“And move?” he teased, stepping back.
Sibyl felt as though she could not stand without toppling over. Barely suppressing a giggle, she shook her head.
Heavens, she felt foolish and giddy. She had never felt anything like that before, especially not with her husband smirking down at her as though proud of himself for causing such a state.
Heavens, I want this giggling silliness to last forever.
He held out a hand to help her up. Her legs did indeed buckle, and Gabriel let out a throaty laugh, catching her around the waist. He adjusted her skirts so they fell correctly and then tugged up her neckline to cover her breasts.
With careful, gentle hands, he fixed the opals in her hair, taking a moment to tuck an errant strand behind her ear.
His mouth opened as if to say something, but in the end, he only nodded and stepped back.
“Wait,” Sibyl said before he made for the door. “Let me…” she trailed off, her hands eagerly reaching for his dark waves again.
She had mussed it thoroughly in the throes of passion, but she could not resist another chance to just run her fingers through it once more. She did not know if he would lower his defenses and give her another chance like this, but she hastily pushed that worry away.
Gabriel gave her a strange smile while she looked up at him, pleased with herself.
“Now we are ready,” she declared.
They left the room, and Gabriel hesitated just outside the ballroom. “Do you wish to say goodbye to your parents?”
Sibyl couldn’t shake her head quickly enough. “Alicia, perhaps, but…”
She poked her head around the door, finding Alicia locked in a fierce stand-off with yet another suitor. She hummed, knowing her sister could stand her ground.
“We can leave,” she decided.
Gabriel offered his arm, and they made their way to their carriage.
Chapter Fifteen
Once home, Sibyl went upstairs to the nursery, already tugging the opals out of her hair. She set them on a small table beside the nursery door.
Rosie slept soundly in her cot, her face nestled in a small silver toy that had not been there the day before.
Turning, Sibyl raised an eyebrow at Gabriel. “You gave her a gift?”
“Yes, the night she was ill,” he answered, turning his head away, but she caught the flush on his cheeks. “I found it in my s—in the old nursery. It is an old gift, so I do apologize. I was not sure if you would be happy if I bought her something new. When she fussed, I thought a toy would soothe her. She seemed… She seemed to like the smoothness of the silver.”
“Indeed, she does,” Sibyl murmured, turning back to Rosie. “She is sleeping so peacefully. When she took ill the other night, I really thought that none of us would sleep again.”
She gave a half-hearted laugh, knowing that would never happen. Still, her motherly fears had won over.
Gabriel didn’t answer, so she looked up, finding him at the tail end of Rosie’s cot, gazing down at her. There was a soft smile on his face, and it twisted her heart so painfully yet beautifully.
“Sibyl, you ought to rest,” Gabriel said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I will follow you shortly, if that is all right.”
For the first time, perhaps due to his smile or the gift, Sibyl didn’t hesitate. If anything, it felt goodto let someone take over, to share the responsibility of watching over Rosie. Edmund had abandoned her weeks after Rosie’s birth. Even when Sibyl had been in pain and crying in her sleep from agony, he had not stayed at her side.
Now, knowing that when she returned to her chamber, Rosie would be watched over by a man who, by some miracle, cared about her well-being… it was astounding.
Sibyl was sitting up in bed, looking at her bookshelf, both scared to pick up a book and excited to, when a knock sounded at the door. It creaked open, revealing her husband holding a tray laden with silver plates. His eyes instantly fell to the low neckline of her nightgown.
“Hello,” he said quietly.
“Hello,” she answered, blushing.
