“I’ve sent a maid upstairs to prepare your bedchamber, which is adjoined to mine. I will take you there now and she will help you prepare for the evening to come.”
The evening to come. Her stomach did a little flip at the serious note in his words—four little words that held so much power and promise. She wondered how a man as large as Lord Grayson would manage to be gentle. Part of her wished he would treat her with a bit of roughness, though she couldn’t understand where such thoughts were coming from, particularly given that she had no experience in the marital bed.
“I appreciate you and your staff making me welcome on such short notice,” she said.
He gave a playful tug on one of her curls. “The short notice is my fault. I should have stolen you away from Talcott House as my bride the first day I met you.”
“Ah, but you told me your bride awaited you in London,” she said in a teasing tone, though she hoped he hadn’t been betrothed to a certain lady in particular and broken his engagement. She imagined such a faux pas would involve lots of scandal and she would have a difficult time as it was being accepted into polite society, though she planned to make every effort to build a rapport with Lord Grayson’s peers. Her heart pounded as she awaited his explanation.
“I want there to always be honesty between us, little Cynny. No secrets ever, and certainly no lies,” he replied with just enough sternness to make a quiver race across her bottom. “That is why I must confess to you that I never had a bride waiting for me in London. Not precisely. I went to London at the start of the season and I attended many balls and partnered with many ladies on the dance floor, in an attempt to find the young woman who would become Lady Grayson, but I found I could not stop thinking of you. Every time I blinked, I saw a vision of you sitting on the bench in the gardens of Talcott House, smiling and fidgeting with your hat, your golden curls gleaming in the sun and your blue eyes sparkling with life. I heard your laughter and your sweet, soft voice at the most inopportune of times, so frequently that several times I feared I was going mad.”
His confession warmed her all over. She supposed she should be honest in return, at least when it came to her feelings toward him. She would decide how to resolve the situation with his pocket watch later, after she’d had more time to ponder her options. Stealing was one thing, but he apparently detested lies and secrets even more.
“Papa, your words please me more than you could imagine. In fact, I’ve had a similar problem since I first met you. Every time I thought of you—which was quite often—I felt warm and tingly. I’ve been harboring a secret, tender regard for you in my heart, and when you announced that you wanted to marry me it was the happiest moment of my life.” She leaned closer to him, inhaling his spicy masculine scent. “I hope we will make one another happy. I vow I will try my very best to be a good wife to you, and a good little girl for you.”
He grasped her hands one at a time, sliding off the delicate lace gloves that matched her wedding gown. Then he gathered her hands in his, and the heat of his bare skin against hers made her gasp. She curled her fingers in his and stared at their joined hands, shaken by the intensity of her longing for him.
“Come, my little bride, and I will escort you to your room.”
“Yes, Papa.”
Grayson surveyed the large bedchamber that had always been intended for the future Lady Grayson with satisfaction. In a short matter of time, the maid, Mrs. Hennely, had prepared the room for Hyacinth’s arrival. Her trunks sat at the end of the bed, and he was glad she’d come into the marriage with a few belongings, since he’d had no time to make the proper provisions for a bride or commission a new wardrobe for her.
As soon as could be arranged, however, he would take her to the most fashionable shops on New Bond Street to get her outfitted in a wardrobe fit for a lady of her stature, and he would spare no expense in the process. He wanted to dote upon her, to give her the finest dresses, shoes, hats, and jewelry, and he found he was rather looking forward to dressing her up like the little china doll he’d compared her to when he’d first glimpsed her at Talcott House.
“Papa, is this really my room? It’s so big!” She walked ahead of him and stopped in the center of the room, then spun in a slow circle, her blue eyes widened and her mouth slightly parted. “It’s so beautiful, too!” She eyed the bed and a mischievous grin spread across her face. With unrestrained excitement, she ran full speed at the bed and jumped on it, bouncing on her bottom and then laying back and running her hands over the coverlet.
Grayson’s heart swelled to see her so carefree and animated, like when he’d glimpsed her laughing and playing hopscotch, on that fateful day when his life changed forever. Meeting her had changed him. He’d once had a practical view of marriage and believed it to be the necessary next step in his life, now that he was the Earl of Shively, because he must fulfill his responsibilities to the earldom and produce an heir. But to have a sweet girl like Hyacinth by his side, to spend the rest of his days with, buoyed his spirits and left him eagerly anticipating all the moments they would share. Marriage was no longer a duty, but a pleasure. As he stared down at his beautiful little bride, still spread out on the bed and stroking the coverlet with a smile on her face, he silently vowed to make her as happy as she would no doubt make him.
Mrs. Hennely emerged from the large closet, where she had apparently been cleaning something, and bobbed a curtsy. “My lord.” She rose up and took a deep breath. “On behalf of the entire household, I would like to offer you my most sincere congratulations on your nuptials.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Hennely.” He moved to the bed and assisted a blushing Cynny to stand up, then guided her closer to the maid. “Hyacinth, I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Hennely. She is one of the most capable and valued members of my staff. She was my late mother’s lady’s maid, and now she shall be yours.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hennely.”
“The pleasure is all mine, my lady. Welcome to Grayson House. I am overjoyed by your arrival and think it’s splendid Lord Grayson has finally taken a wife, especially one as lovely and endearing as you.”
Though her little speech was a bit forward for a servant, Grayson simply smiled at Mrs. Hennely. She had known him since he was a small boy, after all, and he was glad she would take care of Cynny when he wasn’t able to. Most of the time, he planned to dress her and bathe her himself—he was her papa—but after riding hard for Talcott House and then the return trip to London, he very much needed to surrender himself to the skillful care of his valet before taking Cynny to his bed.
He regarded her wedding gown, and while he’d entertained visions of stripping it off her, he supposed she would appreciate having it removed soon, as well as the restricting bodice she was wearing underneath—which he’d glimpsed when he stared down at her bosom while she was seated on his lap in the carriage.
“Lady Grayson has had a long journey, Mrs. Hennely, so I am leaving her in your capable hands for a while.” He turned to his bride, then brought her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss upon her soft flesh. “I will return for you soon.”
“Yes, Pa—my lord.”
“You may call me Papa in front of any members of my staff, little girl. In fact, I must insist upon it.”
If Mrs. Hennely thought his statement odd, she gave no indication, for she stood there in polite silence.