Page 35 of A Sense of Paradise
Individual bedchambers opened out from either side of the sitting room, as well as separate dressing rooms and a large, modern bathroom.
‘Oh!’ She clapped a hand over her mouth when she ventured into the bedchamber that his father had occupied, her eyes sparkling with a sensual disobedience. Damn, he had forgotten about the erotic frescos adorning the walls that would offend the majority of maidenly sensibilities! He wasn’t surprised to discover that Flora remained unaffected by them, but he felt the need to apologise and did so, attempting to turn her away from the erotic pictures.
‘No apologies are necessary,’ she replied absently, shaking his hand from her shoulder and walking closer to examine the pictures. ‘This is fascinating,’ she added, pointing to the most creative posture, ‘but is it anatomically possible?’
Archie threw back his head and roared with laughter. ‘Actually, yes.’
‘I assume this was your father’s private room,’ she chuckled. ‘I can understand now why he didn’t disapprove of your wild behaviour. At least one could never accuse him of hypocrisy.’
‘I will have them removed.’
She made no response and instead wandered into the bedchamber that had once been his mother’s.
‘Is this to be mine?’ Her cheeks turned pink. ‘Are we to sleep separately?’
‘Not even occasionally,’ he replied, thinking it better that she harboured no misconceptions in that respect. ‘This is the way that things are done ordinarily. Husbands and wives in my class don’t occupy the same bed for long periods of time.’ He sent her a glistening smile. ‘But we shall be the exception that proves the rule.’
She perched on the edge of the bed and looked up at him with uncertainty in her expression. Archie took the place beside her, along with her hand, which he turned over in order to apply his lips to the inside of her wrist.
‘Now that we are assured of privacy, will you tell me what’s on your mind, darling? You have not been yourself all day.’ Archie closed his eyes for an expressive moment, willing her not to say that she’d had a change of heart. Determined to know if she had. ‘Is it something that I have done—or not done?’
‘I’m afraid,’ she said with apparent reluctance, after allowing a significant pause that Archie refused to break, filled with a certainty that the next few vital minutes would define the rest of his life.
‘Of what, my love?’
‘You. This.’ She waved the hand he wasn’t holding in a wide arc. ‘Everything. I don’t know how to be a marchioness. I have little idea how to behave in your society.’ A tear trickled down her cheek. ‘I fear that I will disappoint you and we will make one another miserable.’
Archie felt relief streak through him. She had the jitters; nothing more. Archie was an expert when it came to calming skittish females.
‘Nothing you do could ever disappoint me, darling.’ He gently stroked a hand over her head. ‘You give my life meaning and hope, and you bring me alive in ways that I didn’t realise were possible, even when I was able-bodied. If anyone should harbour doubts, it should be me. I am not a complete man, and I may not be enough for you.’
‘That thought hadn’t once occurred to me, but Eloise…’
‘Ah, so that’s what this is about. You feel threatened by her, but there is absolutely no need. Eloise means nothing to me.’
‘That is precisely my point. You tired of her very easily and if a beauty of her ilk cannot hold your attention, what hope is there for me?’
Archie shook his head. ‘It isn’t the same thing at all. I never looked upon Eloise as a prospective bride, and she was aware of the fact. I didn’t deceive her, nor did I give her reason to harbour unrealistic expectations.’
‘You seduced her none the less, and took her virginity.’
‘Ouch!’ He smiled at her. ‘That was harsh.’
‘The truth hurts?’
‘The truth is that Eloise offered herself to me.’ He fixed her with a resolute look. ‘I was in a different place then, unsure whether I would live or die. Unsure if I wanted to go on living as a cripple. Eloise was a welcome distraction and I enjoyed her company, but my thoughts didn’t go beyond that. It was she who wanted to take things further and, just so that you are aware, she was not a virgin. Ask her yourself if you doubt my word. The French take a more liberal attitude to such matters, and I can assure you that I was not her first. If that had been the case then I would not have given in to temptation; taking advantage of an innocent virgin and enjoying the affections of an experienced woman are very different things. You must accept my word in that respect.’
She swallowed. ‘I believe you.’
‘I can also promise you that I didn’t offer her any assurances regarding the future. Quite the reverse in fact. I had grown accustomed to females’ expectations before my accident and learned to be cautious in that regard. Pawson knows that I made my position to Eloise clear, but still insists that I didn’t treat her well. You clearly agree with him, as did Lord Riley’s rather strait-laced sergeant.’
‘Whether or not you were fair to her is not what concerns me.’
He stroked the side of her face. ‘Then what does?’
‘She ran to you when her brother absconded and you agreed to help her without a second thought.’
‘And you imagine I did so because I still harbour feelings for her?’
