arms tightened.
‘How could I not, when I knew you were waiting for me?’ He put his fingers beneath her chin and tilted her face up towards him again. ‘I dreamed of this moment every night.’ He kissed her again, gently this time, his lips a soft caress. ‘I cannot tell you how much I have missed you.’
‘Let us go and sit down, I want to know everything.’
‘Later,’ he said, laughing. ‘I am far too dirty to sully my father’s furniture. Let us join the others in the garden.’ He looked up at the silent figure standing by the open windows. ‘My lord, will you come, too?’
‘Thank you, no. I shall find Colne and tell him to delay dinner by at least an hour.’ He held out his hand. ‘I am glad to have you back, my son.’
‘Thank you, Father. I am pleased to be here.’ He clasped the proffered hand for a long moment, holding his father’s eyes until the viscount gave a little nod and walked away.
* * *
Gideon kept his arm about Dominique as he led her out into the garden. Jerome and Mrs Rainault were some distance away, strolling through the roses, arms linked and their heads close together.
‘They have a great deal to catch up on,’ murmured Dominique, following his glance.
‘As have we.’
Dominique held him even tighter.
‘We read such terrifying reports—was it very dangerous?’
‘A little, of course, but we had many people to help us, including some of the Duc du Chailly’s family and friends.’ He was silent for a moment and Dominique waited patiently for him to speak again. ‘There are many good people in France, Dominique. I was wrong to harbour such hatred for so many years.’
She waved one hand at him.
‘That is all in the past, my love. And I haven’t yet thanked you, for thwarting Max’s plans to take my father’s fortune for his own.’ She flushed and added quietly, ‘Perhaps I should thank Mrs Bennet, too.’
‘Yes, only I doubt you could find her. But I owe her quite a debt, too.’
‘Oh?’ Dominique stiffened as jealousy pricked her.
Gideon’s arm tightened and she glanced up. He was smiling, his eyes boring into her, as if he could read her very thoughts.
He said, ‘If she had not agreed to Max’s plan in the first place I would never have married you and would never have known how happy a man could be.’
‘Oh,’ she said again, her jealousy melting away to be replaced by a tingling excitement deep in her core.
He leaned closer.
‘You must come upstairs with me now. I cannot wait until tonight to make love to you.’
She blushed.
‘I would like that, but what about Maman and Papa?’
‘They will not miss us, and if they do, they will understand.’
Gently but firmly he led her back into the house. It was all they could do not to run through the rooms and up the stairs to his bedchamber, but as soon as they were inside all restraint disappeared. They came together eagerly, exchanging hot kisses even as they undressed one another, tearing off the layers until they could lie upon the bed together, skin against skin.
Dominique revelled in the kisses Gideon showered upon her body and she returned them with equal fervour. She cupped his proud erection in her hands, worshipped it with her mouth even as he gently parted her thighs to bestow upon her that most intimate of kisses. The sensations he aroused with his tongue and his mouth soon had her falling back upon the bed, surrendering to the delicious torment. She moaned softly, shivering as wave after wave of excitement rippled through her. His tongue played her, circling and lapping at her core. Her body arched as she felt the climax approaching. She was almost out of control, aching with pleasure, wanting him to stop and at the same time wanting him to carry her onwards.
She reached for him, her fingers clutching at the solid muscle of his shoulders as he slid his body over hers, claiming her mouth for a deep, penetrating kiss even as he thrust into her. Her body tightened about him and she cried out with the sheer joy of it. He moved carefully, stroking her, taking her with him to that final shuddering, shattering climax, a blinding explosion of thought and feeling as the world splintered and disintegrated, leaving them shocked, sated and exhausted.
Gideon wrapped himself around her and pulled her close.
‘My wife.’ His breath was warm on her ear as he murmured the words. ‘My own.’
She twisted in his arms so that she could hold him.
‘And I am no longer penniless,’ she told him, gently pressing kisses on his eyes, his cheeks and down the length of his lean jaw. ‘I have a dowry now, thanks to you.’
‘So you have. I had forgotten.’
She stopped kissing him and he opened his eyes to find her regarding him solemnly.
‘Does it not matter to you? Do you not want to use it? We could improve Chalcots, perhaps buy another property—’
He put his hand on her lips.
‘Let us settle it upon our children. I feel sure there are more on the way. Besides,’ he added, drawing her back into his arms, ‘with you for my wife I am rich beyond my wildest dreams.’
* * * * *
Blythe Gifford
You are cordially invited to Blythe Gifford’s
ROYAL WEDDINGS
A hint of scandal this way comes!
Anne of Stamford and Lady Cecily serve two of the highest ladies in the land. And with their close proximity to the royal family they are privy to some of the greatest scandals the royal court has ever known!
As Anne and Cecily’s worlds threaten to come crashing down two men enter their lives—dashing, gorgeous, and bringing with them more danger than ever before. Suddenly these two strong women must face a new challenge: resisting the power of seduction!
Royal wedding! Even the words sound magical.
Unlike Cinderella, however, most royal brides enter marriage as an alliance of state, not of the heart. There are exceptions, and two of the most intriguing were those of the children of Edward III, the fourteenth-century
