Page 53 of Marigold and the Marquess
Marigold frowned.
“Why are you making that face?” he asked.
“We have only been married a day, Leo.A day.And you have not even…you know.”
He sighed. “Yes, I know. Believe me, keeping you chaste is killing me.”
“Should you not hold off with this transfer of funds to my account until you are certain you want this marriage to continue?”
“No. I mean to protect you no matter what happens in the future. Whether we stay together or not.”
She gasped. “We are most definitely staying together. I will kick you if you dare suggest otherwise.”
He sighed. “Marigold, are you going to cry? Don’t you dare cry while we are in the bank.”
“I am not going to cry, but I will not deny your comments are upsetting me. Nor am I going to leave you. We pledged to remain true to each other for better or for worse. I will fight any attempt of yours to annul our marriage unless you truly do not want me. Only your heart can chase me away. But how can you kiss me the way you do, or hold me in your arms so tenderly all night, if you do not care for me a little?”
“The act of sex is not the same as being in love.”
She put her hands to her temples and rubbed them gently. “Was it all fake then?”
He groaned. “No, none of it was fake. It was more real than I wished it to be.”
“And you still believe our feelings don’t count? That you or I will not be devastated to part ways merely because we haven’t performed the act of…you know.”
“Coupling. You can refer to it as coupling.”
She harrumped.
“Nor will we ever consummate this marriage until I am certain the danger to you has passed. But for the record, sex can be enjoyed in many ways other than just coupling. Did I not prove that to you last night?”
She glanced toward the door in panic. “Leo,” she said in a whisper, “let’s please speak of something else. All right?”
“All right.” But as delicious as she was, and as desperately as he wanted her, he intended to end this marriage if this was the only way to keep her safe.
After finishing at the bank, they rode to the Huntsford Academy since it was close by. Leo knew Marigold was eager to see how the new dragon display was coming along. He thought they could take a quick look and then be on their way, but her friends Syd and Gory were there as well as the Duke of Huntsford’s brothers, Octavian and Julius.
After getting a tour of the museum, and a quick peek at the display under construction, which Leo was able to walk through without the ground eating him up because that part of the hall was now bathed in light while the workers built what would ultimately be a mammoth beast, the six of them then sat down to a meal in the duke’s private dining room. Mr. Smythe-Owens, the head curator who had led them on the quick tour, was invited to join them but he declined since he had other exhibits requiring his attention.
“My brother and Adela return to London at the end of the week,” Octavian remarked as they enjoyed main courses of roast duck and fish pie along with a mash of leeks, onions, and potatoes. “From Ambrose’s latest letter, I gather they’ll be bringing back more impressive finds.”
“How did they manage with the little duke-to-be?” Marigold asked. “It could not have been easy for them to explore around the dig site with a newborn in tow.”
“Well, they haven’t put the little heir to work in the cave yet,” Octavian teased. “I’m sure Ambrose is not allowing Adela and the baby anywhere near the site if anything remotely dangerous is going on. Nor will he allow them out of the inn if there is even a drop of rain threatening.”
“If I know my brother,” Julius remarked, “he has organized an efficient system of getting drawings, relic samples, fossil bones, and the like, over to Adela so she doesn’t ever have to leave the inn. From the tone of his letters, there’s more of interest coming, and I’m sure Miss Appleby’s sketches are going to be brilliant.”
Marigold, Syd, and Gory were caught up in the conversation.
“Did they say what else they have found?” Marigold asked.
Octavian shook his head. “No, it will be a surprise for all of us.”
“I cannot wait to see their trove,” Gory said. “I hope they found more skulls. Although I would be just as happy for cervical bones or teeth. I wonder if they will have found any human remains. It would be fascinating to study our ancestors and discover how we have developed over the millennia. I wonder if we used to have fangs? Or tails?”
Marigold laughed. “Can you imagine tails poking out from our silk gowns? I don’t know if there will be any clues as to that found in these caves. So far, all we have uncovered are ancient creatures and few of them are recognizable.”
“Including the creature whose skull you found. Your latest addition to the Hall of Dragons is coming along well,” Julius remarked. “The wing span is astounding. I wonder what our ancestors must have thought seeing something that size swoop down on them? Our father loved to take us exploring around the caves on our Devonshire property, but we never found anything this interesting.”
