I was thinking about how you like to rescue things. That was what she had said. Her comment had summed him up.
Ever since his earliest memory, he’d wanted to make the world right. To please everyone. His parents’ back-to-back deaths had only reinforced his need to take care of those close to him. And when the circumstances were impossible, well, he wasn’t his best self.
However, watching the sleeping woman beside him, he realized he had lost his way some time ago. Well before Letty.
As a boy, he’d been caught between loyalty to his sisters and absent grandparents whom he’d felt obligated to please, but never could.
At last, he understood what Soren had been saying.
His behavior before the wedding toward this vibrant woman had been boorish. She was giving him a second chance... and she might be the person to help him become the manhewished to be. She had the strength of character to both test and challenge him, and he found he always wanted her to look at him as she had that afternoon when he’d rescued the kitten.
Always.
Chapter 10
The next several days were idyllic for Matt. He was now doing what he should have been doing before the wedding—he was learning to know his wife.
They spent time with Dewsberry and his countess before they left for Cornwall. There were jaunts to museums and exhibits and a night at the theater. Everything was light and relaxed.
Willa asked if they could attend a performance of Kate’s troupe, even if they had to travel a bit. Matt was ashamed to admit it had been years since he’d attended one of his sister’s plays. Another failing of his brought to light. “After the Evanston rout, we’ll search out where her troupe is.”
They also spent two days at Mayfield. Matt proudly introduced Willa to his tenants. He was also pleased to share what he’d learned about agriculture and the details of his estate. See, he wanted to say about those months in the country, he hadn’t just been pining for Letty Bainhurst, he’d been trying to do good.
He didn’t know why he thought of Letty in that moment, except he sensed part of Willa’s shyness around him was because of the infamous affair. She didn’t bring it up, but there were times she nailed him with her direct insight and other moments when he sensed she held back.
They slept beside each other. Willa no longer questioned the practice and she seemed relaxed with his presence, a sign of trust, he hoped... because his regard for her grew with every passing day.
His self-inflicted celibacy had heightened his awareness of her. It also meant he had to truly pay attention to her. And there were moments, especially when she slipped her hand in his, that he felt a contentment he’d never experienced before. Since he first attracted the notice of women, they had let him know they liked the way he looked. He’d rarely had to work for their approval.
But he had to work for Willa’s. And she demanded more than those women had. She valued character. She was remarkably perceptive to the smallest nuance, and yet guarded. He didn’t understand the roots of her doubts. He knew it wasn’t because of her rough initiation into sex. She didn’t seem to hold a grudge against him; however, he was determined to use his better nature to please her.
The morning of the Evanston rout, the one Minerva had hounded them over, they went on a picnic by the River Lea and did a bit of fishing. Willa wasn’t missish at all. She baited her own hook and even attempted to push him into the water. Their laughter had echoed around them.
Later, Matt fell asleep under a tree, his head in her lap. He woke to the sound of her humming. She looked down at him and gave a contented smile.
Matt had an urge to turn his head where it rested and sample what he wanted—except it was too soon for such a bold movement. He believed her passions matched his but he was waiting for her to make the first move.
“Did your cousin George send those men you wanted to hire for work?” she asked, interrupting the carnal direction of his thoughts.
She referred to his hushed conversation with George the other night. He had hoped she’d forgotten it. Instead, she seemed to remember everything.
“What did you want them to do?” she asked.
“It is of no importance,” he answered.
“George behaved as if it was important.”
Matt sat up. He looked at her... and realized he could share the truth. She was his wife. The results of Hardesty’s blackmail affected her. It was the whole reason he’d married her.
What if she heard the story from someone else? What conclusion might she draw against him?
“It was a matter about money that everyone, including George, believes I should abandon.”
Willa straightened up to truly hear what he was saying. “Do you think the matter should be abandoned?”
He looked at her sitting beneath the spreading oak, a bit of color to her cheeks and her hair in a braid over one shoulder, and answered, “Right now, in such a peaceful setting, it does seem silly to pursue it.”
“Why? What was the issue?”
