Claiming His Bride (4 page)

She took the box and turned it over in her hands, then
untied the string and peeled away the brown paper. Inside the box lay dozens of
multi-colored ribbons. She raised her eyebrows.
“An odd
present for a married woman.
I haven’t worn hair ribbons in years.” She
pushed the ribbons around. “There’s no note inside either. But there was one on
the outside?”

“Yes, Agatha said there was, but when I went to my study to
retrieve it, I didn’t see one.”

Victoria
looked puzzled, and that
pleased him. William’s gift did not appear to be a success at all. Hair ribbons
did seem an odd gift for a grown woman.

“I hope they find it. I should send a thank you note.”

His anger had faded now because of her reaction. He moved
around to stand behind her, slipping his arms around her waist. “Perhaps
they’re from someone who hasn’t seen you in years, someone who doesn’t realize
what a beautiful woman you’ve become.” He kissed her neck, loving the giggle
his touch elicited. He took the box from her hand and set it aside, anxious to
put William out of his mind. His resolve not to fish for information was
weakening. “You made a very beautiful bride, even if your wedding day was not
precisely what you’d always dreamed of.”

She shrugged, looking quite embarrassed. “I didn’t dream of
it the way most girls do. Honestly, I always imagined my sister would make a
match for me. I assumed that, once she was married, she would want me married
as well.”

“And you’d have let her do that?” He wanted to laugh at the
very idea, but she seemed quite serious.

“I wouldn’t have accepted a proposal just because she was
for the match, but I didn’t expect to receive any offers on my own.”

He frowned, both because her self-deprecating assumption
displeased him and because it confused him. “You didn’t have any admirers of
your own?”

“No.”

“They must have been waiting for your sister to get married,
for propriety’s sake.”

She shrugged again. “I doubt it.” Turning in his arms, she
gave him a puzzled look. “You say you married me with no protest, yet you
certainly weren’t an admirer.”

He couldn’t argue with her, as it was absolutely true, yet
he wanted to. He felt a sudden wave of shame. “And it was foolish of me. But I
will freely admit I never planned on marrying, which is why my father was so
keen on this scheme. Being an only child, especially an only son, in a family
with money, property, and a title to be handed down, is not the grand,
self-indulgent existence most envision.”

“I’m sure it isn’t.” She licked her lips, looking down and
turning away slightly. “It’s funny. Perhaps my family should be grateful
Isabella made her … mistake. Otherwise, there would have been no wedding, no
loan from your father.”

He tipped her chin up. “I’m glad my father helped your
family, but please don’t dwell on it. I like you very much,
Victoria
, as I’m sure I proved last night.”
He stroked her cheek with one finger. “I think marriage is a sacred thing. As I
said before, I would not have been there standing at the altar if I had no
intention of making this a true marriage.”

She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, and he
welcomed the contact hungrily. It was the first time she had initiated intimate
contact, and it made his heart swell. When they parted, he took the chance and
asked, “
Who’s
William?”

She blinked. “William? What’s his surname? I don’t think I
know a William.”

He blinked right back at her. He’d steeled himself for
whatever story she would have to tell, but he had not been prepared for this.
She didn’t know the man sending her intimate notes? That couldn’t be true, but
her expression showed genuine confusion and innocence. “You don’t?”

She furrowed her brow. “We had a cook named Liam, but he
left us three months ago to go back to
Ireland
to take care of family
matters after his father’s death. His full name may have been William, but I
don’t know. I could ask father. Is it important?”

She was obviously confused by the timing of his question. He
didn’t know what to say to her. How could he explain the question without
exposing what he had done? But, it could not be a mix up. The flowers and the
gift had come to her exact location twice, both times very shortly after her
arrival.

What was going on? Either someone had made a grand mistake
or his wife was a consummate actress. He hoped it was not the latter, as that
would ensure him nothing but heartache for years to come.

He stroked her cheek. “When I’m this close to you, very
little is important.” Kissing her quickly, he smiled, trying to dispel the
awkwardness he’d caused. “Come down with me. We can have a sherry before
dinner.”

****

Victoria
sat brushing her hair, still
puzzling over her husband’s behavior that day. She’d continued to search her
brain for the name William. His question had completely befuddled her,
especially as his kiss had already made intelligent thought a challenge to
begin with. Dinner had passed pleasantly. He’d seemed more cheerful, yet he’d
still been noticeably distracted. If she recalled correctly, he was nearly
thirty, almost ten years her senior, so he probably had been quite settled in
his ways and unused to having someone attached to his hip at all times.

She set her brush down and looked at her nightgown. It had
been meant for her wedding night, but Bastian hadn’t given her the chance to
put it on. She hoped he would like it, though at the same time she didn’t think
she would mind if he only gave it the briefest of glances as he took it off of
her. Having been prepared for a painful wedding night with a serious,
passionless man, her actual wedding
night have
been
like a fairy tale almost. If only her husband would stop confusing her, a happy
ending might not be out of the question. One thing was certain: if last night
were anything to go on, the Earl would soon have those grandchildren he desired
so much.

There was a knock on the door of the dressing room, which
adjoined the bathroom and the bedroom. “Come in.”

Bastian entered, smiling at her but then turning his
attention to the room.
“Hmmm.
A bit drab, but I hardly
use it at all before.” He looked at the vanity as he put his hands in the
pockets of his dressing gown. “That’s nice though. I believe my mother picked
it out several years ago.”

She stood and went to him. “It’s lovely. We came here so
abruptly I was amazed to find everything in such good order.”

“I was in residence before going to
Italy
and
returned briefly when I came back, so it hasn’t been shut up for long.” He
finally took notice of her gown, and his eyes darkened enough to make her
blush. His voice was much lower when he whispered, “You look lovely,
Victoria
, which makes me
even more impatient for you to come to bed.”

She was glad to see that, at least in this, he would be
consistent. She tried to think of something clever and flirtatious to say, but
he swept her off her feet before she could come up with anything. She put her
arms around his neck.

“So I’m to be accosted in this manner every evening, it seems.”

“Oh yes.”

His lips met hers as he lowered her to the bed, covering her
body with his. She felt his fingers unlacing the gown, and she moaned when he
parted the material and caressed her breasts. He ended the kiss and brought his
mouth to her breast. “I love making you moan and sigh.” His tongue circled the
nipple before his lips closed around it.

She put her hand on the back of his head, which must have
pleased him because he suckled harder. Her sex was already wet and ready for
him. Earlier that day he’d said he wanted to overwhelm her, occupy her every
thought, and fully possess her. If she’d had the nerve, she would have told him
he’d already achieved his goal. She hadn’t stopped thinking of him for even one
moment the entire day, and she couldn’t wait to be one with him again, for his
body to possess hers.

He hitched her gown up and spread her legs with his knees.
His fingers caressed her
quim
. When two slid inside
her, she gasped.

“You like that?” he asked as he kissed his way up to her
neck and nuzzled her there.

“Yes.”

“It makes you happy?”

“Yes.”

He gazed down into her eyes, his fingers never ceasing their
invasion. The sweet, gentle massage made it hard for her to focus. “Always tell
me what makes you happy. Tell me exactly what you want.”

His fingers moved deeper, and she found it hard to breathe
evenly, especially with his eyes blazing at her and his lips hovering above
hers.

“More,” she whispered, lifting her lips to his.

He kissed her back, pulling his hand away to take his
dressing gown off. She missed his touch, but then his naked flesh was against
hers. He pushed her gown higher, and she felt his shaft pressing against her
core.

“Is this what you meant?” he asked against her lips.

“Yes.” She wasn’t sure how she even managed the word.

“You’ll likely be sore. I’ll be gentle.”

She caressed his cheek, touched that he was thinking of her
when his own need seemed so great. “I know you will be.
Bastian,
please.”

He
moaned,
the sound a deep,
sensual rumble in his chest. He lifted her hips slightly and began to enter
her. “You don’t know what you’re doing to me, pleading like that.”

She pressed her cheek against his shoulder, her lips
brushing his neck as he stroked into her. Though uncomfortable at first, she
soon became accustomed to his length moving in and out. She angled her hips up,
and then the pleasure began to build. His strokes intensified as she clung to
him.

He pulled away and made her look at him. He’d been searching
and studying her face all day, but right now she felt no one had ever seen her
so clearly. “I love this, how perfectly we come together.”

She nodded, feeling the deep sensuality of his movements. As
his lips captured hers again and his pace quickened, she exploded. She felt
dizzy, and lights danced behind her eyelids, but it exhilarated her. The
pleasure proved even more powerful than what she’d experienced the night
before.

“Mine,” he
said,
his mouth
everywhere at once, as if he didn’t want an inch of her face or neck untouched.
“Tell me you’re mine, Victoria.”

“I’m yours,” she said, her voice small and trembling.

He pounded her into the bed, making her gasp in surprise and
pleasure. Holding her head, he said, “Look at me.”

She forced her eyes to open, and his gaze bore into her as
he continued to thrust. They shook together as he found his own release inside
her. She dug her nails into the muscles of his back, needing his strength to
anchor her.

He placed an amazingly soft kiss on her forehead. “You’re
stealing my heart, my dear.”

She lowered her eyes, unsure what to say. But then he rolled
off of her and pulled her against his chest. He didn’t seem to want her to say
anything as he caressed her hair, but she wanted to give him some reassurance
that he was giving her more than pleasure.

“Tomorrow, we’ll go out to the lake. It’s beautiful. I think
you’ll like it there,” he said.

She ran her hand over his chest. “I’m sure I will.” She
tightened her grip on him and looked up at his face. “I feel very welcome and
at home.”

He shifted and pulled her beneath him. “Good. This is your
home now. Your word has as much power as mine. Ask for anything you like. I
want you to be happier here than you’ve ever been in your life.”

She started to protest and express her gratitude, but he
didn’t give her a chance. His mouth captured hers again, and she couldn’t think
in complete sentences again for a very long time.

Chapter Four

Bastian stared at the bouquet of pink roses. A new
arrangement had arrived every week for the past month.
Victoria
believed they were from him and
adored them. Agatha, the downstairs maid, had been helping him with the
deliveries. At first, she’d seemed to pity him, but today she had asked
permission to be honest and had said something very encouraging.

Your lady seems so content and
happy I doubt this man means anything to her anymore. She must have spurned
him. Maybe you should leave the card and let her handle him. If she needs you
to act, she’ll ask.
 
Of course, Agatha didn’t know
he’d asked
Victoria
who William was and been told she didn’t know a William. Nevertheless, he was
pleased someone besides him thought
Victoria
was happy.