EPISODE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN THE CAMPAIGN

EPISODE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN

THE CAMPAIGN

T he tightness in Daisy s chest unfurled a little, but she was still terrified. I can t make a rash mistake, she found herself saying. What if you decide you no longer like me, the way you did before?

When?

When what?

When did I stop liking you? I have always liked you.

Not true. You thought I was a pain in the arse, Daisy told him. Then you did like me, a bit. You thought I was funny, at least. After the proposal that my mother didn t tell me about, you looked at me with disdain. And disinterest. She swallowed. I couldn t get you to laugh at all.

Your mother told me that I couldn t marry you, and that I was a disgusting old man like your father.

What ?

Also that I should consider you only in an avuncular manner.

Anger surged to replace desire. She had no right!

Avuncular regard wasn t a bad cover, he said musingly. I was so angry that I kept looking for you everywhere, making a point of dancing with you and talking to you, all so that I could prove to your mother how disinterested I was. How avuncular.

That s absurd!

He nodded. I was hurt. Oh, not by you, but by your mother s contempt.

Why didn t you propose to me ?

Because I thought I deserved her disparagement. His lips quirked into a wry smile. We share that feeling. Didn t you say that you deserved my disdain? But you felt ashamed for the weighty crime of trying to save your adorable little sister. I deserved your scorn-and your mother s-because I did consort with Russian dancers. I am older than you, though only by seven years and not twenty.

I don t care about that, Daisy said promptly.

Good, because I m a reformed man. Married. Faithful. Loyal to my dying day. In love with my wife.

The last words fell, heavy in the quiet room.

She opened her mouth, but he put a finger on her lips, a touch as soft as a snowflake. Like any man in love, I mean to court the woman of my heart. The steady light in his eyes made Daisy s anxiety ease.

She d never seen that expression on his face. In fact, she had the impression that no woman had seen it. All the same, fear rattled around in her gut. After all, in the past Miles had looked at her with passion and then the next evening with disinterest.

As far as courting goes, it would be difficult to return to my mother s house and wait for invitations to drive in Hyde Park, she pointed out.

We will take Belle to my country house, where I shall do my best to lure you into falling back in love with me. You shall sleep in your bedchamber and I in mine.

You re going to woo me? she asked shakily. Even though we re already married?

Not legally, he reminded her.

Do you mean with poetry? She eyed him dubiously. Flowers?

Miles realized with a jolt that he had never actually courted a woman and wasn t certain how to do it. Poetry might be a stretch, he confessed. Perhaps I could find some verse in the library in the country. There are hundreds of volumes, so surely a sonnet or two can be found amongst them.

Her eyes widened. Are there any novels?

I doubt it. The shelves are crammed full of books in Latin and Greek, thanks to scholarly ancestors.

Daisy s face fell. I only read novels written in English.

Miles made a mental note to subscribe to every publishing house that sold novels. The gardens are full of roses that I can toss at your feet.

I prefer violets, she said, a smile growing in her eyes. Roses are gaudy.

He nodded. What else could I give you? Jewelry?

She wrinkled her nose. I m not Lady Regina. She carries off diamonds with an air.

Miles had the idea that Regina draped herself with sparkling rocks in the hopes that men would overlook her sharp tongue. So far, it hadn t worked. A kitten? he asked, wracking his memory for appropriate gestures.

No! You needn t give me anything. Truly.

Likely her father s disinterest, even contempt, had sunk into his wife s bones, so she needed to be wooed with the truth, not with diamonds or flowers. Miles cupped her face, cataloguing her lush features, her wide eyes, her shimmering hair. You are beautiful, Daisy-but even more beautiful inside.

I have heard that Lord Devin is remarkably eloquent in the House of Lords, she said, dimpling at him. I am beginning to believe it.

You re insightful, adventuresome, and intelligent. You have integrity and kindness. The generosity in your heart puts me to shame. You never considered allowing Belle to go to an orphanage, did you?

She shook her head.

Why wouldn t all of the bachelors in London fall in love with you? I had to marry you overnight, in case I lost you to one of them. They saw a woman gentle to the bone, with whom they could share a life full of laughter and love. Who was delightfully sensual but deeply loyal. Who would love them. That s one thing I learned from my position in the House of Lords. Most men in the peerage are unloved. Not to blame their wives: the fellows I encountered were fairly unlovable.

Daisy looked astonished. You think all those things of me?

Obviously I need to prove it to you-so we ll share nothing more than kisses from now on. Until you beg me.

I shan t beg you! she said, turning pink.

An hour later, when Miles walked up the steps to his house, one hand held his daughter and the other his wife s hand.

Hobbs opened the door, stepping backward and bowing. My lady, welcome back!

Daisy smiled at him. Your comment about my husband s irascibility when exhausted was helpful, Hobbs. Thank you.

Miles looked down at his wife. I informed Hobbs that next time you run away, a footman should jump on the back of the hackney.

Daisy turned pink. Miles!

I m sure I ll do an impulsive, stupid thing or two in the next fifty years, he said, grinning at her. You ll need to straighten me out.

Hopefully not, Daisy said. She twinkled at Hobbs. In that event, I ll turn a blind eye to a man in livery following me out the door.

Just so, my lady, Hobbs said, not bothering to hide a grin.

I ll be the man following you, Miles growled, dropping a kiss on her lips even though the butler and two footmen were watching. He turned to Hobbs. Rather than spend the night in London, we shall leave for the country immediately. Our trunks have been sent ahead, haven t they?

Hobbs nodded. I m happy to say that I have engaged a respectable nanny, who comes with the highest references. Nanny Plum is already in residence and prepared to travel with the household.

Belle will travel in our carriage, Daisy said firmly.

The baby had slept the whole time they were in Frederick s house, making up for her sleepless night. Now she looked around at Hobbs, the footmen, Ada, and Miles. Boo, boo, boo!

That s a new sound! Daisy said, her eyes lighting up.

Boo, boo, Belle repeated, and then, thoughtfully, Moo.

Miles bent his head and kissed the baby soundly. Moo to you, sweetheart.

Eight hours later, as the Devin carriages trundled up the drive to his lordship s country estate, Belle was sleeping in Miles s arms, and Daisy was curled up at his side.

He ran a light finger down his wife s nose, vowing to himself that his life s goal would be to make her happy. Raw desire struck him so desperately, so ferociously that he swallowed hard and reminded himself that courtship was next. He wanted Daisy to know in her bones how much he loved her before they made love.

In the last years, he had lost over and over, as criminal cases he had prepared were dismissed by the House of Lords, voted down by men more interested in protecting the reputation of their peers than seeing justice done.

Wooing Daisy meant more to him than any of those cases.

He refused to lose this time, which meant he had to be patient.

They climbed from the carriage in the dark, the courtyard lit by flickering gas lanterns and stars far above. His wife tipped her head back, staring at his house. Its tall, narrow windows glowed with golden light, showing glimpses of elaborately plastered ceilings.

Welcome to Devin Manor, Miles said.

It s so large, she breathed.

King Henry VIII built the house as a residence for his eldest son, Henry, but the child only lived a few weeks. When His Majesty lost the house to my ancestor in a card game, it was said that the king purposefully threw his cards, as he wanted no reminders of Henry s death.

A royal abode, Daisy said. Goodness.

Miles handed Belle to Nanny Plum, picked up Daisy, and began to stride toward the door. A fitting place for my queen to live.

Miles! I told you that you mustn t pick me up like a bag of laundry!

Laundry? he paused, letting the hand on her bottom tighten. You don t feel like laundry to me. He dusted her lips with his. You feel like my delectable, utterly desirable wife.

You re the only man who ever called me that.

Perhaps not to your face, Miles growled. Believe me, your suitors thought it behind your back.

Daisy slung an arm around his neck. I think you re delectable too, she whispered. You don t mind that I can t keep my hair above my shoulders? That I don t take daily walks and eat nothing but rusks one day a week? That s what Lady Regina suggested.

I love your hair. I don t want you to become slimmer. Your curves are everything to me. I want you to be who you are.

He set her gently onto the entry s flagstones.

The Lady Devin, he said formally to his assembled household. He nodded toward Nanny Plum. And Miss Belle Devin. My daughter.