Page 72 of The Meaning of Love
Sleepily, she rolled on her side toward him, raised a hand, and traced her fingers down his cheek. She let her hand slide away and sighed, the sound redolent with contented satiation. “That was…amazing.”
He felt the same. He laughed softly, caught her hand, raised her fingers to his lips, and pressed a gentle kiss to the tips. “Amazing and…”
When he didn’t finish the sentence, she murmured, “Amazing and what?”
He stared up at the canopy and, eventually, said, “Amazing and glorious.”
“Hmm.” She was falling asleep.
He angled his head and brushed a kiss to her forehead. “It was perfect,” he whispered and meant it.
She softly humphed, but she was already sliding into slumber.
He studied her face, lit by the glow of sunset falling through the uncurtained windows.
He watched sleep claim her and, with his eyes, traced every feature.
Beloved.
That was what she was to him. He’d known that in the instant he’d first seen her all those years ago.
And now she was here, sharing her bed with him, and everything he’d thought he’d known of intimacy had changed.
He hadn’t lived the life of a hermit. Quite the opposite. He’d had more women than he could count, all of whom had been far more experienced than she, yet in terms of intensity, this encounter put every past interlude to shame.
He’d been going to say “Amazing and eye-opening,” but then she would have asked what had surprised him.
The difference love made—that being in love made—was what had accomplished that, but the understanding was new to him, and he wanted to dwell on it. To define and appreciate it—and to embrace it.
He was very aware that the togetherness he and she already shared and would share going forward was something few of their peers ever had the chance to claim.
That instinctive togetherness was what had already set them apart in the eyes of the more experienced in society.
The most important, most immediately relevant element in his newfound understanding was that their togetherness—their marriage and the love that was its foundation—was precious.
Precious and worthy of being protected at any and all cost.
Chapter 10
Two evenings later, having returned from Derbyshire with his plans solidly in place, the man with designs on the Earl of Carsely’s life settled in his favorite armchair before his sitting room’s empty grate and calmly took stock.
“A pity, perhaps, that no suitable moment arose while I was there.” He considered that, then resignedly grimaced. There’d been far too many people on watch—the staff, even some of the guests. Within minutes of arriving, he’d noted the heightened tension. He’d been far too wise to fall into such a trap.
“That said, now they’re wed, the clock is definitely ticking.”
He pondered that, weighing the possibilities against all he already had in place, and concluded that, regardless, there was still plenty of time for his plan to roll forward and, indeed, no reason to act precipitously and risk exposure.
Indeed, it would serve him better to allow the happy couple a few days to relax, to get comfortable and forget about the previous incidents and imagine, consciously or unconsciously, that the threat had passed. That they were safe and could lower their guard.
“Yes,” he murmured, eyes glinting in the lamplight. “That is clearly the course of wisdom.”
He had his pawns in place. They would obey his orders; he didn’t need to fear they would hesitate, regardless of any reluctance they might feel.
He smiled coldly. He had them all well and truly harnessed, and the reins were in his hands.
That had been the one task he had been able to accomplish while at the castle. He’d met with each of his carefully selected agents and given them their orders. Each knew what he expected of them, and he’d made sure that each had also understood the price of not acting as he wished.
As ever, his planning was thorough. He had multiple routes forward, multiple chances to achieve success. As per his directions, his people—his pawns—would progressively work through each gambit, and eventually, ultimately, one would work, and he would win through.
