Triana’s heart swelled with love and pride, as Gabriel held his arm out to her. “Shall we wed, my dear?”
With a mischievous grin, she returned, “I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
From his relaxed position on the bed, his head propped up by a bent elbow, Gabriel had a view of Triana’s backside as she walked naked across his bedchamber at Chiltern Hall. Her face warmed, for she could feel those silver eyes boring into her, and she couldn’t help but give a satisfied smile.
It was still hard for her to believe that they had been married for an entire week. For seven full days, she had been calling Gabriel Wilde, the Duke of Chiltern, her husband. Who would have ever thought that the most infamous spinster in thetonwould now be the most envied duchess?
She sat in one of the wingback chairs by the crackling fire, as she combed her fingers through her long, tousled mane, waiting for it to dry before she climbed back into bed. She was reluctant to linger overlong, although she felt a brief break in their lovemaking was in order, just so that she could bask in the contentment of being loved.
Of course, theTimescouldn’t resist printing another article about her the day of her marriage, but this one was far different than their previous ones.
I am pleased to announce that the Duke of Chiltern was wed this very afternoon in a small, private affair—and who should be the lucky bride, butLadyTriana Abernathy! A spinster no more, she is now calling this former bachelor her own. The happy couple is currently making preparations for an end of season ball to celebrate their nuptials,and I hear it is going to be a crush, with invitationsalready highly coveted. Afterward, theyintend to travelto Italy foran extendedhoneymoon.
In other news, Lady Cordelia Westchester, the Marchioness of Worthington, has been charged with high treason against the Crown—along with theshocking murder of her husband.A trial date has yet to be set, but it will likely beaquicksentence—and rather brief.
Alfred Durning, the Earl of Eastbury and formerintendedof the Duchess of Chiltern, has reputedlyfoundthe Highlandsmore to his liking. While it is doubtful he would have joined the crowd to congratulate the newly married couple, this reporter is rather fond ofhis new circumstances.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
A pleasant shiver crawled up her spine just upon hearing her husband’s seductive voice. That hypnotic, velvety timbre made her tingle in all sorts of places, and brought on a yearning to join him, but she cast a coy glance over her shoulder instead.
“I was just thinking how lucky I am,” she murmured in all honesty, for the life as she currently knew it had been all but hopeless such a short time ago.
The bed sheets rustled, and Triana’s skin immediately prickled with anticipation. When she felt a strong hand on her shoulder; those masculine fingers lightly trailing down her arm, she shot Gabriel a saucy look through her lashes as she let him pull her to her feet. She gasped in delight as the tips of her breasts brushed against his lightly furred chest. It was truly amazing how much she craved this man — and how much he seemed to desire her in return, his arousal urgent and insistent as it pulsed against her stomach.
Her breath came out in a rush as his arm snaked around to cup her backside. He held her in place as he lowered his mouth for a steamy kiss. As his lips toyed with hers, Triana’s blood ran hot with desire. She was already wet and panting with need when he finally drew away. His eyes had darkened with lustful intent, but instead of leading her to the bed, he stepped back.
“I have something for you.”
With a small pang of disappointment that she would be denied his touch, yet still curious, she watched as her husband pulled on his velvet dressing robe. He picked her gown up and brought it over and handed it to her. With eyes still burning a smoldering silver, he said huskily, “As much as I hate to cover up that luscious body of yours, I fear nothing will be accomplished unless I do so.”
She obediently slipped her arms through the sleeves and tied it closed as he held out his hand to her. She accepted him without hesitation, as she let him lead her out of the room where they had lain in each other’s arms every night since their marriage. While it might have been commonplace for the aristocracy to sleep in separate beds, neither of them had bothered to adhere to convention.
The large manor was dark and quiet, with only a few, lit sconces on the wall to light their way downstairs, but Triana felt that the prior sadness that had enveloped Chiltern Hall upon first glance had given way to something much more comfortable and serene. Perhaps it was just her imagination, as she seemed to be living in a bubble of happiness of late, but she refused to believe that such a lovely home couldn’t be filled with joy once again. Especially with the pitter-patter of little feet to fill its halls…
Her stomach fluttered with the anticipation of having Gabriel’s child, for she knew that nothing would give her more elation. But as her husband was currently dragging her downstairs for a secret rendezvous at two in the morning for an entirely different reason, they couldn’t succeed in their quest for an heir — unless, of course, he meant to try someplace new…
The thought held great promise and made her almost giddy, but it wasn’t until Gabriel led her to the study, his personal abode, that she truly wondered what this was all about. He led her to a green upholstered settee, while he went over to the massive, mahogany desk where he instantly produced a key. He unlocked the top drawer, and pulled out a black velvet case in the shape of a large square. He walked back to her, and laid it on her lap before sitting down beside her and casually laying his arm across the back of the seat.
When she merely gazed at him in puzzlement, he nodded toward the box. “I had wanted to give this to you for some time, but it never seemed to be the right moment. Until tonight.” When she hesitated, he ordered softly, “Open it, Triana.”
Her heart in her throat, she slowly lifted the lid to find the most lovely set of jewelry that she had ever beheld. They nearly stole her breath, as she reverently ran her fingertips over the edges of the brilliantly cut emeralds and sparkling, diamonds that she had ever seen.
“They are the Chiltern family jewels,” Gabriel explained. “They were fashioned for the first Duchess of Chiltern over two hundred years ago and have belonged to every lady of the house since. Now they are yours.” As she turned to him with wide-eyed amazement, he smiled and gestured to the priceless gemstones. “May I?”
Without a word, she handed the case to him, where he took out the necklace and carefully clasped it behind her neck, before gently clipping on the dainty earbobs. Once he had set the box aside, he trailed his fingers across the smooth planes of her neckline. “As lovely as these are, I daresay they pale in comparison to you.”
Triana didn’t know what to say, the meaning behind the gift seemed too intimate for words. While it had been unexpected, she knew how much this simple gesture had cost him and that’s what meant the most. He had finally broken down yet another difficult area of his past, and in coming to terms with this complex link in the chain of his life, he pulled her further into his private circle.
The fact that he’d chosen to put so much trust in her was a treasure beyond any other and it made her eyes fill with tears.
“I haven’t thought of them in years,” Gabriel said on a murmur. “In truth, it was only earlier this week that I ran across them. At first I was surprised the old man had kept them in his study, rather than in the duchess’ chambers or the safe, but then I remembered what you’d said about him truly loving my mother and that it was only his grief that had kept us from being close, as I was a reminder of so much he’d lost. I’d always wanted to believe the worst of him, but these have proven me wrong.” He lightly touched one of the earbobs, seeming entranced by it as it dangled from her lobe. “And because these belonged to a long line of Chiltern duchesses, I felt they could now stand as a new symbol of hope for me.” He paused meaningfully. “And for us.”
Triana was humbled by the fact he was laying his future hope at her feet. What could she do but love him in return forever?
And to show him that his trust had not been misplaced, she stood and slowly untied her robe, deciding that the best way to prove her loyalty to him was to give him everything she had in return.
