CHAPTER 20
CLIFTON
As wakefulness tugged at my senses, my first thought was that this was the best night’s sleep I’d had in some time. My second was surprise when I realized a woman was in bed with me. I’d never kept a mistress and didn’t normally spend the entire night in a woman’s bed.
Then memories of everything that had happened over the past few days flooded over me. I lay there, waiting for regret to hit. Instead, I felt an overwhelming sense of contentment.
I turned onto my side and opened my eyes to watch Diana. Her hair spilled about her, and I smiled as I remembered the way it had draped over us when I’d pulled her on top of me.
I was married, and the most shocking part was that I didn’t regret it. I was never going to hear the end of this from the others. Especially Moreland and Kendrick, who’d become smug since finding their wives.
Granted, theirs had been love matches. My marriage, on the other hand, had been born out of a need to protect Diana. I couldn’t ignore the obligation I felt because of my mother’s friendship with hers.
But even as I tried to convince myself that there was nothing more to it, I knew I was lying.
I wasn’t doing this for my mother, who would be heartbroken to learn that Diana had been so unhappy with the Tuttlefords.
And she’d be even more distraught if my suspicions proved to be true and the baron had been responsible for her friend’s death.
I leaned forward to kiss Diana’s cheek. She was lying on her stomach, her face turned toward me. At my touch, her eyes sprang open. We stared at one another for several seconds, then she sighed.
“I don’t think I ever want to leave this bed again.”
I raised a brow. “I will take that as a compliment.”
She laughed and rolled onto her side. “I don’t have any complaints in that department. But I was referring to the fact that it’s been several days since I’ve had a good night’s sleep.” Her gaze went to the windows. It was now dark outside. “We slept the entire day.”
She started to rise, but when she realized that she wasn’t wearing any clothing, she grabbed for the bed linens and drew it up under her arms.
I didn’t bother hiding my amusement, and she let out a soft huff.
“You might be used to parading about without any clothing in front of members of the opposite sex, but it is still a new occurrence for me, my lord.”
“We’re back to that? I thought you were calling me husband. And I didn’t mind it when you called me Clifton.”
She shook her head. “I still can’t believe we’re married. I half expected to find that I was dreaming.”
“It was a very pleasant dream,” I said, tugging the fabric away from her.
She tried valiantly to keep hold on it, but finally she collapsed on top of me with a laugh. “You are incorrigible.”
“What I am is entranced by my wife.”
Her stomach rumbled and heat painted her cheeks a light pink. “I’m afraid that I’m famished.”
I nodded. “I’ll get dressed and head out to the inn and ask for a meal to be brought here. Or would you rather come with me and eat in the dining room?”
She chewed on her lower lip as she thought about it. “I think I’d rather wait for you here. If we have a tray in the cottage, I can go back to sleep as soon as I finish eating.”
I traced a finger over her mouth. “Not before the two of us explore this new side of our relationship further.”
For some reason, I didn’t think I’d tire of Diana in the same way I’d grown bored with many others.
I wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was just a trick of the situation since I knew she wasn’t just a momentary pleasure.
I’d have to think about it more later. But for now, I needed to obtain nourishment and, if it was possible, arrange for a bath the two of us could enjoy in our cozy little cottage.
I chose to wear the same clothing I’d had on when we arrived. I only had one more change of clothing in the portmanteau. I would save that for tomorrow and the trip back to England.
I winced as I thought about making another trip so soon. But at least this time we wouldn’t need to travel by post chaise. We could hire a carriage and return at a more leisurely pace, stopping each night along the way. Haste was no longer an issue.
When I was done, I turned and watched Diana as she tugged her chemise over her head. She handed me her corset without a word, but I’d be damned if I was going to bind her into that torture device again. “See if your dress fits without it.”
She hesitated and then shrugged. “I’m not going to miss it.”
She stepped into her gown and then turned around so I could button it for her. I was sad to see her cover up those glorious breasts that had come as such a pleasant surprise, but at least the dress fit without needing her corset.
When she turned around again, she was looking down at where her decolletage was now visible over the neckline of her dress. “Aunt Matilda will suffer an apoplexy when she sees me.”
I refrained from saying what I really thought. That her guardians would be fortunate if that was all that happened to them. If they’d had a hand in the death of Diana’s mother, I was going to see to it that they were ruined.
She frowned when there was a loud rapping at the door of the outer room. “Do you think that might be someone with dinner?”
“I’ll go check.”
I tried to tell myself that it couldn’t possibly be Diana’s uncle. We’d made good time, after all.
But my senses were on high alert, and they were rarely wrong.