Charles waved his hand. “Oh that? I just forgot how to swallow for a minute, nothing a glass of water and a few minutes cannot fix, I assure you.”
Christopher clasped his cousin on the shoulder and smiled broadly as he glanced lovingly at Alaina. “Well, I for one am happy you are here to celebrate with us. Right, Alaina?”
Alaina only had eyes for her husband. “Yes, we are so happy you could join us.”
“To the happy couple,” Charles raised his glass and put down its contents quickly, forcing a smile onto his face afterwards. “Shall your union be long and full of joy.”
Chapter 20
The moon peeked through the trees every so often as the phaeton, pulled by a single chestnut mare, made its way through the winding path on the outer edges of the Waverley grounds. The country night was quiet in comparison to London, but alive with the sounds of crickets, owls, and rustling leaves, punctuated by the steady clip clop of hooves muffled only slightly on the packed dirt path.
Alaina sighed as she leaned into Christopher’s arm, feeling the muscle flex under her touch. As he steered their small vehicle around a large bend and into an opening, a hunting cottage came into view that was tucked into a copse of large trees. The front of the slate-roofed stone structure led to an open field dotted by a few trees and shrubs. The glass panes of the cottage were quite large and glowed with a soft light, revealing the crosshatch pattern making up the windows.
Emerging from the trees, Alaina could see all the stars in the sky accompanying the moon to light their path, the smell of roses still strong as they rode through the night.
Alaina sighed dreamily and asked, “So who lives there?”
“Well, we do, my dear, at least for the time being,” Christopher answered, pulling his arm out of Alaina’s grasp in order to place it around her shoulders, bringing her closer.
Alaina cocked her head in order to catch a glimpse of Christopher’s profile, a frown of confusion marking her brow.
Before she could inquire as to what he meant, Christopher chuckled and continued. “I figured with all of our guests, and the amount of interruptions I have endured from your family and our friends in the past, it would be best that we ensconced ourselves somewhere private. This hunting lodge has been on the Rochester property for generations. My father had a groundskeeper who liked the accommodations, but now it is just kept for my seasonal use. I had some servants prepare it for our stay, but as of now, we should be completely alone.”
“Is that why you were in such a hurry?” Alaina teased.
“Of course. I have been thinking of little else this past week, or really these past months.” Christopher turned to grin at her, as he pulled the phaeton into a small stable to the side of the cottage.
When they came to a full stop, Christopher dropped the reins for a moment to gather Alaina in his arms, placing a tender kiss on her lips, brushing them lightly with his own before deepening the kiss, crushing Alaina’s body against his.
Alaina felt her nipples harden as her soft, full chest rubbed against his hard muscular one. Christopher parted his lips ever so slightly, using his tongue to trace lightly around the opening of Alaina’s own lips. A small sigh escaped her, and Christopher let out a moan, slanting his lips across Alaina’s and delving into her sweet mouth. He put his arms under her knees and behind her back and lifted her from the bench of the phaeton and onto his lap. Alaina could feel the hard heat under her soft bottom, and the connection created a warmth of her own between her legs as they continued their kiss.
The horse nickered gently, sensing the inattention of both passengers, and Christopher reluctantly pulled back to look at Alaina in the dappled moonlight. “It appears I have some duties to attend to before we can proceed.”
Flushed, all Alaina could answer was, “And so it seems.”
Christopher leaned his forehead to Alaina’s and sighed, lifting her effortlessly back onto her seat on the bench beside him.
As Christopher climbed down, turning back to lift Alaina quickly to the ground before tethering the horse and putting the phaeton away, Alaina mused silently on the day, all perfect in her mind; the church, the party on the lawn, and dinner.
By the end of the evening, Christopher had pulled Alaina aside and told her he had a surprise. Begging their guests’ forgiveness, to a round of loud whoops, Christopher had half-dragged her in excitement to the stables, revealing the mode of transportation, laden with a basket and a small trunk, before exclaiming that they were going on an adventure.
Alaina smiled to herself, giddy. She watched as Christopher deftly shouldered the small trunk in one hand and picked up the basket with the other, having already taken care of the horse with grains and water for the night, before turning toward Alaina.
“Ready?” Christopher motioned, with a swift jerk of his head, toward the path leading to the front door of the hunting cottage. Alaina followed along, eager to see what the inside held for them. As she walked, she watched Christopher’s strong, broad shoulders carry their burden easily, her eyes making their way down his back admiringly.
Christopher paused at the front door, placing the small trunk down on its end and setting the picnic basket on top, while he removed a key from his gray overcoat. When the door was opened, Alaina could see the soft glow of a candle set just inside the front door on a small table. Christopher turned to Alaina and, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, swept her into his arms in one swift motion.
They crested the threshold. Just inside, Alaina looked up to meet Christopher’s gaze. She wasn’t sure what was to come next; Charlotte’s fumbling attempt to provide insight, without actual information of use, had made Alaina smile. She had not had the heart to tell her mother that she had some inkling about what was to come, even if she did not possess the entirety of the information. Alaina only hoped she was correct that it had something to do with that feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Christopher released Alaina’s knees, keeping one arm behind her back. Holding her chest close to his own, her legs slid down the length of his body slowly, coming to rest almost a foot from the floor. Their bodies were now pressed against one another, Alaina’s arms clasped together behind Christopher’s neck. Their faces were only inches apart, their breath becoming more ragged. Alaina was not sure if it was her heart she felt or Christopher’s.
“It seems we are truly alone, and, as a married couple, now completely free to do as we please,” came Christopher’s voice, soft and sensuous, the sound caressing her body as well as his hands could.
Alaina took a few moments to find her own voice, but eventually responded in kind, “So it seems,finally.”
That last breathy statement set the coals that had been smoldering, almost since they had met at the refreshment table, completely aflame. Christopher crushed Alaina’s lips with his own as he sought to take advantage of their newly wedded status. Remembering himself and his young virgin wife, he slowed his fervor, turning the kiss into a slow caress, brushing his own lips across Alaina’s from side to side, his tongue tracing the outline of her lips slowly.
Alaina was both pleased and surprised to find her body reacting without thought; Alaina and Christopher belonged with each other and were bound for life, the bonds that could not be broken by law sealed by the union of their bodies, the consummation of their vows fast approaching.
