The Convenient Bride (27 page)

Lucy smiled
and kissed him gently.

“Well, perhaps after we’ve changed the dressings, we can d
elay dressing for a few minutes,” she said primly.

With his good arm,
Max pulled her onto the bed, making her shriek in shock but before Max could even get his dressing gown off her, there came a knock at the door.

“Later,” she assured him, kissing him
quickly before getting up and opening the door for the housekeeper.

Two weeks later

Lucy collapsed forward against the post of their four poster bed, clinging onto it to keep her upright. Max wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against him with his good arm, her back to his chest.

“Oh, Max,” she panted. “That was amazing.”

“I guess getting shot was a good thing,” he murmured as he kissed her neck.

Thanks to his injures and their desire for one another,
they had needed to be a little more inventive than usual in finding positions that wouldn’t hurt his arm.

“Don’t say that!” she chided. “Although I do agree with your general sentiment.”

Max cupped her breasts and tweaked her nipples a little, then ran his right hand down over her abdomen, heading for her mons but his hand paused just below her stomach. He ran his hand up again, then down. There was definitely a very slight bump, but Lucy certainly didn’t seem to be putting on weight.

“Lucy?”

“Yes,” she answered. “I suspected for a while but I didn’t want to say anything in case… well. I was about to tell you when Marie took you and after all the excitement there, I thought I would wait again, just in case something happened.”

“You think that if I didn’t know, I wouldn’t care?”

“No,” she turned her head to look at him, which wasn’t easy as they were front to back. “I was too afraid to admit it, to anyone, even myself. I felt as if, as long as it was my secret, then nothing could happen. And I do know how silly that sounds but that’s how I felt, as though the more people who were happy about it, the greater the likelihood that something would go wrong.”

Max smiled, forgiving her instantly.

“How long?”

“Three and a
half months, I believe.  It seems the first time we made love again, we made another baby.”

“I love you.” Max turned her around and kissed her but he pulled away when a thought occurred. “Do you mind me knowing now?” he asked. “I haven’t jinxed you, have I?”

“No,” Lucy smiled. “Besides, I didn’t tell you, you discovered it on your own.”

“It won’t be
very long before everyone knows.”

“I know
, but he survived Marie, so I think he’s a fighter.”

“He?”

Marie shrugged. “He feels like a boy.”

Max hadn’t felt this content in perhaps ever. He pulled her
to him and held her tightly.

“God, I think I love you more with each day,” he told her.

Lucy smiled and moments later, she felt something pressing into her slightly swollen stomach.

“That’s not the only thing that’s growing,” she teased.

Max murmured his agreement, as his hands ran down her back to cup her bottom. “What can I say; you just bring it out in me.”

“I’m not complaining,” Lucy said as she scratche
d her nails over his buttocks.

One Year Later

Lucy was going through her draw
ers when she spotted her menstrual rags and frowned. Her monthly friend hadn’t visited for a few months after Charles Jr. was born, and then only one visit. She supposed she was so used to seeing them but not using them, that’s she hadn’t noticed them lying dormant for the past… ten weeks!

“Maxwell!” she yelled, storming though the house to his study.

Max lowered his paper and was taken aback by the anger on her face. “Love?”

“I’m expecting again, Maxwell!”

“But that’s marvellous news!” he said, getting to his feet and approaching her with the intention of embracing her.

“Don’t you dare,” she wagged a finger at him. “Charlie is barely six months old and I have only just got into some of my favourite gowns again!”

“The gowns will still be there, dearest. We’re having another child, isn’t that something to be happy about?”

“Happy? You swell up and lose sight of your feet for three months every year
, and tell me how happy
you
are?”

“But you love Charles.”

“I know!” she snapped. “I wanted more time to get to know him before we have another one but oh no, super virile Maxwell Stark had to get me in the family way again!”

“It wasn’t only me, darling, I believe you were a very willing participant.”

“That’s not the point.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Then what is the point?”

“I can’t have a child every year, Maxwell! It’s unseemly!”

Max couldn’t see anything wrong with it.

“There are steps we can take, Lucy, but no method is foolproof.”

Lucy just sulked, so Max risked closing the gap between them and embraced her.

“Come on, darling, we’re going to have a baby brother or sister for Charles, isn’t that a little exciting?”

“No.” The word was muffled against his chest.

Although her arms were still crossed, his hands began to stroke her back and he bent his head to her neck and began to kiss her there. It didn’t take very long before she began to relax and finally sigh with desire.

“Shall we continue this discussion somewhere
more private?” he asked.

“Very well,” Lucy sighed reluctantly.

Max swept her into his arms and carried her from the room.

“Don’t you go thinking you can always seduce me into submission though.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he assured her, pausing on the stairs to kiss her lips. By the time they got to their room, she had her arms around his neck and she was definitely warming to him. He stood her on her feet by the bed and began to kiss her, as his hands went to the buttons at the back of her dress.

Lucy pushed the jacket off his shoulders, th
en set to work on the buttons of his waistcoat and undid his cravat, before removing his collar and finally, she began working on his shirt buttons.

She broke the kiss briefly for a moment to exclaim, “You wear too many clothes!”

“I would be quite happy to remain naked forever in your presence.”

“And don’t I know it!”

“You love it really,” he told her as he slipped her dress from her shoulders and began to kiss her neck.

“No.” She took his face in her hands and raised his head until he was looking into her eyes. “I love you.”

Max grinned. “Am I forgiven?”

“For now,” she answered with a smile.

Max wasted no time in pushing her dress the rest of the off and raising her chemise. He was glad that Lucy hadn’t taken to using corsets, which were becoming the fashion. In his experience, they were terrible to remove and they left awful marks on a woman’s beautiful skin.

The first time their coupling was hard and fast, mostly due to Lucy’s remaining anger but the second time they came together, they
savoured each other.

After that, Lucy was tired and M
ax let her sleep. She had been a little more tired than usual with her first pregnancy as well.

While she
slept, he counted his blessings and planned for the new baby. By his calculations, it should come sometime in April, which was a good time of year, not too hot for the labour and she would still make the London Season.

By some miracle his father was still alive and although his disease was progressing, he was usually in lively spirits. When they weren’t in London, Max and Lucy spent one month at Steed Manor and one month on his father’s est
ate which, in theory at least, Max was now running. Charles couldn’t completely let go however and as long as it made him happy and he didn’t overtax himself, Max didn’t mind the interference.

When he and Lucy weren’t in residence, his sisters came to stay, although that was mostly to keep their mother
’s spirits up, since the news of his illness devastated her.

Charles also had a full time nurse, even though he argued that he didn’t need one.
There wasn’t an awful lot for her to do but she went around with him as he toured the estate and when he was feeling short of breath, she knew what to do to ease it for him.

Like Max, she thought that keeping busy was g
ood for him and assured Max that when he could no longer ride, she would be happy to wheel him about the estate in a bath chair.

He felt closer to his father than he could ever remember and he was grateful that he’d been given the chance to repair their fractured rela
tionship. He owed that to Lucy; he owed so much to her.

As she began to stir, M
ax slipped from the bed and donned a nightgown and robe. The servants were used to their master’s antics and the few he passed didn’t bat an eyelid at his attire. The nanny had only been with them for six months though, so while she still raised an eyebrow at his dress, she obeyed his order to take an hour off while he stole his son away.

And so it was that when Lucy awoke, it was to the childish giggles of Charles Jr, who was sitting between his parents on their bed, pulling his father’s hair.

Lucy looked at her family and smiled. Suddenly having another baby so soon didn’t seem nearly as bad.

“Someone seems more cheerful,” M
ax said, smiling at her.

“All right, perhaps I over
reacted but take this as formal warning, Max, I am not having three children in three years, so you have about six months to do something about it.”

“What if you’re having twins?” he teased.

“Then I'm entering a nunnery.”

Max laughed, which caused Charles to laugh.

Lucy sat up and put Charles on her lap. “Daddy thinks I'm joking but I'm not, am I Charlie Boy?”

Charles gurgled.

“See, even your son agrees with me,” she told Max.

“That’s because he’s in your thrall, just
as I am.”

“You make me sound like some kind of witch,” Lucy giggled.

“Well you certainly worked your magic on me.”

Lucy groaned.

“I'm under your spell all right.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Honestly Maxwell, with lines like that, I’m forced to wonder why I ever married you? Our son will never find a wife if that’s all you teach him.”

“Of course our son will find a wife; with me for a father, how could he fail to?”

“Well, I suppose you do have your moments,” she conceded.

Max leaned in for a kiss, only to find himself kissing Charles’ hand rather than Lucy’s lips. He frowned at his son, who was giggling at his father’s expression.

“Was I the one saying that I didn’t mind if we have lots more children?” Max asked.

“I believe that was you, yes.” Lucy smiled indulgently.

“I’ve changed my mind. This one can’t even walk or talk yet and he’s getting in my way. I want you all to myself.”

“And what happens if our next child is a girl?”

Max looked confused.

“She will enter Society at some point,” she could hardly keep a straight face. “And probably meet men very much like yourself.”

His face fell. “Well that’s it, I think we have no choice but to all enter that
nunnery.”

Lucy shook her head
. “You know, I used to wonder why I was so in love with you and why I couldn’t get over it.”

“And now?”

“Now I know it’s because you’re just about the only man who can make me laugh so much.”

“Is that all? She could have just married a court jester,” he told baby Charles.

“All right then, so why do you love me?” she asked.

Max gave her a warm smile. “That’s easy. You’re not perfect,” he said, and she looked confused. “But you’re perfect for me.”

Lucy grinned. “If only you weren’t holding a baby, you would be getting a big reward right now.”

Max looked from Charles to Lucy. “I’ll just go find the nanny.”

The End

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