Free Season For Surrender (A Danby Family Novella Book 2) by Julie Johnstone Page B

gasped. She’d been so
preoccupied by dancing with him and kissing him, she’d not noticed the lack of
lurking servants or the sky lightening above them or her aching feet or heavy
eyes. Yet now, exhaustion claimed her. She smiled, then promptly yawned. By
tacit consent, they grasped hands and strolled slowly down the corridor and up
the stairs.
    He paused in front of her chambers and
kissed her on the forehead. The kiss, tender and reassuring, was every bit as
wonderful in its own way as the passionate kiss she’d shared with him moments
ago. Stepping away from her, he bowed. “Until tomorrow. I mean later today.” His
grin was infectious.
    “Tomorrow,” she agreed and forced
herself to go into her room and shut the door. After undressing, she settled
into the fluffy covers to try to sleep. Her thoughts kept returning to Nick. He
was the most honest man she’d ever met. The care and sensitivity he’d shown her
in the past several days was like a salve on her wounded soul, yet would she
feel the same way about him when they were undressed, flesh to flesh, and he
wanted to truly make her his? Could she stand to lie with him? She just wasn’t
sure, and the doubt took away a little of her happiness.
     

     
    The next morning Nick sat in his office
trying to think about his estate and not Lillian when his butler knocked and
announced Drew. Nick set down his quill as Drew strolled in, plopped into the
chair opposite Nick’s desk and gave Nick a puzzled look.
    Nick leaned back with a sigh. “I assume
you’ve something to say to me or you wouldn’t be at my house at eleven in the
morning instead of home with your wife.”
    “Perceptive as always, cousin.” Drew
tapped his fingers on his knee for a moment before speaking. “If you married
the Lancaster chit out of convenience why did you make her stay the night with
you last night?”
    Nick felt his jaw drop open. “I did no
such thing. Besides, how did you know Lillian stayed here?”
    “Charlotte made me go to the theatre
this morning to see if your wife cared to come for tea. Her seamstress informed
me, with a severe frown, that you’d forced her poor mistress to stay at your
home. Seems the woman knows that the two of you are married―only in
name.”
    Nick leaned forward, his right eye
twitching with irritation. “Not that it’s any concern of yours, but I asked
Lillian to stay so I could teach her to dance. Nothing else.” Drew didn’t need
to know about the kiss.
    Drew’s smug smile grew wider. “Is this
part of your grand plan to never love your wife?”
    Nick wanted to put his fist through his
cousin’s arrogant face. “Yes.”
    Drew guffawed. “You need to seriously
reconsider your plan. At the rate you’re going, doing all these little nice
things for her, the woman will be in your blood whether you like it or not.”
    Nick stiffened. He’d lain in bed,
thinking the exact same thing. She’d enjoyed his kiss and said she’d wanted to
try another today, but he couldn’t allow his guard to lower with her again. He
may never get it back up, if he did. He stood and motioned to the door. “You
can go. I appreciate your concern, but Lillian is leaving this morning.”
    “That’s a bad idea. If you send her to
her home people will talk. I meant to discuss that with you yesterday but never
got the chance. Since she’s already here, if you want the wedding to appear
genuine, and none of the gossips to assume the worst about her, I’d have her
stay with you at least a week.”
    “A week?” Nick’s pulse jerked. The
damned thing was it was excitement, not concern. It should be concern. He’d
never be able to resist Lillian if she was in his house for an entire week. “Do
you really think the gossip mongers would assume there was something wrong with
her?”
    Drew stood. “Of course they will.
Remember Lord Sothby’s wife?”
    Nick recalled her moving out of her
husband’s home the day after their marriage. The woman had been shunned