The Ugly Duckling Debutante(23)
Author: Rachel Van Dyken

What does one do with one’s wife when he knows she could at any time annul their marriage? At least he was needed, he told himself. Without him she would have no fortune, no money of her own. At least he could help her take care of her family and offer her enough funds to secure her finances. He hadn’t noticed how skinny and haggard she must have appeared at their first meeting. Although beautiful then, now she looked extraordinary. London had been good to her, which was odd; usually the country was good for Londoners.

Chapter Seventeen

His wife stifled a yawn and put her hand lazily into Nicholas’s as she disembarked the carriage. It felt as if they had done nothing all day except get in and out of the blasted thing; he was ready to be done. In fact, he was ready to lock her away in his house—actually, his bedroom sounded even better. He smiled tensely at his butler, who merely rolled his eyes. Nicholas really did need to find better help, or at least help which would try to conceal their always-condescending opinions. His butler had, in fact, been around for nearly all Nicholas’s life. Giles had to be close to eighty years old. He was more of a grandfather figure than Nicholas wanted to admit, so he easily saw through the young earl’s cool façade with a single glance. Nicholas raised an eyebrow back as a challenge; but his butler simply chuckled and walked away.

“Where is the rest of the staff?” Sara whispered next to him.

“I dismissed them early today. I wanted to serve you, not have you be served by those who serve me.” He hoped for her to get the point. Tonight wasn’t about him; it was about her.

She looked somewhat panicked, which he hoped had more to do with nerves and less to do with being alone with him. He gently led her up the staircase and into the chambers, though it was early in the afternoon. Her small hand trembled on his arm, and she probably assumed he wanted to take her right now. She was in for a great surprise if she believed that to be the case.

“In you go.” He opened the door to her chamber and smiled when he heard her gasp of approval.

“Is this mine?” she asked breathlessly. She paced around the room excitedly, gazing through the large window and picking up delicate flowers off the bed.

“It’s all yours. I wanted you to have a room of your own, where you felt special.” He was mentally patting himself on the back until he saw the glimmer of disappointment in her eyes. He panicked. “But, if you follow me you’ll see what else I have in store for you.”

He sounded like a bloody tour guide; he wanted to throw a drink in his own face for his obvious display of nerves.

“The rooms adjoin, so mine is just through here.” He led her into his masculine bed chamber. While her chamber was filled with beautiful earth tone colors which he hoped would remind her of the country, his chamber was arrayed in blues and blacks, enough to make any bachelor want to set up camp and never leave again.

She smiled. “It suits you.”

“I’m assuming you mean that as a compliment?” He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed.

She shrugged her shoulders, leaving him in more suspense than he would have liked to admit.

“Are you hungry, Sara?”

Sara bit her lip and avoided his eyes. “I’m embarrassed to say yes, but so many people were talking to me during the breakfast I hardly had time to eat anything at all.”

He had figured as much. Granted, Nicholas hadn’t eaten for entirely different reasons. He was so busy lusting after his wife, he actually paid no heed to anyone, which Lady Fenton had proudly pointed out. “I’ve packed us a picnic,” he said, taking her hand.

“Really?” She brightened up immediately. Heavens above, if that was all it took, he would pack a picnic every day.

“Really,” he confirmed, kissing her hand. “If you’ll just follow me, Lady Renwick, we’ll see if all is ready for us outside.”

“Outside?” she asked warily.

“Would you rather stay indoors?” He stopped in his tracks. Why was this woman, whom he had thought he knew, suddenly such a stranger?

“Um no, no. That’s quite fine. Let’s go outside.” She brushed past him, leaving him staring after her as if someone he didn’t recognize as being his wife. Marriage must do some odd things to women’s nerves.

Normally conversation flowed easily between the two of them, but now it was like pulling teeth. Was she that reserved? He thought she accepted him for what and who he was; now he wasn’t so sure. Why was it that once he was committed to someone, the doubt multiplied rather than diminished? Nicholas shook his head and led her outside to his lavish garden; remembering her love of wildflowers he took her to the field where a basket was already set up.

She ran to it, which was so incredibly like her that it made him chuckle. In seconds, her shoes were off and flying through the air. Her hair, once done in ornate fashion, was hanging all the way down to her shoulders. She looked like a magical fairy princess. And for some reason he didn’t feel like the savior in the story, but the one being saved. He was the black knight stealing the young innocent bride. He needed to restrain himself; he must restrain himself.

Reminding himself of the many reasons for restraint, the walk to meet up with Sara was slow and steady. It was difficult to wipe the silly grin off his face as he watched his personal fairy princess dance in the wildflowers. What would it feel like to be so free? Sitting on the blanket covering the long flowers, he sighed. The colors of white, pink, and purple made Sara’s dress look even more spectacular. He waited a few minutes until she joined him, breathless.

She pulled a flower out of her hair. “This is perfect.”

“I thought you might like it,” he said warmly. “Why don’t we have some lunch and take a nap? I know it’s been a long day for you already.”

Disappointment flashed in her eyes again, but she quickly turned away and lifted a loaf of bread from the basket. What had he done wrong? If she only knew how challenging it was for him just to stay on his side of the blanket. He would never understand women.

They broke the bread and dipped it in oil. “I was half-starved,” Sara murmured. She lay across the blanket seductively. The curve of h*ps glistened in the afternoon sun. Nicholas tried to speak, but the bread felt solid in his throat. He choked and reached for something to drink.

“Are you all right?” She sat up suddenly.

“Perfect,” he answered, voice raspy. “Something just caught in my throat.” His gaze burned into the inviting angle of her body. God was surely punishing him.

Chapter Eighteen

Sara could do nothing more except throw herself at her new husband. What more did he want? Weren’t they to be married like a real married couple? Did he no longer desire her in that way? She had been so excited about the carriage ride because he kissed her so passionately, now he seemed to be paying more attention to his wine than to her. If he didn’t slow down he would pass out on her before the sun even went down, unless that was his goal all along.

She took her hair down, knowing he loved to see it flow freely around her shoulders She had even done her best to lie across the blanket in a way that brought special attention to the curve of her body; instead he looked away as if angry.

“Nicholas?” she asked coyly.

His gaze was brooding at best; he actually looked upset rather than excited to be sharing a picnic with her.

“Yes?” His eyes darted back to the food.

“Do you think we could take a nap out on the field rather than inside?” She scooted closer to him, allowing her scent to permeate the tight bubble he had around his person.

“Uh…”

“Then we can go inside later?”

“Sure.” His voice sounded unsure, but he’d agreed, which was exactly what she wanted. She hadn’t planned on trying to seduce her husband, and frankly she didn’t really know how. All she knew was that for some reason he was being an idiot, and she, being the female, needed to remedy the situation.

“Thanks,” she said, stretching her hands into the air. She felt his hot gaze even though her eyes were closed. If looks could kill, she would be dead.

She took the opportunity to yawn and lift another strawberry to her mouth before stretching her body across his.

“Sara.” His voice was small, not at all how she was used to hearing it.

“Hmm?” she asked innocently.

“I uh, I—“

“Do you always use such big words, Nicholas?” she teased, not opening her eyes. His body tensed beneath hers. Surely this was the bravest moment of her life as she began caressing the top of his leg. Even she felt his shudder and a smile crept upon her lips. Luckily she was facing away from him.

“Time to sleep,” she said, even though it was absolutely the last thing on his mind now. Good, let him suffer for a while, she thought, then she sadly realized how tired she really was. Maybe she could sleep for a few minutes.

She woke up with a start. It was already dark outside; she could hear the crickets and feel the cool temperature. Somehow the blanket she had sprawled across was tucked around her body and Nicholas was sitting straight up next to her. She was mortified. She had tried to seduce her husband and fell asleep; she really was an innocent.

A smile played on Nicholas lips as he looked down at her. “Awake princess?”

She nodded glad he couldn’t see her red face. “How long was I sleeping?”

“Four hours.” Nicholas didn’t even crack a smile.

“Four hours!” she yelled.

He shook with laughter and fell back onto the grass. “My, my you’re fun when you wake up from a long sleep. Maybe I did stretch the truth. I actually fell asleep too, it seems we have only been out here around two hours, maybe one spent sleeping.”

She exhaled, realizing she had held her breath. “Shall we go inside?” she asked, already getting up.

“Sure.” His eyes squinted with laughter. “I have another surprise waiting for you.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it. The kiss sent sensations all the way down to her toes. She could get used to being kissed on the hand like that.

Nicholas led her back into his immaculate home. He bit his lip and focused on pulling her up the stairs. He looked like a little boy on Christmas, which gave Sara tingling sensations in her stomach. The anticipation of what was to come was nearly too much to take. She hadn’t seen him like this, ever.

“Just this way,” he said softly in her ear. It was odd how often he whispered to her, as if speaking in his normal tone was too harsh for someone so precious. Whatever his reasons, it made her feel special. He led her back into her chambers and into another room she hadn’t seen yet. It was small and smelled like fruit and soap. She looked down and nearly cried. He had had a bath prepared for her. It was perfect; then again, she wasn’t sure what he wanted her to do. Was she supposed to bathe alone, or was he going to sit with her, or would he bathe with her? The thought, rather than frighten her, filled her with longing and anticipation. What would his hands feel like on her nak*d body? Closing her eyes momentarily, she allowed herself the little daydream of being alone with Nicholas in the large tub.