Chapter Seventeen

October 22, 1819

Tilbury House

Brighton, England

Mary sighed as she watched the movement of the waves. It was so calming and relaxing here in Brighton, and it was the perfect place to recuperate from the ordeal of three days ago.

After she and Gabriel had escaped from the burning remains of the Agape spa, a fire brigade had finally arrived, but there had been little they could do. The structure had been fully engulfed ten minutes after she and Gabriel escaped, and that was the end.

For the past three days, she'd spent time in bed to rest from her injuries. None of them were horribly severe, and thank goodness, neither were her husband's, but the mental wounds would take more time to heal. And reflecting upon Theresa's life made her all the more grateful for her own. She had everything she needed when her family was near, and that would never have happened without meeting the inspector last December.

It seemed so far away, but alternately it still felt as if that affair had just happened.

"Mary?"

The sound of Cassandra's voice and her light touch on Mary's arm yanked her from her thoughts. "Hmm?" For as long as she'd been sitting on a blanket spread on the sand watching the sea, the girl had been by her side, sitting quietly, and that was a vast improvement.

"Why do some of the gulls run away from the waves when they wash up on the shore and then run back after it as it goes away?"

Mary smiled. "The surf deposits tiny little creatures on the sand that the birds eat, so they are constantly searching for a meal." She laughed, and oddly, it felt wonderful to do so. "And perhaps they don't enjoy getting their legs wet."

The girl flashed a rare, genuine smile. "Does it hurt when you put your legs into the sea?"

"It does not. Sometimes it feels… refreshing, but you must be careful lest sharp edges of shells poke at your feet." In all the time they'd been at the seashore, the girl hadn't wished to walk at the water's edge. "If you want to experiment, I' ll go with you."

Her light blue eyes focused on the sea and the sand. Slowly, she shook her head. "I will try tomorrow."

"Whenever you're ready, I'll be there." Mary glanced at the girl. Her straw boater hat had blown off her head and now hung at her back, kept in place by the black ribbon. The sun on the single braid of her platinum blonde hair rendered it nearly white. "How are you enjoying your holiday so far?"

"The sea is so… big," the girl said in a low voice filled with awe. "And loud."

"But it is also beautiful, mysterious. It reminds me that everything will turn out as it should if we believe in ourselves."

"I wonder what it feels like to be on a boat." Cassandra drew her knees to her chin and wrapped her arms about her legs. "Do you think sailors are frightened on the water?"

"Sometimes, until the sea and travel upon it becomes familiar. It's like anything else." She patted Cassandra's shoulder. "There is no shame in being afraid. I often feel that way. Sometimes, it helps us to see what is truly important in life."

For long moments, the girl remained quiet. "I haven't been afraid since I came to live with you and Inspector Bright."

"That's wonderful. I'm glad you feel safe with us." She smiled as the girl glanced at her. "The inspector makes me feel safe too." Then her mind bounced to what she wanted their home life to be like once they returned to London. "When we return to Town, Inspector Bright and I will interview candidates for your new governess."

Cassandra nodded. "What happened to Miss Oliver? She hasn't taken breakfast with me for a couple of days."

"I'm afraid Miss Oliver gave her notice. She left for a better position." Which had been a relief in many ways, and they'd all parted on amicable terms. "Hopefully, your next governess will be more suited to you and what you need in an education." And would be more respectful of the lifestyle they lived.

"Will we still have outings in Hyde Park?"

"Do you like that?"

"Yes!" The girl nodded with enthusiasm. "But I… I like them more when you and the inspector go too."

Her heart squeezed. This was the first conversation with Cassandra that was more than just empty pleasantries. "We absolutely will because we're a family."

"A family." There was a bit of awe in the girl's utterance.

Another collection of moments went by in silence, but this time, the girl watched Mary's face. "Mr. Davies said you and Inspector Bright fought through a fire to come back to me. Is that true?"

"Yes." She forced down a hard swallow to keep tears at bay. "We did. Even fought a horrid man who didn't like families. Who didn't love anyone, it seemed." If she never heard the name of Dempsey again, it would be too soon.

The fire investigator who'd gone through the charred ruins of the spa just yesterday found a few bodies of people who hadn't gotten out. One of which was intact in a pool of a room on the lower level. He died of smoke inhalation but when Bright had gone over to help with the identification of the bodies, he confirmed the one in the pool had indeed been that of Mr. Dempsey.

Of course, everyone involved in that day had breathed a sigh of relief. It was truly over. At least the reign of that particular madman.

There would always be another to take his place, and there was no shortage of crime in London or England, for that matter.

Cassandra held her gaze. Questions shadowed her light blue eyes. "Did the inspector solve the case and get the bad man?"

Oh, dear. What to tell her? Perhaps sticking to the truth as much as possible was best. "He did. The inspector rescued me from a horrible situation and then we escaped from the fire. The bad man died. Now the people he killed can rest in peace."

"Oh. "

More silence grew between them as the shore birds frolicked and continued their antics in avoiding the waves.

"Mary?"

"Hmm?"

Cassandra sighed. She straightened out her legs. "Do you think Inspector Bright would like it if I call him papa? I would really like to have a papa even if Miss Oliver told me I never would because I was a street urchin."

Again, Mary was so grateful the governess was gone. She nodded as her heart trembled and her chest tightened. "The inspector will be wonderfully happy with that, I think." Why couldn't the girl feel that comfortable with her? Despite battling tears, she smiled. "He is a lovely father, and I can't wait for you to meet his son Henry at Christmastide."

Goodness, but that was only two months off. Time truly did fly.

Cassandra put a delicate little hand over one of Mary's. "Do you think I may call you mama?"

"What?" The whispered inquiry seemed overly loud, even amidst nature.

The girl nodded. "I have watched the families since we have been in Brighton, and… I want parents too." Her eyes were overly bright with tears. "Might I call you mama? I would very much like to have a mother ag ain." She bit her bottom lip. "And… I trust you. I know you won't leave."

It was as if the heavens parted and God himself shone light upon her. A wave of happiness crashed into Mary so large that tears rose in her eyes and then fell to her cheeks. "Of course you can, dear girl. I will always be that to you. And no, I will never leave you, because you are far too precious to me." On impulse, she wrapped her arms around Cassandra and hugged her. After a few moments' hesitation, the girl hugged her back, and Mary wept silently.

In that moment, she was exquisitely happy. In fact, she hadn't known such a love existed, and it was… life changing.

She pressed her lips to the top of Cassandra's head. "Nothing bad will happen to you while you are in the care of the inspector and me. I can promise you that."

"I know that." It was a simple affirmation, but it made Mary feel as if she could fly.

"We are going to have so much fun together."

"I know that too." This time, a smile was definite in the words. "Might we go tell the inspector now? Is he still working?"

He had paperwork to write up regarding Mr. Dempsey as well as the secret spa and the demise of both, which he would give to the men in charge of the situation .

"I think in this case, he would be delighted to have a break." She pulled away to peer into the girl's face. "Shall I come with you?"

"Yes!" Cassandra sprang to her feet. "And then might we take tea together? I'm starving."

Mary couldn't help but laugh. "Of course we can." It had taken a long time, but one of her dreams was finally coming true.

I am a mother.

Later that night

When Gabriel came into the bedchamber they shared, Mary set aside the book she'd been reading and rested it on the nightstand by the candleholder.

"Have you closed out the case?"

"I have." At some point after dinner, he'd removed his jacket, collar, cuffs, and cravat. Luckily, they hadn't brought all the clothing from their holiday to the spa, so they both still had a few things to wear. What they didn't, they'd ordered from a local modiste, since they would remain in Brighton for the next three weeks. "And I don't mind telling you that I'm glad the paperwork is done. Tomorrow, I will deliver it to the constable as well as the fire chief. If Bow Street is hired on behalf of the two people who died, they shall have a copy as well. I have no more part in it."

"That is good to know. Now you can enjoy what's left of your holiday."

"True, as well as our honeymoon," he said in a low voice as he perched on the side of the bed. "I find myself filled with restlessness tonight. What of you?"

Sometimes, he was so obvious, but she adored him. "Why, Inspector Bright, are you propositioning me?"

"Perish the thought, Mrs. Bright. I am simply asking my wife if she would enjoy being with her husband carnally tonight." He waggled his eyebrows until she couldn't help laughing.

"When it comes to you and exploring your delicious body, I am always in the mood for bed sport." As awareness tingled over her, the carriage-style clock on the bureau across the room chimed the midnight hour. "I have missed you in that regard." Since they'd left the spa, they hadn't been together intimately, for there was too much to do and a bit of a recovery was needed for them both.

"I have missed you as well." Then he stood and offered her a hand. "Let me help you undress."

"Only if I am afforded the same reward by undressing you." It was one of her favorite things to do, and as each piece of clothing came off his wonderfully hard body, it fired her excitement.

"I can't guarantee anything, for seeing you nude is quite distracting." As soon as he tugged her from the bed and into his arms, he kissed her. "You have no idea how much I love you," he whispered against her lips as he manipulated the tie that kept her lace-lined robe in light blue lawn closed.

"Actually, I can well imagine it's as much as I love you." It took very little time for her to relieve him of his waistcoat. It fell to the floor with nary a whisper. Then she pulled his shirt tails from the waist of his breeches. Seconds later, Mary had pushed the garment off his body, and sighed, for the sight of his wide chest was enough to render her temporarily speechless.

"Mmm, I suppose we will discover who is telling the truth in mere moments." As he removed the robe from her person, Bright kissed her with such intensity she wondered how long she would last before she pushed him to the bed.

She sighed as he tugged the matching nightgown from her body, and when the cool ambient air wafted over her skin, her nipples tightened. "Don't make me wait, Inspector. If this is still our honeymoon, I haven't had nearly enough of you in the capacity of my husband."

There hadn't been enough time to acclimate to that knowledge, and she smiled.

"That is not my intention. I'll return in a twinkling." While he stepped away to remove his boots and breeches, she watched him as carnal hunger circled through her insides. Once he was as naked as she, Gabriel returned to her, spun her about so that her back was to his front. "Ah, Mary. It seems as if we must always fight to be with each other, and perhaps that is what marriage should be. The willingness of both parties to support and help their partner, so the victories are that much sweeter."

"I think so too." Tears filled her eyes, for he knew just how to comfort her, how to support her, how to talk to her with logic to counteract her tendency to look at things from an emotional perspective, but above all, he understood her. "And I will always take up that fight."

"So will I." Seconds later, he put his hands on her shoulders, kneading and massaging the tension from the muscles there. "And now you are truly a mother."

"It's an incredible dream realized, all thanks to you."

"Mmm, perhaps." He nuzzled the crook of her shoulder, slid his hands to her breasts.

The warmth of his fingers on her skin was a pleasing contrast to the slight chill in the air. "Without you, I would still be keeping house for my brother." She shivered as he lightly danced his fingertips over her breasts, teasing her as if he had all the time in the world, circling her nipples until she thought she might go mad if he didn't fully touch her.

"A noble enough life, but I'm glad you decided to throw your lot in with mine." The deep timbre of voice against the shell of her ear tickled through her chest. "Life has never been the same since, and I have adored every moment of it with you."

"Oh." The word dissolved into a moan, for she agreed with that assessment. Her back arched of its own accord, which put her breasts more firmly into his hands, and she moaned.

"So desperate." A chuckle followed, which only loosed more tingles in her lower belly. With his palms, he caressed those buds, teased and tormented until pleasure zipped between them and her core. "And so beautiful." His words coupled with his actions sent need pulsing between her thighs. "I will never have enough of you, even when I'm an old, old man."

"I believe you, and I understand how you feel." She wanted him to take her in a firmer grip, but he never did. The man continued to tease her breasts with the lightest of touches, apparently in a bid to drive her insane. "Gabriel, please…" The words came out on a dreamy whisper as he continued to bring her to the brink of pleasure through her breasts alone. "This is lovely."

"Only lovely?" He chuckled, but the insistent press of his aroused length against her arse betrayed how much he was enjoying this as well. "Then obviously I'm not teasing you enough or correctly." With his lips at her nape, he caressed her breasts, her nipples all over again, in a never-ending cycle, and this time, the friction and heat from his skin, the callouses on his fingers, the crisp hair of his chest against her back, the insistent prod of his erect shaft at her hip all worked to add another layer of sensation to the play.

"Stop talking and send my flying, Bright." Mary's eyes shuttered closed and once more her back arched. Need throbbed through her core; her breath came in shallow pants. Blissful tingles danced over her skin. Fires replaced her blood. Good heavens, she was nearly at that edge, hovering, waiting, teetering, seconds away from finding bliss, and yet held back. "More," she gasped out and lifted a hand to wrap around his nape, encourage his head closer to hers. "You know what I like.

"I do, but I like watching you in the throes of pleasure, and I can't help but imagine sliding my shaft deep into your hot, wet passage." Each word of that suggestive whisper worked to hurtle her closer to that edge, and he'd barely done anything to bring her to that state. "It has always been like that between us, that connection, that attraction. "

"That mutual respect and love." Then his hand was between her thighs, and every thought in her head flew out away.

He furrowed his fingers through her curls while the other hand he kept at her breast, rolling a nipple, plucking it. "Tell me what you want tonight." As he strummed those talented digits along her flesh, she whimpered.

Unable to form words, Mary put a hand over his guiding him to where she needed him, and straightaway he found her swollen button, encouraged it out of hiding, and then applied friction to that nubbin as if that was his only purpose in life. "Oh, Gabriel…" Shivery sensations raced along her spine, pushed into every nerve ending. Every time they were together, he barely needed to touch her before she was lost. Still, she held his fingers to her pearl, clutched his nape with her other hand. He kissed her neck but didn't leave off with his frenzied friction, glided his lips over her cheek, and when he bit her earlobe, streaks of need slammed through her core to heighten the feelings already crashing through her body.

"My sweet Mary." The warmth of his breath drifted over her cheek.

Slightly crazed, she wriggled against him. The hard ridge of his arousal pressed against her arse. "I'm nearly there…" Words proved too much for her. If he didn't finish her, she'd melt into a pu ddle at his feet.

"Exactly where I want you. There are many other wicked things I want to do to you tonight." The cheeky man pinched her nipple, rolled that hardened tip. The pleasure-pain sent her hurtling toward that glimmering edge. His chuckle was all too satisfied as he increased the pressure… everywhere. "Let me see you come undone."

"You have seen it many times."

"And I adore it." His lips grazed her skin. "It makes me want you even more."

Those words made her shatter, and the more she shivered into it, the greater the wave of ecstasy smacked into her, carried her into that sparkling world where sound and light didn't exist. "Gabriel!" Mary screamed out her pleasure, for the moment forgetting they were in a rented townhouse and that Cassandra slept in a room just down the corridor from their location. She held his hand tighter to her button while contractions pulsed through her core.

"So beautiful," he murmured and once more dragged his lips down the side of her throat.

"Wicked man." After a few blissful moments, she came back to herself with only enough strength to slump against him. "How do you manage to send me flying so quickly?" Residual shivers danced through her body as he tightened his arms around her .

"Because we were always meant to find each other." Gabriel nuzzled the crook of her shoulder again. "But I'm not nearly done with you." He tugged her into his arms, turned her about to face him, and claimed her lips in a series of gentle kisses that left her reeling and as weak-kneed as if she were naught but a debutante experiencing her first embrace.

Lost in a haze of passion, Mary trailed her fingers down his chest, that glorious expanse of naked flesh with its mat of coarse dark brown hair. There was so much she adored about him, about his body, that it would take her days to explain to someone. "Perhaps I should tease you tonight until you cry mercy." She edged her hand downward, traced his hard arousal with her fingers then watching him the whole time, she cupped his equipage. "Should I bring you to the brink with my mouth or fingers?"

"Damnation." He gave in to a shiver as his eyes darkened with the same intense desire that coursed through her veins. "Neither, for that isn't what this night is about." After a brief kiss, he continued. "However, if we were at home, I would devour you with my mouth." Before she could respond, he licked and sucked her nipples, and this time, the wicked man cupped a hand between her thighs, and once more he teased her swollen button with his fingers. The approach was different than before, but it drove her just as wild.

Throbbing need pulsed in her core, for she had always wondered what being pleasured thusly might feel like. "Oh, you must stop."

"Is that truly what you want?" When he waggled his eyebrows and she shook her head, he grinned and renewed his efforts with increased friction and speed.

All too soon, the pressure building within her broke apart. The need to shatter became too much. With another cry, she gave herself over to the sensation of falling, of pinwheeling, of floating. "Gabriel, please, I need you inside me."

"And that is exactly where I most wish to be in this moment." With a satisfied chuckle, he urged her onto the four-poster bed, and when she wriggled into a comfortable position, he followed her down.

Her limbs shook from the paces he'd put her through, and it was the most pleasant of sensations, and as she looped her arms about his wide shoulders, Mary pressed kisses to the side of his neck, his chest, beneath his jaw. Knowing this man had upended her life and continued to do so still managed to boggle her mind, but building a family—a life—together with him made her feel so much contentment it surprised her. Never had she experienced such a thing with her last husband.

"Woolgathering, sweeting? While I'm trying to give you bliss?" The warmth of his breath skated over her cheek as he fit the wide tip of his length to her opening, and she gasped anew, for he was quite large, and it always took her by surprise.

"No. Merely thinking about us together." She wriggled into a more comfortable position. "I adore this moment." One of the things she adored about intercourse was talking intimately with a partner, in both inspiration and teasing. "And I—oh!" The ability to form words fell right out of her brain, for he flexed his hips and speared into her, penetrating her as deep as he could go. She hung onto him, truly amazed yet again at how well they fit together.

"Damn but you feel so good, so welcoming and warm," he whispered, and there was both admiration and smugness in his voice. "I love you, Mary." He met her gaze as he briefly pressed his forehead to hers. "There is nothing more to say."

"I quite agree." She bumped her hips with his. Shivers of enjoyment went through her lower belly, for the movement only served to send him deeper. "I love you too."

"I'll never have enough of you, in all the ways that matter." Holding the bulk of his weight on his forearm, Gabriel put his other hand beneath her thigh, urged her leg up to curl about his waist, and then he slowly, oh so slowly, stroked in and out of her body.

Teasing, always teasing, and it was the most glorious thing every time they came together. It took next to no time to find a rhythm, for they had long ago perfected this sort of erotic dance together, and soon soft gasps and moans filled the air. The scrape of his chest hair over her sensitized nipples added sweet friction to the act, and with each new thrust, her world trembled and rocked on its foundation.

His strokes grew faster, harder, went deeper, made more of a connection, and while he moved, she took his hand and put it between their heaving bodies, for she needed additional stimulation to fall over that edge once more. The wonderful man took the hint. He worried that nubbin for all he was worth, and when she gasped and her body stiffened, he claimed her lips, took her scream into himself as she shattered for the third time that night.

That's how good, how loving, he was.

Twice more, her husband thrust into her body, then he too, went over the edge to join her in that sweet release. "Dear God." A grunt followed as he ground his hips into hers while his shaft pulsed. "That was all too satisfying." Then he collapsed into her form, trapping her between the hard wall of his body and the soft, mattress tick. "But then, it always is with you."

"Indeed, it was." For long moments, while their breathing returned to normal, Mary held him close. His sandalwood and orange scent teased her nose, and lying there with him while still so intimately joined left her feeling needed and cherished. "You always surprise me."

Gabriel lifted his head, and his grin in the candlelight tugged an answering one from her. "You doubt my skill?"

"Of course not. I am constantly amazed we are still so feverish about each other after being together for almost a year."

"The partner makes all the difference, sweeting." He rolled onto his side and took her with him. "For the first time in recent memory, I am happy. I feel as if I have accomplished every goal I've set for myself."

"What of your work?"

"It will always be there, and I will always find cases to occupy my attention, but the time building a family won't."

"You are a romantic, Bright." With a tiny sigh, she rested her head on his chest as he slung his arm about her hip.

"Perhaps where you are concerned, but then, it must have worked, for I won you." While he spoke, he drew idle patterns on her hip with a fingertip, and every pass over her skin sent frissons of renewed need through her insides. "And now, Cassandra has trusted us enough that we can truly be parents together."

Tears sprang to her eyes. "I never thought it possible."

"I knew she would come ‘round, just as I know you will be a wonderful mother." His chuckle tickled through her chest. "Ah, Mary, I might just burst from pride regarding you."

"Do hush. I have done nothing."

"You know that's not true. Everything about you has changed everything about me, and I have done the same for you." When he slipped his hand to her bottom and gave that cheek a squeeze, she squealed in surprise. "That is the foundation of a good marriage."

She couldn't help but smile. "I can't wait to see where we will all go from here."

Truly, it didn't matter, because she'd found everything she'd ever wanted—a man who supported her in whatever she chose to do, the chance to be a mother, a marriage that wasn't a chore. Anything else at this point was merely icing on a favorite cake.

And he was right. The partner made all the difference. At times, one had to suffer through the horrible in order to grasp the amazing.

The End