He was punished for his hastiness by a long-lasting arousal that would not be coaxed away, accompanied by a feeling that he had made a very great mistake.
That was my second chance. Will there be more chances?
Madeline was not looking at him. She was anxiously scanning the crowd, craning her neck. She was not wearing that ravishing green-gold dress either. She was wearing a blue gown, which suited her very nicely, but it was not thesame.
“Are you looking for someone?” he whispered.
She flinched, glancing up at him. “I… not exactly. I am afraid of what they will write in the newspapers about me. I know it is only a rumor, but this talk of Adam beingourbaby… well, it bothers me. I worry that it might ultimately affect Adam’s reputation.”
“I shouldn’t worry about that.”
She huffed. “Youmight not be concerned, butIam.”
He lifted his eyebrow. “I mean that there is no more cause for concern. The papers will not print that disgraceful rumor again.”
Her eyes shot up to his face, wide and confused.
“I don’t understand.”
Tristan scanned the audience, briefly meeting Isaac’s gaze.
“The gossip columns often run wild in London,” he murmured. “But they are not unreachable. Not for a duke, at least. I have utilized various spies to track down the most venomous writers, the ones who started that rumor, and I have ensured that the rumor willnotbe repeated.”
There was a long silence. When he glanced down, he found Madeline staring up at him.
“Why did you do that?” she managed at last. “That rumor did not bother you, I thought.”
“It didn’t,” he shrugged. “But it botheredyou.”
She blinked, seemingly taken aback.
“I… I see,” she murmured. “Thank you, then. Thank you, Tristan. It means a good deal to me.”
Was it his imagination, or did she lean a little closer to him, her shoulder brushing his? Perhaps.
“Why didn’t you wear that green-gold dress I liked so much?” he asked after a moment.
She bit her lip. “At the last moment, it seemed too much for a christening, I suppose. I rather regret not wearing it. I did love it.”
“Well, you might still get a chance to wear it.”
She glanced at him. “What do you mean?”
“We should give up this squabbling, I think,” Tristan murmured, fixing his gaze on Adam. The baby blinked up curiously at the rector, stretching out his fat little hand for the rector’s collar. “We have a child to raise, and that is a serious business.”
“I agree,” Madeline responded, and he heard relief in her voice.
“We must remember who we are, and what is at stake,” Tristan continued, his voice growing firmer. “We are married, and we are raising a baby. Both of these things are serious matters. It is too much for either of us to face alone. But serious things, I think, require a little fun every now and then. We’ll face challenges together, and we’ll enjoy ourselves together.”
The rector carefully sprinkled a little christening water over Adam’s head. Outraged, the baby waved his arms, gearing up for a good, long scream.
“What do you mean, enjoy ourselves?” Madeline queried, eyeing him.
“After our sedate little christening dinner,” Tristan explained, “you and I will go to the Devil’s clubhouse. How about that? Only if you wish it, of course.”
There was a moment of silence, and Tristan forced himself to wait for her response. She could not be pushed here. Hemust notpush her, or else she would pull away from him forever.
Patience, after all, was most certainly a virtue.
