Page 123 of Enslaved
In bed she clung to him, needing his strength to face not only the scandal of annulment, but the reality of it. She had hoped Richard and Prudence would let well enough alone, after what they had done to her. She had hoped that once she was married to the Earl of Bath, they would let it stand and gracefully accept the fait accompli. How naive she was.
“What will we do?” she whispered desperately.
“My sweetheart, once the annulment is granted, I shall simply take you where they cannot find you until your birthday.”
She wanted to askand then?but she couldn’t. He had not suggested that the day she turn eighteen, they marry again. Diana was fully aware that it was only a temporary arrangement. Her hand briefly caressed her belly. If she told him of the child, she had little doubt that he would offer remarriage to protect her. But she desperately wanted him to marry her from choice, rather than necessity. How perfect it would be if he didn’t feel compelled.
She sighed, wishing things were otherwise. Then she turned her face into the hollow of his throat. She knew how precious his freedom was to him. And it really didn’t matter, so long as he loved her. Hadn’t she decided that love was infinitely more important than marriage?
To Mark, the thing of paramount importance was for Diana to be in charge of her own inheritance. Once her guardians were no longer holding the pursestrings, she would be able to slap them with all sorts of lawsuits, but not until she was of age. He did not want to do anything that would jeopardize her legal rights. All they had to do was exercise patience for another fortnight.
As he lay contemplating their situation, he stroked her hair and her back, both as smooth as satin. The problem of the annulment was a little more complicated. When the king introduced the Marriage Act to keep Prinny in line, the age of consent to marry became twenty-one. That was a distant three years away, and though Diana might be content simply to live together, Mark was not. For the first time in his life he wanted a wife, he wanted children, and he wanted them legitimate.
What it all boiled down to was, even when she became financially independent, Diana would still need Richard’s consent to marry. The Earl of Bath’s face turned hard. He would force Davenport to consent, he decided ruthlessly.
Diana stirred restlessly. She needed something to divert her. “I’ve been thinking that we need a private bathing pool. You can help me draw up some plans.”
“Indoor or outdoor?”
“Well, if it were outdoors, we wouldn’t be able to use it year-round. How about inside a glass conservatory with trees and plants?”
“It sounds divine.”
“I can swim, you know.”
“That’s something I’d love to see.”
“Let’s go to King’s Bath tomorrow,” she suggested. “I can’t wait to see you in those canvass trousers.”
When they arrived at King’s Bath the next afternoon, Diana was surprised at how quiet the usually bustling Stawles Street was.
“I’ll see you inside,” Mark said as they separated so that he could enter on the men’s side and Diana could go to the ladies’ dressing room.
There was only one female attendant, to her surprise. “I can’t believe how quiet it is today; the baths are almost deserted.”
As the bath lady helped her into the high-waisted, brown linen dress, she said, “Didn’t you know? The Earl of Bath has rented it for a private swimming party today. The galleries are closed so that spectators won’t be able to observe you.”
When Diana went through to the bath, Mark was cutting through the water, naked as the day he was born.
“You devil! I wanted to laugh at your canvass drawers, but it appears I’m the figure of fun here.”
“There’s none here but us. Are you daring enough to disrobe?” he challenged.
“Bathing nude isn’t a novelty to me,” she assured him withhauteur.But only when she had scanned the galleries to make sure her display was for his eyes only did she unfasten and remove the respectable linen gown. She slipped into the warm water to show him that she could swim. “This is the breaststroke,” she informed him.
“It certainly is,” he agreed, watching her porcelain globes float on the water’s surface.
They played and teased for over an hour, but Mark kept a protective eye on her. She was no longer pale, and she certainly wasn’t timid, but she still looked unbelievably fragile to him. He swam underwater and brought his body up against hers as he surfaced. She slipped her arms about his neck and lifted her mouth for his kiss. Suddenly their laughter fell away and they became serious. “Let’s go home,” he whispered.
When they arrived, Diana was overjoyed to see that a large box had been delivered from Madame Madeleine’s. She rushed upstairs with it and called over her shoulder, “We’ll use the private dining room tonight.”
Mr. Burke remarked to the earl, “With Lady Diana at Hardwick Hall, there’s never a dull moment, sir. I suppose you’ll want Nora to serve?”
“The countess is so unconventional, I think that would be safest.”
Diana was putting the finishing touches to her cascading curls when Nora came in search of her. She stopped, aghast, in the doorway of the peach-colored chamber. “You cannot wear that, your ladyship.”
Diana had fastened her gold chain about her waist and the crimson loin dress about her hips. “Why not?” Diana asked, amused.
