Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

I n a lukewarm tub, Alex sat close to the window, watching Emily on the streets of Brighton below. She had her maid by her side, examining something in a shop window together. They seemed to be discussing a thing of no importance, but Emily turned and gave her a dazzling smile, then threw her head back in laughter. He didn't know how it was possible that he would be so impacted even at a distance, but the sight of his wife, and to see her with such an expression of happiness, it sent his heart racing, his stomach jumbling with emotions he couldn't quite name. He leaned his head back against the copper basin and sighed.

He wanted her. There was no denying it further. Alex wanted his wife.

It was certainly a unique predicament to be in, for he did not know how to proceed. They had started at such a disadvantage but that did not mean they were doomed to fail. They simply had to find the right path. And he needed to know if she would be willing to travel it with him.

He could have discovered that answer too, were it not for that damned wave .

The moment had been poignant and beautiful, with the potential for so much more. Emily's kiss could have been the start to everything that would bring them together.

But it wasn't just her kiss that he wanted. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to not regret marrying him. He wanted her to trust him with every piece of her heart.

Perhaps they just needed more time. But oh, how the patience might kill him.

Having missed her jaunt back to the inn during his ruminations, the door to their room opened and she appeared. Alex stilled, waiting for her response as she untied her bonnet with her back to him.

"Did you have a successful shopping trip in town?" he asked lightly.

"I did. In fact…" She removed her bonnet and turned, then Alex watched in delight as horror spread across her face.

"Alex!" she cried, whirling around again and covering her face with her bonnet. "What the devil are you doing?"

Unable to contain his chuckle, Alex tried to say, "I did mention I would ask the innkeeper about a bath in your absence."

Emily huffed in frustration. "Yes, well, I didn't imagine you would take your time in doing so."

Alex pressed his lips together, tickling his fingertips across the water. "This is not so out of the ordinary. I am your husband, after all."

She shook her head, still hiding her face. "Our relationship is not the ordinary kind, and you know this. Please make yourself decent."

He knew she had not intended the words as a jab, but he felt it just the same. With a sigh, he stood and let the water drip back into the tub before drying off with a towel and wrapping himself in his bathrobe. "Very well. I am covered."

Emily dared a glance over the rim of her bonnet as he took a seat on his bed, using a towel to dry his hair. Once she deemed the view safe, she sat herself at the dressing table and started removing her hairpins.

"Now will you tell me about your shopping trip?" he dared to ask.

"You will pay for that trick first," she said, obviously fighting off a smirk.

A knock sounded at the door, and Emily stood to answer it. A broad man stood in the doorway and said, "A letter has arrived for you, mum."

"Thank you, Mr. Fox."

The visitor was easily visible over Emily's shoulder, giving a nod to Alex. "Good to see you up and about, sir."

"Thank you, indeed." The man's name struck Alex's memory of the night they arrived in Brighton, blurred images of a man carrying him up the stairs. When Emily closed the door, he asked, "Who is that man?"

"The innkeeper." Emily took the letter and returned to her mirror. "Your Mr. Miller died, and Mr. Fox took over the inn."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about my Mr. Miller?"

"The man who ran the inn when you were a boy? Nielsen told me while you were on your deathbed in the country. He explained that you had sent word looking for a place to stay for the both of us." She placed the letter on her table and looked up at him solemnly. "You should have told me."

Alex's heart did a double take, thinking that perhaps she was right. "But would you have listened?"

She paused before moving to pull more pins, letting the golden hair fall across her back. "You are right, I suppose. At the time I would not have listened at all. I was so determined to have my way, to find a way to end things."

Her forthright confession left Alex on the edge of his seat. "And now?"

Emily froze, her hands hovering above her head. Her shoulders rose and fell in two breaths before she responded. "And now, I'm wondering if we should return back to London. You seem much recovered, so you should not be endangered on the trip."

Alex let her avoid answering the question, but only for now. "Are you already tired of the seaside?"

"Oh, not at all! I have enjoyed it immensely." She paused, biting her lip and drawing his attention down, as that motion always did. "But I have been gone from the duke and duchess for some time, perhaps longer than ever before."

Alex nodded, moving toward the table where she sat. "That is understandable. Do you not wish to return to your horse?"

"I shall miss Morgana, but we cannot in good conscience return to Markham Estate so soon, knowing it might jeopardize your health." She shrugged. "Perhaps leaving her at Wynnwood Park is the best option for now, and we can arrange a visit some other time."

One of her curls had strayed from its remaining pins, and Alex reached up to tuck it back behind her ear. "Very well. As you wish."

Alex felt utterly satisfied when she shivered under his briefest touch, a struggled sigh escaping her lips. But then she closed her mouth and lifted her chin. "Will it always be as I wish?"

He shrugged. "If you wish."

They both chuckled then, and Alex wanted to reach up again to caress her lips, to touch that smile, but he thought better of it, and instead moved behind the changing screen to dress. "Who is the letter from?"

"Oh yes, I'd nearly forgotten." The sound of paper ripping left Alex in anticipation. "I had written to your mother when we first arrived in Brighton, not sure I had made the right decision. I had wanted her counsel on what to do next. Do you think she will censure me?"

"Of course not." Alex shook his head. "She adored you from the moment she met you, perhaps more than she loves her own son. And as you can see, I'm already recovered, so she'll be singing your praises, to be sure."

Alex listened in silence, hurrying with his dress shirt and breeches, anxious to know the contents of the letter. Finally presentable, he stepped out into her sight again. "And?"

Emily nodded. "It's as you said. She applauded my quick thinking, and praised God for a daughter-in-law who would act to save her son."

"Precisely."

Emily stood to her feet. "Though we might have to postpone our return to London, as she's requested that we come to Bath once you've improved.

"Is that so? It would not be a terrible idea. That way you could meet my sisters."

Emily dropped the letter to her side with a creased brow. "And London is not along the way."

"We don't have to go," he responded with a shrug.

"No, it is better that we do. I'm sure she is anxious to see her son after such an illness." She straightened her shoulders. "And I have wanted to meet your sisters. It will be a worthwhile visit."

Alex stepped forward, brushing a finger down the length of her jaw. "Then you don't mind being stuck with me until then?"

Her lips parted in an unsteady breath. "Not completely," she teased in return.

He liked knowing he had this power over her, that she wasn't completely unaffected by him. Alex only hoped she knew the same for him, that he would do anything she asked.

"I'll tell Mr. Fox that we'll make ready to leave," she said, taking a step toward the door.

"And I'll have the maid and valet ready our things for departure."

She nodded, disappearing out the door, and leaving Alex longing for her company.