[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.“All right, Miss Avery, yer turn.I, Cordelia Avery, take ye, Brendan Reese, tae be my husband before God and these witnesses.”“I—um,” she cleared her throat and swallowed.“I, Cordelia Avery, take you, Brendan Reese to be my husband before God and these witnesses.” Chills raced across her skin with these words.They were the most important ones she’d ever said, giving herself to this man.“Ye’ve go’ the ring, m’lord?”“Yes, of course,” Clayworth said, fumbling around in his pocket, finally retrieving a small golden ring.His eyes flashed to hers, rich with desire, and Cordie nearly lost her breath.Then he slid the ring onto her finger of the hand that was bound to his.There were words engraved on the band, and Cordie squinted to read them.Dw i’n dy garu di.She twisted the ring around her finger with her thumb, before glancing back up at her husband.“What does it mean?”“I love you—in Welsh.It was my grandmother’s.”A laughed escaped her throat.“A French mother and a Welsh grandmother? Honestly, my lord, are you English at all?”“Don’t forget the Scottish wedding,” he replied with a wink.“Mìle fàilte dhuit le d'bhréid, fad do ré gun robh thu slàn.Móran làithean dhuit is sìth,le d'mhaitheas is le d'nì bhi fàs,” the blacksmith said in Gaelic.He smiled.“Ye may kiss yer bride.”Clayworth pulled her towards him and held her in his arms before dipping his head for the most innocent kiss he’d ever given her.Then he paid the blacksmith, who unbound their hands and suggested a nice inn a few blocks away.The White Heather Inn was much nicer than any place they had stopped along the way.Swathed in soft shades of purple and white lace, the inn was warm and inviting.After ordering a bath for their room, Clayworth left to see about their horses.She was glad for the time alone with a mirror.Three days of travel in a ball gown had certainly taken their toll.As she stepped into the brass tub, Cordie sighed as the heavenly water sloshed against her aching muscles.She slid down until her body was covered and closed her eyes, content to never leave the peaceful water.However, she now had a husband, and she was fairly certain that he wouldn’t be content to let her stay in the tub forever.Still it was nice to wash away days of travel from her skin and wash her hair with the lilac soap the inn provided.She almost felt like herself again.The door creaked, and Cordie’s eyes flew open.Her husband stood in the threshold with a simple package wrapped in brown paper.She resisted the urge to scream and hide herself from his view, but… Well, he was her husband now.Besides, she was fairly certain the water covered most of her anyway.“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said sheepishly, then gestured with the package.“I—well, I thought after three days in a coach you’d want something besides your ball gown.”Cordie was speechless, almost.When? How had he found something for her to wear? “What is it?” she asked, nearly forgetting her state of dishabille and sitting up in the tub.She quickly sloshed back down.Clayworth placed the package on a small table by the window.“Back in Stamford.The innkeeper easily put together our situation.Most people don’t travel in evening wear and have urgent needs to post letters to London.” He smiled at her, making Cordie’s entire body tingle with awareness.“It’s just a nightrail,” he explained.“Belonged to her daughter.I hope it fits.”It was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for her.Cordie shook her head in disbelief.“Thank you.”“Anyway,” he cleared his throat.“I’ll give you a few more minutes, order dinner, and be back.”Her escape from reality was over.Cordie nodded in agreement to the plan.***Brendan forced himself to leave the room.He’d never seen a more beautiful sight in all his life, but he couldn’t just scoop her up and toss her to the bed like some lecherous bastard, no matter how badly he wanted to.He somehow made his way to the taproom and ordered a meal he had no intention of eating to be brought to their room.Knowing that his wife was upstairs, completely bare made it nearly impossible for him to focus on the task at hand.He wished there was a freezing loch nearby that he could dip himself in, just to get his mind to return to some sort of working fashion.“M’lord?” a young maid said, staring at him strangely.Brendan wondered how long she’d been trying to get his attention.From the exasperated look on her face, it had been a while.“Yes, I’m sorry?”“I said I’ll bring it tae yer room when it’s ready.”“Th-thank you,” he mumbled before climbing the stairs that led to the room where his wife was waiting.For a long moment, Brendan stood outside their door, resting his head against the frame, cursing himself for a fool.It had been too long since he’d taken a woman to bed, and his need to have his wife was too great.Above all else he needed to maintain his control.He didn’t want to scare her, or go too fast, or hurt her.Why hadn’t he participated in carnal activities more often over the years? He’d be much more likely to reign in his desires now if he had.“M’lord?” an annoyed voice came from behind him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]