Chapter 9 #3
Everyone lied.
Everyone held back secrets.
“I will introduce you to all the townspeople I know,” Tulip offered. “This is how I can be of help to you once we are at Thornwycke Hall. Of course, this is probably the major reason why you wanted to marry me.”
She was diminishing herself in importance again.
How could she elevate that convenient coincidence and make it out to be anything beyond a minor significance?
“It is one small reason why you caught my attention. You had other things to recommend you. Beauty, wit, and brains for starters.”
He sat up and lit one of the candles on his night table.
Tulip also sat up and drew the sheet to her bosom to cover herself.
“Don’t be shy around me, love. I want to see you now in the light.” At her nod, he reached out and gently slipped the covering off her.
“I knew you would be this beautiful,” he said in a reverent whisper and kissed the swell of one breast.
She studied him, too.
He knew she would like his body.
He made love to her again by candlelight.
Tulip was as sweetly responsive to him as the first time.
She was also less awkward and frantic because she now understood this intimacy between a husband and wife.
But their first time would always be sweetest because he was her first and only, and this was something quite wonderful for him.
She brought out his every possessive and protective instinct.
Their second time was hotter and faster.
Oh, so good.
The friction between their bodies was pure, scorching heat.
They surrendered to the flames of passion, reaching their release together, and leaving their bodies in a tangle of limbs and perspiration.
It took them a few minutes to stop grinning and laughing.
Once their breaths calmed, they resumed their quiet conversation because neither of them could fall asleep yet.
Who could be sensible on a night like this?
Despite the temptation, Alex decided not to couple with Tulip again.
Twice in a night was enough for her, otherwise she would be sore come morning.
As Tulip lay quietly in his arms, looking as though she was ready for sleep, his thoughts drifted to other concerns.
What would they encounter upon reaching Thornwycke Hall?
Was there anyone in the household he could trust?
Was there anyone who needed to be watched?
He would not have cared so much were it only for himself, but he had Tulip to worry about now and he meant to keep her safe.
He mentioned this to Tulip when she gave him a gentle nudge to the ribs. “What is running through your mind, Alex?”
He smiled. “Just thinking ahead to Somerset.”
“So, you have moved on from thinking of our coupling? I suppose it is ordinary course of business for you.”
He caught her between his arms and gave her a scorching kiss on the lips before rolling back off her.
“Nothing ordinary about you, Tulip. I meant it when I said this was very nice. Nothing better, frankly. You’ve left me exhilarated and my mind is now whirling ahead to our arrival at Thornwycke Hall.
I don’t know what we’ll be facing there. ”
“Approach it as you would any investigation, with an open mind and reliance on those you know and trust. You know that you can trust me.”
“For certain,” he said and kissed her on the forehead.
“Having grown up near Thornwycke Hall, I am familiar with many of the people who work there or have had dealings with the estate,” Tulip assured him. “I think they will open up to me when I ask questions. I like the idea of your needing my help.”
He grunted. “I’ll be relying on you for more than just asking questions. I’ll need your help in figuring how best to restore the estate.”
“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever believe I would become mistress of Thornwycke Hall. I have never been inside the manor house, only seen it from afar. We used to sail past it on the hot, lazy days of summer. One of the Hester relatives had a beautiful sailboat and would take us out on the Bristol Channel.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It was, but the waters around Thornwycke can be treacherous. The water levels change drastically between high tide and low tide, and the water surges come on fast and strong. This is something to keep in mind if ever you are walking along the salt marshes.”
“Is there any reason I would be?”
“Yes, because your workers excavate the salt from there to be sold at market. You might have reason to walk across them when inspecting those operations or surveying your property. But the manor house itself is up on a hill and well protected from any flooding.”
“What about the farmlands near Thornwycke? Are they susceptible to floods?”
“Only on extremely rare occasion. They are further inland and quite safe from the rising tides. Mr. Carver can tell you more about them, since he’s managed the Davenport properties for years.”
Alex grunted again.
“It will be nice to see him,” Tulip said, sounding wistful. “He’s a good friend to my Hester family, and a man you can trust.”
“So you’ve mentioned before,” he muttered, more to himself than an attempt at further conversation.
He would soon meet the man and assess his character for himself.
Alex kissed her once more on the forehead. “I’ll rely on you to introduce me around. If you are of a mind, perhaps you could ride with me as I inspect the Davenport holdings.”
“Yes, I would enjoy that,” she said eagerly. “In truth, I would be disappointed if you left me behind to rattle around that big house all on my own.”
“You would never be idle, even if I did leave you there. The house will require a major restoration, I’m sure. You’ll have your hands full with that alone. Decorate it to your liking, Tulip. I want you to be happy living there. I have no idea what shape it is in.”
“Or whether there will be funds enough to restore it,” she remarked.
“We can adjust our plans as necessary once you’ve taken a full account and decided upon the priorities.
Will you leave all the decisions on decorating the house to me?
I think we must agree on them together. After all, it is your home.
You are the one with the rightful claim to it. ”
“Only by entailment. But I’ll give my opinion when asked. However, I trust your judgment.”
She laughed softly. “Do not be so hasty about that. I have never owned a house or ever decorated anything of importance. You have a good eye for detail, Alex. You’ve done a lovely job with this apartment.”
He shrugged. “It is just an apartment.”
“It is a lovely place, and you’ve made it a welcoming home.
Thornwycke Hall is enormous. It was originally built to house a small army to serve and protect the duke.
There will be structural issues that are beyond my comprehension.
I would not be surprised if the older portions of the house are crumbling and might need to be closed off.
As for its daily running, there must be a housekeeper who will attend to those duties.
The manor is too big to function without one.
The old housekeeper was a kindly woman by the name of Mrs. Dodge. ”
“I vaguely remember her,” Alex said. “I’d see her marching briskly through the halls but she never paused to speak to me unless it was to caution me not to run about the house or my grandfather would spank my backside raw if I broke anything.”
“She wasn’t a bad sort, but caring for Thornwycke Hall meant everything to her.
An exuberant eight-year-old boy running amok in the elegant parlor among priceless items must have given her a heart palpitation or two.
She passed away several years ago and I don’t know anything about her current replacement.
Several housekeepers came and went in quick succession between then and now, some lasting no more than a day or two before hopping on the next mail coach out of Burnham. ”
“Not surprised,” he said with a grunt.
“But I think the current one has been there since shortly before your grandfather died, so that’s about five years. She could be helpful in providing us information.”
“We’ll find out soon enough.” He gave her a light kiss on the lips. “All right, I mean it this time. We have an early start tomorrow and must get some sleep. Sweet dreams, Tulip.”
“Do you mind if I curl up against you?”
He chuckled. “I don’t mind at all. Give me a shove if I unwittingly squash you.”
“You won’t. Your protective instincts are too strong. You’ll look out for me even in your sleep.”
He hoped so.
He never wanted to hurt Tulip.
Would Thornwycke change him?
He tried to fall asleep, too.
But his thoughts were in a roil, so he remained awake a while longer and watched Tulip as she fell into a peaceful slumber.
Slivers of moonlight shone upon their bed and seemed to cradle her body.
She was a soft, little thing.
He liked that she was snuggled against his side, her head resting on his arm. Her hair was long and curled over her shoulders in a gentle cascade. He stroked her hair, brushing a few, stray strands off her cheek.
This was the last thing he remembered before he fell asleep himself.
The morning came too soon, and with it the glare of sunlight that had him squinting and blinking until his eyes adjusted to the brightness.
He started to shift off the bed, then realized Tulip was still nestled against him, so he slowly slipped his arm out from under her head and eased away. He was careful not to drag the covers along with him as he rose.
His arm began to tingle as he moved it.
No wonder the limb was numb, Tulip had been resting on it all night.
After taking care of his necessaries, he quietly shaved and washed up, then tossed on a fresh shirt and trousers. He would save the rest, the waistcoat, cravat, and jacket for later when they were about to leave.
He took a moment to watch Tulip sleeping like an angel in his bed.
The hour was early, and he had another few minutes before he needed to wake her.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, feeling a quiet satisfaction as he studied his wife.
It was like watching a kitten sleep.