Page 33 of The Duke's Unclaimed Bride
Edith groaned and buried her head in her pillow. Despite how infuriating and vexing Laurence was, she needed to be sensible. She was married to him, until death did them part. If she and Tilly were going to get through this together, she needed to show him grace, whether he deserved it or not. She already knew he wouldn’t extend the same charity to her if the tables were turned.
She vowed to do her best to make him less lonely. Not out of altruism, but out of practicality.
Having made up her mind, her eyes drifted shut, and her body succumbed to sleep.
“Ready or not! Here I come!” Edith called out to the empty room.
Tilly had done her best to run as far as she could at the start of their game of hide and seek.
It was a cool day, but Edith knew that it was best to keep Tilly’s mind active, or else she would cause unspeakable amounts of mischief. So, before the governess arrived, hide and seek was the game of the morning.
Edith began searching the castle, moving from room to room, but there was no sign of Tilly. She then noticed that the garden door had been opened and was swaying slightly in the summer breeze.
Oh, good heavens.
This simple game had suddenly turned into a much more complex one.
Looking through the rows of bushes and trellises, Edith wondered how mischievous her daughter would be today. Tilly knew she was able to squeeze into small spaces. Edith had heard enough stories from the workhouse to know the spaces Tilly had chosen as hiding spots.
She took a deep breath, refusing to let worry cloud her mind. The next place to search was behind the hedgerow on the east side of the garden, which consisted of a small green space with a pond and some benches.
“Hah!” A shout suddenly sounded from the other side of the hedgerow.
Edith furrowed her brow in disbelief.
Is that… Laurence?
She slowly crept around to the gap in the hedge that allowed egress to the pond.
Standing by the bench, wearing nothing but breeches, was her husband. The clouds parted, and small shafts of light illuminated his muscular figure. His movements were precise as he boxed, his muscles tense beneath sweat-slicked skin that was flushed with exertion. Even his hair was tousled and damp from the effort.
The way he moved and tensed revealed the firmness of his backside under the fabric of his pants. Edith was certain she had seen less musculature on Roman statues.
He stopped for a few moments, panting softly, then turned slightly so she could admire his profile. His cheeks were flushed, beads of sweat glistening like jewels in his beard and on his forehead.
She hid behind the hedgerow, not wanting him to know that she had been peeping. Fanning her face with her hands, she could feel her thoughts turning sinful.
He would not approve of her thinking of him in that manner. She had never thought of her first husband in such a way. Yet something inside her urged her to go to him, push him down, and?—
Splash!
She let out a breath of relief when she realized that he had jumped into the pond to cool off and hadn’t spotted her lurking about. She nervously began to walk past the entryway, as if she hadn’t been watching him, but something dark lying on the bench caught her eye.
Those are his breeches.
She gasped and quickly walked away, but the vivid image of his naked body in the pond clung to her and left no room for coherent thought.
The hide-and-seek game she’d been playing with Tilly had vanished from her thoughts. It wasn’t hard for her to find another secluded area of the garden to lean against a tree, fan her cheeks, and calm down. She was a decent and gently bred lady; she couldn’t have these wanton thoughts.
Is it really so bad? He is my husband, after all. The thought of him naked in the water sends bolts of excitement through my loins. My fingers tingle, and I ache to hike up my skirt and end the torment myself.
The distant crack of a twig jolted Edith out of her reverie. The giggle that followed confirmed it was Tilly, off again and heading for the hedgerow.
Edith sprinted after the girl. Laurence would never forgive her if Tilly accidentally saw him in a state of undress. She skidded onto the pathway, and Tilly froze when she saw her. Laurence was still in the pond, immediately to Tilly’s right.
“Tilly! Come here now!” Edith shouted.
Tilly squealed, whirled around, and laughed as she ran. Much to Edith’s relief, the girl chose to head up the path, not to her right.
