“I hope you’re right.”
The journey towards Castledon was akin to touring the depths of Hell. Never in his life did David remember weather this blistering hot. The closed coach made it even more unbearable. He’d removedhis coat, but they had two more hours before they reached the inn for the night.
Amelia had not voiced a single complaint, but he was well aware of her misery. Her hair was damp around her temples, and there was a light sheen of perspiration on her skin and neck. Her high-waisted gown emphasized the curve of her bosom, and he was acutely aware of the tension between them. He’d been avoiding her for weeks, and she knew it. To her credit, she hadn’t said anything, for they both knew why.
At last, she broke the silence. “Tell me about your daughter.”
He relaxed a little and said, “Christine isn’t like other little girls. She’d sooner climb trees than play with dolls.”
“Did you tell her I was coming with you?” Amelia’s tone was even, but he didn’t miss her apprehension.
“Ah, no. Not yet.” He looked out the window, choosing his words carefully. “She knew I was searching for a wife, but I thought it would be best if she saw you for herself.”
Amelia took her shoes off and tucked her feet on the opposite seat beneath her skirts. She leaned back and tugged at her collar, as if to waft air beneath her gown. “So I’m to be a surprise.”
She made it sound as if that wasn’t a good thing. David couldn’t see why not. Christine had been pestering him for years to find a new wife. “I believe the pair of you will get on quite well.”
“You might find both of us climbing trees,” she warned with a sly smile. There was a flash of mischief on her face, but instead of enjoying her teasing, he glimpsed a trace of a naughty girl.
A surge of heat took him, and David moved his coat toward his lap. Time and distance, he reminded himself. Once he’d brought Amelia to Christine, he could separate himself from them, and eventually, these feelings would go away. It had been nearly impossible to concentrate during the last few weeks. He had awakened,time and again, dreaming of Amelia. So many times, he’d wanted to go into her room and give in to desires of the flesh. But their marriage was fragile enough. If he dared to touch her more, it might break down the careful walls he’d erected around his life.
He tried not to be fascinated by the bead of perspiration that slid down Amelia’s neck beneath that gown. Or to imagine the rest of her bare body, slick with heat.
“I hope you’ll make yourself at home when you reach Castledon,” he offered.
“Are you going to put me in the servants’ quarters again? Or must I disobey you?” Her voice taunted him like a bad girl asking him to spank her bare bottom.
Christ, what the hell was the matter with him? He’d never harbored thoughts like that before.
“No, of course not,” he assured her. “You may choose a bedroom and decorate it as you please.” Preferably one far away from his.
She untied her bonnet and set it aside. Then she eyed him. “Do you have a spare handkerchief I could use?”
He handed her the linen square without question, but when he saw her dab at her face and throat—even the sheen of skin above her bodice—his mind conjured up too many inappropriate ideas.
He wanted her in a carnal way, right now. Though he understood that this was the result of too many years of celibacy, he didn’t want to be this close to Amelia. She tempted him beyond reason, and right now, he wanted to unfasten every last button and expose her golden skin.
“It’s beastly hot,” she said. “I’ll be glad when we reach the inn. I’d like to ask for a cool bath to wash away the travel dust.”
Was she doing this on purpose? He gave a nod, as if it meant nothing, but her wish only fueled his body’s urges. He imagined her naked body beneath the bath, the cool water puckering her nipples.
“How much longer?” she asked.
“An hour or two, at the most.”
She sighed and leaned back against the seat, the pose making her breasts strain against the fabric of her gown.
Katherine had never behaved like this in all her life. His first wife had been genteel, proper, and ever the lady. She would have sat with her back ramrod straight, her feet tucked demurely beneath her gown, without a strand of hair out of place.
Amelia looked ready to remove more layers of clothing. And damned if he didn’t want her to.
“I don’t like the way you’ve been avoiding me during the daytime,” she said at last. “I want that to change when we reach Castledon.” Her honesty caught him off guard, and David didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, she continued. “Whatever there is between us has nothing to do with your first marriage.”
He wanted to believe it was that easy, that he could simply separate the two women into different boxes. But he didn’t like what happened to him whenever he was around Amelia. He lost sight of who he was. The dark pleasure of touching her, and her response, was stronger than it had been with Katherine. The physical release he’d gotten from Amelia was a hunger he couldn’t satisfy.
Her very presence was infiltrating his life, making his first marriage appear hollow. It wasn’t. He’d loved his wife, and she’d loved him. He was convinced that nothing would ever be better than his life with Katherine, but Amelia was slowly destroying that opinion.
He didn’t want to have feelings for her. He wanted to lock away his responses and hold on to the shadow life he’d lived. Maybe then he wouldn’t feel the burdening guilt of betrayal. He knew that Katherine would give her blessings upon this match, no matter that it was with a younger woman. But he was troubled by the way Amelia made him feel.
