Page 81 of Never Leave Me
“That won’t be necessary.” Harrison’s reply was smooth. Will started to protest, but Harrison cut him off. “I’m sure you would agree that Marian wouldn’t consent to such an arrangement.”
Several beats of silence prevailed before Will spoke. “Your circumstances are different.”
“Rest assured, I won’t let Lord Worth take Ellen away from me.” Harrison’s voice was low—and possessive?
Her stomach fluttered.
“Very well,” Will said after a moment. “The priest will pray over you once you are in the marriage bed with your wife, then he shall leave you to have your wife in private.”
They exchanged no further words. She could picture Harrison dipping his head, easily fitting into this era with his practiced nobility. A second later, the door opened and Harrison entered, followed by the priest.
She caught a glimpse of Will standing in the hallway, torch in hand. Upon seeing her waiting in bed like a proper bride, he nodded and spun on his heels, satisfied she and Harrison would seal their marriage and leave no room for Lord Worth to claim her.
All it took was one glimpse of Ellen in bed for Harrison’s pulse to speed and his mouth to go dry. He turned around and faced the window, wishing the shutters weren’t closed so that the air could cool his rapidly heating skin.
As the door clicked shut behind the priest, Harrison drew in abreath and tried to bring his thoughts into order. But all he could think about was Ellen, only a dozen paces away waiting for him in their marriage bed.
Marriage bed.
He shoved a hand into his hair and closed his eyes—as if that could somehow block out the image of her reclining against the pillows, her hair cascading all around her, the scooped neckline of her nightshift much too revealing.
For the love of all that was holy, he absolutely had to get ahold of himself. He gave himself a mental shake, straightened his shoulders, and shed his suit coat and shoes, then started on the buttons of his waistcoat.
He half expected Ellen to question why the priest was in the room with them, but she didn’t make a sound. Was she as nervous as he was about how far this charade had gone?
It was sheer madness, but now that they were in this mess, they had to play along just a little longer.
He pulled off his waistcoat, let it fall to the floor with his coat, then proceeded with his shirt. He could feel Ellen watching his every move. And a flare of heat seared his insides as it had done often throughout the so-called celebration in the great hall. The duration of the evening had been pure torture, sitting next to her, realizing that his dreams had finally come true, that she was his wife, but that it was only a charade.
Now, here he was, continuing the game and needing to convince everyone he was going to bed with her.
He paused, swallowed hard, then forced himself to keep undressing. As his shirt hit the floor, he hesitated at his belt. Ellen had seen him on the beach in his trunks. Surely, his boxers were no different.
Dragging in a fortifying breath, he let his trousers slide down. As he kicked them aside, he turned to find her wide eyes uponhim as he’d expected ... Were they filled with admiration? Did she like how he looked?
He started toward the bed and didn’t dare let himself gaze upon her. Not if he hoped to retain the self-control he would need to get through the night. He sat down on the bed frame, hoping that would suffice for the priest. But the older man kept his head bowed so that his tonsured silver hair ring and the encircled bald spot was all Harrison could see.
Behind him, Ellen shifted. Was she nervous about what to expect? Surely she knew he wouldn’t pressure her, that he was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of the situation. What she didn’t know was that he loved her too much to ever push her into anything. He’d hold himself back even if he killed himself in the process.
He took a deep breath and remained perched on the edge of the bed. “Are you ready to pray your blessing, Father?”
“As soon as you are ready, my lord.” The priest glanced at the bed and the spot next to Ellen.
The priest wasn’t going to let him get away with merely sitting there. He would have to climb in beside Ellen and face temptation head-on.
Carefully, he slid backward into the sagging mattress. The dip of the ropes underneath propelled him against Ellen until he found his bare shoulder pressed against hers. He casually slipped his arm around her and pretended to gather her nearer. With the other hand, he jerked the cover over his body, and in the process caught sight of Ellen’s long legs where her nightshift had crept up.
After he was situated, the priest approached the bed, closed his eyes, and spoke a prayer that involved words like “womb,” “fruit of loins,” and “be fruitful and multiply.” With every passing moment, he could feel Ellen grow stiffer, until at last he was afraid she might crack at the least pressure.
When the priest finished, he made the sign of the cross above them. Then with a final blessing, he retreated from the room and closed the door softly behind him.
For long seconds, Harrison sat unmoving next to Ellen, waiting for the priest to pop back inside, like a school headmaster, making sure his pupil was obeying when he was supposed to be. Ellen didn’t move either.
Would the priest wait outside the door and listen to them?
Harrison leaned his head back, trying to breathe normally and bring sanity into this preposterous situation. Maybe a couple of noisy kisses would give the priest a tale to tell everyone.
But at Ellen’s rigid posture, Harrison’s heart stuttered a protest and reminded him of how sensitive she was. He’d learned his lesson the last time he’d kissed her, that pushing for more would scare her away, and he couldn’t frighten her tonight of all nights.
