Page 26 of Setting a Maid's Heart on Fire

Instead, he stood at a distance from the bed and offered her a smile before he said, “My Lady, I am sure you have heard many things about a woman’s wedding night, some true and some quite false, but I can assure you that none of what you have heard about will be occurring here tonight.”

The lady’s eyes widened even further than Anthony believed possible and her mouth fell open for just a moment before she quickly corrected herself and stammered, “My … My Lord, I … I am not quite sure I understand your meaning.”

Anthony smiled at her again, more certain now than ever that it was reassurance she was looking for. She continued to clutch hold of the bedsheets, holding them up to her chin as if she were terrified that if she let them slip even an inch, he might try to jump right onto the bed and have his way with her.

“My Lady, we are married now,” he told her, and he saw how his words caused her hands to tremble just a little more, “we have all the time in the world to consummate that fact, but for tonight, if you would be so kind as to indulge me, I would simply like to get to know you a little better.”

I’m sure she wonders why I did not do that before marrying her,he thought, not for the first time wishing that he could have done things differently, yet, the fact remained that she had been the only one standing between him and losing everything he had ever worked for.

He had not spent years of his life working within the British Army, scraping and saving every penny he had just to lose it on the whims of a man who had decided to leave him not only his inheritance but also all the debt that came along with it.

I do not believe that is the kind of lighthearted conversation I would enter into on my wedding night,Anthony told himself firmly, knowing that one day he would have to admit the truth to his new wife but not tonight.

“You … you wish to talk, My Lord?” the lady asked, her voice incredulous, her eyes still large and gleaming, almost reminding him of an owl’s eyes.

“Yes, My Lady, I merely wish to talk with you and get to know you better,” Anthony assured her before he quickly added, “please, do not take my words the wrong way. I do very much wish to consummate this marriage, though at a later date when we arebothentirely comfortable with one another.”

He was well aware of what it might look like if he did not at least assure her that one day they would share each other’s bed in the marital sense. If the wrong person got hold of the fact that he had told her they would not be consummating the marriage, he knew well what kind of rumours would begin to speak.

The Duke of Chatham was unfit, lacking virility, unable to continue the lineage. He would never allow his manhood to be brought into question, but he was also not going to take this woman simply because it was seen by most as the right and proper thing to do on one’s wedding night.

“May I sit with you, My Lady?” Anthony asked, gesturing to the empty side of the bed. He took only a single step forward before allowing her a moment to consider the request. “I can assure you I mean not to touch you.”

The lady glanced at the empty space next to her, and Anthony was a little relieved when she loosened her grip on the bedsheets and allowed them to fall just slightly down to her chest.

“Please, sit, My Lord.” She smiled at him finally, her heart-shaped face growing slightly less pale.That is a good sign, at least,he told himself as he approached the bed cautiously, coming around the opposite side so that he could slip onto the bed beside her, staying carefully on top of the covers so as not to make her feel any more uncomfortable than she already did.

They sat in silence for several moments, both staring across the room, watching the flames flicker in the hearth opposite them. When he could take the silence no longer, Anthony said, “I do hope that the ceremony was pleasant enough for you.”

“Yes, My Lord, it was lovely,” Lady Rose responded almost automatically, rushing the words almost as soon as he had finished speaking. Anthony gritted his teeth, wondering whether she was being truthful or whether she was merely telling him what she believed he wished to hear.

“And your quarters are to your liking?” he asked, glancing around the room. From what he could see she had everything she could ever want, small trinkets decorating the place with plenty of wardrobes, draws, and even a vanity table covered with powders and rouges and all the other such nonsense that so many women were fond of.

“Oh, yes, My Lord,” Lady Rose replied quickly once more, and when Anthony turned to look at her, he found that she had turned her gaze upon him, her cheeks flushing slightly. “It is more than I ever could have hoped for.”

Those words came out on a breath almost as if she hadn’t meant to say them out loud, and her gaze lowered from his once more, leaving him feeling slightly disappointed. He would have happily gazed into her blue-green irises for the rest of the night and well into the morning.

“I do hope that Jonathan and my sisters were not too much for you,” Anthony continued, remembering all too well how many silly jokes his closest friend had made and how many things his sisters had suggested that they would be able to do now that their brother was married.

“I do hope that they did not frighten you or make you believe that you owe them anything. I will have a word with them on such matters.”

“Oh, no, lord,” Lady Rose assured him, and the bedsheets fell from her chest now as her hand flew out from beneath them. She looked for a moment as if she were going to reach for his hand, but instead, her arm fell onto the bed beside her as if she had second-guessed doing so. “Your sisters are both lovely, and Jonathan was quite amusing.”

Anthony couldn’t help smiling with relief. Of all his friends and acquaintances, Jonathan and his sisters were by far the most important to him. He wasn’t at all sure how he might have taken it if Lady Rose did not approve of them.

“I am sure you have met some far more interesting characters in France.” Anthony smiled at her, hoping that a reminder of home might help to ease her anxiety a little. Again, he felt a pang of sympathy for the young lady, having travelled so far and all alone to come and marry a stranger upon the word of her uncle.

“I … umm … yes, I suppose I have,” she admitted with a shrug, and Anthony was pleased to see that she was finally beginning to relax. “Though none have ever been quite so funny as your friend, Jonathan.”

“Yes, well, he can be quite eccentric when he sets his mind to it,” Anthony admitted, the corner of his lips twitching upward in a smile at the thought of his close friend. “Especially when he has had a drink or two.”

“I do believe that alcohol can make men do terrible things,” Lady Rose commented, and the way she shivered caused Anthony to fear that something terrible may have happened to her in the past. He opened his mouth, half-tempted to ask what it might have been before quickly deciding against it.

“You are right, My Lady, though you may be pleased to know I am not the kind of man who drinks regularly or very much,” he assured her, hoping that would be one thing that might set her mind at ease a little.

“Then I suppose it is a good thing I do not drink often either,” Lady Rose said, and for the first time, she smiled properly, looking at him with a gleam in her gaze that wasn’t entirely terrified. “I haven’t really had much of chance to do so.”

“I suspect your parents were much as mine were.” Anthony sighed, his gut churning at the thought of his late parents. “One glass at meals was all we were allowed as children.”

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