“Is that true, Caro? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”
It was both things. It was trueandshe was saying it to make him feel better. Make him feel more of a man. A man capable of taking his wife.
“It’s true.”
“You fell in love with me when you were seventeen, my sweet girl?”
She was used to being misunderstood. Why then did she feel such a clutching loneliness because he had taken what she had said and twisted it?
But he was moving with her now, rubbing himself against her.
She countered with the truth. “I t-t-touched myself and only thought of you.”
He raised himself off her and his cock was hard, jabbing into her maidenhair.
“Did you imagine this, darling?” He used his hand to feel her wetness and then to position himself at her entrance and plunge into her.
No, she hadn’t. She had only thought of hands and lips and touches of her breasts and her pearl. She hadn’t understood about hard things being inside soft places. About having a space inside where someone else fit. Where he fit.
But she understood it now. And she never wanted to do without it again.
After their mutual releases and Phineas had carefully cleaned his seed from the skin of her abdomen, refusing to let her get up and do it herself, he wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m glad you need me for something, Caro.”
There might have been a touch of bitterness in his voice. She wasn’t sure.
But her husband seemed himself the next morning. Full of energy, full of teasing, full of words.
They spent the morning out-of-doors, walking over the part of the estate that was not farmed and not rented, Lavinia loping along, nose down, sniffing out rabbits. This part was not large, but it was pretty with some meadows and a forest, a few streams. The gardens, however, were unkempt and had not been maintained properly.
“I want to take you to see the tenant-farmers and their families as soon as possible, darling. I know they’ll want to meet their new countess.”
Yes, she was responsible for a whole host of folk now, just as she had been in Sudbury. She did not welcome the prospect of having to meet dozens and dozens of new people who might not hide their distaste for her, who would whisper behind their hands about her. Her father’s tenants had known her since she was born and were used to her speech. But here she was an outsider and would be scrutinized and judged as one.
It was different with servants. As in Sudbury, if she sensed mockery or disrespect, she would let them go. Immediately and ruthlessly. But one did not let tenants go. Not when there were leases signed. Not when her husband needed their rents so desperately.
But she would put off meeting the tenants for a few more days. Get her bearings. Learn the house, look at the books.
A man was waiting in the front hall when she and Phineas returned.
“Lady Burchester, this is my steward, Mr. Albion Chambers,” Phineas said. “He’s one of the sons of Lord Chambers, the baron who resides—ooh, about thirty miles away, would you say, Albion? We grew up together.”
Mr. Chambers looked about Phineas’ age. He was Caroline’s height, with curling light-brown hair. He bowed to her and she curtsied in return.
“Yes, Albion makes sure everything ticks over nicely here while I’m in London.”
“Welcome to Burchester, my lady.”
The man’s eyes were thoughtful, calm, considering.
“Th-thank y-y-y-you, Mr. Chambers.”
She saw the slight raise of the eyebrows, a pressing together of the lips. A reaction to her stammer and toChamberth.
“We’ve been out for a walk on the estate, Albion. My wife spotted a broken stile in the meadow in the southeast corner. We should get that fixed, eh? But we’re going in to luncheon now. Will you join us?”
To Caroline’s relief, Mr. Chambers declined, saying he had some business to attend to and certainly, he would see to the stile repair.
