And the third… He’d wrapped her in his arms and then rolled her over so that she was in control, essentially riding him.
No, Goldie smiled to herself; neither of them would be getting out of this bed anytime soon.
But when she reached her hand out to find him, however, he wasn’t there.
Her husband’s bed was a rather large bed, larger than any she’d ever seen, so she rolled toward the direction she expected him to be…
And opened her eyes.
Because this giant bed, aside from her, was empty.
She frowned and sat up. Would a gentleman go riding on the morning after his wedding night?
The thought reminded her of the last time he’d brought her to climax—when she’d done the riding, eventually collapsing on top of him, exhaling and still incoherent from the dizzying heights he’d taken her to.
And she may or may not have said something about loving him. She winced.
Reed had… kissed the top of her head. At the time, she’d thought nothing of it. But had she spoken too soon? Last night had been spectacular. It had been a revelation as to all that marriage could be.
For her.
Had it been the same for him?
Goldie glanced around the room. If it had been the same for him, then why had he left?
She trailed her gaze around to where her night rail lay, torn. No wonder it had come off so easily. His jacket and shirt from the garden were casually draped over a matching chair.
Had Reed gone out to collect them?
On the floor lay a folded newspaper.
A copy of the Gazette.
She slipped off the bed, and not at all comfortable moving about his chamber while naked in the harsh light of day, slipped into her dressing gown and then fetched the paper from the floor.
But before she could tuck it back into his jacket, the headline caught her eye.
“Standish secretly marries Crossings’ daughter.”
Good heavens! There must have been a reporter at the wedding. She’d expected this, but not so soon.
She glanced toward the mantel. It was just after noon.
Had her father summoned Reed already? It was possible, although not likely, that he’d challenged her new husband to a duel.
Frowning, she lifted the paper closer to read it. The first paragraph mentioned his uncle and the tragedy suffered by the Rutherford family followed by a brief description of Lord Rupert’s engagement to Nia.
Goldie continued reading.
“And disregarding any pretense of mourning, the new Earl of Standish has taken Lady Gardenia for his own wife. But was this a love match? Lady Gardenia was one of the most highly sought-after debutantes to enter the marriage mart last Season, and as the daughter of the Duke of Crossings, could have married any man of her choosing. The new earl cannot be as bad as the rumors suggest, can he, if he obtained the former Diamond’s consent?
Goldie frowned.
Taken Lady Gardenia for his wife? But… Nia wasn’t even in London!
She thought back to the first day Reed had come to her father’s house—asking for Nia!
Reed had told her that he needed to marry, and then he’d asked her to be his wife. And he’d done nothing to mislead her as to the urgency required…
