Lady Catherine's Secret: A Secrets and Seduction book (40 page)

After the wedding breakfast, it was time to go to her new home. She remembered nibbling on some oysters, cold game, and, of course, Troussant’s delicious wedding cake with the sinfully delicious butter-cream frosting, but she didn’t remember much else about the meal. She’d been too distracted by her growing trepidation.

As they climbed into the coach, Catherine finally felt as though the world had slowed down enough for her to see what was happening. She was married. For better or for worse. Once she sat down, she tugged off her glove and gazed at the ring on her hand. She was surprised when Daniel’s fingers slid over hers.

She raised her hand and rested it against his chest, fingering the ornate cravat pin she had given him as a wedding gift. Daniel’s hand followed hers, and their intertwined fingers curved around each other, just like the gold wire that swirled around the malachite ball at the end of his long cravat pin, suspending the stone in place.

“Thank you for the gift,” he murmured.

“I chose malachite to remind you of your gifts to me. The knife, the necklace, and the letter opener on Lord Norfolk’s desk all were made of malachite.”

“It’s perfect.”

She sighed as she leaned her head back against the seat cushions. “This has been quite a day, Lord Huntley,” she said quietly. “I’m glad my new home is close and the ride will be short.”

“Yes, it’s been quite a day, Lady Huntley,” he replied in kind, with a smile of satisfaction. He rested his head back against the carriage cushion as well and wrapped his arm around her. Catherine shifted over to lean her head against his shoulder. She liked the way her head fit so nicely in the crook of his shoulder.

She let out a small sigh of contentment, and Daniel pulled her more firmly against him as the carriage bounced toward their town house. This was the first time she’d ever been in an enclosed carriage with him.

“Hmm.” His chest rumbled against her ear. “About that short ride. In order to show you your wedding gift, I need to take you to our new estate outside London,” he said as his lips grazed her forehead in a gentle kiss.

She lifted her head from his shoulder in surprise.

“It will take us a little while to travel there. Perhaps you should rest during the drive.” He raised his hand and pressed her head back against his shoulder again in an obvious suggestion that she take a nap.

She pulled her head back to look him in the eye. “But you already gave me a gift.”

He smiled. “That was your engagement gift. This is your wedding gift.”

“Isn’t the house empty? I thought it needed a year’s worth of repairs.” What was he planning?

Daniel shrugged and looked out the window, avoiding her gaze.

Another unilateral decision. She frowned, not liking the trend. Should she say something? Should she take a stand? But this was her wedding day. The last thing she wanted was to argue on her wedding day. And perhaps she was being overly sensitive.

Tomorrow. She’d discuss this with him tomorrow.

She didn’t speak during the ride out to the new estate. After a short time, her sleepless night and the stress of the day began to catch up with her, and she began to nod off despite herself.

§

Catherine awoke with a start, feeling lips nuzzling her temple. She gave a lazy smile before she remembered she was annoyed with Daniel, but she couldn’t quite remember why.

“We’re here,” he murmured.

She straightened, lifting her head from his shoulder.

“I have a present for you, but you need to come inside to see it.”

Her new husband had the distinct aura of someone with a great secret, and a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth as she saw how eager he was.

“I do enjoy presents,” she admitted. “Will I love this one?”

“Absolutely.”

Daniel escorted her inside the enormous front hall of the main house, and his barely restrained excitement had her grinning.

What is he planning?

He led her toward the rear of the house, and she barely had time to register the enormous empty salons, tall ceilings, and ornately carved woodwork as he tugged at her hand.

Daniel approached a pair of closed double doors and stopped. He dropped her hand and stood in front of the doors with his back to them, blocking the entrance. Then he placed his hands behind his back, grasped the doorknobs and watched her with a smile of boyish anticipation as he flung them open.

She stepped into the room and gazed around in delight.

Daniel had given her a fencing salon.

“How do you like it, Catherine?” He tried to sound nonchalant, but she sensed the tension in his body as he waited to hear her answer.

“It’s marvelous,” she said, smiling broadly.

“This is the main salon, but it has a hidden surprise. Come through here.”

He led her back out to the hallway and took her to a second door, set to the right of the main entrance of the salon. The entrance was less grand. When he threw the door open, she caught a glimpse of a feminine sitting room with comfortable sofas and chairs arranged around a small fireplace. Everything was new, and the room still smelled of fresh paint.

He walked into the room and faced her, taking another couple of steps backward.

She stood at the doorway and looked around curiously. “It’s a lovely room, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this at a fencing salon.”

Daniel’s mouth twitched. “That’s because this isn’t your normal fencing salon. This room is specifically designed for you, along with the wives and mothers of my fencing students.”

“
Your
students?”

“In a manner of speaking. I’ve decided to open an academy here. I plan to hire a fencing expert soon who can take over much of the instruction.”

Catherine reached out and wrapped her fingers around the door frame as she heard a ringing in her ears.

This had been
her
dream. Not his. She’d never voiced it, but it had been hers, nonetheless. She tried to comprehend what was happening. First he showed her his perfect fencing salon, and then the feminine drawing room to which she’d now be relegated? Was she supposed to be happy about this? She couldn’t even put the question into words, dreading his response.

She cleared her throat, trying to find her voice. She tried to speak, but nothing came out, so she tried again. “I had no idea you wanted to pursue this sort of thing.”

“Well, it’s not my dream, but I know it’s yours.”

She gripped the door frame more tightly as the world seemed to shift under her feet. “I’m sorry, Daniel, but I don’t understand. If you know this is my dream, why are you...?”

He held up his hand. “There’s more. You haven’t seen the best part yet.”

He moved toward another door Catherine hadn’t noticed. It was partially masked by a folding screen. He gestured her toward it with a wave of his hand. “Go on. The best part's right through there.”

The best part? She faltered, not knowing if she could stomach any more surprises. How could her life’s dream have been turned upside down this way? She hesitated, afraid of what she might learn. But then she lifted her chin and stepped forward through the concealed door.

And found a second fencing salon.

She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him, her face blank. “I still don’t understand. What is this?”

“This is Lady Huntley’s Fencing Salon, an establishment for all ladies who wish to learn fencing and other forms of self-defense.”

Catherine’s jaw sagged. “What? What are you saying? You’re suggesting that I teach fencing? Openly?” Her entire body suddenly began to tingle, and she realized she’d stopped breathing.

“Whether or not you do it openly will be your decision, but if that’s what you want, then yes, you could fence openly as a woman. I have an alternate suggestion, if you’ll consider it.”

This was all coming at her so quickly that she could barely comprehend what he was telling her. She took a deep breath. “Perhaps if you explain more slowly.”

“My idea is that women can come to visit you and sit anonymously in your drawing room. It would all be perfectly respectable. Then each of your students could slip through the side door and join you in your secret academy. That way, you could spread your knowledge to others, continue to fence, and teach women how to defend themselves. The women could come and go freely without worrying about what society might think. It’s a perfect solution. Look, you even have a ladies’ dressing area over here,” he said as he gestured toward another door off the fencing salon.

Catherine looked around the room anew, overwhelmed by an enormous welling of both relief and gratitude. He’d considered so many details. The large windows were frosted, keeping prying eyes from seeing into the private space. The curtains that hung over them were pale blue, with darker blue accents, and the walls were bathed in pale cream. A pair of blue-and-cream fencing cabinets flanked the fireplace. A massive white marble fireplace was laid with kindling, ready to be lit.

Large framed mirrors reflected her every movement in the room.

A feeling of deja vu swept over her as she saw her image reflected in the glass, dressed as she was in her white wedding dress. The color of the clothing perfectly matched that of her fencing attire, and this merging of her feminine aspect with the traditionally masculine environment suddenly crystallized in her mind. The threads of her life twined together once again. The momentary feeling of disorientation fled as she saw Daniel, too, reflected in the mirror, anchoring her to the moment.

“It’s lovely. Truly,” she said in a voice slightly louder than a whisper. She circled the room as she looked at it. There was a crystal chandelier near the windows, and Catherine could envision herself moving through her regular fencing routine in the space. “Did you have Mr. Newcomb create this?”

He nodded. “I’m glad you like it. I hoped you would. The mantel above the fireplace will be the perfect location for the trophy you’ll win next week in Bernini’s tournament.” Daniel came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed a kiss against her temple as he held her against his chest. “I’m sorry I won’t be able to travel there with you, but I’ll be there in spirit.”

“But what if I have to compete against you?”

Daniel tossed his head back and laughed. “No. Fencing isn’t my passion. It’s yours. I’m adequate, but I don’t have your drive. I’m fairly certain I’ll be out of the running before we could compete, but if you are truly concerned, I’ll make sure Bernini has me fencing someone other than you at the beginning of the match so that we won’t have a chance of facing one another until the final round.”

Catherine turned in his arms to face him. Gazing up at him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. His eyes... she could lose herself in those amazing blue eyes.

“But I still don’t understand why you want to open an academy. Fencing is my dream, not yours.”

The room darkened briefly. A cloud must have passed in front of the sun. It was as though Daniel’s eyes darkened to a deeper shade of blue, and she felt herself falling into them, dipping beneath his surface and tumbling into his depths.

He shrugged. “Whatever I do in life, I like to do the right way. The best way for all involved. The right way to be married to you means supporting you as a fencer and allowing you to be who you really are, rather than trying to turn you into someone else.”

She closed her eyes, her unshed tears finally slipping free and sliding down her cheeks. To think, just two minutes ago she’d thought he’d stolen her dream from her and taken it for himself. And now this. Her eyes fluttered open to meet his gaze.

Her lips parted as he dropped his head closer to hers, and she pressed her body against his. He kissed her, his touch tender and warm.

Her fingers crept into his hair, clutching at it and holding his head firmly in place as her tongue darted into his mouth. Daniel tasted of wedding cake and butter-cream frosting and her own salty tears.

She wanted to cry out in joy and relief.

At least she’d won his respect. Perhaps love could still come.

Her breath caught in her throat as he ran his hands down her back, bumping his fingers against the many small buttons of her wedding dress. He was amazingly adept at releasing each tiny fastening while simultaneously tracing kisses along her neck from her ear down to the pulse pounding in her throat.

She opened her eyes for a moment and was startled by the light shining in the frosted windows. Hadn’t it been darker just a moment ago? Surely something like this belonged in the twilight.

Or on a train?

She almost giggled. But perhaps not. Her eyes fell shut again and she sighed as his mouth caressed her just beneath her earlobe. Small shivers of delight ran through her body.

More than half of her buttons were undone by now, and Daniel paused to pull her dress partway down her shoulders, revealing more skin for his lips to explore. His hands quickly returned to her buttons, making quick work of those that remained while his lips trailed down her neck, moving maddeningly closer to her exposed breasts. She let out a soft moan as she reveled in the sensations he aroused in her body.