Veiled in Blue (21 page)

“How can you know?”

The corners of his mouth flattened. “This is the second time this topic has arisen. I did not want the subject of my first wife to mar the day, but I fear if I do not tell you, it will damage more than the day.”

Their carriage had cleared the village, and they were rocking along the road leading to the Manor.

Julius drew her into his arms and leaned back against the squabs, so she was resting against his shoulder. She was not wearing powder on her hair, something she had done rarely in her life, so she would not mark the cloth of his fine green coat. He gazed at her as if he would kiss her, but then he started talking.

“I will tell you the brutal truth about my first marriage. It might help you understand me better. And maybe, my mother’s reaction when I introduce you to her. I fear she may not at first welcome you, but my father will do so. I promise.”

Eve listened, concentrating on every word so as to forget nothing. The sound of the wheels on the road and the horses’ hooves melted into the background as he spoke, until all she could hear was his voice.

“My first marriage was arranged. Caroline was of good family, a good match on paper. They would probably not have chosen her for me, but the bland miss they at first selected would not have suited me at all, and I fear I would not have done for her.” He smiled wryly, but that soon disappeared, and a bleak expression shadowed his eyes.

Eve wanted nothing more than to kiss it away, but she had to let him speak. He was letting her deeper into his life, revealing another of his secrets.

“Caroline was beautiful and spirited. She had starts when she would race into a frenzy of activity. She shopped, danced, engaged in every entertainment London could offer, but I was a doting husband and I indulged her, assuring myself she would settle down. We soon conceived our first child. My wife wanted the child named for her, and I had no objection. Charles for a boy, and Caroline for a girl. We had a girl, or rather, she did, after a day and a night of labor. The birth went hard with her, and she was not a natural mother. I adored Caro from the moment I saw her. I still do.” He paused, studying her face. “I love my little girl. She is six now. I hope you can prove a good mother to her, Lord knows she needs one.”

She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I was planning to become a governess, remember?”

He shook his head. “You would never have succeeded. You’re too beautiful.”

She blinked. “Do you mean governesses can’t be beautiful?”

He kissed her, a swift touch of his lips. “Yes. The governess is a powerful temptation. She is educated and closer to the family than the domestics. Mothers tend to shy away from employing a lovely, graceful woman to take care of their children, for fear she would corrupt the men of the house. It has been known to happen, you know. Either that, or the man will seduce her.”

“So I should employ a plain woman as governess to our children?”

His smile warmed her heart. “For my part, I care not. I will not be looking at her. Employ whom you wish, as long as she is good at what she does.” The smile faded, and a frown replaced it. “That is something I would wish you to do, as a matter of fact. I have never yet persuaded a governess to stay. My daughter is lively, an intelligent child, and she pushes too many of the women too far.”

“I could do it.”

“No you cannot. You, my sweet, will not have time. I intend to keep you very busy.”

He leaned toward her, and slid his arm around her waist, drawing her inexorably close for a kiss that lasted considerably longer than the last one. She made a small sound into his mouth and opened for him, touching her tongue to his, arching up to him as he groaned.

Julius made quick work of her filmy lawn fichu, pulling it out of her bodice so he could touch the upper slopes of her breasts. He covered them with his hands, stroking lower, until he dipped beneath in search of her nipple.

His touch made her twitch and gasp, shocking but in a good way, awakening her senses, bringing her body to life. She curled her hand around his neck, stroked the bare skin, before pushing up, under his wig. Impatiently, she shoved it out of the way to feel his heat, cupping the back of his head and holding him in place, demanding more.

Their response to each other drove them hard. How could anyone make her so aroused so quickly?

He pulled away with a gasp. At first she barely noticed, following him, pleading with him without words, moaning her need for more.

He laughed, a carefree sound she had rarely heard from him. “We’ll be arriving at Alex’s house soon. Do you really want us to fall out of the coach like a couple of savages?”

Brought to a belated sense of propriety, Eve shoved her fichu back into her bodice. With a reproachful click of his tongue, Julius helped her, making a much neater job of the task than Eve would ever have done, even without her agitation. “How could I have forgotten all sense of decency to almost make love in a carriage?”

Before he arranged the folds of the fabric over her breast, Julius dipped his head and dropped a kiss there. “Exactly as I did. We may try that particular exercise before the week is out.” He chuckled when she squeaked in shock. “We will be travelling for two or three days, my sweet. We have to find something to do on the journey.”

“I could not—I would never—”

“A carriage with glass windows and blinds can afford much privacy.” He leaned back and examined his handiwork, twitching one fold into place before he was satisfied with the effect. “The activity is recommended by many. A sense of danger adds spice to an encounter, do you not agree?” He glanced at her. “Perhaps another time. I’ll enjoy teasing you with the possibility.”

He adjusted his neckcloth with no help from Eve, placing the folds precisely in place by touch alone. For the first time she noticed the pearl pin he used to hold the fabric in place. The gem was as large as a pea. “Is that real?”

“Naturally.” His answer came automatically, as if he did not have to think about it. Sweeping his wig from the seat behind him, he settled it back into place, grimacing, although she had no idea why he would do that. The wig was not an extravagant one, such as men of fashion customarily wore, but a modest, tie-back one in a soft shade of white.

“Do you not like wearing a wig?”

He stared at her, arrested. “I have always worn one. Yes, I believe I do. The custom leaves me free to crop my hair beneath it, and as you’ve noticed, my locks have an alarming tendency to curl. Some of my cousins wear their own hair, but theirs is straighter, or the curl drops out when the hair is grown. My brother is considering following suit, since he has, as he says, little time for fripperies.”

“I thought he was particularly well turned-out today.”

He regarded her curiously. “Do you? I was hard put to it to persuade him not to outshine me, I confess. He spends his time abroad for the most part, but our mother demanded his presence.”

The more she heard about Julius’s formidable mother, the less Eve looked forward to meeting her. Mrs. Vernon sounded like a woman who disliked being crossed, to say the least. Autocratic might have described her better. Eve preferred to reserve judgment, but Julius’s mother’s character was becoming more settled in her mind.

By the end of the week, she would know the worst.

But today, Monday, she was newly married, a fate she had considered she would never experience, with a wedding night to look forward to. Would she have anticipated sunset with such eagerness had Julius not shared a night with her before? Eve did not know, but she presumed she would feel nervous at the very least. In fact, her anticipation did have a touch of nervousness, but that only added excitement to her mood.

The carriage swung into the drive leading up to Woolton Manor, and with a final glance at her, Julius picked up his hat from the seat opposite whence he had tossed it after they’d got into the coach, and sat bolt upright, as if he had done so from the church right up to the door of the house.

He helped her from the carriage himself. As she placed her hand in his, he winked at her, out of sight of anyone else. Eve tried not to giggle. That would not be at all proper in a woman of her status.

As she entered the portals of the now familiar house, she wondered at how easily she had grown used to the grandeur of Woolton Manor. She assumed Julius’s house in London would be more modest, as town houses tended to be, and was secretly glad of the fact. But not as small as the house by the village green.

“Not too much of an ordeal?” Julius entered Eve’s bedroom by the private door joining her room with his, startling her into dropping her hairbrush.

She had dreamily been stroking her hair for ten minutes, ever since she had dismissed her new maid. The maid, a sweet girl of probably eighteen or so who went by the name of Taylor, had proved efficient at her task. The only time she had paused was when she had mistakenly addressed Eve as “my lady.” That sounded passing strange, and Eve had quickly told her “madam” would be sufficient.

Taylor had nodded, bobbed a curtsey, and continued to fold the gown Eve had removed, using exquisite care, but also an efficiency of movement that showed her experience and expertise. Once Eve had addressed the subject of her wardrobe, she would find other tasks for Taylor, for she would not let such a good maid go.

Her hairbrush fell with a clatter on to the silver tray holding some of the magnificent items that had appeared on her dressing table. As far as she could, tell a whole set was displayed there, with powder boxes, hair boxes, mirrors, brushes, and even a haresfoot for the application of rouge.

Eve had never used rouge, but perhaps she would experiment. A little face paint could not be considered over-vain, surely.

Laughing, Julius crossed the room and stood behind her, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders. “I trust you won’t try to deny me when I tell you how beautiful you are.”

“No,” she said. “But it is a gift—or curse—I was born with. I did not have to strive for it, and therefore I have never valued it. Until now,” she was compelled to add, in response to his expression. “I have tried to learn what I can and to keep my temper. I value those things because I worked for them.”

“A worthy answer.” He pressed his fingers into her shoulders in a caressing movement that eased the muscles that had tensed at his entrance. “But you will not mind me taking pleasure from your beauty. I trust the day didn’t tire you out?”

She laughed. “I would be a poor creature if that were the truth!”

“Before you tell me about the women toiling in the fields or in their attics spinning wool for a little extra money, get to your feet and kiss me. Tonight is ours, my lovely one, and I intend to make the most of it.”

She rose and turned, enjoying the swish of her new dressing gown. She had found it together with a night rail of fine lawn on her bed when she had come up here after bidding farewell to the last guest.

To her relief, Sir Henry had not availed himself of the invitation to the wedding breakfast. He had watched her marry and then taken his leave, so she could answer truthfully, “The feast and the dancing were no ordeal at all. I enjoyed seeing my neighbors so happy. Why did you not invite any of your family apart from your brother?”

“They know of our wedding, but since we are to see them soon enough, I did not expect them,” he said, but darted his gaze away briefly before returning to hers, his eyes bearing no sign of the flint she had imagined she had seen in them. “They will love you.”

Before she could respond, he kissed her. His first kiss was sweet and persuasive, taking over where they had left off in the carriage. But this time they would not stop. The bed beckoned, already turned down and ready to receive them. He changed his position slightly, and still in the kiss, lifted her and carried her to the bed, laying her down almost reverently. Some wag had put flower petals on the sheets, roses and scented violets.

He broke the kiss, and still standing by the bed, gazed at her.

He unfastened the tie of her robe and gently spread the sides apart, sucking in a breath when he saw her. Her fine linen night rail was indecently transparent, but Eve found no shame in it, only pleasure that she should affect him so much.

“I—I sometimes find I cannot express my feelings too easily. I will try, Eve.”

Those cerulean eyes blazed the truth. He had not hidden from her. Happiness suffused her.

Eve had no doubts about reciprocating his sentiment. “I love you.”

He bestowed a warm, unshadowed smile on her. “I’m glad,” he said simply.

They undressed each other. When he had drawn the night rail over her head, once she had shaken her hair out of her eyes, Eve found him gazing at her with untrammeled delight. “You’re so lovely,” he murmured, as if to himself and then met her eyes. “We have some way to go, sweetheart, but we will get there.”

“Not too soon, I hope.” She had a little difficulty unfastening the elaborate frogged toggles at the top of his robe, but the task did not take too long. “I want to have plenty of delightful diversions on the way.”

“I am sure we will.” Julius smoothed his hands over her body, pausing only to shake the robe from his arms. The magnificent garment fell, disregarded, to the floor. “We will make love, and laugh, and make children together.” He gave a mock sigh, but his eyes danced with merriment. “That is a skill we should try to perfect, I think. Starting tonight.”

At last he climbed into bed to join her. She rolled on to her back, letting him come over her, his powerful thighs either side of her more slender ones. The heat of his body surrounded her, overwhelming in its potency. His shaft rose, long and thick, the head already glistening. A few drops of clear liquid emerged from the tip. Unashamed, he scooped them on to one finger and held them to her. “For you,” he said. “My body worships you.”

Leaning up, she claimed the bounty with a swipe of her tongue. The flavor was unexpectedly delicious, sweet and spicy at the same time.

Julius groaned. “However did I live without you?” He kissed her.