CHAPTER1
Elliot
The Marquess of Egerton, had wanted his wife, Merritt, from the first moment he saw her, over a decade before. Elliot had, of course, not been the only one. With her sleek red hair, her bright blue-green eyes and her outrageously kissable lips, she had been one of the most sought-after debutantes of her coming out year. A true Diamond of the First Water. And yet she’d always seemed disinterested in the popinjays who bobbed around her, trying to gain her attention.
So Elliot had gone about the delicate business of winning her. It had been a two-pronged plan, the first of which was convincing his own father that a marriage contract was his idea. The late marquess had never done anything that wasn’t in his best interest.
The second had been making Merritt notice him. That one had been trickier. Complimenting her beauty had resulted in yawns, so he had pursued her beyond her looks, and found the layers of her mind and her soul were even more attractive than the lush package they were wrapped in.
Both parts of his plan had ultimately succeeded, and so today, over ten years into their union, he found himself looking across the carriage from her. She was as beautiful now as she had been the moment they were wed. More beautiful, actually. She had come into her own as marchioness. Grown into her sophistication in her hair and dress, and her eyes, those amazing eyes he couldn’t stop staring into, held even more knowledge and sensuality.
She smiled and glanced up from her book. “Going to keep staring all day, Egerton?”
He arched a brow and tried to suppress his own smile. “I will stare all I want, my lady.”
Her expression went from something playful to something more focused, erotic, and she set the book aside entirely. “Are you going to ever tell me exactly where we are going and what we are doing?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “What would be the fun if you knew all my secrets?”
There was a moment when something just a touched pained crossed her face, but she erased it swiftly enough. Still, he had seen it. He understood it. As much as they were connected, respected each other, desired each other, even after all this time it was still difficult for him to give all of himself. He wanted to, but there was always something keeping him back. Several somethings, actually.
So he gave what he could and hoped it would be enough.
“You think I could not deduce at least a fraction of the truth?” she asked.
He tilted his head. “I’m sure given enough time you might even be able to deduce all of it. You are, after all, the most intelligent person I have ever known.”
Her eyes brightened with pleasure at that compliment, still her favorite of anything he ever noted about her when he waxed poetic. Still the truest of all the pretty words that ever fell from his lips while he dragged them over her body.
“Let me see…I know it has something to do with my birthday,” she began, ticking off one finger with the other. “That isn’t much of a secret.”
“Turning thirty is not something to be ignored,” Elliot conceded. “But as you said, nothing of a secret to that.”
“But you did not wish to have the children present for it, nor any other friends or family,” she continued, and licked her lips. Just to tease him, he thought. “So I have a feeling this private celebration is something very…intimate.”
“Very intimate,” he agreed, and found his throat thick with desire.
She smiled again. “Good. You have been so busy the last few months, you and I have hardly had any real time together to…” She hesitated and leaned forward. “To play. And I’ve missed that.”
He caught her hand and drew it to his lips, dragging them over her palm, her wrist. Until her breath hitched. She wasn’t wrong. Oh, they’d made love plenty of times during the last few months. He never went more than a day or maybe two without having her. But they’d done nothing special. They hadn’t gone to the Donville Masquerade together, as was their habit, or set aside a whole day or even a few days to make a thorough exploration of each other.
The carriage began to slow, so there was no time to do a little preview of what was to come right here and now. He released her hand and motioned to the window. “We are arriving now, so your suspense will soon be allayed.”
She pulled the curtain aside and together they peered out. The cottage was not huge, but it was finely situated, perched on a bluff that overlooked the sea, with a path leading down to the beach beyond.
“Oh, Elliot,” she breathed. “How lovely!”
“And all ours for a week,” he said, knowing he was leaving out some details, but she would find them out soon enough. “The servants will make all the final preparations and then go into Brighton for their own holidays. Food will be delivered and the house tidied mid-week, but otherwise we will be blissfully left to our own devices.”
She clapped her hands together with real pleasure. “Oh, I’m so glad. This will be wonderful, Elliot. I cannot wait.”
The carriage stopped before he could respond, and then the hustle and bustle of arrival began. He helped her from the carriage and sent her off to do her duties, as he did his own, verifying all the timing of comings and goings with the footmen and drivers.
After about half an hour, he entered the cottage. Two maids were uncovering furniture and fluffing decorative pillows in the parlor off the little foyer. He heard another in the kitchen, taking care of the food for the next few days.
He made his way up the stairs and down the hall to the bedroom in the back of the house. He opened the door and heard Merritt in the dressing room with her maid, Cora. They were lightly chatting together, as they often did. He paused a moment to listen to just the sound of her, the rhythm of her voice and laughter. His favorite music.
With a sigh, he went to the doorway and leaned on the frame, watching them until Merritt straightened and looked at him. “Egerton,” she said softly.
