Chapter Six

A s they entered the master suite, Douglas was furious. He'd wanted distance between them. He'd wanted to ensure that he was as far from temptation as possible. Yes, their marriage would have been consummated regardless, but they were practically strangers. It had never been his intent to pounce on her the very day of their wedding without the benefit of knowing one another better. But Terrence's arrival had changed everything in an instant. Louisa would no longer be in her chamber down the hall until she was comfortable, but moved into the master suite with him until such time as Terrence left. And given what he'd said about not being able to return to London, that would not be for some time.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I hadn't intended that we should share these chambers... yet."

"I'm aware. I'm also very aware of why the plans must change. Your cousin is not to be trusted."

He laughed bitterly. "You have no idea just how true that is. He is dangerous, Louisa. Whatever you do, do not let yourself be caught alone with him."

She laughed, the musical sound slightly tinged with bitterness. "You do not know the full extent of my upbringing, sir."

"Douglas. We are married. Addressing me so formally might raise questions that we do not want to answer."

She nodded. "Douglas. You are quite right. But to allay your fears, I spent the earliest years of my life in St. Giles. My mother and I shared a room with another woman, her husband, and their two children. It was relatively warm and dry, but far from safe. I know only too well when a man has nefarious intentions. You develop a sense for those things after a while."

Douglas couldn't fathom that the delicately pretty creature before him, with her soft features and ivory skin, had not just come from such a place but managed to survive it by her wits. The realities of life in the rookeries—squalid, impoverished, crime- and disease-ridden—were beyond harsh.

"I am sorry you had to go through that," he offered, uncertain what else to say.

Her lips quirked. "I am not. Everything that I have experienced in life has shaped me into the person I am today. I am rather happy with who I am. Would you alter the course of your past if it meant being someone different from who you are today?"

"I do not know, truthfully. Regardless, we need to discuss our current situation and how it has altered the way we might deal with one another."

"You wish for me to stay here in the master suite with you," she surmised. "There are two bedchambers?"

"There are," he said. "But I do not think that will be sufficient for our plan to work. The servants here have no loyalty to me. I have been away for many, many years. Most of them had never laid eyes upon me until this past year when my uncle died. But Terrence grew up here and lived here off and on for the decade I was with the army. He has their fealty."

He saw her uncertainty. Her expression shifted almost imperceptibly before she once more schooled it into impassivity. "Then we are to share a bed chamber?"

"Yes. Until he leaves, which may not be for some time. Months, perhaps," he admitted. "I had thought that we might take our time and get to know one another a bit before we embarked on the more intimate part of our marriage—to give you some distance and privacy as we adjust to this new state."

"To be perfectly clear, the distance and privacy were entirely your idea. Not mine. I understood when I agreed to the marriage what I was committing myself to."

It was as if all the air had been sucked from the room. God above! The more he discovered about her, the more fascinating he found her.

She cocked her head to one side, staring at him curiously. "How well must we know one another for it to be enough?"

*

He'd stepped closer to her with each word, until they stood toe to toe. Staring up into his dark gaze, Louisa felt herself swaying toward him. She'd never been kissed. But growing up as she did, she certainly knew more about it than many young ladies did. And all the nonsense from Alexandra's gothic novels made it sound positively divine. "How well do you normally know the women you take to your bed?"

The moment the question escaped her lips, she wished she could call it back. It was terribly provocative. And bold. So very, very bold.

His lips curved in a smirk. "There is no way to answer that question that does not cast me in a negative light. I think it's best, always, to let the woman in question decide what is well enough. But perhaps there is a small experiment we might try."

"Oh? And what is that?" she asked. Was that truly her? There was no denying the flirtatious challenge in her voice, but where in heaven's name had it come from?

"A kiss, Louisa. Only a kiss."

Before she could think of some appropriate response, he'd simply swooped in. His lips covered hers, moving over them in a way that was mesmerizing. For all his seeming indifference to her initially, that kiss was a revelation. It was gentle but insistent. Generous and also demanding. It was not at all what she had thought. She'd certainly seen others kissing and so much more. But she'd never experienced it. She'd never known that it would sweep her away into a haze of pleasure.

When his arms closed about her, pulling her against him, her lips parted in surprise. He swiftly took advantage and deepened the kiss. And Louisa was simply lost to it. All thought fled and she clung to him, ready for whatever might come next.