Garrett growled.
Upon arriving at his townhouse,Garrett informed the servants no formal dinner would be required that evening. He would ring for them when necessary. Without delay, he led his countess upstairs to the suite they were to share. He’d had the furnishings and wall covering in the main suites completely done over in the past month. It was not that they were outdated or worn, but they’d belonged to a history he would not claim.
He’d ordered her chamber made up of periwinkle blue, gold, and yellow. The brocaded walls were a subtle golden hue in an intricate floral design. The curtains at the windows and over the bed were light blue and yellow with a matching counterpane. The carpeting a darker blue. He’d done it especially for her.
Natalie’s young maid awaited her, having arrived earlier with her mistress’s trunks and clothing. Garrett bowed formally to his wife and told her he would return in half an hour’s time. He could wait no longer.
Exiting through the adjoining sitting rooms, he entered into the chamber he’d made his own as well. With darker blue tones, it was luxuriously appointed, but simple, less opulent. William Castleton had decorated it far too ornately for his tastes, and Garrett felt pleased with the change. For the first time since inheriting, as he stepped into the room, he did not feel a clenching in his gut. He felt satisfaction that he’d taken control of what was now his.
Garrett heard Marcus in the bathing room drawing a bath. He welcomed the modern plumbing. Such a convenient luxury, he was sure Natalie would appreciate as well. Wasting no time, Garrett washed and changed into his dressing gown. The sun was still high in the sky, but he and Natalie were not going to wait.
Exactly thirty minutes from the time he’d left her, Garrett knocked twice on the door to Natalie’s bedchamber before pushing it open. When he peeked around, he caught sight of her standing timidly before a mirror.
She was an angel—his angel.
His breath caught as he took in the silhouette of her long slim legs, rounded hips, trim waist, and sweet perfect breasts. Her unbound hair fell to her waist. Some of the strands matched the gold in the room perfectly.She is mine. When his eyes finally met hers, he was amused to see her all-too-familiar blush.
Looking over at Sissy, she said, “You may go.”
Sissy smiled impishly and then, curtseying, disappeared from the room. Garrett closed the door to the sitting room behind him and walked barefoot across to her. At last.
As dismissive as she’d been with her mother in regard toher wedding night, Natalie was surprised at the butterflies that attacked her when Garrett returned to the beautiful room he’d had prepared for her. Good heavens, but she felt nervous—a little frightened, even. Garrett wore a black dressing gown of silk, tied at his waist. It reminded her of the night she’d gone to his room to apologize. Her eyes fell to his feet. He was barefoot. He did not wear any slippers.
Was he naked beneath his robe?
Most likely.
She swallowed hard and then met his gaze.
It burned with a combination of tenderness and passion. Ah, this must be how a husband looked at his wife. A tremor of satisfaction shot through her.
“Does it bother you?” she asked. “Living in this house, the house where he lived?” She gestured around her. They hadn’t yet discussed her discovery of earlier this summer. And despite having decided to forgo dinner and retire to their bedchambers, she would stall him with some conversation.
Garrett glanced around the room and shrugged elegantly. “It did, at first.” He looked so beautiful. He was newly shaved and his hair appeared to be freshly washed. When she caught a hint of his fragrance, her breath hitched and an ache settled in her breasts.
The warm look in his eyes told her he understood exactly what she was doing and was going to be patient. “I notified the crown that I am not the true son of William Castleton. My lawyer even searched the records for another heir.” He grimaced. “There is no one. If I do not retain the title, it goes into escheat. The crown declared me the heir based on the fact that I was born while Hawthorne and my mother were legally married. With nobody to contest”—he shrugged—“it is mine if I wish to keep it.”
Natalie moved away from the bed and then sat on the loveseat near the window. Patting the spot beside her, shegestured for him to sit with her. “And do you? Wish to keep it, that is?”
Joining her, he took one of her hands in both of his. “I had not thought that I would.” He massaged her palm with his thumbs. “I’d thought to divest myself of everything that reminded me of him…but I have changed. Living at Maple Hall this summer, I have come to recognize a connection I have with it—a sense of responsibility for it. God knows it will cost a fortune to rebuild, but perhaps that is why I have been allowed to prosper. Perhaps I was destined to take over the land and add value to the estate, to my legacy.” He smiled sheepishly at her. “For the families who have worked the land for generations. For the people of the village who depend upon it for their livelihood…For our children.”
Natalie blushed. “You spent most of your childhood there,” she said. “You have some good memories, then?”
“I suppose I do.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “And this summer, I have had some success in obtaining the goodwill of the tenants. The tides appear to be turning. The estate can be prosperous. Itwillbe prosperous again.” He looked into her eyes. “I have you to thank for a great deal, my love. You believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. You were so brave. You fought me. You foughtfor me.”
“And I,” she said, “am grateful to you as well.” She lifted her free hand and placed it over his. “You loved me enough to set me free. You gave me something to fight for. You were not chosen by my father or my brothers. You were not handed to me on a silver platter. You gave me choices.” She laughed shakily. “I have missed you so much, though.”
He watched her with the intensity she relished. “I have realized something,” he said. He had an odd look on his face as he dropped down on one knee before her.
“Oh, Garrett,” she said. She would not cry. She would not.
His hands still grasping hers, Garrett’s gaze never waveredas he stared up at her. “Will you, my dearest Natalie…What is your middle name?” he asked with a frown. “How is it I do not know your middle name?”
“The bishop said it during the ceremony,” Natalie teased.
Garrett became serious again. “I did not hear a word he said. I could only look at you in amazement. Amazement that you were marrying me, that you would take such a risk to be with me.”
“Josephine,” she said. “It is Josephine.”
