Page 34 of A Husband for Esyllt
If she wanted him to finally make love to her, she was going to have to beg for it.
Chapter Nine
“Father, did you know that Siân means Jane in Welsh?” Jane asked, taking her stepsister’s hand in hers.
Connor saw Esyllt blush.Nowhe understood her reaction when he’d announced his daughter’s name. She had seemed caught out. At the time he had attributed the flush to the realization that the mysterious Jane was not, contrary to what she’d thought, his mistress. Now he knew different.
“No, I did not know, for no one told me,” he answered, looking at his wife pointedly. She blushed again, and he felt his lip curl. Teasing that delicious color out of her had become his favorite pastime. It made her glow.
“Siân said she would teach me to speak Welsh. That way we can have secrets just between the two of us. Isn’t that great?” the little girl said, oblivious to the direction his mind had taken.
Connor clenched his jaw, all thoughts of his wife’s beauty instantly forgotten. He knew very well what Jane was really saying, and why the idea of a secret language appealed to her so. How had he not seen this coming? To her, Siân would be much more than a friend, or even a stepsister. That was what hehad wanted, but he hoped it would not end up causing her more pain.
“Your plan has a flaw in it, little niece. You are forgetting that Lady Sheridan speaks Welsh, as do all the people in this castle,” Matthew pointed out, earning himself a grateful glance. His brother had come to his rescue without prompting, as per usual. Unsurprisingly, Matthew had guessed what was playing on his mind and he had drawn Jane’s attention away from him to give him time to recover.
“It will be a secret from Father and you, that is the important thing,” Jane said with the air of someone talking to a simpleton. Then she turned to Esyllt with an angelic smile. “My lady, will you promise to keep anything you hear Siân and me say a secret from my uncle and father?”
“I do,” his wife answered solemnly. Indeed, who could have resisted that smile? Not him. “Though I do not believe there should be secrets in a marriage.”
Connor could not help it. He arched a brow. This comment had been meant for him, that made no doubt. Was she saying she believed he was hiding something from her? He cleared his throat. He was not, not precisely...
“That’s not a problem,” Jane told Esyllt, looking suddenly much older than her seven years. “You and Uncle Matthew are not married, are you?”
“No, we’re not, and I bet he’s mighty glad of it.”
“Then he’s a fool, for you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I cannot wait for you to give me another sister.”
Another sister.
Connor felt his insides wither.
Another sister.
There was no prize guessing what Jane meant. After such a short time she already considered Siân as her sister. Esyllt’s heart melted when the two little girls clasped hands. To thinkshe had worried about her daughter’s well-being while she’d waited for her groom to arrive. But having a new family might well be the making of her. She turned to throw Connor a grateful glance, but something about the way he was clenching his jaw froze the smile on her lips. He looked... He looked like he had never looked before.
Like a man in pain.
His eyes were also shinier than usual. Was he about to cry? From the way Matthew was gesticulating to keep his niece’s attention focused on him, Esyllt understood that she was not wrong. Something was amiss, and he didn’t want Jane to realize it.
“Come, girls, I know that the cook is making apple and walnut tarts today. The smell almost had me swooning when I walked past the kitchen earlier, and I think you two might be able to charm one out of her for me.”
Jane gave a scoff. “If we manage to get one, we’ll share it between us, be sure of it! You won’t get a crumb.”
“We’ll see about that. Let’s try and get that tart first, shall we?”
Esyllt shook her head in disbelief. Whenever the children were present, Matthew was a different man, cheerful and carefree. She’d often thought that his only redeeming feature was the unconditional love he bore his brother. Now she would have to add the feelings he harbored toward his niece to the list. He doted on the little girl, who adored him in turn. As if that was not enough, he had also taken to Siân, who regarded him as the uncle she’d never had. All that made it impossible for Esyllt to hate him, as she felt sure she should.
But perhaps she should not be surprised, for it was just as she had suspected. With people he trusted, he was all charm and smiles. The girls adored her, his men respected him, Connor considered him as a real brother, the servants had nothing tosay about his behavior. It was only with her that he insisted on showing his boorish side.
“Come, I’ll race you to the kitchen!”
The three of them disappeared in a chorus of laughter.
“My lord, are you quite all right?” Esyllt asked once she and Connor were alone.
Their eyes met, and she had the sensation someone had punched her in the stomach. He was glowering at her. For a moment she could not understand what she might have said, or done to provoke his anger, then she realized it was not really aimed at her. He simply hated that she’d seen his moment of weakness. Up until then he had always been the one in control, the one who could make her recoil or grow weak at the knees.
But now...
