." In a softer voice, she continued, "I have something I want to show you, and now's a good time to go up there."

He blinked in shock as she headed for the staircase. She didn't mean what he thought she meant. She couldn't mean what he hoped she meant. All of this time, they had remained in separate bedchambers. When they developed a cordial relationship, he figured that one day they might share the same bed, but he hadn't dared think it would happen so soon. But what other reason could there be for her to welcome him to her bedchamber?

She paused and turned to look at him as if to ask if he would rather not go to her bedchamber. There was no way he was going to say no to her! He hurried to catch up to her.

"I've been debating whether or not to show you this," she began as he followed her up the stairs. "I finally decided I would before we left for the dinner party, but there wasn't enough time. This is something that shouldn't be rushed."

He agreed that this was definitely something that should not be rushed. They ought to take their time to enjoy the consummation of their marriage. He knew he, for one, was going to make the effort to get as much from this evening as possible. She was just so beautiful. He wanted to explore every single inch of her.

He had to stop himself from running ahead of her. While he was excited that this moment had come, she didn't need him pushing her down the hallway. As a gentleman, he needed to show the proper amount of restraint. He took a deep breath to calm his ardor.

He let her pass the threshold of her bedchamber first. "Where would you like this shawl?" he asked, trying his best not to look at the bed in case she noticed.

"You can drape it on the back of that chair." She gestured to the vanity. "Would you close the door? I don't want anyone else to see this."

He didn't want anyone else to see this, either! He happily shut the door then draped the shawl over the back of the chair as she requested.

"All right, here it is," she said.

He turned to face her expectantly. She went over to the covered shelving unit that was against the wall. His eyebrows furrowed. What was she doing over there? She was supposed to go to the bed and start removing her clothes.

She clasped her hands together and took a deep breath, two actions which let him know this wasn't easy for her to do. Now he was even more dumbfounded than ever. Why had she brought him up here if she didn't intend for him to make love to her?

"You're the first person to see this," she told him. "I haven't shown them to my parents or my brother, and though Mr. Preston showed me how to do the art, I didn't show him the results of my efforts. Not even any of the servants have seen this. I covered everything up myself before I brought these items here, and I cover this etagere each time before my lady's maid arrives." She cleared her throat. "Since you expressed an appreciation for this type of thing, I thought I'd let you see it."

His eyebrows furrowed. Now he couldn't help but be curious. What could a lady hide from everyone and only choose someone like him to show? One might suspect that she was hiding a collection of rare books, but she'd mentioned the things behind the covering being art, so the items couldn't be books. He veered away from the bed and approached her. "What is it?"

She paused, and he didn't know if she did that to further intrigue him or because she was nervous about his reaction. "You like that brass plate in the dining room."

Though her words weren't an outright question, her tone did go higher at the end of the sentence, which indicated she was asking him a question. "Yes, I like the plate," he said.

She gave a nod then carefully removed the cover from the etagere.

His eyes grew wide. It was like being in Mr. Preston's shop. Upon the shelves were engraved images. There was a cat's features engraved into a wood cup, a flower engraved on a brass saucer, a couple of spoons with engraved floral handles, a pendant with a butterfly engraved in it, a silver cup with a few leaves engraved on it, a wooden plate with trees and a waterfall engraved into it, a glass ball featuring a ship on the ocean at night, and a brass tray with leaves engraved in it.

"You made all of these?" he asked in surprise.

"I didn't make the objects themselves, but I did the engravings that gave them their unique design." She pointed to the brass tray. "I made that and the brass plate to go together as a set."

So the brass plate was supposed to go with the brass tray? He leaned forward and studied the tray. He supposed the leaves did complement the flowers engraved in the brass plate. He blinked in surprise then let his gaze sweep over the objects resting on the shelves.

"Did you also make the owl that's in the drawing room?" he asked.

"No, I can't do work that exquisite."

"I don't know." He pointed to the glass ball. "Those waves are highly detailed."

"That's my most recent work, so it's also my best work so far. I'm happy with it."

"You should be. It's very well done." His gaze swept over the items. "These are really good. Why haven't you shown them to anyone? I'm sure others would appreciate them."

A blush crept up her cheeks, and she offered a shy smile. "I suppose I did show them to everyone in this house when I brought the brass plate to the dining room."

He considered her words. "Yes, I suppose you did. It definitely enhances that room." He placed his hand on his chest. "And that's not just me saying that. I overheard the butler make a compliment about it to the steward."

"You did?"

"I would have mentioned it sooner if I had known you created the design on it."

"I'm glad I didn't admit to doing it until now. I like knowing you aren't just saying you like engraved images to please me. I prefer it when people tell me the truth."

Yes, he could see her point. Genuine compliments were always better than useless flattery. "Do you want to put any of these in other rooms?"

"No. I like them here. I enjoy looking at this display."

His gaze returned to the items, and after a moment, he realized they had been arranged with a significant amount of care. In some ways, it reminded him of how he handled his library. "Do you ever change the placement of the items?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. How did you know?"

He shrugged but grinned. "I was just thinking of my books and how I like to rearrange them from time to time. But these are better than the books because you created them. That makes them much more personal and wonderful."

"I'm glad you can see these engravings the way I do. I wanted to show this to you, but I admit that I worried about what you'd think."

He could understand her apprehension. It wasn't easy being vulnerable, and showing this to him had required a great deal of vulnerability. He was touched that she'd opened herself up to him. "Thank you for trusting me enough to show me this display. I won't tell anyone about it."

After a moment, she asked, "Is there anything you'd like me to engrave for you?"

His mind immediately went to the book in Mr. Preston's shop. "Actually, there was something that caught my attention when we went to that shop where you got the owl. Do you remember the brass sculpture of the book that had text on it?"

She nodded. "You spent a considerable amount of time looking at it, but you didn't want to buy it."

"I wanted to buy it, but I can't justify spending that kind of money on myself when the estate needs more money. I was wondering, would you be willing to make something like that? I'd love to put that in my library."

"I'd be happy to find a bronze statue of an open book and engrave words on it. Did you have a specific book in mind?"

Without thinking, the perfect story came to mind. "You might think it strange, but I'd like your favorite passage from ‘The Robber Bridegroom' to be engraved in it."

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "You would like a passage from one of my favorite stories?"

"I know it must seem silly, but that particular story reminds me of you." He shrugged to hide his bashfulness. "We talked about it that day Guy and his friend found that owl in the drawing room."

"I remember. I'm moved you want something that makes you think of me."

Now he couldn't hide his bashfulness, no matter how hard he tried. "I like thinking of you as much as I like spending time with you."

She smiled. "I like thinking of you and spending time with you, too."

His heart leapt. Now there was no doubt about it. This was the best moment of his life. Elizabeth hadn't just let him into a part of her life she'd never shared with anyone else, but she cared about him.

He was so overcome with emotion that he kissed her. As soon as their lips met, he thought he might have been too forward. He hadn't sought her permission to kiss her. He had just done it without thinking. He ended the kiss. He was ready to ask her if he had transgressed his bounds when she brought her lips back to his.

If he hadn't been awake, he never would have believed it. She was allowing him to kiss her! He brought his arms around her and drew her close to him. She, in turn, leaned into him, a silent invitation that he didn't have to end the kiss anytime soon. He deepened the kiss. It was nice to know he didn't have to restrict this to a brief kiss. He had permission to kiss her for as long as he wanted, and he was going to take advantage of it.

After some time, his body pressed him to do more than kiss her. He wanted to start touching her in interesting places as well, but he wasn't sure if she was ready for that. So he settled for kissing her cheek and then her neck. She let out a sigh of contentment. Good. This was good. She was open to doing more.

This time when he brought his mouth to hers, his tongue brushed her lower lip. She parted her lips and allowed him to explore her mouth. A pleasant tingling sensation traveled all through his body. This evening kept getting better and better all the time.

Even in his excitement, he knew better than to toss her on the bed and have his way with her right at this moment. He needed to give her time to get ready for him. Though he'd rather die than admit it to anyone, he had acquired a copy of the infamous book passed around at White's years ago. It wasn't in his library, of course. He would never put a book like that in a room where anyone could find it. He had it safely tucked away in a safe he had hidden behind a stack of papers that was in the bottom of the drawer in one of his desks. This particular desk happened to be in the room off to the side of his bedchamber. He had hoped that he might need the information someday, and thankfully, he needed to know what to do at this very moment.

Elizabeth let out a light moan and wound her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. More tingles shot through him. He was much too excited to keep his hands on her back. He needed to explore more of her. He slid his hands to the front of her gown and cupped her breasts in his palms. They were as soft as they looked. He caressed them, and at one point, his thumbs brushed her nipples. He noted the way she groaned. Intrigued, he brushed her nipples again and received the same reaction. It was nice to find something she liked. He would have to do more of this in the future.

Right now, he decided it was time to finally see the very thing he thought she was going to show him when she brought him up here. He pulled away from her and lifted the gown over her head. He wasn't surprised to see undergarments beneath the gown, but he was surprised by how much difficulty he had in unlacing the strings of her corset. Thankfully, she helped him, so he didn't fumble through the process too much.

Mindful of her sensibilities, he waited until he brought her to the bed before he removed his clothes. As it turned out, she wasn't all that timid, for she watched him. He had to keep his gaze on her lovely breasts so he wouldn't lose his momentum. Too much awareness of being naked in front of someone as beautiful as Elizabeth would hinder his courage, not to mention his erection. He would never live the embarrassment down if he went soft in front of her. The penis didn't look nearly as impressive when it was soft. Glad when he had the last of his clothing removed, he hurried to slip into bed with her.

Eager to get back to the moment where he had forgotten to be self-conscious, he took her in his arms and brought his mouth back to hers. He sensed that she was also nervous and felt better. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one who was uncertain about proceeding into unfamiliar territory.

His hands returned to her breasts, and he continued with his exploration, thinking that whether she was wearing clothes or not, he thoroughly enjoyed touching them. And he was sure if he enjoyed touching them, he'd also enjoy kissing them. But he didn't go directly there with his kisses. Elizabeth was someone he wanted to cherish. This evening was going to mark a new beginning in their marriage, and he wanted to do it right.

He kissed her cheeks and then her neck, and then let his mouth go lower until he reached one of her breasts. While she let out a moan to indicate her pleasure, he didn't think she could possibly be getting more pleasure from this than he was. He experimented with tracing and flicking his tongue over her nipple on one breast and then going to the other, and the more he did this, the more that male part of him pressed him to hurry things along.

To test if she was ready for him, he sought out her entrance which hid under the patch of curls between her legs. She let her legs fall apart so he could slide a finger tentatively into her. He wasn't sure what to expect, to be honest. The book had said a lady needed to be sufficiently wet to allow a penis into her. So he did expect the area to be wet, but he hadn't expected it to be so warm or so soft. Nor did he expect her to lift her hips in a way that took him deeper inside her.

He moaned. There was no doubt about it. Lovemaking was going to be even more exciting than reading his favorite book. He slid another finger into her. Though she was a little tight, she was wet enough so that he had no trouble stroking her. The book had encouraged the gentleman to stretch the virginal barrier so that when he did enter her, it would lessen her discomfort. His efforts seemed to be doing more than getting her ready for him, however, since she gripped his arms and began to rock her hips in a way that brought her greater pleasure.

He slid another finger into her. He glanced at her face to see if he was hurting her, but she gave no indication that his continued effort was ruining the moment. After a short time, the barrier that marked her a virgin was no longer there. Good. That should make things easier for her when it came time for him to go into her. If it was up to him, a lady would never deal with any pain in uniting this way with her husband, but he hadn't been responsible for creating a lady's body.

Since she was visibly enjoying what he was doing, he continued stroking her core. The book had said it was possible to help a lady achieve orgasm this way, and after wondering if his ministrations were leading her toward a climax, he decided they were.

He watched her in fascination. Those beautiful breasts bounced. Her face was flushed. Her hair was spread out across the pillow. She was moving in wild abandon. She was so different from the proper lady he was used to seeing. And that excited him all the more. She was giving herself completely to the moment, and also to him. Like the engravings she'd shown him, this was a side of her that only he would see. All at once, she cried out and stilled. Her core clenched around his fingers then relaxed then clenched again. The cycle repeated several times before he felt the intensity of her orgasm ebb.

He needed to get inside her. All of this excitement was going to be his undoing if he wasn't careful. He pulled his fingers out of her and hurried to straddle her. She accepted him into her, and he groaned as soon as her wet warmth surrounded him. This felt a lot better than he'd thought it would.

Rather than try to figure out the words that would adequately describe how wonderful this was, he decided to simply give into the moment and ride it out to completion. When the peak came, he grew taut and spilled his seed into her. Bliss. Yes, that's the word that best summed this part of things up. Sweet and utter bliss.

When he was spent, he collapsed in her arms. She held him tightly to her, and that was nice. She was letting him know that she was glad that they had done this. Once the world stopped spinning around him, he lifted his head so he could kiss her for some time.

"You have no idea how happy I am right now," he whispered. "I'll never take it for granted that you gave me a second chance."

"If I had a chance to go back to that evening at the ball, I would dance with you."

He didn't know if it was because they'd just made love and he was feeling weak at the moment or if he was afraid he really might be dreaming because everything happening this evening was too good to be true, but he had to blink back the tears that sprung to his eyes. He couldn't speak. If he did, his voice would waver, and then he would start to cry. So he settled for giving her a lingering kiss. Then he got off of her so he could gather the blanket and tucked it around them both.

She snuggled up to him, and he wrapped his arms around her. This was perfect. He could get used to this. He tried to stay awake so he could replay every moment of this evening in his mind, but much too soon, he drifted off to sleep.