Page 74 of My Darling Rogue
It’d certainly been intense for her. Indeed, she was still sore from his attentions. Still wincing every time she sat down too forcibly. But even though she’d wept until she fell into a deep slumber during the long night, she’d woken in the morning nestled under Gabriel’s arm as though she was meant to be there. She’d lain perfectly still, accepting the heaviness of his forearm thrown across her midriff. Accepted the warmth of his breath stirring her hair as it feathered across her cheek and down the side of her neck.
Although she’d witnessed him frowning over the silliness of her request, Gabriel had not extinguished the lamp in their rooms during the two nights they’d already shared. Indeed, he’d given her the strangest look the following morning while turning the wick down. As bright sunlight streamed past the drapes and lit the space, Celia wondered if he were trying to solve the puzzle of why she needed the lamp at all. And she wondered if he might someday make the connection between her fear of the dark and the incident when she’d lost her virginity.
Andthatwas something she did not understand. She’d bled after Bryan’s attack in the stables. Suffered for hours, the space between her thighs sore and painful. She had not emerged from that night as a virgin and accepted it as fact over the past five years.
Last night with Gabriel had not been as painful. There’d been unimaginable pleasure, but it was obvious she’d bled afterward as if she were an untried virgin. How that could be was most puzzling. Could it be attributed to Gabriel’s considerable size? His hefty circumference? He was much, much larger than Bryan. Perhaps it was a simple matter of her flesh adjusting to such things until she was accustomed to lovemaking with her husband.
“Celia? Did you hear me? Your suite of rooms will not be ready for another two weeks. Perhaps longer. I can make arrangements for your things to be placed in one of the guest rooms which have yet to be renovated or…” Gabriel hesitated, his jaw clenching as he watched her reaction. “Or I can have you moved into my rooms. They were just finished today, so the odor of paint and varnish may be offensive. If you would rather not subject yourself to—”
“I do not mind so much. Really. If I will not be a bother, I prefer to stay in your apartments,” Celia quickly interrupted.
“Of course, it is of no bother. I will have my items moved into one of the guest rooms so that you are undisturbed.” Gabriel looked stoic enough to break in half, his body rigid as an oak.
Celia’s head tilted. “Why would you move to a guest room, Gabriel? I do not mind sharing the suite with you. And if you do not mind my presence, I’d much rather you be there with me. Unless, of course, it is not the thing for husbands and wives to share a room.” Celia bit the tip of her fingernail in thought. “I know the Earl and Lady Ivy share his chambers. As do Lord Bentley and Lady Sara.”
Gabriel’s eyes glowed as he stared down at her. “I don’t give a tinker’s damn what everyone else does, Celia. If you wish to share my rooms, I would be more than pleased to see you in my bed every morning when I wake. Even more so if you are naked and ready for me.”
Celia blushed, glancing around to determine if anyone else had overheard that scandalous statement. Really, Gabriel had the most disconcerting habit of stating his thoughts aloud for anyone to overhear.
“Does that shock you,ma petite dragee?” Gabriel asked, pulling her closer until she felt the heat of his body. It came off him in waves. The man was always so warm. “I will serenade you with love songs every morning and press a thousand kisses to your lips and your pretty breasts. Would you like that?”
Celia could think of nothing she wanted more. She melted with his words, wondering how the argument from the night before could be forgotten so easily. Not that she would dare complain, but such swings from hot to cold were enough to make her head swim. It definitely made her wonder if she would ever resist this strange attraction.
Gabriel watched her closely, his eyes flaring with molten appreciation when she swayed against him in a show of submission.
“I would like that very much, my lord.”
“Then it is settled. You have free rein when it comes to renovating our new home. Except for my study and the master suite, you may do as wish. In fact, I heartily hope you do so. I’ve no patience for such things.”
Celia smiled. Gabriel was a man of action. Of course, he would not enjoy involving himself in the minute details of fabric choices and wall colors. And while she enjoyed time spent outdoors and quiet times reading her books, she found the prospect of redecorating Rosenthorne Park to be an unexpected surprise. Gabriel’s trust in placing such a daunting task in her hands made her stomach flip with excitement and a desire to make him proud of her efforts.
“I shall do my very best, Gabriel,” she said, then added teasingly, “Although I will not hear of your complaints when I’ve wallpapered every parlor with images of books and the formal dining room has horses of Greek mythology galloping across its walls.”
“If you love it, then I shall, too.” Gabriel lifted her hand and pressed a warm kiss to her gloved knuckles. He ignored the giggling of the downstairs maids watching them. Miss Ellenston, the housekeeper, shooed them to return to their duties.
“Do whatever pleases you, pet,” he breathed, finally releasing her with a silky promise. “I know I shall reap the rewards of my tolerance one way or another.”
CHAPTER31
Their first dinner as husband and wife in Celia’s new home was a daunting one.
The dining hall was cavernous and dark, decorated in shades of Rosenthorne’s heraldic colors of deep burgundy and gold. Heavy drapes covered the windows, a remnant of the old marquess’s command that they stayed undrawn as a way of protecting the equally dark wood furniture.
The six ornate crystal chandeliers running down the center of the room and positioned strategically over the dining table were in terrible need of dusting. Celia overheard Mrs. Ellenston explain to Gabriel that the room was next on her list. With the hiring of new, eager-to-please servants, it would receive a thorough cleaning over the next few days.
For a formal meal, Celia should have taken her chair at the opposite end of the table, and if there’d been guests dining with them, she would have. But it seemed quite silly to sit so far from Gabriel when they were the only two in attendance excluding the footmen positioned on either side of the room’s double doors.
Gabriel’s eyebrow lifted when Celia slid into the chair on his left.
“Breaking the rules already, Lady Rosenthorne?” A teasing note flitted through the question, and Celia gave him a saucy grin.
“You’ll soon discover it is my natural inclination, Lord Rosenthorne.”
“You forget, sugarplum, that I know more about you than you realize.”
Celia ducked her head as she opened the linen napkin and laid it in precise folds across her lap. He may have just become a marquess, but he occupied the seat at the head of the enormous table as though he’d been there his whole life. A steady, unwavering confidence exuded from the man, a confidence only those born to nobility could emit.
“So you have said before. It places me at a distinct disadvantage since I know practically nothing about you, Gabriel Rose.”
