Her Sudden Groom (49 page)

He sighed. “Yes, you do. Every scientist does. That’s why I wasn’t overjoyed about the news like Marcus thought I’d be. You’re smart enough to have your work published. You should get credit for it under your name.”

She shrugged again. “Moot point, Lord Watson. By now nobody will care. They’re all used to E. S. Wilson.” She shook her head. This was of no account. There was no reason to even discuss it. “I’d like to go to bed. Please let go of me so I can leave.”

“
No,” he said, tightening his grip on her. “We still have things to discuss.”

“
You don’t seem interested in discussing them. As usual, you want to discuss science.”

“
Can you blame me? Discussing science is enjoyable, whereas discussing what an ass I’ve been isn’t.”

“
Then you shouldn’t have behaved as one,” she responded tartly. “You should have treated me better. All my life I’ve—Never mind,” she finished dully, pushing away the hurt.

“
No, it’s not never mind. You’ve been treated poorly before, and you’ve learned to accept it. You shouldn’t have to. The day I became your husband, I vowed to treat you well and I haven’t done so. I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry I treated our courtship as an experiment. I’m sorry I treated you poorly yesterday. But most of all, I’m sorry for not listening to you when you were trying to tell me the truth. I should have listened. And not just about the misunderstanding regarding the letter you’d received, but about your other news, too.” He moved his hands around to rest on her abdomen and the life that was inside. “I should never have been so heartless as to point out what did or didn’t happen on our wedding night and the weeks that followed. I got pleasure all of those times, too, Caro. My pleasure came from yours. Every time you found fulfillment, so did I.”

“
Then why did you say those things?” She choked back a sob.

“
Caro, you must realize you drive me to distraction, and all logic that has been engrained in my brain leaps out the nearest window when you’re around and emotion comes in to take its place. When I said those vile things to you, I was hurting from what I thought you were trying to do and I wanted to hurt you back,” he admitted, his voice terribly uneven. “I know that’s not a good reason. There isn’t a reason good enough for what I said. But it’s the truth. You know I’m not good with words and flattery, so the truth is all I have to offer you.”

“
Then can I ask you something, and you’ll only give me the truth?”

“
Anything.”

Steeling herself for an answer she may not like, she swallowed her unease. “Was anything you did during our courtship not planned?”

“
Nearly all of it.”

She smiled. She’d never admit it to him or anyone, but more than the humiliation she’d faced having everything displayed for the family and being compared to a soiled dove, she’d been slightly hurt thinking everything had been staged.

“
Turn around, Caro,” he said softly.

“
I can’t. There isn’t enough room on the step.”

His hands went to her waist. “Yes, there is. Just lift one foot up, and I’ll spin you around. Trust me, Caro. I’ll not drop you.”

Nervously, she let go of the telescope and took one foot off the rung. Then, just like he’d said, he spun her on the one foot that was still on the step until she was facing him and put her other foot down. “What are you wearing?” Her eyes narrowed on the sight of his bare shoulders bathed in the moonlight that was streaming in from the little window at the top of the gazebo where Alex’s telescope was attached.

“
Nothing. I humiliated you. It’s only right to allow you the same opportunity.”

She blinked at him. “How is you standing naked in the stargazing gazebo a way for me to humiliate you?”

“
You could refuse my apology,” he said earnestly. “Then I’d have to walk all the way back and through the house wearing absolutely nothing. And while I suffer no insecurity about being undressed, it would still be extremely humiliating for my whole household to see me thus.”

“
And you think I should force you to do that?”

He shrugged. “I hope you don’t. But it’s nothing less than I deserve.”

She couldn’t keep from laughing at him and the workings of his curious mind. “I admit I was humiliated at first, but I never intended to humiliate you back.”

“
Were you planning to do anything in retaliation?”

“
Yes,” she admitted weakly. “And, as usual, it didn’t work the way I’d intended.”

“
And what had you intended to do?”

She bit her lip. “It’s not so important.”

“
Yes, it is,” he said vehemently. “Tell me how you’d planned to seek your revenge and I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you think I ought to do to make this right. Just tell me what it is.”

“
It doesn’t work that way. What I wanted...well, it’s not something that can be given easily or done without thought. Because if it is, then it’s not real.”

“
Then how were you planning to get it?”

“
An experiment.”

He shook his head ruefully. “I hope you foolishly wrote it down like I did so I can go search for it.”

“
I didn’t.”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. “Then I’ll just have to kiss you until you tell me.” His lips moved against hers, first sweet and gentle, then turning passionate and intense. “Will you tell me now?”

“
Your love, Alex,” she whispered softly, turning her cheek to him. “That’s all I ever wanted.”

“
Oh, Caro my love, you’ve had that all along.” He cupped her face and turned it toward him. “I fell in love with you the moment you almost dumped all those heavy biology tomes on my feet and called me president-extraordinaire. You may not see this, but you’ve never had a problem standing up to me. Never. And I love that about you. You’ve never been afraid to fling in my face that I had you thrown out of the
Society
.” He snorted. “You even had enough gumption to tell my father what I’d done. You may have trouble standing up to others, mainly that wretched cousin of yours, but not with me. When you nearly flattened my toes with those books, you instantly captured my attention, it wasn’t until later that I realized that in that very same minute you’d captured my heart as well.”

“
Truly?”

“
Truly.”

“
I love you, too, Alex,” she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him lift her from the ladder.

He set her on the ground and tilted her face up to look at him. “Caro, I want you to know something.No matter what, I’ll always love you. You may have had a shortage of people who loved you in the past, but not anymore.” He swallowed. “I understand why you were afraid to tell me your sordid past. But you have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing. Those were his choices, not yours. I don’t want you to be afraid to tell me anything. Ever.”

“
I’m sorry, Alex, I—”

He cut her off with a soft kiss on her lips. “Don’t, Caro. This isn’t your apology to make. It’s mine. Let me make it, please. Nothing about your past matters to me. All that matters to me is you, and I love you more than I can possibly express.”

“
I love you, too,” she repeated. “I promise I’ll never keep anything from you again.”

“
I know you won’t.” He pulled her closer to him. “Am I forgiven?” he whispered hoarsely, his dark eyes unblinking and a solemn expression covering his face.

She tapped her index finger against her cheek. “That depends.”

“
On?”

“
If you’re planning to put your clothes back on or not.”

A slow smile spread across his lips. “And if I’m not?”

Her eyes went wide. She’d not been seriously been considering making him walk back to the house naked. “I was teasing.”

“
I’m not.” He dropped a line of kisses from her forehead down her nose and to her mouth. “We’ve those blankets, remember?”

“
You cannot be serious,” she squeaked.

He nodded. “I am. They’re already spread out behind the gazebo.”

“
What if someone sees?”

“
They’re not going to. I told Edwina as soon as she got you in the gazebo she’d better run back to the house as fast as her legs could carry her and stay there or she wasn’t getting those gowns. As for the servants—” he shrugged— “I gave them each a coin, told them they could have tomorrow morning off and unless there was a death or a fire, if any of them ventured out here, they’d be sacked.”

She laughed. “Always the cautious one,” she mused.

“
They don’t call me Arid Alex for nothing.”

“
I don’t think you’re arid in the least.” Caroline pressed her breasts up against him. “I actually find this rather adventurous of you. In fact, they should change your name to Adventurous Alex.”

He grinned at her. “I wouldn’t suggest that to anyone unless you want to explain why you think they ought to change the name.”

“
Just so. Now, take me on an adventure.”

“
My pleasure.” Alex picked her up and took her from the gazebo to make unabashed and tender love to her on a blanket under the moon and stars.

(And Uranus.)

Epilogue

The Next Morning

“
Good morning, love,” Alex said as Caroline raised her sleepy head from his chest.

Caroline looked down at the face of her loving husband. How had she not taken notice before of just how much he loved her? She knew his family loved and accepted her long ago, but why had it taken her so long to realize he did, too? She shook her head. It didn’t matter. She knew now just how much he loved her and would never doubt it.

“
We should probably go back in before the sun rises too high and you get burned,” she teased, letting her eyes do a thorough sweep of her husband’s naked body.

“
We will. But first, I believe we should make good use of my current state.” He bucked his hips, drawing Caroline’s attention exactly where he—and she—wanted it.

And they did—first, they made good use of his state, then, after helping her dress, they went back inside where Alex had to make his grand (naked) entrance.

Luckily for Alex, his previous precautions worked to his favor and not a servant was in sight to sneak a peek. Even better for Alex, they were able to take a route that allowed them to bypass his mother and sister, who were already racking up his bill with the modiste. His brothers, however...

Though they were polite enough not to say anything in front of Caroline to cause her any embarrassment, Alex later informed her they had come up with an entire list of new nicknames for him.

Caroline’s personal favorite was Amorous Alex.

***

Nearly Eight Months Later

“
Caro, you’re doing brilliantly. Just a little longer and you’ll be a mother,” Alex whispered in her ear while he crouched down by the head of her bed.

Caroline glanced at her loving husband and a bit of sadness touched her heart. “What if—” she broke off, unable to finish.

He kissed her cheek. “It’s not going to happen,” he said firmly.

She looked at him and an unspoken message passed between husband and wife. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “I believe your mother’s difficulties with delivering babies was due to her environment, not her inability.”

She closed her eyes. She’d been the only one who wasn’t either miscarried or stillborn. “Really?”

Alex sat on her bed and put his arm around her. “I honestly believe what I said. But, if I’m wrong and this baby is stillborn, I’ll still love you. And when you’re ready to try again, we will. And if you don’t wish to, we won’t.” He pressed a kiss to the top of head.