His Wicked Lady (10 page)

“Cook made eggs,” Leonard said. “I don’t like
eggs.”

“You don’t?”

“The yellow part isn’t good.”

“Oh, the yolk. I don’t like it when the yolk
gets on my bread. It makes it limp.”

“It doesn’t taste good. I try not to eat it
at all.”

“I don’t blame you. If you don’t like
something, why pretend to?”

Malcolm glanced over at Regan, wondering if
she caught his meaning, but to his surprise, she was smiling at the
two of them, as if this was the most wonderful conversation she’d
ever heard. What was wrong with her? Was she so daft she didn’t
know when someone was telling her he didn’t care to be near
her?

His gaze went to Eloise, and she whispered
something in Regan’s ear. The two ladies nodded and then smiled at
each other. Malcolm wasn’t sure what the exchange meant, but he was
sure it wasn’t good. Few things seemed to ever be in his favor when
it came to his bride.

“I do like cheese,” Leonard said. Then, as an
afterthought, he added, “With biscuits.”

Turning his attention back to the boy,
Malcolm nodded. “I do, too. We should have that tomorrow morning.
I’ll tell Cook to make those instead of eggs.”

There. Maybe going over Regan’s authority
would annoy her. But when he looked at her, he saw the same
ridiculous grin on her face. Was there nothing he could do to upset
her?

“Can I have a crumpet, too?” Leonard asked.
“Mother always says no.”

What a clever lad! If Regan didn’t get
annoyed when he did something she specifically forbade, then there
was no hope for him. “Yes, you may,” he told Leonard, glancing,
once more, at her.

Unfortunately, she showed no signs of
irritation. In fact, her mother-in-law whispered something else in
her ear, and the two ladies giggled. Malcolm just didn’t understand
it. It seemed his new wife was a formidable wall he couldn’t
penetrate. He used to believe everyone had a weakness, but in this
case, he might be wrong.

“I like you,” Leonard said. “Mother’s right
about you. You’ll be a good father.”

Eyebrows raised, Malcolm looked back at Regan
who put her hand up to her mouth to cover another giggle. So she
thought it was adorable he was talking to her son. He should have
known talking to the lad would be a big mistake. Ever since Melissa
had her son, she’d made it a point to mention who was good with
children and who wasn’t. Of course, Regan would pay attention to
the same thing since she was a mother.

“Want to know what I did after I ate?”
Leonard asked.

Malcolm figured he was already committed to
this conversation. The least he could do was listen to the boy.
Besides, the boy was a far safer bet than talking to his
mother.

“Yes,” he told Leonard. “What did you
do?”

From there, Regan and her mother-in-law sat
on the settee and talked quietly while Leonard explained everything
about his day in surprising detail, something that impressed him.
The lad was very intelligent. He just might be the one silver
lining to this whole marriage.

***

Regan couldn’t believe how quickly Malcolm
and Leonard got along. The two seemed very well matched, and it was
incredibly reassuring. She didn’t think she could have picked a
better gentleman to fill in the void Frederick had left behind.
Melissa had been right about him. He had a good heart for children.
She had no doubt Leonard would do well under his care.

During dinner, she was content to quietly eat
while the two talked. Malcolm let Leonard do most of the talking
and contributed a comment here or there. For her, the most
endearing part of the meal was when Leonard wanted to know what
Malcolm did when he was a child.

Malcolm stopped chewing his steak and
shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember?” Leonard asked.

“It was a long time ago.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Leonard turned his wide
eyes to her. “How old is he?”

Malcolm wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin
then set it back on his lap. “I’m twenty-five.”

He looked back at Malcolm. “So how long was
it since you were four?”

“Twenty-one years ago.”

“That’s a long time!”

“Not really.”

“You’re old. It is a long time.”

Malcolm’s jaw dropped. “Old?”

Regan glanced down at her plate, struggling
to keep in her laughter. Malcolm was much too easy to startle.

“You’re big,” Leonard said. “Big people are
old.”

“Well, I suppose to someone who is only four,
I would seem old, but I assure you I’m not. I’m still young. I have
years and years ahead of me. Years to do important things.”

“Like what?”

“Like make profitable ventures, acquire
promising partnerships, and leave behind a legacy.”

Regan saw the confusion on her son’s face, so
she explained, “What he means is that he wants to make more money
and have children.”

“Oh.” Leonard turned his attention back to
him. “Why didn’t you say that?”

“I did,” Malcolm said.

“Not in a way he could understand you,” she
replied with a chuckle before she took a sip of her wine.

“I’m not used to talking to little people,”
Malcolm said. “It’s going to take time to get used to the proper
way to do it.”

She thought it was adorable he referred to
children as little people but decided to keep that thought to
herself. She turned her attention to the remaining vegetables on
her plate.

“I want a brother or sister,” Leonard told
him.

“When I was your age, I did, too,” Malcolm
said.

“Did you get one?”

“Yes. I got a sister.”

“What was her name?”

“Melissa, but you will call her Lady
Toplyn.”

“Lady Top Pin,” Leonard sounded out.

At this, Malcolm let out a chuckle. “It fits
well enough.”

Regan shot him a pointed look. “Don’t tell me
you’re willing to let my son get your brother-in-law’s title
wrong.”

Malcolm gestured to Leonard and said, “He’s
only four. What do you expect?”

She shook her head. Granted, Malcolm hadn’t
been happy when his sister married Logan, but she was surprised he
was willing to let Leonard get his title wrong. “I think I might
have misjudged you, my dear,” she told him. “There is a small part
of you that delights in mischief.”

He let out a light huff. “That’s not true.
The lad is having trouble with the title. I can’t blame him for
it.”

“You’re not trying to help him sound it out
right, either.”

“I just got into this marriage. I can’t be
expected to do everything right away. You do it if it’s so
important to you.”

She tried to hold back her chuckle, but she
couldn’t help it. “You take things much too seriously, Mr. Jasper.
I was only teasing you.” Before he could respond, she stood up and
motioned to Leonard. “Come. You need to get ready for bed.” With a
wink at Malcolm, she added, “I’ll see you later.”

At that, he blanched, and she didn’t know
whether she should be amused or worried. She couldn’t recall a
single gentleman ever being nervous about the wedding night. Such a
thing was often the lady’s plight. Even if he wasn’t thrilled to be
with her, he should be at least looking forward to the
bedchamber.

Deciding to give it no more thought, she took
Leonard to his room and got him ready for bed. After she read to
him, she sang a lullaby until he drifted off to sleep. Except for
the nights she went to balls, this was her routine with him. One of
the most pleasurable moments of her life was being able to look at
him while he slept. He always looked so peaceful, and more than
that, he reminded her so much of Frederick.

She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.
He shifted but didn’t wake up.

“I love you,” she whispered then blew out the
candle and left the room to see her husband about their wedding
night.

Chapter Nine

M
alcolm locked his bedchamber door. Then, for better measure,
he locked the door connecting his bedchamber to hers. Yes, he
realized he should be willing to see his bride on his wedding
night, but he simply wasn’t in the mood. Everything was happening
much too fast, what with the shock and all. He needed some time to
get used to being married to Regan.

There was no doubt about it. His life was so
much easier when all he had to do was balance his ledger. His valet
had offered to help him undress, but he thought it better to do it
himself. Sometimes he wondered if those who had been employed under
him were secretly laughing because his wife was already dictating
so much of his life. Up to now, he’d always been in charge, doing
things he’d wanted to do, whenever he’d wanted to do them.

Then as soon as he married, he was moving
into her townhouse and sitting with her son all afternoon. Not that
he minded the lad. Leonard asked a lot of questions, which had
grown wearisome as the day drew on, but he was good with details.
He had surprising potential. All of these would someday help him
manage his money as long as Regan would allow Malcolm the freedom
to teach him.

Probably not. Leonard was her first husband’s
son. While she wanted Leonard to have a father figure, he doubted
she intended for him to actually step into the role as if he were
his father. She had her loyalties to her first husband. If he
guessed right, she still adored the gentleman. She hadn’t wished
for him to die. That much he knew. Malcolm would have preferred it
if her first husband had lived, too. Then he would have been
matched up with a lady much more suited for him, but neither one of
them could bring Lord Cantrell back from the grave.

After he was finished undressing, he was
ready to put on his nightclothes when a key turned in the lock
connecting his bedchamber with Regan’s. Gasping, he picked up the
nearest thing to him, which happened to be a pitcher, still full of
water. Ignoring the water that splashed on him, he held the pitcher
in front of his private region.

Before he had time to ask her why she dared
to come into his bedchamber, she said, “You really didn’t think I
had a key to get in?”

“I locked the door because I didn’t want you
here,” he replied, feeling much too exposed, especially in the glow
of the candlelight. She was, no doubt, going to be noting the
differences between him and her first husband, and who knew if
she’d find him lacking?

“This is our wedding night,” she said, not
hiding the surprise in her voice. “Why wouldn’t you want me here?
Aren’t you eager to get started on the children you want?”

“No. I can wait.”

“Malcolm, I didn’t think it was possible for
a gentleman to be apprehensive about his wedding night.”

“I’m not apprehensive. I’m just tired. It’s
been a long day. I need some time alone.”

“I’ll tell you what.” She shut the door
behind her and approached him.

He backed up, his backside hitting the
cabinet behind him.

“I won’t take up much of your time,” she
said, still coming closer to him. “This is your first time,
correct?”

He didn’t want to answer that. It was never
good for a gentleman to admit such a thing. Instead, he said, “I’m
an important person. Too many gentlemen rely on my expertise to
help their businesses thrive.”

“Yes, I keep hearing how important you are.
That being the case, isn’t it necessary for you to have children to
pass on your legacy to?” She reached him and slipped the key into
the pocket of her robe. “I’m afraid there’s only one way you’re
getting those children. But don’t worry.” She took the pitcher from
him, ignoring his gasp of protest. “I promise it won’t hurt one
single bit. In fact, you’ll even enjoy it.”

“I-I-I…” He struggled to find the right words
to voice his complaint, but the words didn’t come.

She removed her robe, and his gaze went down
the length of her body, noting her plentiful breasts and the nice
patch of hair between her legs. She was exquisite to look at. There
was no denying that.

She kissed him, her body lightly touching his
in a way that excited him. Had he not gotten an erection, he was
sure she wouldn’t have noticed the effect she had on him.

Deepening the kiss, she lowered her hands and
touched his arousal, her fingers teasing him, notifying him of just
how much she knew and how much he had to learn. He’d been so used
to teaching others what to do, he didn’t know if he liked the idea
of being the one who had more to learn. But it hadn’t been his
fault he was inexperienced in this area. Money was much too
important to be distracted with other pursuits.

Ending the kiss, she took his hand and led
him to the bed. “I promise I won’t make this long. You’ll have
plenty of time to be alone while you bemoan your fate.”