The Moon and the Stars (28 page)

Wade led Caroline inside the house. “He will barely finish one question before he will fire another at them. He has a very curious mind.”

“Is that your way of saying my son is very intelligent?”

“
Oui.
He is.”

“I have prepared a special meal for the two of you, and I took the liberty of choosing the smaller private dining room,” Mary said, her face reflecting her happiness. “Your trunks have been taken to the dock,” she told Wade. “I laid out your traveling gown for you,” she told Caroline.

Caroline moved toward the stairs. “I will just go upstairs and change. I won't be long.”

Her hands were shaking as she slipped out of the filmy pink gown and into the more suitable gray silk. She patted her hair into place and went downstairs to join Wade. Her heart was in her mouth as he walked across the polished floor toward her, looking more handsome than a man had a right to. With those glorious golden eyes focused on her, she felt her heart leap.

He raised her hand to his mouth. “Mrs. Renault, you have made me a very happy man today.”

But he wasn't happy. When he seated her at the table and sat beside her, he was unusually quiet.

Something was definitely wrong.

Of course, he had married her for the wrong reason—guilt. That would make any man pull into himself, she thought with an aching heart.

“Jonathan seemed to be enjoying the wedding and the attention from Nelly and Yance,” she remarked, at last breaking the silence that hung between them like a heavy fog.

Wade was silent for a moment, and then smiled and nodded his dark head. “He was telling everyone who would listen that he has the best mommy in the whole world.” Her hand was resting on the table, and he stared at the ring he had slid on her finger a few hours earlier. “And I must say that I agree with him.”

“Wade, I feel I should tell you I do not expect you to cater to my every whim. You do not have to make all my wishes come true.”

“Is that not what a husband does?”

“Not for this wife. I do not expect to be treated like a porcelain doll. I am strong, and I can take care of myself.” Her gaze dropped to her plate. “I know you must think I am delicate because I was so ill—but I'm not.”

He had a faraway look in his eyes. “You may very well be in need of that strength before the night is over.”

She wondered what he meant by his cryptic remark. But Mary entered carrying a large lamb roast, so Caroline's question was never uttered.

His eyes once more filled with warmth. “Nelly has been a very good friend to you, Caroline.”

“Yes, she has. I don't know many people who would
take time from their honeymoon to go dashing across country to rescue a friend.”

“Nelly and Yance seem to be ideally matched.”

Caroline frowned. “In what way?”

“She is impulsive and forward, while he is calm and adores her.”

“That is exactly right. How could you know what they are like on so short an acquaintance?”

“It was my profession to be able to read people. My life often depended on how well I knew my prisoner.”

Her head dropped a notch. “And you think you know me so well, don't you?”

His gaze met hers. “You are the only one I was wrong about.”

This was not at all the conversation Caroline would have expected on her wedding day, and she turned the topic back to her friends. “Yance and Nelly have loved each other for a long time.”

“Tell me something, Caroline. Before I came along, was your life happy in San Sebastian?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I am just trying to understand what your life was like there.”

“When I first arrived, Nelly was my only friend. I took in washing and ironing in those first few months because I didn't have any money. Then, with Nelly's help, I became a seamstress and life was better.” She thought back to her time in San Sebastian. “I was as happy as I could have been under the circumstances. I left behind some very good friends.” She started to take a bite and then said, “I hope someone will take my place in teaching the young recruits to read and write.”

He remembered a time when he had thought she was giving the cavalrymen more than reading lessons. But he would never tell her what those first impressions had been. To do so would only be courting folly. “If Yance is to be believed, the whole cavalry is devoted to you.”

She laid her fork down and laced her fingers together. “Not the whole cavalry. Just a few young men who were far from home and needed a friend. They were always very respectful to me.”

He shoved his plate aside, the food uneaten. “Do you really believe that they only came to your house so you could teach them to read?”

His words had come out like an accusation. “I don't understand. What are you implying?”

“How could you be expected to understand how a man reacts when he is near you?”

“I don't think that is a fair assessment of the situation. And your making such an assumption does no credit to me or the young men who wanted so badly to learn.”

“I ask your pardon. Of course they had an apt teacher in you.” He ran his hand over his closed eyes. “Please forgive me. I have had a lot on my mind,” he said, thinking of her father and wondering how he would find the courage to tell her about his death.

“I am finished,” she said, placing her napkin beside her plate.

He rose to his feet. “Then Louis can drive us to the docks. It is not long until the riverboat leaves port.”

She was almost relieved when they left the dining room. Shouldn't a wedding day be happy? He had reverted
to the brooding stranger that she had been afraid of when they had first met. She had not understood him then, and she now understood him even less.

What was he keeping from her? She did not know.

When they boarded the
Cotton Maid,
there was a festive mood onboard. Music was filtering out of the lounge, fireworks lit up the sky, and streamers were flying through the air.

Wade escorted Caroline through the crowd to their suite and then allowed her to precede him inside. The whole cabin was decorated in white and gold. The bed cover and curtains were white fringed in gold.

The sheer gaudiness suddenly struck Caroline as funny. Wade, with his strong male persona, could never feel comfortable in such surroundings.

He shrugged and shook his head. “I should have inspected the cabin myself. I asked Louis to book the bridal suite.”

She was still trying not to laugh. “I'm sorry, it's very lovely, but how will you abide all this fringe?”

“This will not do,” he said, taking her arm to keep her from going any further inside. “I will have the purser change rooms immediately.”

She slid her hand up his arm. “You will do nothing of the sort. How else will we ever know how it feels to live in a sultan's palace?”

“I know your tastes are more refined than this.”

“But what does it matter?”

He smiled down at her. “Are you sure you do not mind?”

“Not at all. It will give us something to tell our grandchildren.”

He watched her approach the bed, where she batted at one of the many velvet balls that dangled from the bed hanging. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing. “Poor Louis. You are not to say a word to him about this—do I have your word on that?”

“
Oui.
” Most women would have insisted on being moved to another room, but Caroline was more concerned about Louis's feelings than the ridiculous decor. Wade liked that about her.

“Happy wedding day, Madame Renault.”

She gazed back at him, wishing she could interpret the many secrets that were hidden behind those golden eyes. “I hope it will be.” She hadn't meant to say that, it just slipped out.

He averted his gaze. “You will find everything you need in the brown trunk.” He moved away and paused in the doorway. “I believe it is customary for the groom to give the bride time alone. I will return shortly.”

She watched him leave and then turned to the trunk. With Mary's efficiency, she knew everything would be appropriate. She stepped out of her gray gown and draped it across a chair.

Opening the trunk, she found a delicate white muslin nightgown with blue satin ties at the neck. After undressing, she pulled the nightgown over her head and slipped into the blue dressing gown, belting it at her waist. Her hands were trembling when she sat before the vanity and unbound her hair, brushing the golden curls until they crackled.

Not knowing what to do next, she sat on the bed, leaning against the white velvet headboard, and folded her hands in her lap.

Waiting.

The
Cotton Maid
swayed gently on the calm river, and she could hear the distant sound of the paddle wheel splashing against the water. She was momentarily lulled into a sense of serenity. But when Wade entered a short time later, he jolted her calmness.

His eyes sought hers as he bent to blow out the lantern. As her vision adjusted to the faint moonlight that streamed into the compartment, she could still see the vividness in his golden eyes.

She watched his hand go to his belt, and she waited as he bent to remove his boots.

Her heart was pounding, then drumming against her breasts as he removed his shirt, allowing it to slide to the floor. She did not look away when he slid his trousers down. Her eyes widened when she saw his arousal, and he came toward her.

Gently he swept her long hair off her shoulders and bent over her, brushing a kiss across her forehead. She was breathing fast when he laid his face against hers.

“I have waited a long time for tonight,” he said, lifting her to her feet and untying her sash, kissing her while her dressing gown dropped in a clump at her feet. She was hardly aware that he had pushed her nightgown off her shoulders until a cool breeze from the open window touched her skin.

He stepped back, his gaze moving slowly over her naked body. His voice was thick when he said, “You are a rare beauty, Caroline.”

Her eyes closed because she felt so much she could not speak. When he gently touched her breasts, she felt a hunger she could not explain.

“You are mine now,” he said, touching his lips to hers. “All mine.” He moved forward, his hard body touching hers. “
Mon amour,
come willingly to me.”

And she did.

She flung her arms around his neck, and he lifted her onto the bed. When he came down beside her, she thought she would die from wanting him.

There was nowhere on her body that Wade did not kiss, caress, and explore. She was mindless and ready to submit to his every desire. He used the allurement of seductive words to draw her to him, sometimes speaking in French, sometimes in English. She was sure that his prowess was so strong that no woman could resist him.

Certainly not she.

His hungry mouth devoured her, and she was almost in a frenzy. She threw off her inhibitions and ground her lower body against his, and she heard him hiss through his teeth.

A cry of longing escaped her throat when he dipped his head to kiss her breasts. His tongue slid around one nipple, then his mouth covered it while she squirmed beneath him. She had not imagined anything more exquisite than what he was doing to her—or anything so painful as wanting him to do more.

His desire was unleashed at last, and it tore through him. He explored every inch of the soft body that had kept him awake many nights. His hand moved over her hips, pulling her closer to him, forming her to his shape.

He moved his hand down and touched her intimately. He drew in a quick breath when she arched against his hand, inviting him to do more.

He could not wait! There was no time to woo her into accepting him. If he did not have her now, he would explode. He covered her body with his and eased inside her, gritting his teeth at the intense pleasure that shattered through him. She had been untouched, and her tightness stopped him. He did not want to hurt her, so he pulled back. Slowly, his finger slid into her, and she cried out.

“I know what you are feeling, my love. I know this is new to you. Trust me?”

“Yes.”

She bit her lip but still groaned when he touched a certain spot on her, and she almost came off the bed.

He touched his lips to her ear. “
Je t'attends depuis longtemps.
I have waited a long time for you.”

He nudged her legs wider apart, and his eyes drifted shut when he experienced emotions so acute that they were like pain. He wanted to remember the moment her body was finally joined with his.

She opened to him, her arms going around his neck, touching her lips to his throat.

He quaked and trembled, and he sought her mouth, partaking of her sweetness. He tried to control his movements, to still his heartbeat, but he was on fire.

Caroline's emptiness filled with his warmth as he slowly pushed forward inside her. When he probed deeper, she sighed with even more pleasure.

“Forgive me,” he said as he drove into her, unable to contain his torrid passion. With a quick jab he tore through the barrier that had proclaimed her a virgin.
When he heard her sharp breath and felt her stiffen, he stopped and held her tightly.

“The pain will not last long.”

She could not utter a word as he eased farther into her. Her eyes widened in wonder when he slowly rocked back and forth.

In a haze of passion, she watched him bare his teeth, and she stared into those wonderful golden eyes that were like flames of fire. She had the feeling he was drawing her inside him, and the sensation was beyond anything she had ever imagined.

He seemed to know instinctively what would please her, and he masterfully conquered her.

When she arched against him, drawing him deeper, Wade whispered roughly, “
Mon amour,
do not.”

His lovemaking opened the door to so many new emotions. One new feeling had hardly struck before another took its place to leave her gasping for breath.