Page 100 of The Moonstone Marquess
Phoebe and Charlotte retired next, and walked upstairs arm in arm.
“I do hope you and Cormac will join us in London soon.” Charlotte laughed and shook her head. “Goodness, it feels odd to call him that after all these years. He has always been Burness to me. And I have always been terrified of him. Not that he ever threatened me or raised a hand to me, but he was always in foul spirits. All it would take was a frown from him and I would turn into a fluttering goose. The more I fluttered, the more he frowned.”
“That was not well done of him. He should have been more understanding of you.”
“I suppose I could have been a little braver, too. I don’t have anywhere near your courage. But I think you are exactly the sort of wife he needs. Someone strong enough to stand up to him and also love him with equal strength.”
They reached the top of the stairs and stood beside each other on the landing. “Well, it was lovely to spend time with you, Phoebe. Let’s save our tearful farewells for the morning. Goodness, I think we shall all be in tears. I don’t know who will cry more, John or the girls. Perhaps it will be me, for I am very much about family. This is the first time in three years I’ve felt we trulyarea family.”
She gave Phoebe a quick hug and hurried to her bedchamber.
Phoebe went to hers, easily managing to undress herself and return her pearls to her jewelry box. She donned her nightgown and stood by the open window to brush out her hair. The air was laden with moisture, and she could hear the waves breaking to shore with more ferocity than usual. A full moon was on the rise, and this accounted for stronger tides than usual.
She was still standing by the window when she heard the door open and Cormac walk in. He shut the door softly, smiling as he walked toward her. “I should be used to the beautiful vision of you, but seems I’m not. You take my breath away every time.”
Phoebe nestled against his broad chest as he reached her side and put his arm around her. “You do the same for me. Good thing we like each other, since we are sharing quarters.”
He laughed. “I’d say we more than like each other. Lord, you make me ache.”
She turned to face him. “The feeling is mutual, my lord.”
“Does this mean I am going to be lucky tonight?”
She reached up to unknot his cravat. “Lucky? Depends on your definition of the word.”
He shrugged out of his jacket and set it aside on a nearby chair. “The definition encompasses a lot of meanings. First and foremost, that you consented to be my wife. Then there’s also my good fortune in finding you to be as much in love with me as I am with you. As for my luck tonight? That is the baser meaning, for all I can think about is being inside of you and holding you close. By the way you are looking at me, I’d say I am about to get my wish.”
She undid the buttons of his waistcoat and laughed. “You men wear too many layers.”
He tossed the waistcoat and cravat onto the chair, and smiled as she worked on removing his shirt. “Gunyon has no reason to fear I will displace him in his role as valet,” she muttered, fumbling over the links at his cuffs. “I’m sorry I am so slow about it.”
He kissed her lightly on the lips. “We have all night, love. I am enjoying your hands on my body.”
The shirt soon went onto the pile on the chair.
He sat on the bed while she helped him off with his boots, and smothered his laughter when she landed on her backside from the effort of tugging them off. “Are you all right, love?”
“Yes, I’ll survive. But I must say, Gunyon goes up in my estimation with every task I botch.”
He took her onto his lap and kissed her again. “You are a dream come true for me.”
“Keep saying those nice things about me and you are going to be very, very lucky indeed.”
His smile was broad and appealingly wicked as he rolled her under him, his big body warm and deliciously male as he proceeded to show her just how much he loved her.
His love was not merely in the act of their joining, but in the way he held her afterward and the soft words he spoke in the quiet of the night.
*
Come morning, theydid not linger in bed and quickly readied themselves for the day ahead. Phoebe dismissed her maid and left her dressing area to return to their bedchamber in time to watch Gunyon finish assisting Cormac.
“Ah, you are smiling again, my lord,” Gunyon teased. “I had no idea I gave you so much pleasure.”
Cormac laughed. “That smile is for my wife, I assure you. Doesn’t she look beautiful?”
“Stunning, my lord.” Gunyon bowed toward Phoebe and quietly left the room.
She went to Cormac and put her arms around his neck to kiss him. He was freshly shaven and his hair was still damp from its washing. She caught the scent of lather on his cheek and a hint of musk on his body that had her immediately responding to him.
