Only it wasn’t a dream.
Looking into Marcus’ warm blue eyes, his fingers sifting through her hair as she lay on her side facing him, she felt joy pervade every cell of her being. She had her husband back. After they’d made love last night, she’d fetched the key to free him, and he’d made love to her again, slowly and tenderly, before they’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms.
And he was still here.
“Good morning, love,” he murmured.
“Yes, it is,” she whispered.
His lips tipped up, the smile reaching his eyes. “Thanks to you and your exceptional execution of this rendezvous. I still can’t believe you pulled this together in a day.”
Ithadbeen a rather large feat. She’d spent the day after the disastrous ball running about, making frantic arrangements. She’d sent word to have the cottage readied and supplies stocked. Then she’d made excuses to the children, telling them she was accompanying Papa on a business trip; she’d also arranged for their care during her absence. After that, she’d dashed a note off to Flora, asking for prayers that all would turn out well. Oh, and she’d had to visit a certain establishment in the rookery to obtain the drugging powder.
“It was worth it,” she told him.
He continued to stroke her hair. “How long do we get to stay here?”
“A week.” God, she loved his touch. “Your mama agreed to look after the children.”
“You asked Mama for a favor?” His smile turned wicked. “By Jove, youweredesperate to get me back.”
She had been. Desperate enough to go to the dowager with hat in hand. That didn’t mean, however, that she’d revealed the true reason why she’d needed the other’s assistance.I’m going to kidnap your son in order to fix my marriagejust didn’t quite have the right ring. Thus, she’d given her mama-in-law the same explanation she’d given the children.
A business trip, eh? Well, you two enjoy yourselves, Lady Aileen had said grandly.I’ll have the household and children straightened out and in ship shape by the time you return.
At the time, Penny had been so grateful for her mama-in-law’s help that she’d overlooked the snide comment on her housekeeping and parenting skills.
Now she rolled her eyes at Marcus. “Don’t get all bigheaded about it.” She lifted a hand, intending to slap him playfully on the chest—and froze at the rattling of metal, the weight around her wrist. With disbelief, she saw the manacle and chain securing her to the bedpost.
“What in heavens?” she said indignantly. “Release me this instant—”
She broke off with a gasp when Marcus flipped her onto her stomach in a swift move. He drew her hair off her shoulders, and she shivered as his lips brushed the sensitive skin of her nape before moving up to her ear.
“What’s sauce for the gander.” His hot, husky voice held a catch of laughter.
Then he was kissing down the length of her spine, gnawing and licking. Her cheek against the mattress, Penny gave up any pretense of resistance.Fair is fair, after all, she thought philosophically. Then she gave up thinking all together. Her lusty sigh turned into a moan as her husband proceeded to show her his spicy and exceedingly delicious version of sauce.
Chapter Twenty-One
Blackwood Country Seat, 1826
“Go, son. Be with your wife. I’ll see the children back to the house.”
Marcus took his gaze from Penny and looked at his mama. Beneath the brim of her black bonnet, she wore her usual stoic mask, but he saw the worry in her faded eyes. The dowager might have a reputation for being a harridan, but those she loved, she loved deeply. And through the years, he knew that she had come to love Penny, even though the two of them butted heads on a constant basis.
Marcus placed a hand on his mama’s shoulder, feeling the frailty beneath the black velvet. “Thank you, Mama. We’ll be along soon.”
“Take your time. And Blackwood… you’ll have a care, won’t you? These things affect ladies differently than gentlemen. You give life to something, and seeing its flame extinguish,”—her voice wavered a little, and he knew she was thinking of James, the son she’d lost—“it’s not easy, my boy. Not easy at all.”
After seeing his mama and the boys off in the carriage, Marcus headed over to his wife.
Penny stood beneath the graceful, curving branches of a maple. Her black gown and her own dark coloring made her stand out against the burnished brightness of the leaves, but she looked pale and wan. When she lifted her gaze to his, a pang resonated in his chest. Bewilderment and pain. The throbbing ache of a wound only three days old.
Quietly, he said, “Mama’s taking the boys for a while. We can stay here as long as you want.”
She nodded dully, her gaze returning to the small marble headstone. A wreath of pink flowers that she’d made lay against it. He stood by her side, for once uncertain what to say or do. How to give comfort when there was none to give.
Her low voice broke the silence. “Do you know,” she said, “I overheard one of the villagers gossiping when I went to buy the flowers.”
