Page 32 of Buon Natale, My Wicked Rogue
Her voice sounded so clear and beautiful, echoing through the ballroom. Evan’s heart filled with joy, hearing his bride sing such beautiful lyrics with such emotion. And when she was finished, there wasn’t an eye in the whole ballroom that wasn’t at least misty. Including his own and he was so proud of his gorgeous wife. She had so many facets and talents.
He supposed he would spend a lifetime learning and discovering everything there was to his wife. When she was done, he ran up onto the stage and drew her into his arms. She was limp and trembling slightly from the unaccustomed exercise of singing such an emotional and energetically demanding song.
At the calls for an encore, he grinned and waved them off and then he lifted her off her feet and up into his arms.
The assembled guests cheered, and there were more well wishes for them as a newly wedded couple, though these were a good deal more circumspect than the ones that had regaled them on the walk from the dowager house to the manor house.
They would spend their first night here at Whitestone Manor in a luxurious guest chamber and then after a day they would return to the dowager house. In their chamber, Angela collapsed on the bed, exhausted, but it was a joyful exhaustion.
“I want to give you your Christmas present early,” Evan said.
She sat up. “A Christmas present?”
He grinned. “Yes.”
“But I have nothing for you.” The corners of her mouth turned down, and she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Don’t have such an unhappy face. Wait until you see this present.” He went to the door and whistled.
Soon the sound of boots on the floorboards echoed, and she heard Oliver’s voice in the corridor. Another sound then tweaked her ears. A yapping, squeaky sound.
It sounded a lot like a puppy.
A puppy!
She forgot her fatigue and jumped to her feet. Then, she ran to the door, rushing at Evan as he carried the little cage towards her.
“Oh, Evan!” She clapped her hands. “Let me see it. Let me see it.”
“Now, wait a moment.” He was grinning as broadly as she was.
Bending towards the cage, she tried to see more. She could see the liver and white spots and the little floppy ears. “Let the puppy out!”
He was laughing as he sat the carrier on the bed and undid the latch. The puppy came waddling out and then stopped and sneezed.
They both laughed.
“Is it a boy or a girl?” she asked.
“I am told it is a little lady doggie.”
“How perfect,” she said as she held her hand out to her new pet. “Good evening, baby. Come greet your new mama.”
The puppy came tumbling over the thick quilts to sniff her hand. Another sneeze, and then the puppy shook her head. “Are you house-trained yet, baby?”
“That may need some work,” he said, reaching his hand out to let the puppy sniff as well. Then he softly scratched its downy head. “What will you call her?”
“I think we shall call her Natalia, for she comes to us at Christmas.”
“That’s a good name for her,” he said.
They reclined on their bed and petted and played with Natalia for a while until the puppy began to struggle to keep its eyes open.
“I think we shall let Oliver take care of Natalia for the remainder of the night. It is our wedding night, after all,” Evan said.
She nodded in agreement. There would be plenty of nights to cuddle with her new puppy, but they would have only one wedding night.
When Evan returned from taking Natalia to Oliver, Angela was waiting for him at the door. Her hair fell about her shoulders, deep brown with a hint of coppery highlights glowing in the combined light from the fire and the candles. The emerald silk dressing gown that she wore only accentuated the lovely colors of her hair. Her eyelids were at half-mast and shadowed purple, likely from tiredness. The look reminded him of the way she appeared when he’d given her good, hard, long lovemaking.
