Her Devilish Marquess (11 page)

Derek didn’t know the first thing about
Malcolm, beyond his relationship to Danette’s friend, but since he
was Danette’s husband now, he had a responsibility to do whatever
he could to ease any possible tensions that could arise between
them. Without knowing the cause of the conflict, however, he wasn’t
sure how to best proceed with things. The safest bet, he figured,
would be in talking to Danette. It was Danette’s feelings, after
all, that mattered.

So after the wedding breakfast was over and
he took Danette to her new home, he led her to the drawing room and
shut the doors to ensure their privacy. He urged her to sit on the
settee and settled next to her.

“
Danette, I’d like for our
marriage to start out in a good position. Would you be willing to
tell me the truth about a certain matter?”

“
I will if I know the answer
to your question,” she slowly replied.

He couldn’t help but note the way she
clasped her hands in her lap as if she expected something horrible
to happen. He placed his hand on her back, hoping the soft contact
would help her loosen up. The poor thing worried much more than she
should. He really wasn’t all that hard to please, despite what his
brother believed.

“
I sense something is
troubling you,” he finally said after carefully weighing his words.
“Will you tell me what it is?”

She didn’t answer right away, and he
wondered if she felt comfortable enough with him to tell him. It
was hard enough she was shy, but he was also asking her to be
vulnerable, which was a tricky thing for any lady who’d just
married a gentleman she hardly knew.

“
Well, I…” She unclenched
and then clenched her hands. “Regan said she recognized you from
the Duke of Rumsey’s ball. She said you were the gentleman who took
off your shirt.”

“
Ah, I see.” So that was the
problem. She’d heard of his reputation. Since he’d heard nothing of
her, he knew she had a pristine reputation. He just assumed she
knew who he was. It seemed as if all of London knew of his
reputation. “I thought you recognized me when we met.”

She shook her head. “I attend a lot of
balls, but I was sick the night of Rumsey’s ball.”

“
I haven’t been to many
since then.” Now that he thought about it, he could count all the
balls he’d been to on one hand. “I’ve only been to three of them.”
He debated on how he might best proceed from here. His brother had
admonished him to be mindful of what he said instead of blurting
out the first thing that came to mind. Finally, he opted for, “When
I inherited my brother’s title, I promised I wouldn’t do anything
else to upset the Ton.” Then, hoping to add some humor to the
situation, he continued, “You needn’t worry I’ll go out to the park
and remove any clothing.”

She chuckled, and the mood lightened
considerably.

“
I know my reputation has
left a lot to be desired,” he added, “but I won’t do anything to
embarrass you. I promise.”

“
It’s probably silly I let
gossip bother me as much as it does,” Danette replied. “I mean,
what people say shouldn’t have such a strong hold on
me.”

“
I think it’s different for
ladies than it is for gentlemen. Ladies have much more to worry
about.”

“
I know some ladies who
aren’t bothered by scandals.”

“
Everyone’s different. Some
ladies are more sensitive than others.” He offered her a smile. “I
like you just the way you are.”

“
You do?”

“
You’re a refreshing change
from the prominent ladies of the Ton. I’m happy to be your
husband.” And he was. He couldn’t think of anyone better. She had a
refreshing sincerity so few did. “Is there anything else you wish
to tell me?”

She shook her head. “No. That was the only
thing on my mind.”

“
Well, that was easy enough.
Why don’t I show you around this place? I’m sure you’re curious
about it.”

She glanced around the room. “I am, but I’m
wondering where your portrait is. I see several gentlemen.”

“
Oh those.” He’d meant to
put them in another room, but with all the activity over moving his
things in and getting rid of his old residence, it’d slipped his
mind. “Those are my ancestors, especially those who held the title.
The older ones are in the den, but in here are my
great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and brother.” He pointed to
each one respectively.

“
Oh, that was your brother!
I remember seeing him a few times at some balls. He didn’t dance
much. It seemed he was more interested in sitting and talking to
his friends.”

“
He thought he had all the
time in the world to get a bride and have a child to pass the title
to. As it turns out, he didn’t. It was his greatest
regret.”

“
Because he realized that
all the things in the world couldn’t make up for the love of a lady
and child?”

He studied her expression. If he was right,
then it was her secret longing for a love match and children that
compelled her to make that deduction. He didn’t know if he should
reveal the truth to her, but then he decided if he couldn’t be
honest with her, then he couldn’t be honest with anyone.

“
Actually,” he began, “he
regretted it because it meant the title was going to
me.”

“
Oh. I’m sorry.”

Noting the sympathetic expression on her
face, he hurried to assure her, “It’s the way things were between
us. There’s no going back and changing any of it. I’ve made peace
with it. The important thing is we make the most of the time we
have. Life is short. I don’t want to waste it on regrets, and I do
like the idea of a love match and children. I just never thought
any lady would be brave enough to marry me, given my
reputation.”

She laughed, and her cheeks went back to the
pretty pink color he’d become accustomed to. “I never thought a
gentleman would show up to the wedding and say all the vows. I
expected you to bolt for the door at any moment.”

“
No, I had no intention of
doing such a thing.” He reached for her hand and took it in his.
“If no one else was brave enough to marry us, then it makes the
most sense we end up together.”

She lowered her gaze from his. Her smile
still lit up her face, assuring him she was pleased by his words.
Yes, she was shy, but she was already coming out of her shell. In
no time at all, he figured she’d feel free to talk to him.

“
Let me show you your new
home,” he said.

Still holding her hand, he helped her up and
led her out of the room.

Chapter Eight

T
hat night, Danette drank some sherry, as Regan had
recommended. “It’ll help you relax,” Regan had
whispered.

Danette put the empty glass on the small
table by her bed and released her breath. How long would it take
for her to feel relaxed? As it was, she was far too nervous to even
sit. Clearing her throat, she went back over to her vanity and
studied her reflection in the small mirror.

Her cheeks were flushed, but she didn’t know
if it was from anxiety or because the sherry made her feel warm.
Maybe it was a little of both. Either way, at least she didn’t look
so scared that she was pale. She was hoping Derek wouldn’t come
into her bedchamber and decide she was too frightened to go through
with the wedding night. The longer she waited, the harder it was
going to be to go through with it. At least she knew what to
expect. She’d hate to come to bed not having any idea of what was
going to happen.

She brushed her hair and let the tresses
fall over her shoulders, thinking it gave her a softer look. Then
she adjusted her robe and turned away from the mirror. There was
nothing else she could do except wait. And since she was unable to
sit, she ended up pacing the length of her bedchamber.

She tried not to think of how much time was
passing. Instead, she thought over the things she wanted to do over
the next week. She’d have to visit her mother and, of course,
Regan. Regan had her heart set on the dinner party. Danette wasn’t
sure Malcolm would be all that happy with Derek, but even if he
wasn’t, she was. She didn’t often see Malcolm anyway, so his
opinion had little bearing on her life. Regan and her mother were
happy with the arrangement, and that was all that mattered.

The knocking at the door connecting her
bedchamber with Derek’s brought her back to more pressing matters.
She took a moment to gather her courage and headed for the
door.

She opened it, and Derek stood on the other
side, smiling at her in a way that made her heart skip a beat.
Maybe the sherry was finally doing its job or maybe it was the
assurance he wanted to be with her, but she found herself relaxing
a bit.

“
I’m sorry it took me so
long to come here,” Derek said as he entered her room. “After you
came up here, there was someone at the door who needed a
prescription. He was the only person who was brave enough to have
me as a doctor when I first started. He referred me to his friends,
and from there, I had more people under my care. I felt it was only
right I take a moment to help him.”

“
I didn’t mind waiting,” she
replied.

“
I’m glad to hear it. I kept
worrying you’d only get more nervous the longer I made you wait. I
heard when ladies are virgins, the wedding night can be filled with
a lot of uncertainty. Uncertainty with anything can lead to
anxiety.”

“
Gentlemen don’t get nervous
when it’s their first time?” All right. That had to be the sherry
at work because she never would have asked the question under any
other circumstance.

With a smile that made her weak in the
knees, he said, “Gentlemen are much too excited to be nervous.”

“
Oh.” Then did that mean he
was excited? All the sherry in the world would never compel her to
ask that question. Besides, maybe it was implied.

“
Being a doctor, I’ve been
privy to more conversations than you can imagine. I took the
liberty of bringing something to help ease things for you.” He
pulled out a small bottle. She couldn’t make out what was written
on it. “It’s in Latin. The apothecary I do business with feels more
professional when he uses Latin on his labels. But this is a blend
of herbs with some oil to help you relax, be more sensitive in the
area that matters most, and will help lubricate you. I haven’t had
a need to use it before, but he swears by it.” As an afterthought,
he added, “Some of the wives swear by it, too. Would you like to
use it?”

Touched he gave so much thought to easing
her transition from virgin to married lady, she nodded. “Yes, I’ll
use it.” Then, before she could stop herself from making the joke,
she blurted out, “I’ll let you know if the apothecary and those
wives are right.”

He grinned and lowered his head to kiss her.
“I knew you were a fun lady the day I met you. It’s nice to see you
open up to me.” His fingers brushed her cheek, almost a whisper
against her skin. “I suppose getting things started will be awkward
no matter what we do. Do you want to go to bed, and we’ll start
things by just holding each other and talking?”

That was probably the best way to go about
it. She glanced at the candelabra. At the time, she had decided to
keep the candles lit, thinking he’d need the light to find his way
to the bed. Now she was beginning to think she should have blown
out the candles so she wouldn’t have to remove her robe where he
could see her. The notion was silly, of course. They both had to be
naked for what was going to happen. If he was going to touch her,
he might as well see her.

Unable to look at him, she went over to the
bed, pulled back the blanket, dropped her robe, and then slipped
under the blanket. She hastened to bring the blanket up to her
shoulders. She expected him to join her, but the room went dark,
and a startled cry escaped her lips.

“
I blew out the candles,”
came Derek’s voice from the dresser where the candelabra was. “I
thought it might make you feel more comfortable.”

It did, though she wished she’d thought to
blow them out before she disrobed right in front of him. She
released her breath. The sherry had made her skin warm and tingly,
but it hadn’t relaxed her as much as she’d expected.

She heard him walk over to the bed, and in
the next moment, he was crawling under the blanket. It took all her
willpower not to edge away from him. Wives didn’t run away when
their husbands approached them. According to Regan, some wives even
approached their husbands. Danette couldn’t imagine ever doing
something that bold.