Page 36 of Surrendering to a Fiery Lady

Despite the late hour, she was not in bed, but sat at her vanity table, with her light brown hair curling in soft waves around her shoulders. Wearing a nightgown that didn’t quite cover all her shoulders, she revealed a hint of skin that made Elliot’s mouth quite dry. Behind her on the vanity table were two candles, casting the room in a soft glow.

“I was beginning to think you would not come,” she whispered softly without rising from the chair.

“Did you doubt I would?” Elliot asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “The kiss in the carriage…” He paused and smiled. “It was certainly tempting, was it not?”

“Tempting, indeed,” she whispered and stood to her feet.

When she crossed the room toward him, Elliot felt helpless, walking to her. Bending his head down, he found her lips with his own. He didn’t hesitate in this kiss, but moulded his mouth to hers, indulging in the passion at once. When her hands came up to hold onto his biceps, his hands rested delicately on the curve of her hips.

There was no corset now, no thick gown to conceal her body. This thin piece of linen was the only thing that hid her tall and slender frame. It made him growl into the kiss, wanting her deeply.

Then, the guilt returned.

Pulling his head back from hers, he ended the kiss.

“Is something wrong?” she asked quietly.

“No. It is just that there are things we need to discuss.”

“Oh, I see.” Ophelia stepped back from him. When her hands loosened themselves from his arms, he could see there was a tremble to her fingers.

She is nervous. I should not push her tonight.

The sight of that tremble made him quite certain. It did not matter if he wished to make love to Ophelia, he would not do it until she was ready and there were no secrets between them.

“Come, sit. There are things I need to tell you.” He moved to the edge of the bed and sat there. He only perched, showing he had no intention to make her bed his own for the night. She sat beside him, staring at him with those bold blue eyes.

Those eyes—quite easy to get lost in.

He looked away from her gaze, determined to speak and not get side-tracked by her.

“Firstly, I wanted to discuss your dowry.”

“Now?” she asked, gesturing to the state they were both in, hardly dressed.

“I do not want there to be secrets between us,” he explained. She nodded, encouraging him on. “As I said to you before, I will only use from your dowry what I need, and I intend to keep to that. I want you to know that this afternoon I drew up a plan of exactly what I will use and what will be kept safe. I intend to have a desk bought for you and on that desk, I will leave all the paperwork relating to the money left over. You can do with it as you like.”

“Furnish the house?” she asked with a smile.

“Furnish it as you wish.”

“Your sister is a fine musician, but the broken string on her small harpsichord did hamper her performance a little. Whenever she played that note it was rather like hearing a cat being stepped on.” Ophelia’s jest lightened the tension in the room and Elliot laughed softly.

“I had noticed. You wish for us to buy her a new piano?”

“I think it would be a nice gift.”

Elliot found his lips parting in amazement as he looked at Ophelia. If he’d told any other woman of his acquaintance that they could spend such money as they liked, he imagined their first thought would be ways to treat themselves, perhaps even to make their bedchambers more comfortable than Ophelia’s currently was, with one wardrobe, a bed, and a vanity table. Yet Ophelia’s first thought had been to buy a gift for another.

“There is something else you should know.” Elliot breathed deeply, summoning the courage to speak of one of his deepest secrets. “These last few months I have had a mistress in town.”

“Oh. I see.” Ophelia’s smile vanished.

Elliot didn’t know how to feel. The thought of causing her pain upset him. Even though he knew there wasn’t supposed to be attachment here, the pain simmered.

“Her name is Celeste, and she is an actress. I wanted you to know that I have not visited her since I met you that night at the ball,” he explained slowly, watching Ophelia’s face for a reaction. “Now we are wed, I will not see her again.”

I pledged my fidelity to Ophelia today. I intend to keep to it.

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