Love Only Once (28 page)
T
HE door crashed open with a resounding bang. Reggie swung around from the vanity seat, brush still raised to her hair.
“What? No trunks packed yet?” he rasped.
Reggie slowly put her brush down. “You’re foxed, Nicholas.”
“Not quite, love. Just enough to realize I’ve been pounding my head against a stone wall for no reason.”
“You’re spouting gibberish.”
He shut the door, leaning against it, his amber eyes on her face. “Consider this. The house is mine. The room is mine. The wife is mine. I need no more license than that to take her to bed.”
“I—”
“No arguing, love,” he broke in.
She warned frostily, “I think you had better leave before—”
“Will you scream, love? Bring the servants and guests running? They don’t dare intrude, you know. You will suffer from acute embarrassment tomorrow.”
He was smiling at her, the brute. “You will not have your way, Nicholas Eden.”
“But I will,” he corrected agreeably. “And let’s not have any hysterics.”
“When I get hysterical,” she said through gritted teeth, “you will know it.”
“Good of you to be so reasonable, love. Now, why don’t you take off that pretty thing you’re wearing?”
“Why don’t you go—”
“Madame!” he appeared shocked. “If you cannot be civil—”
“Nicholas!” Reggie shouted in frustration. “I am in no mood for nonsense.”
“Well, if you’re in a hurry, love, I will oblige you.”
He started toward her, and she dashed around the large bed, putting it between them. He kept coming, moving around the bed now.
“Don’t come any closer.” Her voice rose with each word. But he did.
Reggie jumped onto the bed and rolled across it. She looked up to find him grinning. He was enjoying the chase.
“I want you out of here this second!” Her voice cracked with fury.
He stepped up onto the bed, bending to avoid being clobbered by the canopy, and she ran for the door. The crashing sound of Nicholas jumping off the bed made her change direction. Behind the Queen Anne chaise longue was safer.
Nicholas went to the door, locked it, then put
the key on the ledge over the door, well out of Reggie’s reach.
Reggie looked at the ledge she couldn’t possibly reach, then back at Nicholas. She grabbed a book from the table next to her and threw it at him. He nimbly sidestepped it, chuckling at her efforts, and removed his coat.
“If you persist, Nicholas, I swear I will scratch your eyes out!”
“You can try, love.” He smiled. He moved toward the chaise and pulled her out from behind it, holding her to him firmly.
“Nicho—”
His lips silenced her. A moment later he dropped her on the bed and pressed her against the mattress with his long body. His mouth devoured hers, leaving her no chance to breathe, let alone rail at him. Her fingers gripping his hair could not move his head, nor could her bucking dislodge him. She bit his lip, and he pulled back, grinning down at her.
“You don’t want to do that, love. How can I kiss you properly if you’ve taken a chunk out of my kisser?” She gave a vicious yank to his hair and he growled, “I should have plied you with wine again. You’re much more agreeable when you’re foxed.”
As he kissed her again, Reggie’s eyes widened. Plied her with wine? It hadn’t been a dream! He really had made love to her that night at the inn. And he’d planned it! He’d wanted her enough to trick her…wanted her
enough to give her too much wine…wanted her.
Good God, those feelings were sneaking up on her again. How long could she resist?
He looked at her again, his eyes smoldering. “Oh, love,” he said huskily, “love me. Love me like you did before,” he whispered passionately, and her defenses crumbled. Suddenly she was kissing him back with all the passion she possessed. She wasn’t made of stone. She was flesh and blood, and her blood was on fire.
Her fingers changed direction, pulling his head toward her. His groans of pleasure were music to her ears. Nicholas wanted her…really wanted her. It was her last thought before there was no more time to think.
“G
OOD morning, love.” Nicholas’ teeth caught at Reggie’s lower lip and chewed for a moment. “Did anyone ever tell you what a delightfully rumpled picture you present at sunrise?”
She grinned impishly. “Meg is the only one who sees me at sunrise, and she doesn’t say things that go to a girl’s head.”
Nicholas laughed, pulling her closer. “Your indomitable Meg doesn’t like me, you know, and I can’t imagine why. I’m such a likable fellow.”
“You are an insufferable fellow, and you know it.”
“But a
likable
insufferable fellow.”
She laughed.
What a marvelous way to be awakened, Reggie thought, snuggling closer to the solid length of her husband. And she wasn’t tired, even though she had been loved ardently into the small hours of the night. Not tired. Feeling wonderful. She would have to insist he force himself on her more often.
Thomas’ wail was the only thing that could disturb their idyll, and she heard it in a moment.
“I was wondering when he would get around to that.”
Reggie grinned at him. “I’d better see to him.”
“You will hurry back, won’t you?”
“Most definitely, sir.”
When Reggie returned to her bedroom twenty minutes later, it was empty. She checked the sitting room, then went to Nicholas’ bedroom. Both rooms were empty. She returned to her own room and waited. He did not appear.
Where had he gone? And why? Would he use her, then treat her with indifference? But she was jumping to conclusions. There had to be a perfectly good explanation for his disappearance.
Reggie rushed Meg with her toilet and then nearly flew out of her room and down the stairs. Voices from the breakfast room drew her in that direction. At the door, she stopped short, suddenly chilled. Nicholas, dressed only in trousers and a short green velvet lounging jacket, stood at the buffet table. His back was to her, as was Selena Eddington’s. Selena stood next to him, so close that her shoulder touched his upper arm. His head was bent toward her and Selena was laughing at whatever he was saying.
Red flashed before Reggie’s eyes. “Am I intruding—again?”
They whirled around. No one else was in the
room, not even a footman, yet Nicholas didn’t look at all abashed.
“You didn’t have to come down, love.” He smiled. “I was just getting a plate of pastries to bring up to you.”
“I’m sure you were,” she replied frigidly, her eyes locking with Selena’s. “Madame, kindly pack your valises and be gone from my house before noon.”
Selena’s smug expression turned swiftly to outrage. “You can’t do that. Lady Miriam invited me.”
“Lady Miriam is not mistress here. I am. And we Edens are positively famous for throwing people out of our home.” Having gotten that out of her system, Reggie turned and left.
Nicholas caught up with her in the main hall, grabbing her arm. “What the devil was that all about?”
“Let go of me!” she hissed, yanking her arm away. This time he took hold of her shoulder.
“Come in here.” He dragged her into the library and closed the door behind them. “Are you mad?”
“I must be, to have believed you had changed!” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“My bed was still warm when you went looking for another conquest! Well, cavort with all the women you want, sir, but do not toy with me again.”
“Can you believe I would want another woman after last night?” he replied, truly in
credulous. “What you saw was nothing. Selena just happened to be there when I came in for your pastries. I meant to feed you, mind you, so you would have no excuse to leave your room this morning.”
“You have a house full of servants to fetch pastries, sir,” she pointed out.
“They are being run ragged by all of our guests. I had time to do it because I was waiting for you to return.”
“I don’t believe you.”
He sighed in exasperation. “This is absurd, Regina. You had no call to fly off the handle, and certainly no call to boot Selena out. I told her so.”
“You didn’t!”
“If you will just consider how ridiculously you are behaving—”
The fire glittering in her eyes gave him pause. “Am I? Yes, I suppose I am. I’m a fool, too, and the stupidest ninny. But you, sir, are a bastard, through and through. You can’t bear for your lady friend to leave? Then by all means let her stay. Let her move in for good, in fact, for I won’t be here to see it. And if you try to stop me from leaving, I will—shoot you!”
His face darkened to a furious expression, but she was so caught up in releasing the months of fury that she didn’t know how dangerously angry he was. When he turned around without making a single reply, she ran in front of him and blocked his exit. “Don’t you dare walk out when I’m still fighting with you!”
“What more is there to say, madame?” he said bitterly. “You have finally brought it out in the open. I have no defense, you see.”
It bowled her over. No lies, and no excuses.
“You…admit you still want her?”
“Want who?” he growled. “I speak of my bastardy, of course. I tried to spare you, if you will recall. I did my best to prevent your marrying a bastard.”
“You could have changed,” she retorted hotly.
“How do you change the circumstances of your birth?”
“Birth?” She frowned. “What is the matter with you, Nicholas? I’m talking about your behavior. You are a bastard.”
There was a charged pause, and then he asked, “Miriam never told you? She never revealed my black secret?”
“What
are
you talking about?” Reggie asked him. “Yes, Miriam told me about your birth. She delighted in telling me. What does that have to do with anything? If you ask me, you should be glad she’s not your mother.”
It hit him like a thunderbolt. “You mean—you don’t care?”
“Care? Don’t be absurd,” she said. “I have two cousins who are bastards. Does that mean I love them any less? Of course it doesn’t. Your birth was no fault of yours.” She took a breath, then sailed on. “You, sir, have a mountain of faults without adding that one. I am through being only half a wife. I meant what I said. I will
not stay here and watch you renew old alliances. If I see you with that woman once more, I swear I will put to good use the lessons Connie taught me and carve the two of you to pieces!”
He wouldn’t—or couldn’t—stop laughing. It was enough to make Reggie scream. At that moment, Eleanor entered.
“Is there a war going on in here, my dears, or is this just a family squabble?”
“Family?” Reggie cried. “He doesn’t know he’s part of a family. He would prefer to be a bachelor. He thinks he
is
a bachelor.”
Nicholas sobered. “That’s not true.”
“You explain it to him, Ellie,” Reggie said. “Tell him it’s one way or another. He’s either a husband or he isn’t.”
Reggie flounced out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She’d gotten no more than halfway up the stairs when his words came back to her, and she nearly stumbled.
I did my best to prevent your marrying a bastard
.
She stood stock-still, staring into space. Could that be the reason for his horrible behavior? Why hadn’t she thought of that when Miriam oh-so-casually dropped the information? Did Nicholas believe she couldn’t bear being married to a bastard?
Oh, that fool, that idiot! Reggie sat down on the stairs and her own laughter began spilling out.
T
HAT evening a cold dinner was served on the back terrace in order to accommodate the croquet matches going on. Reggie brought Thomas down to enjoy the late afternoon sun. With a large blanket spread under him, he delighted in bobbing his head toward sounds that caught his interest. Every guest came by to meet the new Montieth heir.
Only a few of Miriam’s guests would be spending another night at Silverley. Most had left that afternoon, including Selena Eddington. Whether Nicholas had spoken to her again or she had thought it prudent to leave, Reggie didn’t know.
Pamela Ritchie came over to look at Thomas. An unhappy woman, that. If she weren’t careful, those lines of dissatisfaction would become permanent.
Reggie hadn’t felt at all distressed when Nicholas and Anne Henslowe played in a croquet match together. They stood side by side waiting their turn and laughing together, but Reggie didn’t mind. Her attitude must, she felt,
have something to do with all those grins and winks Nicholas had been giving her all afternoon. It was as if they shared a private joke, but they hadn’t said a word since coming face to face over lunch. Even so, he had only to look at her to begin chuckling.
He was a happy man. Reggie thought she knew why, and her suspicions made her just as happy as he was.
The sun was beginning to set, and there was a marvelous display of color. Thomas had had enough of the outdoors for one day, and was scooting around on the blanket with extra vigor, a sure sign that he was hungry.
“It’s so peaceful out here at this time of day,” Eleanor said quietly. “I’m going to miss you and this little fellow.”
“You’re not thinking of leaving already, are you?” Reggie asked surprised.
“You don’t need me here anymore, my dear.” They both knew she had stayed only to help Reggie ease into her marriage. “Dicken tells me Rebecca has been nothing short of a harridan since I’ve been away. Dicken misses me, too. And, truth to tell, this long absence from Cornwall has opened my eyes.”
“Why, Eleanor, you and Dicken are…?” Reggie said, delighted.
Eleanor smiled. “He has asked me to marry him many times in the last four years. I think I am finally ready to give it some serious thought.”
“Famous! Will you let Nicholas and me do the wedding party, or will Rebecca want to?”
“I’m afraid Rebecca will
insist
,” Eleanor laughed. “She has been pushing Dicken at me for ages.” Thomas squawked, demanding attention. “Want me to take him up, my dear?”
“Not unless you can manage to feed him, too.” Reggie smiled impishly.