The Reluctant Duke (A Seabrook Family Saga) (23 page)

“You heard?” he
asked.

Myles took one
look at Bella’s tear-soaked face and reacted. He held his arms out to her, and
Bella stepped into them as though she belonged there. Myles wrapped his shaking
arms around her waist, her head resting upon his chest. Bella’s tears soaked
his shirt, and his body shivered.

***

Later that day
Myles watched over Wentworth, giving both Emma and the dowager duchess time to
rest. They needed time to themselves, and he needed to do something besides sit
in the drawing room drinking tea and eating biscuits. Besides, he needed to get
something off his chest. Even though his friend could not hear him or respond,
he needed to tell him.

“Wentworth,
remember when I told you I loved Bella, but not in a husbandly way? Well, I
think I might have been wrong. I think I do love her. It’s not quite what I
felt for Sophie, because I finally realize what I felt for Sophie was
infatuation, not real.” Myles paused and began pacing around. “Bloody hell,
this is hard to put into words. I believe I do love Bella. But still, I
hesitate to act too quickly because maybe what she feels for me is more like a
young girl’s love. Not the love of a grown woman. Like a girl worships an
unlikely hero. And tonight when I consoled her I realized it was right. I
wanted to protect and love her…in every way. I do want her for my wife.”
Frustrated, he sank back down into the hard chair.

“I’m saying
this poorly. I want to make sure she really loves me. Therefore, I have decided
not to profess my love for her… I’ll let her enjoy the season and have suitors
so she will be completely and utterly sure she loves me.”

Once again he
popped up and paced the room. “I sound like a bloody idiot. What if she falls
in love with someone else while I drag my feet?” He stood beside Wentworth’s
bed.

“Please wake
up, friend. Your family needs you. Too many hearts will break if you die.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Not much
changed in the four days that followed. Then, in the early morning of the fifth
day after the fever set in, Emma awoke in bed beside her husband as she had
done each morning since their wedding night. Only this morning the room was
still and silent.

The strange
quiet sent Emma’s heart pounding. She kicked the covers off and rose to her
knees. He was so still. In a panic, Emma placed her ear on his chest and prayed
his heart still beat.

Relief spiraled
though her at the steady rhythm of Thomas’s heart. Next, she placed her palm
across his forehead. Her lips curled up into a smile at the coolness she found
there.

“Thank you,
God.”

Emma sat back
on her heels, her heart beating double time as she stared at her husband …and
willed him to open his eyes.

They eventually
fluttered open and then closed abruptly. He opened them again moments later.
This time they stayed open for several seconds before they closed.

It shocked her
when Thomas opened them a third time and looked directly at her with clear blue
eyes. Relief spread through Emma’s body and joyful tears slid down her cheeks
to have her husband back from the brink of death.

Thomas’s tongue
flicked out and licked his dry, cracked lips. “Emma?”

Emma blinked her
tears away and smiled at him as she placed her quivering hand on his cool
cheek. “Yes. I’m here, Thomas. Welcome back.”

“Did I go
somewhere?”

“Almost.” She
bit her lower lip and hoped she did not sob her heart out again in front of
him. Emma knew she needed to be strong. So she lay back down and snuggled close
to Thomas’s body, praying her love would make a full recovery.

***

“You’re
trembling. Are you cold?” Thomas asked, confused by events. And what the bloody
hell was she doing in his bed? Had she lost her mind?

“Emma, you must
leave before someone finds you here.”

She raised her
head and looked puzzled. “It doesn’t matter if they do.”

“It matters to
me. Until we are wed you must not be in my bedroom.”

Thomas could
not see her face but heard her giggle. He frowned. “What is so funny?”

“You are. We
married six days ago.”

“We . . .
What?”
Thomas tried to sit up, but stomach pain, as if his muscles were ripping apart,
forced him to lie back. And he lacked any strength. Felt drained and sore. His
hand slid to the bandages on his lower abdomen. “What happened to me?”

Emma rolled
away from him and he suddenly wished he had not said anything. Having her
curled up against his side had felt incredible. Her warmth, her scent… How
often he’d dreamed of this. And then Thomas realized he was completely naked
beneath the covers.

Emma wore a
thin white night rail, and when she rose to her knees beside him, his pulse
spiked. She
was
serious. They were married. But why could he not
remember something so life-altering? If they were married, why could Thomas not
remember making love to her? Surely it had happened. It must have.

“Thomas,” she
said, her voice soft and shaky. “You were sick, very sick.”

“Sick?”
What did she mean by sick?

“Right after
our wedding ceremony you collapsed. The doctor came and removed your appendix.”

“The doctor
removed my appendix?”

“Are you going
to keep repeating everything I say?” she said, smiling deeply.

When the smile
lit up her face his pulse raced.

“Sorry.” Thomas
tried to sound contrite, but he wasn’t. Suddenly nothing mattered except having
her in his bed and making her truly his. If only he had the strength to match
his desire for her.

“Six days ago
the doctor removed your appendix. Five days ago you began running a fever. You
almost died.”

The word
died
got his attention. Fortunately for both of them, he lived. And he would gain
his strength back. And then they would…

Thomas grinned,
reached out, and cupped one luscious unbound breast. A groan escaped his lips.
It was soft, full, and heavy in his palm. “You are beautiful.”

She swatted his
hand away. “You must rest.” Her cheeks turned a becoming shade of pink.

“Must I? I’m
quite sure the doctor will say when he visits today that I can resume normal
activities.” Thomas arched a brow in question. He did not think Emma’s cheeks
could get any pinker, but they did.

“If you are
referring to what I think you are…. ” She shook her head and murmured, “No.”

“No?” Thomas
grinned. With what little strength he had, he pulled Emma close to his side,
ignoring the pain it caused him, and placed kisses upon her smooth silky neck.
Her body quivered beneath his touch. “Are you quite sure?” he asked as she
moaned and curled up closer to him.

“Quite sure,”
she murmured. “Oh, Thomas.”

His wayward
hand slid under her nightdress, up her thigh, moving closer, closer to her
womanhood. Emma gasped, her hips rising up off the bed.

“Thomas.”

“Yes, my
darling?”

“You need to
rest. Oh, my,” she purred. As his fingers parted her feminine folds he inserted
one long finger deep inside her wet heat.

“Relax, and
enjoy,” Thomas whispered as he worked his finger in and out and tantalized her
nub with the thumb of his other hand. Soon Emma rose up off the bed and her
body trembled with release. Slowly she sank down into the bed once again and
curled up against his side.

Contentment
like he’d never known seeped into his bones.

As much as he
hated to admit it, he needed to rest. Just that little bit of foreplay and
talking had him feeling weaker than a newborn babe. Even if Thomas wanted to
consummate their marriage, he realized he couldn’t at the moment.

His member
might be ready; however, the rest of him was not. Thomas tried to open his eyes
and look at his lovely Emma, but even that drained his strength. Strength he
did not have. As his eyes closed, he reluctantly let sleep claim him again.

***

“Thomas,” Emma
whispered as she looked into her husband’s face. He slept. Good, he needed to
rest and regain his strength. He should not have used his energy to do that to
her. She smiled. It was nice, and it reminded her of what was to come when they
finally enjoyed their wedding night.

A short time
later she climbed out of bed, grabbed a robe, and went in search of someone to
tell about the exciting development. She stopped by the dowager’s rooms and
told her the wonderful news. After that Emma descended the staircase and
entered the breakfast room to find everyone else present. “I know it’s a bit
premature to think the fever won’t come back later today, but for now it is
gone.” She sank into a chair. “The fever is gone.”

Myles jumped
up, pulled Bella to her feet, and swung her around in his arms. “He’s fine;
your brother’s going to be fine.” He stopped spinning, looked for a confirming
nod from Emma, and lowered Bella to her feet. Then he did something Emma never
expected.

He kissed
Bella, loud and quick. Then he raced from the room with Amesbury fast on his
heels.

Amelia gasped. If
Bella’s face were any indication, she never expected the kiss either. Emma
leaned in close to her.

“Please don’t
get your hopes up about Myles,” she whispered to Bella. “He might have just
gotten caught up in the moment.”

Bella’s smile
disappeared, making Emma regret her comment. Yet how could she not warn her?

“I know…but I
can hope, can’t I?” Bella replied.

“Come,” Emma
said, hoping to cheer her up. “Go see your brother.”

 “Is he awake?”
Amelia asked as she pushed her chair back and rose to her feet.

“No. But he was
a moment ago.”

One would think
the room was on fire by the way the sisters ran from it. Emma took this time to
sit at the breakfast table and relax by herself. It was not easy. For days, her
muscles had been strung tighter than violin strings. Even with the good news,
they still refused to relax. Emma would stay here a few minutes and try to
relax before joining everyone upstairs.

 “Excuse me,
Your Grace.”

Emma heard the
soft female voice, but ignored it.

“Your Grace.”

Again the voice
came, a little louder this time around. Blinking her eyes open, Emma found
herself with her head down on the hard table. Shaking the fog from her mind,
she looked up to see her maid, Rosie.

“You fell
asleep and I didn’t want to wake you. But I took the liberty of drawing you a
bath. Would you like help, Your Grace?”

“No.” Mmmm, a
bath would be wonderful right now. Every muscle in Emma’s body protested as she
walked up the stairs toward the suit of rooms adjoining Thomas’s. Using the
railing, it took all her strength as she took the stairs one at a time. In a
daze she entered her rooms, stripped off her nightclothes, and shuffled into
the bathing chamber.

She sank
gratefully into the hot tub. “Ahhh, this is heaven.”

Never had Emma
allowed herself to consider how worn down and tired she really was from taking
care of her husband the past six days. As long as he had been deathly sick, her
body and mind functioned. But now that the worst was possibly over, she had no
reserves left. Bathing herself with jasmine-scented soap and washing her long
hair was almost beyond her ability.

After stepping
out of the tub and drying off, Emma dressed in her thin chemise. Before she had
made up her mind what to do next, her body, of its own accord, crawled under
the thick silky coverlet, and she laid her head on the downy soft feather
pillow.

Closing her
eyes, she sighed and fell into a deep and exhausted sleep.

***

With help from
Myles and Amesbury, Thomas managed to sit up in bed where he was propped up by
numerous pillows. He even managed, with their help, to use the chamber pot and
wash up. He began to feel human again. Standing was difficult, to say the
least, because when Thomas stood tall his stitches pulled, and it felt as if
his insides were ripping apart. Of course they weren’t, so he sucked in his
breath, winced at the pain, and forced himself to stand straight and work the
knots out of his tight muscles.

“Seems to me it
was only four weeks ago that you and I were doing this same thing with
Amesbury,” Myles said as he helped Wentworth back to bed.

“Yes, well,”
Amesbury began, his face flushing red, “I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t
apologize and I won’t either. But, bloody bugger, this invalid stuff is for the
old and infirm. Not for me.” Thomas gritted his teeth and sucked in short and
quick breaths as he leaned back against the pillows. “You two can go back to
London if you want. No sense staying here with me and being bored out of your
minds.”

“I’ll stay
another day or two,” Amesbury said, and he turned to their other friend, a brow
raised. “What about you?”

“I’ll stay
awhile…nothing but soirées, balls, and evenings at Almack’s to avoid in
London.” Myles raked his hands through his thick hair. “Bloody hell. I’ll not
go back sooner than I have to. I have no intention of dealing with the
marriage-mart mamas and their prissy daughters this season. As far as I’m
concerned, the season is over.”

“I’m with you,”
Amesbury agreed. “I just got out of one betrothal; I don’t want to get caught
in another. You know how duplicitous those debutantes can be. I think half take
lessons on how to play the shy, innocent virgin, and the others on seducing the
opposite sex. By the way, Myles, what about that kiss I saw you share with
Bella? What was that about?”

 “Yes, well,
that,” Myles stuttered. “I got caught up in the moment of our dear friend
Wentworth’s recovery.”

“You kissed my
sister?” Thomas asked.

“Yes,” Myles
answered. “And God help me if I gave her false hope. As I just said, I got
caught up in the moment.”

“If you say so.
Just do not break my sister’s heart any worse than you already have. I would
hate to call out my best friend at dawn. And Amesbury can’t possibly be second
to both of us.” Thomas paused. “As for me and what you said about debutantes,
Amesbury…well, I’m safe now.” Thomas grinned at his two best friends, then
frowned while he thought about Emma. “Do you suppose Emma already regrets
marrying me?”

“Hell, no,”
Myles replied. “You should have seen her questioning the doctor and taking
charge of your care. She has backbone. She’s going to make you a fine wife. She
is already.” He grinned and his eyes gleamed with humor. “Unless you expect her
to be docile and obedient.”

Thomas started
to laugh. It turned into a cough, then into a groan. He sucked in some air and
held his breath until the sharp pain subsided. “She isn’t either of those
things and never was. Why would I expect her to change now that we’re married?
Besides, can you imagine how boring life would be married to a silly, brainless
chit?”

 “Yes, well,
I’ll pass on being married for a time,” Amesbury stuttered, “brainless chit or
otherwise.”

“Yes, well….”
Myles chuckled. “Good luck with that. Now that you’re a single marquess again,
nothing will keep you safe from all the title-hungry debutantes and their
mamas.”

“Damn,”
Amesbury frowned. “I hadn’t thought about that. But I can hardly blame Lady
Beth for breaking it off. I treated her horribly––avoiding her at all costs and
ducking away every time I saw her.”

“She wasn’t for
you,” Thomas said, now feeling guilty for being the one to encourage Lady Beth
to break the marriage contract. Regardless, Thomas would stand by his reasons
for interfering. What puzzled him was Amesbury’s sudden awkwardness around the
fairer sex. Was it related to his opium use?

“Excuse me,
Your Grace.” Giles tapped on the door, then opened it. “This just came for you,
and it is marked ‘Urgent and Private.’”