Page 50 of My Darling Rogue
He said he didn’t care.
She hoped he meant it.
CHAPTER22
Many of the guests who traveled to Beaumont for the Ravenswood house party had already departed for festivities at other country estates. It was routine for thetonto attend endless rounds of soirees, hunting parties, and balls during the summer. One did not sit at home simply because the Season was on hiatus.
Were it not for her impending wedding at the Earl of Ravenswood’s estate, Celia and her mother would have left as well. They would have either traveled back home or followed through with Lady Darby’s plan of visiting Grace and Nicholas in Cornwall.
As it was, Celia found herself waiting for her mother and father to arrive at Beaumont. She did so with anxious nervousness, eager to have the wedding done and over with. She did not deal well with the anticipation. A knot had formed in the pit of her stomach on the night Gabriel announced he was marrying her. It had resided there since that evening.
Sara and Alan were among those invited to stay and witness the wedding. Of course, Heath, Celia’s future brother-in-law, remained at Beaumont. He served as her constant companion during Gabriel’s absence. Celia found the man quite entertaining. He possessed a dry sense of humor that often left her wondering if he was jesting or not. Although they moved in the same circles, she’d never spent time in his company prior to all of this. Now, she was coming to regard him as an unlikely ally and friend.
Lord Robert Harvey departed a few days after Gabriel left for London. Her former beau was certainly displeased with the situation.
“I shall not extend my congratulations on this marriage, Celia,” he said with grim finality. “The man you are taking as a husband will never be of our social standing. No matter how many marquessates he may inherit. Are you so willing to tie yourself to such a man? A complete nobody?”
“It is too late to do anything about it at this point,” Celia had said with a sigh. Although she strongly objected to his characterization of Gabriel being a nobody, she let that argument go. “My mother has agreed. My father certainly will. And Rose will not release me from my own consent to marry him. It is useless fighting it. He will obtain the queen’s consent for this hasty marriage, and then I am certainly left with no choice.”
That evening as Celia finished dressing for the evening meal, there was a knock on her bedroom door.
“I will get it, miss,” the maid said with a smile. Since her own maid, Katie, traveled with her mother, Celia was using the services of Mrs. Frazer. The elderly woman served as a lady’s maid when needed, although her usual duties were as an assistant to Annie, Beaumont’s housekeeper. She was a bit flighty but terribly sweet, and quite talented when it came to arranging intricate hairstyles.
“Good evening, milord.”
“Good evening, Mrs. Frazer,” Gabriel said, looking past the woman to where Celia sat at the dressing table. “If Lady Celia is ready, I’ve come to escort her to supper.”
“How nice. Yes, I just finished her coiffure, and all milady requires now are her slippers.” Mrs. Frazer opened the door further. “I’m sure Lady Celia will not mind if you would like to wait inside while I fetch them for her.”
Celia blushed, remembering the last time Gabriel was inside this room. How he’d gently removed her shoes and then kissed the place between her legs with ravenous hunger.
“Thank you, Mrs. Frazer. I would love to. And perhaps I may offer my assistance. I know you suffer with the limitations of a painful back.” His voice was a low rumble. It conjured up even more memories for Celia. Memories where he told her what to do while describing his plans for her.
His smile touched Celia from the other side of the room. She still sat at the dressing table, frozen in place by a surge of desire so strong she thought her knees would buckle if she tried standing. It was ridiculous that he affected her this way. It was ridiculous that she hungered for the slightest bit of attention this man showed her.
“Oh, that would be lovely,” Mrs. Frazer replied happily. “Here you are, milord.” She handed over a pair of gold-heeled slippers with dainty bows of a darker hue accentuating the toe. A slender strap would wrap around the ankle, securing the shoe in place. Gabriel dangled the shoes from his index finger by way of that same strap.
He watched Celia’s reaction as he approached and knelt before her.
“Shall I?” he murmured, studying her through the sweep of his dark lashes. Celia bit her lip and gingerly placed her foot on his bended knee. Even through the fabric of his trousers and the silk of her stockings, she felt the muscles in his leg. They were hard beneath the arch of her foot, and Celia nearly curled her toes with pleasure when his hand encircled her ankle while sliding the shoe into place.
It was so erotic and yet so simple a thing. The way he silently slid the strap into place around her ankle and fastened the dainty buckle, his large, blunt fingers surprisingly dexterous when it came to the delicately wrought mechanism. The corners of his mouth lifted as he adjusted the bow, apparently amused by the whimsical detail, and then reached for her other foot to repeat the process.
“I hope to see these same shoes at some point in a far more intimate setting,” he said in a low voice, his hand lingering on the angular lines of her ankle. He caressed the fragile bones for a heartbeat of a moment. “In fact, I would like to see you wearing these and nothing else. Would you like that, too, sugarplum?”
Celia’s eyes fluttered shut at the scandalous image his words conjured in her mind.Yes.Yes, she would like that very much.
“All done, then. Thank you, Lord Rosenthorne.” Mrs. Frazer’s cheery voice interrupted the quiet, heated magic of the moment.
Celia blinked, realizing Gabriel had already risen to his feet and now waited for her to accept his hand. His smile was a crooked grin, his eyes raking her from head to toe as she stood and slipped her hand into his. The warmth of his grip soaked into her senses. She relaxed, the tension seeping away as he tugged her closer. The delicious scent of his cologne drifted over her in a subtle cloud of evergreen and spice.
“Come along, Lady Celia. It is our very first appearance as an officially engaged couple, and everyone is eager to see how we handle this new phase of our relationship.”
* * *
Word spread quicklyof Celia and Gabriel’s hastily announced engagement and their impending marriage. And news of Gabriel’s inheritance traveled even faster. It was the main topic of conversation at supper. Ivy gleefully said the reveal of a secret romance was being swooned over, and many society hostesses were planning their guest lists to include theton’snewest couple.
Celia suspected it was just a matter of time before the news reached her brother. Knowing Tristan, he would surely intercede on her behalf. And while she thought he had a healthy respect for Gabriel in the limited capacity of their acquaintance, it would hardly stop him from attempting a rescue of his dearest baby sister.
