Chapter Eleven

F lora stood before the mirror, staring at how the dress had transformed her into a lady. She had worn nothing so delicate in her life. Even her wedding dress had not been sewn with such elegant handiwork. She marveled at the tiny beads decorated in an elaborate design on the dress’s skirt.

She smoothed a palm across her stomach, not only to luxuriate in the silky material but to calm the butterflies fluttering to life. Flora didn’t believe she had been that nervous on her wedding day. She didn’t understand the difference and refused to dwell on the reason. She only wanted to enjoy the experience Lennox had planned.

An evening for a husband to spoil his wife.

“You are beautiful, my lady,” Jean whispered in awe.

A blush washed across Flora’s cheeks. “Only because of your amazing skills.”

“Nay. Ye did not need them to shine. Yer beauty and kind heart are what makes ye so special,” the maid complimented before leaving Flora alone with her thoughts.

She feathered her fingers across the pearl clips that held her hair back in an elaborate style different from her usual bun. The hair decoration was another token her husband had gifted her with that evening. Once he left, Jean rushed back into her bedchamber with a determination that left Flora at her mercy. It would appear her husband left Jean with a list of demands the maid only wished to fulfill for his approval.

Flora grew nostalgic for home from the scent of heather in her relaxing bath. However, Jean didn’t give her time to ponder her doubts about remaining away. The maid pampered Flora’s body with a soft cream and styled her hair before helping her to dress.

Lennox had not only gifted her with a new dress and hair clips but also silk leggings and slippers to match her dress.

Flora brushed her hand across her bare chest. It felt empty without the necklace she had worn every day since she left Scotland. But to do so would show Lennox that she wasn’t as indifferent to their marriage as she pretended to be. Because resting on the necklace was her wedding ring. It lay nestled between her breasts every day as a reminder of the heartache she endured but also as hope that it was a sad dream she would awake from. She had discarded the jewelry before Jean helped her undress for her bath and hid it away in the stand next to her bed. She would draw it back on after the evening ended.

With one last glance in the mirror, Flora descended the stairs. Lennox stood near the bottom of the staircase with a box in his hand. Her breath caught at how handsome he was in his attire. The color of his cravat and vest matched the emerald green of her gown. His suit coat and trousers were a deep black that only accented the red highlights in his hair. The material stretched taut against his firm stature and only emphasized his sheer masculinity.

Flora almost felt dowdy next to him, if it weren’t for the admiration shining from his gaze. His stare alone gave her the joy that she was the most desirable woman and he only held eyes for her. When he held out his hand to help her down the last few steps, Flora’s heart stopped, only to restart again in a fluttering rhythm that stole her breath away.

“Ye are a bonnie lass.” Lennox’s gravely tone only intensified her desire.

When a simple evening out with her husband turned her into a quivering mess with unrepressed need, she held no clue. Her thoughts turned wanton from his touch alone. The tone of his voice when he complimented her left Flora wanting to throw herself into his arms and beg for him to love her. How she would endure the evening as a proper lady confounded her. When had everything shifted between them? She was no longer content with a loveless marriage.

Lennox released Flora after she stood next to him. “Not that you do not look lovely every day.”

Flora’s lips lifted in a shy smile. “Your compliment is most gracious.”

Lennox frowned at his bumbling attempts to show Flora how desirable he found her. He acted like a schoolboy talking to his first crush instead of the assured gentleman he had become. Also, why did the lass only believe he paid her a compliment? Did she not realize the capacity of the stunning beauty she truly was?

Lennox brushed a lock of hair behind her shoulder. “’Tis not a compliment but an opinion I hold true in my heart.”

Lennox’s bold declaration, along with the brush of his knuckles against her collarbone, destroyed Flora’s remaining resolve to keep him at a distance. How could she not believe him when he dominated her senses with such brazen behavior?

“Thank you,” Flora whispered.

Lennox rubbed his finger across his lips. “Although it appears as if you are missing an accessory to complete your ensemble.”

Flora glanced down at her dress and patted her hair to assure herself the clips kept her hair in place. “I do not believe so, my lord.”

Lennox smiled at her reference. “Believe me, you are missing a vital piece.”

Flora frowned. “And that would be?”

Lennox flipped open the box he held, and a set of the most magnificent pearls gleamed back at Flora. The design matched the hair clips. Flora gasped and held her hand against her chest. She couldn’t imagine wearing something so valuable.

She reached out to caress the smooth gems. “I cannot.”

“Nonsense.” Lennox lifted the pearls to drape them around Flora’s neck. “They do not hold the same beauty as you, but they are a pleasant enhancement.”

Flora shivered, not from the coolness of the pearls but from how Lennox affected her. His attention had her trembling with anticipation of how their evening might proceed. No one had ever made her feel as special as Lennox did at that moment.

Lennox led Flora to the mirror in the foyer for her to see that the pearls were but an accessory. It was she who gave the jewelry the ability to glisten. His fingers caressed the orbs and followed their path to where they were cushioned between her breasts. He had chosen the gown because of how it would mold around Flora’s curves and show him glimpses of her hidden delights. Lennox was a decadent soul who hungered for his wife with a need so profound that he grew impatient. He indulged himself by gifting his wife presents that would benefit his desires.

He abandoned the pearls to caress the swell of her breasts peeking from the bodice of her gown. Her soft sigh did not go unnoticed, nor did the pink hue spreading across her chest. The blush only added to the glory of the jewels against her smooth skin. He closed his eyes as he fought to keep his passion under control. He wanted nothing more than to sweep Flora into his arms and carry her to his bed. Even more so because he sensed she no longer held her resistance with such a firm grip. If he swept her into his embrace, would she agree to join him, or would she continue to resist him?

A throat cleared from behind them, not allowing him to discover if Flora would grant him his wish. Flora stepped to the side, breaking the spell that pulled them under. He turned to find Murray quirking his eyebrow at Lennox’s bold advances. The damn servant was a nuisance, always interrupting him at the most inappropriate times. It left Lennox wondering why he confided in the man to help him win Flora’s heart, especially when the very devil sabotaged his attempts.

“Your carriage awaits, my lord,” Murray informed Lennox in a haughty tone.

Lennox moved to the footman standing next to Murray and gathered the new frock he had purchased for Flora before returning to her side. “If you would allow me to assist you.”

Flora slid her arms through the cloak Lennox held out. Her husband had left no detail undone. The frock wrapped her in a cocoon of warmth and softness. It wasn’t as if she had never worn costly garments before. After all, her parents in their own right were wealthy and spoiled their only daughter with a splendid wardrobe. However, she had abandoned the clothes to wear her brother’s old trousers and cotton shirts to run in wild abandonment across their fields in the Highlands. She had taken very little of her belongings when she fled to London. Flora had kept with plain matronly dresses a governess would wear so as not to draw any untoward notice.

Her husband’s act of spoiling her senseless that evening warmed her heart. When he played lady’s maid and buttoned her frock, she offered him a sweet smile. He beamed back at her when she didn’t object to his offerings and held out his arm to escort her to the carriage.

Flora was no longer a na?ve maiden oblivious to a suitor’s seduction. She was well aware that the evening her husband planned was an attempt to lure her to his bed. It was a destination she would agree to if the evening proceeded with the same intensity it had since he invited her to the theatre. It wasn’t because of the material offerings he gifted her with but how he found pleasure in spoiling her. Flora considered them Lennox’s way of taking care of her and giving her the happiness he believed she deserved.

The carriage ride and settling in their seats at the theatre was a quiet affair, with words spoken only out of necessity. It wasn’t until the play began that Flora realized the depth of her love for Lennox had never diminished. She had only suppressed it to deal with her heartache. Now confronted with how deeply he affected her, she opened her heart to the forgiveness of healing.

The loneliness of the past two days showed her she wanted to share every aspect of their lives. To lean on him when fear consumed her. To trust him to protect her. To love him with all her heart. In return, she wanted to shoulder his burdens alongside him. She wanted to show her devotion to his causes. And she wanted him to love her with the same passion she did him.

Did Lennox wish for the same?