He stopped, sighing deeply. “That feels like a matter of honor.”
“Then we can’t go home until we solve that one.”
“Home?”
“To Wales.”
A fierce desire to take her there tore through him. He took her mouth, the kiss born of the union that made his home hers. Theirs. She responded with equal passion. He sank his face in her hair. “I want that above all things.”
“But…” She sat upright and looked at him directly.
“But I can’t abandon what I was sent here to do,” he said, meeting her eyes until she nodded. “Besides, the children will be here next week.”
He tried to draw her back, but she resisted. “The children,” she gasped.
He stood and took her hand to lead her to his bedroom.
“But Gideon. I’ll be a shock to them. Whatever will they make of me?”
“They will love you.”
“How can you know that?”
“Because I…know them, little wife.” He covered her mouth with his before she could respond and lifted her into his arms. It was a long while before hunger drove them to remember the tray of cakes and sandwiches.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Gideon, barefoot introusers and shirt, shaved while Mia lingered in bed the next morning. When she rolled over, blinked her eyes open, and gave him a languid smile, he saw it for the invitation it was. He was about to join her when a clutter in the sitting room warned him servants had arrived.
He found Mercy building up the fire. She grinned impudently over her shoulder. “Shall I do the fire in your room, Mr. Kendrick?”
Gideon’s attention was on Jem, who hovered near the worktable.
“Shall I come back later, sir?” Jem asked.
Was he examining the ledgers? Perhaps the archive box.Either way, it set up a warning flag. “Don’t bother. I’m sorry to trouble you—either of you. We meant to say yesterday, Mrs. Kendrick and I are quite able to see to ourselves. We don’t require personal servants. We may, in fact, resume meals below stairs.”
Two pairs of eyes stared back at him, Mercy’s sour with what he suspected was disappointment, Jem’s with open hostility. Jem gave a curt bow and stalked to the door. With an avid glance behind Gideon, Mercy followed.
He turned to find Mia, swaddled in his wrapper from toes to chin, standing in the doorway to his bedroom, brows raised in question.
“I caught him hovering by the ledgers and the box. In the light of your suspicions, I think we need to keep our door locked when we aren’t here. You can still ring for tea when we are,” Gideon said.
Her shoulders drooped. “You’re right. I don’t require a ladies’ maid. If we’re going down to breakfast, we best get dressed, though,” she said.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’ll make it up to you.”
She gave him a swift kiss on her way to her bedroom. She paused in the middle of the sitting room. “Shall I put the ledgers under my personal linen in my dressing room?”
His bark of laughter echoed around the room. “Excellent choice. I think we’ll return this box to the family vault also.”
Lady Tavernash had preceded them to the breakfast room. She opened her mouth to spew her usual venom, but she caught sight of the box Gideon placed on a side table and closed it. “What is that?” she croaked a few minutes later.
“Family papers. I’m returning it to the archives,” Gideon said while filling a plate for Mia.
“Youhave access to it?” She managed to inject both disdain and outrage into the wordyou.
“Of course. I have the key. Interesting subject, family history,” Gideon said.
