Chapter 19

It was a crisp February day when Emily left for St. George’s, but at least the sun was shining. The golden light reflected off the thin sheen of frost that covered the pavement and clung to the fences, producing a shimmery fairy-tale sparkle.

Seated beside her father, with a hot brick at her feet, Emily appreciated the light blue wool frock dress she’d ordered for the occasion. Fashioned from worsted wool and trimmed with white fur, it offered more warmth than she would have found had she chosen to dress in silk.

It had been her mother’s idea and while Emily had been opposed to begin with, she’d changed her mind when Callum had seen the sketch and voiced his approval. With her stomach tight on account of the nerves that had made her feel slightly ill since last night, Emily fidgeted with the ring Callum had given her.

“Take a deep breath,” Papa said, his voice conveying a touch of amusement. “I can feel the tension wafting off you.”

She did as he suggested, then sighed. “I’m sorry, but it cannot be helped. My life is about to change in front of a whole crowd of people.”

“If you’ve changed your mind about marrying him, we can—”

“Of course not. I love him, Papa. Becoming his wife is all I’ve been able to think of these past few weeks.”

“Then focus on that.” Papa took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Focus on the man who’s waiting for you at the end of the aisle and know he will most certainly be just as nervous as you. If not more so.”

Emily followed her father’s advice some ten minutes later, her attention fixed solely on Callum. Dressed in a navy-blue frock coat, cream-colored trousers, and a light blue waistcoat embroidered with silver thread, he looked unbelievably dashing. He also appeared extremely impatient and slightly anxious, just as Papa had suggested he would.

His sigh, when she reached him, seemed to confirm this, as did the hitch to his voice when he whispered, “I truly am the luckiest man in the world.”

Blinking back tears of emotion, Emily croaked out, “I’m lucky too,” while accepting the arm he offered. Together, they stepped up to the altar and faced the priest.

What followed felt like an endless series of prayers and hymns. Emily’s mind wandered more than once. She wondered how their wedding night might proceed. What should she wear? Her trousseau consisted of three appropriate items, but which one would Callum prefer? She chastised herself for considering such things while standing in church and dragged her attention back to the priest and what he was saying.

“…so long as you both shall live?”

“Yes,” Emily nearly shouted when she realized she was the one being addressed.

A soft chuckle beside her suggested that Callum had realized what must have occurred.

“I found it hard to concentrate too,” he told her later as they rode toward Rosemont House. The wedding breakfast would be held there, after which Emily and Callum would continue onward to Stratton House. Peter, it had been decided, would remain with Emily’s parents overnight, allowing the newlyweds time for themselves.

“Is it just me or did it feel as though that particular service took longer than usual?”

“It’s not just you,” he said with a grin right before leaning in to press a hot kiss to her cheek. “As far as I was concerned, it could not end soon enough. Neither can this wedding breakfast, by the way. I find it to be a ghastly tradition.”

Emily smiled even as her cheeks flushed in response to him setting his hand on her thigh. “I think we’d both regret not celebrating with our family and friends.”

“We could easily do so tomorrow.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Would you like to suggest that to our parents?” She’d met his mother a couple of months earlier, and although the lady was slightly peculiar, it was clear that she loved her son enormously. The wedding had become something of a hobby for her. She’d helped Emily’s mother plan the menu and order floral arrangements.

Callum choked. “I’d rather not.”

“Don’t look at me,” Emily told him when his expression turned pleading.

“Fine,” Callum muttered. He knit his brow, then promptly opened the window and leaned out so he could call to the driver. “Take us on a ten-minute detour.”

“What are you doing?” Emily chuckled while pulling him back inside the carriage.

“Giving us something to help tide us over.” He reached for her, his arm winding around her waist as he pulled her into his lap. “There. Much better.”

Emily laughed. “I wasn’t aware you were such a scoundrel.”

His eyes darkened. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

She gasped when his hand crept under her skirts. Holding her gaze, he allowed his fingers to toy with her ankle for a brief moment before sliding them slightly higher.

Emily clutched at his shoulders.

“You’re my wife now, Emily. I no longer need to stop.”

Heat engulfed her as understanding dawned. His mouth met hers and he kissed her with ravenous hunger, turning her body into an inferno of need.

True to his word, her husband continued showing her what she had to look forward to later. And when she eventually sagged against him with euphoric bliss, he whispered a promise right next to her ear. “There’s so much more to come, I can scarcely wait to show you.”

* * *

Standing by the sideboard in his parlor, Callum poured two glasses of port. The wedding breakfast had not been as tedious as he had feared. In fact, he’d rather enjoyed it, though he reckoned his indiscretion with Emily in the carriage had much to do with that. Watching her come apart in his arms had appeased him a little. For weeks, he’d wondered what that would be like, and now he knew. It was glorious.

He crossed to where she sat. Although her eyes were bright with happiness and expectation, she looked like someone attempting to feign confidence when they were truly quite anxious. The port would help. He handed it to her and clinked his glass against hers before taking a seat on the sofa beside her.

“To our future happiness,” he murmured.

She echoed the toast and sipped her drink. “Your house is lovely, by the way. Did I mention that yet?”

“You did.” He’d given her a tour of the downstairs, but had yet to show her the bedchambers.

“I look forward to exploring the library more and to playing the pianoforte. A house is most homely when filled with music, don’t you think?”

“It is,” he agreed while observing her stiff posture, the high color in her cheeks, and the way her fingers were clutching the glass. She took another sip of her drink.

What Callum truly wanted to do was get her upstairs and out of her clothes, but she still didn’t look quite ready for that. If he suggested it, he worried she’d just get more nervous. He pondered their situation. They were both on the sofa. The servants had been sent away. No one was going to walk in on them.

He downed the remainder of his drink and set his glass aside. “Do you like this particular port or do you prefer a sweeter variety?”

“Oh, this one is very good.” She drank some more and licked her lips. “It has a wonderfully soothing effect as well. I rather like it.”

“I was thinking we might go skating tomorrow,” Callum suggested while lazily placing his arm across the back of the sofa so he could stroke his thumb over the back of her neck. “You do skate, do you not?”

“Of course I do,” Emily said. She expelled an almost imperceptible sigh while leaning back into his subtle caress. “I enjoy it tremendously.”

“Excellent.” He shifted a little bit closer and placed one hand on her thigh, just as he’d done in the carriage. The fingers brushing the nape of her neck slid sideways to toy with a bit of fur trim at her shoulder before dipping underneath the edge of her gown to brush hidden skin. “We’ll have tea and cake at Gunther’s after. Would that be to your liking?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice breathy. “Very much so.”

Although she was starting to melt in response to his touch, there was still some tension there. She wasn’t yet fully relaxed, or at least not as much as he wished. Leaning in, he kissed the edge of her jaw while drawing slow circles against her thigh with his thumb.

Her arm came around him, bringing him closer. The scratch of her nails against his scalp as her nails raked his hair, threatened to set him on fire. He curled his fingers around her inner thigh and smiled with smug satisfaction when she repositioned herself to grant him more access.

Distraction had helped her abandon her inhibitions, turning her into the wanton he’d first glimpsed at Seaton Hall and later today, in the carriage. He loved her that way – wild and free and ready to get up to all sorts of mischief.

Kissing her deeply, he gave her what she desired, bringing her right to the edge of the cliff before pulling her back.

“Callum,” she muttered in utter frustration. “You can’t just…”

Rather than answer, he kissed his way down her throat while undoing the fastenings on her gown. The decolletage dipped to reveal the perfect swell of her breasts and Callum’s pulse spiked. Crushing her mouth with his, he took her on a sensual journey that saw his jacket and waistcoat removed, his shirt untucked, her bodice pulled down to her waist, and her skirts pushed up to her knees.

Her questing fingers dipped into his waistband while he worked on ridding her of her stay.

“You’re so bloody gorgeous,” he whispered as soon as the item had been removed. Hovering over her while she leaned back, he gazed into her yearning eyes. The hunger he saw there matched his own. “We probably ought to retreat upstairs.”

“Must we?”

Callum’s heart raced. “You don’t mind doing it here?”

“We’re alone, are we not, with no risk of discovery?”

“Yes.” His muscles flexed with desire.

“A rare occasion, I suspect.” Those eager fingers of hers found their way to his placket. “Besides, I’m not sure I have the patience required to wait until—”

Callum’s mouth was upon hers again. Hell, she didn’t need to convince him that they were in the perfect place for their coupling. He’d only wanted her to be more comfortable, but if she liked this, if she enjoyed having him on the sofa, then who was he to complain?

Instead, he pushed her skirts up even farther, undid his placket, and found the place where he’d always belonged.

Ensuring she received the caresses she needed, he brought her back to the edge of the cliff with stunning swiftness.

Gasping, she clutched at his shoulders while his every movement grew more erratic. Blood pounded through him. His stomach tightened. Hot little shivers raced down his spine, propelling him forward until he finally found the pleasure he sought in her arms.

A guttural moan assured him she accompanied him off the cliff, flying beside him while stars burst around them.

The experience was, he later reflected, the most incredible and unifying one of his life. It bound him to Emily in a way nothing else could, aligning their bodies and minds, and making them one.

“I love you,” he told her as soon as he’d caught his breath. Having moved slightly sideways, he supported most of his weight on his forearm so he wouldn’t crush her.

Her fingers trailed up and down the length of his spine. “I love you too, Callum. Enormously much.”

Sensing there was something else she wanted to say, he lifted his head and noted that her expression had grown a bit pensive. “What is it?”

She instantly blushed and gave him a hesitant look. “I was merely thinking of that thing you mentioned at Seaton Hall. Do you suppose we might try it tonight?”

He had no trouble recalling what she referred to. To his dismay, the suggestive idea immediately had him ready for additional bed sport. “That and lots of other things. First, however, I think we should both divest of the rest of our clothes. I for one, am rather eager to see you completely naked.”

“I’m eager to see you as well,” she confessed, the softness in her voice suggesting a hint of shyness that hadn’t been there a second ago. It was returning now that their moment of wild abandon had passed.

In time, Callum hoped it would disappear fully. For now, he understood that the simplest way to beat it was through the art of seduction. And since they had an entire night, he intended to take his time.

With this in mind, he gathered his wife in his arms and stood. “I think it’s time for you to become acquainted with our bedchamber.”

“And for me to do that thing I promised.”

He growled as he remembered what she referred to. He’d dreamed of it every night since. So, he hastened his step and climbed the stairs, happy and content in the knowledge that he had found the perfect partner in the most unlikely candidate he’d have imagined. And he intended to guard her and keep her until his dying breath.