Chapter Ten #2
“That was incredible,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck. “I can’t believe I did it!”
“You did wonderfully.” He held her close. “Soon we’ll have you riding in Hyde Park. It’s only a matter of time before your father and brother find out and have my head.”
“Papa is back in the country.” Diana said, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. “And I don’t care what Elias thinks.”
“It isn’t you that he will be cross with.” Graham released her and motioned toward the house for them to return inside. “Well, perhaps that isn’t true. But he can’t plant you a facer.”
She took his arm and allowed him to lead her back through the garden.
Life had become almost perfect. She had a handsome, passionate husband who she hadn’t even realized she needed.
And she was learning to ride a horse. All that was to take over the management of their house and advise Graham on the management of their estates and life would be complete.
Diana touched her stomach, acknowledging that a babe is what would truly make their life complete.
She would have it all. More than most women of the ton were afforded.
And as unlikely as it was, and as much as she wanted to guard her heart, she was starting to allow the possibility of love to creep in.
The more time she spent with Graham, the more that she couldn’t imagine not being with him.
How she couldn’t wait for each day of their marriage to build their life together.
It went beyond attraction and infatuation. But was it love?
Diana shook off the thought, deciding that she didn’t need to name her feelings at present. They had just married and she needn’t rush things. Either way, they would be married for the rest of their lives.
“Ready for those ledgers now?” Graham asked, pulling her from her thoughts.
“You know the way to a woman’s heart,” Diana teased. “Horses and account books.”
And her heart flipped again. “And the household accounts, too.”
*
After a light luncheon, they settled in Graham’s study with ledgers spread across the desk. Diana felt eager to dive into everything. This was what she excelled at, what made her feel useful and valued.
“Shall we start with this one?” Diana asked, opening the first ledger.
“Of course,” Graham said. As she looked up, she saw him tuck a few pieces of parchment into his drawer, then he picked up a different ledger.
Diana spread the accompanying documents before her, immediately losing herself in the columns of figures. After a few minutes, she caught Graham’s attention. “The yields are far below what they should be for that acreage.”
“What would you suggest?”
“It’s likely the drainage needs updating, and they should rotate the crops differently.
” She made notes on a fresh piece of parchment, organizing them by the name of the property and what plan she had for each one.
“If you implemented these changes, you could increase profits by at least thirty percent within two years.”
“You are brilliant,” he said, thumbing through one of the ledgers from the stack.
Diana completed the same review for each of the entailed properties.
With her plans, the profits would be much higher than they had been.
She intended to broach the subject of her discussing the matters herself with each estate manager.
Then she organized the ledgers and papers and set them aside.
“Now what about your unentailed properties?”
A curious expression crossed Graham’s face. She wasn’t certain what to make of it, but he paused for a moment and then he handed her some of the ledgers that he had been thumbing through.
She took the first one and began to organize her notes the same way for these on a different piece of parchment. “This one has a lot of potential,” she said, wondering if he was concerned about the state of the properties.
“Oh,” he said, rising from his chair to stand over her shoulder. “How much do you think the property is worth?”
“I would say around forty thousand pounds based on the annual earnings. If you made some changes to increase the yields, possibly closer to sixty.”
“That much?” he said, seemingly surprised. “And that is if you were to sell it?”
She eyed him, wondering what he was about. “I wouldn’t sell these properties. They are worth far more to keep as investments.”
Diana thought she might have seen something flicker in his expression, but if it did, it was gone as quickly as she saw it.
“I see,” he grumbled. “What about the next one?”
“Give me a moment,” she said, shooing him back to his seat.
After several minutes, she had a good picture of things.
“This one is quite valuable. It hasn’t been producing as well as it should, but even still it would be worth around eighty thousand pounds.
I have a massive list of things we are going to change at this one and it’s going to make a significant income. ”
Graham released a sigh of relief, which was even more curious. Although, she knew he didn’t know much about estate management.
“May I see the information for that property and the last one?” he asked. “I want to take a look for myself and see what I can learn.”
Diana focused on the next property, then after she read the first few lines she immediately knew that there was an issue. “These mortgage payments on the Yorkshire property seem unusually high. When were these terms negotiated? And what’s the current principal balance?”
Graham’s jaw tightened. “That’s an old arrangement from my cousin. Nothing that requires immediate attention. I can take that one.”
“But surely I should understand all outstanding obligations?” Diana pressed, already calculating the interest that the property was costing them. “If the terms are unfavorable, we might consider refinancing or—”
“Diana.” Graham’s voice was gentle but firm as he motioned to her. “Let me see that one.”
She handed it to him, dumbfounded at whatever the devil he was about.
He looked through the first few pages and then closed the ledger and set it aside with the others. “Let’s focus on the properties that offer immediate improvement opportunities first. This one can wait.”
There was something in his tone that she didn’t like. “Graham, I need to see the complete financial picture to give you proper advice. What are the total liquid assets? The current debt obligations? I can’t recommend selling or improving properties without knowing our available capital.”
“Of course,” he said, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “We’ll get to all of that. Today, let us—”
“No.” Something seemed off, but she wasn’t certain what it was. “You told me that I would be permitted to review everything and help with the decisions.”
She reached for the stack of correspondence he’d been guarding, but Graham’s hand closed over hers.
“And you shall,” he said, pulling her from her chair and seating her on his lap. “Right now, I need you.”
He captured her lips in a deep kiss, his tongue immediately meeting hers. His hand found his way beneath her skirts, running his fingers along her thighs.
Diana gasped against his mouth as his fingers teased higher, stroking the tender place that already ached for him. Graham rose, lifting her effortlessly onto an empty edge of the desk.
“It would seem that you need me, too,” he said, spreading her legs wider so that he stood between them.
“Graham—” she moaned, unable to deny that she was in such dire need of him.
His mouth claimed hers again and then his hands were pushing her skirts up around her waist. He gripped her hips and pulled her closer to the edge.
Diana clutched at his shoulders, her breath catching as he pressed into her in one long, slow thrust. She cried out at the fullness, her body still tender yet wanting him. He swallowed the sound with his kiss, grinding harder and deeper.
“I’ll never get enough of you,” he ground out. He set a punishing rhythm, driving into her with force enough to rock the desk. She clung to him, nails digging into his back as he brought her closer to the pinnacle she knew was coming.
“Graham—oh God—”
“That’s it,” he groaned against her ear, holding her tight while he took her. “Come for me. I want to feel you come.”
At that moment, she couldn’t hold back any longer and her orgasm overtook her entire body. She threw her head back, her body shaking as intense pleasure overtook her. He thrust one hard final time before shifting to small pulses as his heart pounded against her through his moan.
For a few minutes, they stayed locked together, his chest pressed to hers. Diana wrapped her arms around his neck, basking in the aftermath of her climax.
But as his breathing steadied, she felt it again—that faint shift in him. His hands lingered on her waist, but there was tension in his shoulders, and something different in his eyes when he finally looked at her. It was some emotion mixed with guilt, perhaps.
Diana kissed him once more, and he signed into the kiss. Perhaps she imagined it. Perhaps she was simply overwrought from the day, from the riding lesson, from the way he’d just taken her on the desk.
She traced his jaw with her fingertips and she did her best to push aside her suspicions. As much as they nagged at her.
Running her hands over his shoulders, she was choosing for now not to press him further. It could very well be nothing. He had been honest with her thus far, and she had no reason to believe otherwise.
He had better not be hiding anything or lying. Because she had already failed to guard her heart and now it belonged to him.