Chapter Two

December 20, 1819

No. 10 Orchard Street

Portman Square

Marylebone, Mayfair

London

Mrs. Mary Bright—formerly Tomlinson—looked about the drawing room of the home she shared with her handsome former Bow Street inspector, and when her gaze crashed into his, she couldn’t help but smile, for life was wonderful and had been for the last year.

During the Christmastide season of the previous year, she had first met the confident inspector at a house party thrown by his brother at a country estate. She’d escorted her niece while he’d done the same for his son. There had been attraction between them from the first, but when they were forced to solve their first case together, everything in her life changed.

And finally, she married him two months ago.

Honestly, nothing had changed in that realm except she’d taken his name. Their heated love affair that had begun a year ago still burned as hot as it had at that time, and since she was Bright’s partner in every aspect of their existence, everything was very well-rounded in a way that had her looking forward to each new day.

“You are looking quite pleased, sweeting, as if you were the cat who caught the proverbial canary tonight,” Gabriel said. The smooth rumble of his voice tickled through her chest and tugged out yet another smile.

“Perhaps I am.” When she met her husband’s gaze, those brown depths darkened slightly as he took a sip of brandy. “I can’t help but think this is the first time I have been splendidly content in the whole of my life.”

“Hmm, I wonder why that is?” If possible, his grin grew, and a shiver of need twisted down her spine. “Must be the company you keep.”

“Come off it, Papa,” Henry said as he briefly pointed his gaze to the ceiling. “We all know she’s talking about meeting and then marrying you.” He took a sip from his own brandy glass. “Don’t be thick.”

“I’m not.” Gabriel winked at his son. “I merely find pleasure in hearing my wife admit such a thing.”

“Do hush, Bright. Fishing for compliments is unbecoming.” She hid an answering grin behind sipping from her mug of mulled wine to chase the cold that had begun to seep into her toes and fingers. “In any event, he is quite correct. Because of you, Gabriel, I am quite thoroughly happy and content, and because of you, I have had my faith in humanity restored.” She took another sip from her wine. “But that is neither here nor there.” When she encompassed the two of them in her gaze, she gave them another smile. “Did you two have a successful shopping excursion this afternoon?”

With a chuckle, Gabriel nodded. “We did, and I must admit, I’m afraid I rather spoiled Cassandra with gifts.”

“Oh, Papa.” Henry snorted. He tossed a speaking glance at her. “Don’t believe him, Mary. He did well. As did I.”

“That’s lovely. And where Cassandra is concerned, there is no such thing as being spoiled. She literally had nothing when we took her in, so you are now giving her the things she should have had all along.” She smiled at the young man. “It’s good to have you home again, Henry. I’m glad we’ll get to spend some time together finally.”

“I am as well. It’s nice to have a mother about again and know that I can talk with you about anything.”

Oh, dear. She blinked away another round of tears. “I hadn’t expected to be so emotional today, but then, I haven’t looked forward to Christmastide since last year.”

“You are adorable, Mary. Thank you for coming into my life. In fact, I couldn’t be more thrilled that Papa married you.” He moved to where she sat on the sofa, came up behind her, and then bussed her cheek. “I told him while we were out that your example of what a successful marriage should be is what I hope to model my own upon someday.”

“Oh, how sweet. Thank you for that.” Heat filled her cheeks, but when she glanced at her husband, the wicked gleam in his eyes provoked a completely different sort of heat throughout her body. “Your father and I have had our problems, and I will caution you that every good marriage requires attentive work and compromise. Sometimes there will be arguments, but understanding and remembering your shared love will do wonders to smooth those bumps out.”

“Well, whatever you and Papa are doing, you have the secret.” Henry’s grin widened. As he drained his brandy glass, his eyes twinkled as if he held a secret or a joke. “Additionally, I believe the two of you make each other better. You make him less bitter; he makes you less jaded. You make him look at life from a different perspective while he shows you that there is good still in the world.” He shrugged. “Also, you temper Papa’s penchant for directness without considering the other person’s feelings while he encourages you to go forward bold and confident. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.”

“Oh!” Unexpectedly, Mary’s eyes filled with tears. “That was lovely. Thank you, Henry.” She couldn’t help but look at her husband. “We do work well together.”

“We do, indeed,” Bright chimed in with a grin of his own. Which was amazing considering when she met him, he was reserved and played everything close to the vest. “But I will tell you that respect is a large part of a successful union.” He glanced at Henry with a raised eyebrow. “Never treat a woman as less than or as if she hasn’t a brain her head. If you do, the good ones will ring a peal over your head, and she’ll probably toss your arse out on the street.” A chuckle escaped him; perhaps he’d found the rejoinder humorous. “Rather, the woman who is meant for you will have your world turning on its head, and you’ll consider her your equal, your partner in everything worth doing.”

Another round of heat fired in her cheeks. “Do stop, Bright. We all know how you feel.”

“Yet it’s true.” He winked at her, and that wicked gleam in his eye returned. She knew what that meant all too well. “Henry should take note. Especially since I’ll wager he’s on the verge of courting a young lady.”

“Don’t rush my fences, Papa, and for what it’s worth, I have indeed taken note. Trust me on that.” He patted Mary’s free hand. “I have quite a path to follow, but I have had the best of all teachers.”

“Well, your future bride will appreciate your efforts,” Mary said and gave his hand a squeeze before releasing it. “What were the two of you doing once you returned from the shops?”

“What do you mean?” Henry asked with a sharp glance at his father.

“When you came home, the two of you didn’t immediately seek me out. In fact, you vanished so quickly, I didn’t have time to welcome you home.”

“Oh, we, ah…” Henry shrugged. His fingers tightened about the brandy glass. “I had to go back out to attend to one of my friends who was having a bit of an issue.”

“Indeed.” Bright cleared his throat. “And I needed to hide my gifts. I don’t want you seeing in advance what is supposed to be a surprise. Besides, it’s the time of our anniversary. We first met during this time last year. I was down in the kitchen asking the cook to be certain to make your favorites tomorrow.”

“Ah.” That made sense. “You’re sweet to remember.” He was always doing little things like that, which never failed to endear him to her even more. Except it had taken her husband at least ninety minutes before he’d found her in the drawing room. “Are you certain that’s the reason you stayed away so long?”

“Of course it is.” He frowned. “What makes you think it isn’t?”

“You have that look you get when you’ve been given a new case. Excitement mixed with secrecy topped with caution.” She continued to sip the mulled wine. “Did something interesting occur when you two were out?”

The men exchanged a look that clearly meant they were keeping something from her.

Finally, Henry shook his head. “I can’t say that it did. Papa and I mostly caught up during tea at one of his favorite tea houses. Since we haven’t seen each other since the spring, there was much to say.” Then he pulled out a pocket watch. The expression of surprise on his face was quite overblown. “Damn, I didn’t realize it was so late. I need to write a letter to a friend before I forget again.” He scrambled to his feet as he replaced the pocket watch into a waistcoat pocket. “Mary, Papa, if you will excuse me? I’ll say goodnight here.”

“Sleep well, and again, I’m so glad you’re home,” she said with a wave. Once the young man left, she frowned at her husband. “What is going on? You are both acting strange.”

“Are we?” With a laugh, he set his empty brandy glass on a nearby table. “I don’t believe that we are. Besides, love, it’s Christmastide. Secrets abound out of necessity.” He transferred onto the sofa where she sat then removed the mug from her hand and set it on the low table in front of him. “I can honestly tell you I’m not on a case.”

The scents of sandalwood and orange teased her nose, and as always it had the power to make her want to come undone. That coupled with the warmth of him and his close proximity sent awareness skittering over her skin. “All right then.” That placated her a bit, but she still had the feeling he was holding something back. “I never want to be left out if you have a case.”

“Of course not. We’re partners. I always work cases with you, and I have designated the next few weeks as time to be with my family.” Leaning close, he tucked an escaped lock of her hair behind her ear, yet there was an odd light in his eyes she couldn’t quite puzzle out. “Nothing will interrupt that.”

“I’m glad to know that.” She couldn’t help but feel something was off, or he was deliberately not telling her everything, and it wasn’t like Bright to keep a secret. “Cassandra will appreciate having her father around more.” In fact, the two of them were thick as thieves, and she couldn’t be happier. “And I’m sure Henry is looking forward to being in your company.”

“Mmm. Is she the only one who is happy I’ll be around home more?” As he spoke, he waggled his full eyebrows.

“No, of course not.” Heat rose in her cheeks. “I’m nearly beside myself to have you here.” Not that there had been a break in his attention. One of the things she adored about her husband was the fact that he enjoyed bed sport as much as she did, and such exercise with Gabriel was unlike anything else she’d ever experienced. “It has been a long while indeed since you set aside time to stick about home.”

“I always hope to strike a balance between being an investigator as well as being a husband and father.” He slipped an arm about her waist and pulled her closer to his solid frame. “Can you believe that a year ago we met at my brother’s house party in the country?”

“I remember, and in many ways, it seems almost as if it was just yesterday.”

“Exactly.” When he put his lips to the shell of her ear, a shiver of need danced down her spine. “I still think about that day when we worked our first case together… and when I first acted upon that startling attraction between us.”

“And yet you went ahead and accused me of murder regardless.” But she couldn’t help but smile, for their courtship had been unorthodox.

“Ha.” His chuckle tickled through her chest. “Perhaps we were fated to be together.”

“Perhaps, since after you discovered the horrible secret I’d hidden regarding being with your brother ages ago, you didn’t care and wished to be with me anyway.”

“Because I don’t hold a person’s past against them and saw the woman you truly are.” Lightly, he bit her earlobe, chuckling when she uttered a low-pitched squeal. “The knowledge had been quite the shock, I’m mollified to know I’m the better lover and that I eventually won you.” There was a bit of smugness in his baritone that amused her.

“Don’t brag, Bright. It’s not attractive.” But she agreed. His skill between the sheets was infinitely better than his viscount brother’s.

“Poppycock.” He smoothed a hand down her back to squeeze an arse cheek. When she turned into him and laid a palm on his chest, his eyes darkened. “Besides, I adore being able to lord that over him.”

“I don’t want to talk about your brother.” She walked her fingers up his chest to his cravat and then tugged at the fabric. “It doesn’t matter in any event. He is in my past—my far past. When you and I began our affair, he ceased to surface in my thoughts.”

“Which was my plan all along after that first kiss in the carriage house.” As his arms went around her, he nuzzled the crook of her shoulder. “And then our affair turned into marriage. A union that has yet to cool into complacency.” With every word, his lips brushed her skin and sent flutters into her lower belly.

“I thought your plan was to be a reckless man who was also a rogue and wished to take advantage?”

He snickered. “A plan can have two outcomes.”

“Ah.” Why did she have no self-control when it came to the inspector? One year with him hadn’t been nearly enough, but at times it also felt as if they had been together for an eternity. “To be fair, your brother has done well putting his marriage back in the forefront. I’ll wager his wife is pleased with him again.” She worked to loosen the length of linen about his neck. “I’m truly happy for them both.”

“As am I, but I didn’t want to trust our first anniversary to his house party. It seemed like tempting fate.” As he spoke, he trailed his fingers up and down her ribcage.

“You’re such a romantic, Bright. It’s one of the things I appreciate the most about you.” She pressed a kiss to each corner of his mouth. “Even after the wreck of our past and mine, you still believe in love.”

“The only reason I do is because I found you.” Slowly, and with his gaze holding hers the whole time, he lowered his head and then claimed her lips.

With a sigh, she surrendered to him, for this was only the beginning steps to the dance they had long ago perfected together, and to be quite honest, it was one of her most favorite parts of the evening. With need lighting tiny fires in her blood, Mary slipped a hand to his nape and encouraged him. Not that he required it. The inspector always seemed to sense what she wanted, sometimes before she ever asked for it. He obliged in spectacular fashion by sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her closer while simultaneously urging her backward on the sofa until his body was angled slightly over hers.

As he explored her mouth, she did the same to him and the sweet familiar weight of him stirred the madness that would soon overtake her. The slightly bitter taste of brandy on his tongue met her palate, the elusive essence of it spurring her onward. As she concentrated on the man in her arms, it was brought home to her just how grateful and thankful she was for him, how fortunate she was that they were able to overcome the obstacles strewn in their path to finally be able to enjoy being a wife again.

“Where is this going, Gabriel?” she whispered, but she wasn’t so na?ve that she didn’t know. Bright was nothing if not forthright at all times, even when it came to carnal endeavors.

“After a year with me, surely you know,” he said then followed the words with a lick or two to her collarbones.

“I do, but I want to hear you say it.” After all, it was a lovely way to keep the romance alive in a relationship.

“Minx.” The second he cupped a breast, she sighed. “But I will give you what you desire—I want you.”

“Good.” He was hard in all the right places, and hot in others, his scent wrapped about her to drive her to insanity, and still they traded kisses as if it were the beginning of their relationship. She explored until wicked sensation surged through her body and awareness of him tightened her nipples into sensitive peaks, to say nothing of the pulses of need awakening in her core. Would that she would always feel this way around her husband. “Because I want you to, will probably never stop wanting you.” When Gabriel rubbed the pad of his thumb over that aching tip, and she moaned her encouragement. In fact, she couldn’t wait to have his naked body entwined with hers, for he was an adventurous and attentive lover. As her heartbeat accelerated, she opened her mouth, inviting him to take the kiss deeper because she wanted that connection, to feel his passion, know that in this second, he would never stop loving her.

“That is how it should be.” He darted with his tongue, fencing with hers, the thrust and parry as old as time itself. And with each pass, the edges of her sanity frayed, and her body clamored for more. The insistent, rigid bulge of his length pressed against her thigh sent another layer of need to their embrace.

“Bright.” Soon, she would be lost, and they should relocate before that happened. Yes, they had probably already scandalized the staff far too many times over the past year, but Henry needn’t be part of that list. “Gabriel,” she said with more authority in her voice.

“What?” Already he had put a hand beneath her skirting.

“Let us go upstairs before we are too far gone. It won’t do for your son to come down and catch us in varying degrees of undress… or naked.” She anchored a palm to his chest and pushed until the embrace broke. He stared at her, his chest heaving, while she worked to catch her own breath. “I would rather not embarrass him in that way. Also, you promised to tell Cassandra goodnight.” It was something he’d done every night since they’d adopted the girl, and every time, it worked to melt Mary’s heart.

“I did, and I’m a man of my word.” But the look he gave her held enough heated, wicked promise that she couldn’t help but gasp. “I will meet you in our bedchamber in half an hour,” his voice dropped, “and there won’t be further interruptions.”

“Agreed.” A delicious shiver went down her spine as he removed himself from the sofa then assisted her into a standing position. “You are nothing if not a gentleman, Bright.”

And she trusted him absolutely.