To Have and to Hold (21 page)

“My family will
adore you.”
  
Dominic murmured sometime
later as they lay before the crackling fire exhausted and replete.
 

“I am not so
sure. I cannot see myself moving within Ton circles.
 
Nothing leaves me more bored and discontent
than having to spend my afternoons ‘doing the rounds.”

“I don’t expect
you to do anything that would make you so miserable however as my wife, there
are certain estate duties you would be expected to undertake.
 
Visit the various tenants, help organise the
annual harvest festival that kind of thing.”

“Of course, I
should like that.”
 
Isobel murmured
considering how nice the house staff had been to her since her arrival.

“My family will
laugh their backsides off.”
 
Dominic
murmured ruefully after several moments of quiet contemplation.

“Because
of me?”
 
Isobel
couldn’t hide the hurt in her voice.
 

“Oh,
most definitely!”
 
Dominic
assured her with a rueful smile.
 
“They
will be inordinately pleased that you are strong willed enough to stand up to
me and don’t fall in with convention.
 
My
brothers, in particular will find it highly amusing that I have succumbed so
easily to matrimony, much less appear to be in such a rush to set up the
nursery!”
 
Dominic mused with a small
smile feeling nothing but satisfaction at his predicament.

“You are a
renowned rogue.”
 
Isobel muttered with a
small shake of her head. “I doubt my wisdom at marrying someone like you.
 
There is one thing.”
 
Carefully, she eased from his arms to sit
splendidly naked before him.
 

Focused on the
delectable vision she made as she sat bathed in the soft glow of the fire,
Dominic murmured vaguely.
 

“Mistresses.”
 

The word fell
between them snapping Dominic out of his observations.
 
“Mistresses?”
 

“Yes,
Mistresses.”
 
Isobel
nodded decisively and tilted his head upwards until his eyes broke away from
their very thorough investigation of her breasts, and their gazes met.
 
“I won’t tolerate them.”

“My
mistress?”
  
Dominic
frowned, wondering if he had missed something.
 
“You want me to get rid of my mistress?”
 

“Yes.
 
Most definitely.”
 
Isobel replied as primly as possible given
her unclothed state.
 
She tutted and
sighed as his eyes began to once more roam over her.
 
Her fingers were firm on his chin as she
tilted his head back upwards with a frown.
 
“You must get rid of her.
 
I will
not share you.”
 

“Share me.”
  
Dominic murmured, amazed at her
audacity.
 
“A gentleman’s arm-,” he
shifted a little but again decided not to spare her blushes. “Requirements are
a gentleman’s matter.
 
Not something to
be discussed with the wife.”
 
He wondered
briefly where that had come from, now he sounded like his father!

“Don’t give me
that guff,” Isobel snapped.
 
“A
gentleman’s requirements, indeed!”
 
She
jumped to her feet ignoring her naked state, and glared down at him.
 
“If you have any requirements you should go
to your wife, not travel to - wherever and seek the arms and bed of another
woman!”
 

Dominic rolled
onto his back and folded his hands behind his head, a small smile of
satisfaction on his face as his eyes wandered freely over her.
 

“What are you
smiling at?”
 
Hands on hips, Isobel
peered haughtily down at him.
 
“Come
here.”
 
He murmured softly holding his
hand out.
 

“No, I
won’t.”
 
Isobel replied with a
scowl.
 
“I mean it; I won’t tolerate you
keeping a mistress.
 
You must get rid of
her.”
 
Isobel knew she was crossing the
line demanding anything from him, after all he wasn’t her husband, but she
really couldn’t bear the thought of
him in another
woman’s bed.
  
She squeaked with surprise
when he suddenly launched to his feet.
 
Before she could move he was standing directly before her.
 
Her nose was practically buried in her chest,
so she had to tip her head backwards to look up at him.

“I have had my
fair share of lovers, it is fair to say.”
 
He mused placing his hands on his hips, mimicking her stance.
 
“More than my fair share, if I am absolutely
honest.”
 
He admitted ruefully and raised
a finger as she tried to interrupt.
 
“But
I have never felt the need to take a mistress.”
 
His fingers cupped the soft curve of her chin, tilting her face upwards
for a quick kiss.
 
“Nor do I intend to
take one.
 
Make no mistake my darling,”
His eyes were solemn as they met hers.
 
“I won’t share you either.”
 

Somewhat
mollified Isobel allowed him to pull her flush against him.
 
“Sorry.”
 
She murmured huskily several moments later as her stomach rumbled loudly
in the quiet of the room.

Dominic chuckled
easing away from her.
 
“Let us ring for
dinner before you disappear on me.
 
I am
sure Peter will understand if we don’t dine with him this evening.
 
Tonight it is just for us.
 
We shall have a private celebration of our
betrothal and make a few decisions on wedding arrangements.
 
Tomorrow we shall make an announcement to
Peter and the staff.
 
I have a feeling
the next couple of days will be extremely busy indeed.”

“A
couple of days?”
 
Isobel
murmured weakly.
 

“We already have
the special license.
 
It arrived
yesterday.
 
There is no reason to
delay.”
 
Dominic’s voice was
businesslike, Isobel thought with a small pang of discontent.
 
He could have been discussing arrangements
for delivery of a new horse.

“Don’t you want
your family there?”
 
Suddenly, she didn’t
feel as at ease with her nakedness as she had a few moments ago.
 
His disassociation with such a monumentous
event disturbed her slightly.
 
He already
seemed to have made significant plans himself, she wondered if he really needed
her input.

“The roads are
too bad to expect them to make the journey from Berkshire.
 
My brothers will be here at the end of the
week anyway and can ride unless the roads become impassable, but my parents
will be unable to get here for a couple of weeks.”

Isobel stood in
the middle of the room and watched as Dominic dressed, tugged on the bell pull
before donning his boots, all trace of loving tenderness gone.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Two days later
she found herself standing before the Vicar watching Dominic slide a simple
gold band on her finger.
 

“I now pronounce
you man and wife.
 
You may kiss the
bride.”
 
He intoned.

It felt as
though she were watching from a great distance as Dominic swept her into his
arms and kissed her soundly amid the raucous cheers of the assembled family
members and staff.
 
Feeling dazed and
somewhat nonplussed she found herself ushered back towards the house for an
evening of revelry, speeches, applause and a sumptuous banquet.
 
Indeed, all of the house staff seemed to
throw themselves into arrangements with such efficient enthusiasm little of
Isobel’s input was required.

It was late when
Isobel found herself alone in the master suite, her maid steadily brushing her
hair.
 
Usually Isobel preferred to sit on
the hearth and brush her own hair, however the young maid had been so
enthusiastic about helping the new bride to prepare for her wedding bed, Isobel
hadn’t the heart to disappoint her.
 

She and Dominic
were now wed and she was the new Lady Tavistock.
 
As promised, Dominic’s brothers arrived
yesterday amid much jocularity.
 
They
proceeded to spend most of the time since teasing Dominic about his impatience
in getting Isobel up the aisle.
 
Isobel
couldn’t help but be charmed by both men.
 
They were all very much alike; both brothers were tall, exceptionally
handsome and extremely good natured.
 
It
was hard not to like them.
 
Still, it
didn’t raise the shadows of doubts that assailed Isobel whenever she did have a
moment to herself.
 

Whether from the
exertions of the previous day, or just nerves, Isobel found herself struggling
to summon the energy to rise from the bed yesterday morning.
 
It was so incredibly difficult to get warm,
despite the heavily laden fire roaring away in the hearth.
 

Dominic again
hadn’t joined her, something that bothered Isobel greatly.
 
When she hadn’t appeared for breakfast but
had summoned a tray be brought to her room he had sought her out.
 
After several moments of hasty reassurance
later, Isobel broached the subject that had been bothering her and decided she
should at least try one last time to relieve him of his responsibilities.
 

“Maybe we should
wait for a while.
 
Make sure I really am
expecting before entering into a lifetime commitment such as marriage.
 
I thank you for the generosity of your offer
of marriage Dominic.
 
It is indeed an
honour to receive your offer of protection in such a way.
 
However, it is too much of a sacrifice to
expect you to make”.
 
Isobel sensed
Dominic’s objection and hastened to continue while she had the nerve.
 
“To enter into matrimony is something you
should do for the right reasons, not for any sense of misplaced duty towards a
child who might or might not exist.”

“Isobel, I am
not doing this out of any sense of duty.”
 
Dominic interjected before she could continue.
 
“However, I might add that you are already
ruined in the eyes of Society.
 
Although
we could cover up your disappearance over the past few months by concocting some
visit to distant relatives or such like.
 
You have however been alone, in bed, in my company, in my bedchamber for
some eight weeks now.
 
The servants have
been sworn to secrecy.
 
However, when you
first arrived we did have to call the Doctor, as you know, and the Vicar once
or twice upon the Doctor’s insistence.”
 

Isobel gasped at
this news.
 
She could only remember
waking two or three times, and as a result had lost track of all sense of
time.
 
“The Vicar?”
 
She murmured weakly.

Dominic moved
closer to the bed and sat carefully on the edge.
 
He refrained from holding her hand as he
wanted and replied.
 
“The first two of
those we were desperately awaiting Peter’s arrival, hoping you would hold on
long enough for him to arrive.
 
At one
point the Vicar did give you last rights.”
 
Dominic coughed uncomfortably to hide the sudden clogging of his throat
as he remembered that dreadful night.