The Earl's Design of Love: The Stenwick Siblings Read online

  She pulled away blushing and shook her head. “Not until after supper, at least. It’s not even dark out yet.”

  He sighed. “Do you really think I’m only going to make love to you in the dark for the rest of our lives? I don’t want darkness.”

  She pressed her lips to his again, shushing him. “The first time…can it please be dark?”

  He looked into her eyes and saw how embarrassed she was. Finally he relented nodding. “The first time.”

  She stroked his cheek with the palm of her hand. “Thank you for considering my feelings.” Most men wouldn’t she knew. She’d spent time alone with many men over the years, because her mother had insisted upon it. Of course, they’d always had a chaperon within sight, but not within an area that could hear. She’d learned a lot about men on those sojourns with her maid following behind her. “I really appreciate it.”

  They made their way back to the house hand in hand a short while later, and she went up the stairs to change for dinner. She knew he didn’t hold to formal traditions in the country, but she wanted to look nice for him on their wedding night. She looked into the mirror as she pulled her clean dress over her head, amazed at how swollen her lips were. How would she look in the morning after he’d had time to kiss her for hours?

  Diana was thankful she’d had Anna to tell her about what would happen on her wedding night, because her mother had tried, and had stammered through the whole process conveying nothing more than the fact that she would be naked in bed with her husband and he would kiss her. She knew that much!

  When she opened her door to descend the stairs for dinner, she found him lounging against the wall opposite the door. He’d agreed to let her use the countess’s chamber as her dressing room, which suited her nicely. She didn’t want to have to try to get ready in front of him. She was self-conscious enough without that.

  She’d carefully chosen a dress that had buttons going up the front so she wouldn’t have to struggle to get out of it later when he was waiting for her to change for bed. She’d seen the way his eyes had lit up at the idea of her in a green nightgown, and she knew he wasn’t going to be patient enough to wait long.

  Walking through the house with him, she could see signs of where the house had been let go while he’d concentrated on just earning a living and paying down debt. It was nothing major, but there were repairs needed in various places. She wondered if he’d start the repairs now, or if he’d wait until he was out of debt first. She decided to wait and see without asking him. It would be obvious if he suddenly came into a great deal of money, and she knew that if he did, he’d lied. If he continued to live the simple way he did, then his friend was simply mistaken. She had to trust him enough to give him the benefit of the doubt.

  He looked at her with a smile. “Do you remember the fountain I was designing when you came here that weekend?”

  “Of course. It was beautiful!”

  “It’s almost half finished, but I still feel like something’s missing. Would you be willing to take a look at it after supper and tell me what you think?” He truly valued her opinion, but more than that, he remembered something she’d said that weekend about how she could make it right. He had no idea what that meant, but if she could do it somehow, he would allow it.

  “I’d be happy to.” She smiled up at him, glad he was asking her opinion on things as if she mattered to him. She didn’t want to keep thinking about what had been said earlier that day.

  Percy held out the chair to the right of the one at the head of the table. “I know it’s tradition for the countess to sit at the foot of the table, but it doesn’t make any sense to me to sit that far apart.”

  Diana shook her head. “We couldn’t have any sort of conversation at all. I’d rather sit beside you.”

  He dropped a kiss on her head before taking his own seat. “I’m glad we think so much alike.” He sighed. “I was raised with all the formalities, and I accepted them all as the way I would do things when I was the earl.” He shook his head. “Everything changed when I realized how destitute I really was.”

  She looked at him with understanding. “So when you were worried about where your next meal would come from, you suddenly realized that how mannerly you were while you ate it didn’t matter as much as you once thought it did?” She wished more of the ton would realize that their impeccable manners meant nothing without the riches that surrounded them. She’d seen so many people in London who had very little money, but clung to the silly traditions.

  “Exactly.” He shrugged. “And really? Is it mannerly to sit twenty feet away from my wife just so that our servants will think we don’t like each other?” He took her hand in his. “I do like you. I don’t care if they know it.” The affection in his eyes as he looked at her made her heart melt.

  She smiled, thinking about what a good role he was playing if he had only married her for her money. At least he cared about her feelings. A moment later the maid brought their soup to them, and Diana carefully spread her napkin on her lap before picking up her spoon. They talked while they ate about what it had been like growing up.

  “Father always worked hard, but we were just normal people living in London when I was a little girl. Mother taught me in the mornings, and I ran around in the afternoons. It was glorious. We’d play tag and hide and seek. I swear, I spent so much time on those streets I could go back there today and never get lost. The church we married in was the one I attended as a child.” She took a sip of the wine in front of her. “What about you?”

  He shrugged. “Well, I grew up between here and our London townhouse. We came here in the summers, but stayed there for the Season. I loved it here. I played outside as soon as the governess finished with my lessons every day. No one really paid attention to me back then. The girls weren’t born yet, and I got to just run free. I hated being in London for the Season. There was so little I was allowed to do in the city, but Mother loved being there, so we always went.”

  “Tell me what a normal day is like for you now,” she insisted. How would she fit into his life?

  He pondered that for a moment. “I get up early. I keep country hours here.”

  She nodded. “Of course.”

  “After I’ve eaten breakfast, I usually go outside and begin work immediately. Usually there’s some commissioned job for me to work on, but if not then I do what I want. I have two commissioned jobs waiting for me, but I have to finish the fountain first.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what it is about that thing, but I feel compelled to finish it as soon as I can.” He took her hand in his. “I know we’re newlyweds, but I need to work on it for at least a few hours every day.”

  Diana smiled. “Of course. The design was very intriguing. I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with.” Just thinking about the fountain he was making filled her with happiness. She knew it was going to be something truly special.

  “Thank you.” He knew any other young lady in London would be furious with him for working during his honeymoon, but Diana seemed to understand what he needed.

  “I knew you were a working man when I married you. I’m proud that you work.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment, having a hard time with the emotions that washed over him. If he had created a woman who would believe the way he did, and be perfectly compatible with him, he couldn’t have done a better job. He looked at her for a moment, taking in her beautiful face that he just couldn’t get enough of. “Do you have any idea how perfect you seem to me at just this moment?”

  She smiled ruefully. “I promise you, you’re the only one who sees me that way.” She took a bite of her potato before asking, “Do you go to London when parliament is in?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not there all the time. Anthony sends me a message when he thinks I’ll be interested in something that’s taking place, but for the most part, I stay here and work. I don’t have a lot of time to sit and listen to random squabbles in parliament.”

  When they were
finished with their meal, he took her to his library. “I know you mentioned that you enjoy reading. My sisters often leave books here when they visit, and there many of the classics.”

  “I can read whatever I want?” she asked in surprise. Her mother had always looked over her books before she was allowed to read them. She had gotten to the point she would send Anna out to find her a book, and she would hide it in the pages of one of the books her mother approved, so she could read. She liked a good classic as much as anyone else, but when she read she wanted a total escape from the world, and to her mind, a novel was the best way to do that.

  “Of course. I’m not going to try to control your mind.”

  “What if I want to read something scandalous? Lord Byron’s poetry or the latest novel?” She would read them. There was no doubt about that. What she wanted to know was whether or not she could read them openly.

  He smiled. “Well, we can’t be running off to London to buy books every week, but if you stock up while we’re there, I don’t see that it would be a problem. Well, as long as you’re not talking about spending too much on books, of course.” He looked worried that she might pauper him with her book reading habit for a moment.

  She laughed and threw her arms around him. “I’m extremely frugal. Thank you for letting me read whatever I want!” The freedom that would come from being a married woman, coupled with the man she’d married, was going to make her a truly happy woman.

  He caught her waist, looking down into her face for a moment. “Your mother didn’t let you read what you wanted to read?” He knew most of the mothers in Society kept strict control over everything their daughters did, but he would have thought her mother would approve of her reading, not try to discourage it.

  She rolled her eyes. “No, she really didn’t. She would force me to hide the books I was reading in another book so she wouldn’t know about them.”

  Percy laughed. “She forced you to hide your books, did she?” He loved the way she’d phrased that.

  Diana nodded, her face serious. “She couldn’t really expect me to read scientific treatises happily. No one could.”

  He shook his head with a grin. She was exactly what he’d needed in his life without even realizing it. He kissed her lightly. “You are something special, Lady Stenwick.”

  She looked at him startled for a moment. “Lady Stenwick? That sounds…strange when applied to me.” She hadn’t considered that her name would change when she married him, and the honorific? It wasn’t something she needed, but she knew her mother would be overwhelmed with bliss the first time Diana was called that in her presence.

  He stroked his hand across her cheek. “I promise you, it will soon fit you like your own glove.” He looked toward the window. “You know…the sun really has set.” He gave her a leering look that she couldn’t help but laugh at.

  “So it has. I think I’ll find myself a good book, and retire for the night. Good night, milord.” She curtsied and walked off as if to peruse his shelves, making certain her back was to him so he wouldn’t see the impish grin that had crossed her face.

  He walked up behind her and leaned down, kissing the back of her neck, thankful that ladies’ hairstyles were such that her hair wasn’t in his way.

  She pretended he wasn’t there as she selected a book. “Oh, I’ve wanted to read this one.” She flipped through the pages, sucking in her breath as he bit her neck. She had planned to send Anna out to get it for her, but there had been no time amid the wedding preparations.

  “Take it upstairs with you then. You can read it tomorrow.” His lips on her neck and his hands stroking her waist left her in no doubt of what he considered more important than her reading the book.

  She turned to him, brushing her lips against his. “Give me ten minutes to change into my nightgown. Please.”

  He caught her waist and turned her soft kiss into one of great passion. “Hurry. I don’t want to wait.” He knew he must seem terribly impatient to her, but he was impatient. He didn’t think he could wait much longer to touch her the way he wanted to.

  Honestly, she didn’t either. “I’ll hurry.” She turned and all but ran from the room and to the stairs to rush to get ready before he joined her.

  Chapter Seven

  Percy watched Diana run from him with a smile. She’d been hugging the book to her chest as if she’d just been given a great gift. He was happy she would entertain herself with books. He wasn’t going to be able to give her the time most of the women of the ton demanded from her husbands, and didn’t want her to wander around his estates thinking about how much better things would be in London. That could lead to her wanting to go to London for the Season, and he would rather shoot himself in the foot.

  He took his time walking upstairs, leaving the lamps lit for Bertram to put out. He untied his cravat as he walked. He wondered how she was going to react when he came to breakfast in his work clothes the following morning. It was one thing for her to know he was a stone mason. Another for her to see him in his work clothes on a regular basis. He shrugged. She’d get used to it.

  He was certain she’d dress in her dressing room, so he went into his room and undressed himself, pulling on a dressing gown to hide his nudity from her. He expected her to be more than a little skittish, but new brides were supposed to be, right? He was just glad there were strong feelings between them to make it easier on them both. He worried about hurting her, because he’d never been with a virgin before, but he would be careful.

  He waited what felt like forever, sitting on the edge of the bed, before finally knocking on the door that connected the master chamber to her room. She opened it, looking embarrassed, in an emerald green dressing gown. Her blond hair was flowing down her back and around her shoulders. He took her hand and pulled her into his room, closing the door between the two chambers.

  Cupping her face in his hands, Percy whispered, “You look beautiful.” He’d never realized just how long her hair was. It cascaded like a waterfall down her back and to her waist, making him want to run his fingers through it.

  Diana looked up at him with nervous eyes. No one but Anna and a few dressmakers had seen her in such a state of undress before. “Thank you,” she whispered. She looked around his bedroom, which she had paid little attention to earlier in the day. She’d been too busy being angry with him to think about this being the room she’d sleep in.

  The bed in the middle of the room was huge, bigger than she’d ever seen. It was decorated in dark, masculine colors, but she liked it. It seemed to suit him well. “I like your bedroom,” she said in a whisper.

  “Our bedroom,” he countered, his lips claiming hers in a soft teasing kiss. “I feel like I’ve waited years to see you standing here.” If he could paint, he would try to capture this moment on canvas, he realized. She was perfect as she stood before him, beautiful and willing.

  She smiled. “We’ve only known each other for three weeks.” At her own words, Diana felt a pang of panic. What was she thinking agreeing to spend the rest of her life with a man she’d only known for three weeks? What kind of idiot did that? Her eyes widened in alarm.

  He saw the panic on her face, and his hands stroked up and down her back, trying to ease her mind. “There’s no reason to be nervous, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “I know. It’s just…I’ve only known you for three weeks.” She trusted him more than she’d ever trusted another man in her life, but she’d never done this with another man. She prayed the panic wasn’t as obvious as she thought it was.

  Percy sighed. “There was a time when our fathers would have arranged our marriage and we wouldn’t have met until we were standing in front of a priest.” He wished he knew the right words to soothe her, but he could understand her panic to some extent. She was giving him rights over her body that no one else had ever had. How could it not frighten her?

  A half smile crossed her lips. “I would have really panicked then.” The joking words slipped out befo
re she could stop them.

  He laughed. “We’re meant to be together, remember?”

  She nodded slowly, trying to force down the panic that she was certain was about to consume her. How could she allow a man she barely knew the kind of liberties Percy had every right to take with her body? “I remember. That doesn’t help a lot, but I remember.” She sighed, wishing she could just stop worrying and let things happen.

  He slid his arm around her waist and led her to the dresser off to the side of the room. There was a long mirror covering the wall above it. “Look in the mirror. What do you see?”

  Her sigh of contentment told him immediately he’d done the right thing. She looked at the spot just above their touching shoulders and smiled. “I’ve never seen a truer lavender. I didn’t know that shade even existed. Not for unmarried people anyway.” She sighed resting her head on his shoulder for a moment.

  He looked at her for a moment. “We’re married.” His face in the mirror showed his confusion.

  She shook her head. “No, I mean I see that color for people who are already married to other people. Never for couples who are actually married to each other or who could marry.”

  Percy shook his head. “That’s really sad.”

  Diana turned to him, thankful he understood. “It is sad. I’m so glad you understand.” She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.” No matter how nervous she was, she needed to remember that. He was the man she needed to spend her life with. He was her soul mate. There wasn’t another man in the world who would suit her as well as the man standing in front of her.

  He stroked her back for a moment. “Not afraid anymore?”

  She shook her head. “I couldn’t be afraid of you.” She looked up at him and stood on tiptoe to kiss his chin. “Even though you make me feel like a child with as much taller as you are.”