A Rogue for All Seasons (Weston Family) (29 page)

Diana felt convinced all of it would make her lose control. The things he would do to her. The things she could do to him. Just listening to Martine left her shivery and tight with anticipation. And those were only the essentials of bedding… Heavens, what more could there be? Her face flamed as wicked thought after wicked thought teased at her mind. Her mother, thank goodness, attributed her rosy cheeks to excitement and nerves over the impending ceremony.

Her color was still high as she waited with her brother in the antechamber of St. George’s while the guests and parishioners took their seats. Though she regretted her grandfather’s poor health, she was glad Alex would be the one to walk her down the aisle. He’d ridden down from Cambridge a few days earlier, and his happiness over the marriage rivaled her own. At times, she thought his enthusiasm actually surpassed hers.

There were days when she’d had misgivings. Loving Henry had not erased sixteen years of doubts and fears. She was happier than she remembered ever being, and that terrified her because she had more to lose. There was no question that she wanted to marry Henry; she wanted every minute she had with him. She was simply less sanguine about the fifty-plus paradisiacal years he foresaw for them.

Alex had no such qualms. He was like a child with the lure of a new toy. Did Diana think Henry would give him pointers in the ring at Jackson’s? Would his new brother-in-law go with him to Tattersall’s to help him choose a new hunter? Might he stay with them during his Christmas holiday? Diana had laughed and promised to speak to Henry on all accounts. She suspected she would soon see much more of her brother, which pleased her greatly even if Alex would not be coming to see her.

Isabella poked her head in the room. Not having a sister, Diana had asked Isabella to stand up with her. Isabella had burst into tears, but Diana was growing accustomed to that. Her future sister-in-law had already made good use of the handkerchief clutched in her hand.

“They’re almost ready,” Isabella whispered loudly. “You wouldn’t believe how full the church is! I’ll be back soon.”

“I believe it,” Alex announced with brotherly candor. “The
ton
won’t believe this match is happening until they’ve seen— Ouch!” he exclaimed as Diana pinched his arm.

“Do keep in mind that I’ve promised to speak with the other half of this unbelievable pairing on your behalf,” she reminded him.

He grinned at her. He had their mother’s coloring, with dark curls and long-lashed gray eyes. Someday, Diana thought, he would break nearly as many female hearts as his future brother-in-law.

Alex squeezed her hand. “Have I mentioned how beautiful you look?”

“Do you suppose flattery will save you?” she retorted, nonetheless warmed by the compliment. Still tinged with the blush of desire and graced by the natural radiance of a woman in love, she knew she’d never looked better than she did at this moment.

To add to her glory, Madame Bessette had created a gown fit for a princess. Made of fine white satin, the dress was simple and elegant, just as Diana had asked. Silver lace peeked out from the neckline and the cuffs of the elbow-length sleeves. The lace was dreadfully scratchy, but it looked so beautiful she was willing to suffer the discomfort.

The modiste hadn’t restrained herself very well in terms of embellishing the gown, but Diana didn’t mind at all. Madame Bessette’s creations were, indeed, works of art. Silver embroidery and glass beads transformed the scalloped hem of the gown into shimmering waves. Swans, also wrought in silver embroidery, glided upon the glittering water, and in their beaks, they carried oak branches. Not only had the modiste included elements from both family’s coats of arms, she’d selected the perfect designs for a wedding gown. The Halswelle oak symbolized endurance and strength, while the swans from the Weston crest represented love and fidelity. Diana glanced down at the intricate work for what had to be the hundredth time that morning. Yes, it still stole her breath.

“It’s time,” Isabella informed them as she stepped into the room. She gave Diana a quick hug. “Brace yourself. Hal is looking very handsome today. Not as handsome as James, of course, but some of the female guests are already weeping into their handkerchiefs, and the only sentiment they’re overcome with is envy.”

She picked up the bouquets laid on a nearby table and handed the larger one to Diana. “I hope you like your bouquet. Hal was very particular that you must have day lilies and orange blossoms.”

“It’s perfect,” Diana said truthfully. Tears had threatened earlier when she’d first seen it. She hadn’t asked for anything in particular because, truly, all she cared about was marrying Henry, but he loved her enough to care for her. She’d known at once that he’d had a hand in choosing the flowers. Isabella carried yellow day lilies, while Diana’s bouquet had white day lilies, lilies of the valley, and orange blossoms.

Though she would never admit it to anyone, even Henry, there was a tiny part of her that grieved her father’s absence. She didn’t actually want him there, and she knew he’d given her away years ago, but she couldn’t help missing him on this particular day. The lilies helped; they gave her a bit of him, a happy memory to cling to as she walked down the aisle.

“Come along,” Isabella urged. “We mustn’t keep the anxious groom waiting.” She winked and stepped out into the church.

“Are you ready?” Alex asked as he held out his arm to her.

She smiled at him as they walked to the center aisle. “Wild horses couldn’t stop me.”

As the organist began to play, Diana reflected that it was nothing short of a miracle that she’d come to this point. Looking back, she could never have imagined this for herself. Looking forward, though, she saw only Henry.

He waited at the front of the church with Lord Dunston standing beside him as the best man. They were both handsome men, but Diana thought Isabella needed spectacles if she considered her husband the better looking of the two. Henry was, quite simply, splendid.

The ceremony passed in a blur. Diana only realized she was married when Henry took her in his arms and kissed her more thoroughly than was proper in a house of God. In contrast, the reception at Lansdowne House dragged on. After more than two hours of standing beside Henry, greeting guests, and agreeing on her remarkable good fortune, Diana had had enough.

When all the guests had assembled in the gallery, her grandfather gave a long, rambling toast to the newly married couple. It was the most Diana had ever heard him speak. Then Lord Weston gave a speech. Lord Dunston followed him. Throughout it all, Henry never left her side, and scarcely a moment passed without his hands on her.

An arm around her shoulders. His palm against her lower back. His fingers twirling the curls at her nape. So, while Diana was very touched by all the wishes for health and happiness and prosperity, she could only concentrate on how Henry touched
her
. On how he would touch her. On all of the touching Martine had described.

She turned to Alex, who sat on her other side. “If you dare make a speech, you can forget spending Christmas with me.”

“Beg pardon?” said Henry.

“I’ll tell you later.
Alex!
” she hissed as her brother rose to his feet.

“I, too, wish to felicitate the happy couple,” he announced to the room. “Though we can’t choose our siblings, I’ve always considered myself fortunate to have Diana as a sister, and her new husband is exactly the older brother I would have picked for myself. I’m certain the newlyweds are anxious to be off to their new home, so I propose we save them the trouble of saying their good-byes and raise our glasses to bid them farewell. To my new brother and my sister, Mr. and Mrs. Weston, God grant you long life and happiness. Now, be off with you.”

The guests laughed as they repeated his final words.

“Thank you,” she told Alex as she and Henry rose to make their escape.

“Christmas,” he replied, raising his glass in her direction.

Diana stopped only to thank her grandparents, then went directly to change into her traveling costume, another of Madame Bessette’s exquisite creations. When she came downstairs, she found her mother waiting in the entrance hall.

“You didn’t think you could leave without saying good-bye? Oh—” She put her hand over her eyes. “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.”

“Stop,” Diana pleaded, “or you’ll make me cry, too.”

Her mother pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped at the tears she couldn’t hold back. “I’m so very happy for you and so very proud of you. Your husband isn’t the man I imagined for you; he is much more than I hoped. I’d forgotten how to hope for men like him.”

Diana wrapped her arms around her mother. “I love you.”

“Not as much as I love you. Go on, your husband is waiting outside for you.”

Diana beckoned the footman carrying her portmanteau to follow her as Snellings hurried to open the front door. Henry stood by an unfamiliar carriage talking to his manservant, who was in the coachman’s seat.

“It’s such a fine day,” she said, crossing to Henry. “I suppose your phaeton is already at Ravensfield? ”

“It is not,” he said, handing her up into the chariot. “I sold my phaeton. Now that I’m a respectable married man, I need a more practical conveyance. Besides, I would have to concentrate on driving in a phaeton. That would be no test at all.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You consider riding in a carriage with me a test?”

He nodded, a predatory look on his face, as he climbed in after her and closed the door. “The upcoming hours will be the greatest ordeal I’ve ever faced, my sweet. You are now mine in the eyes of church and country, but I’m determined not to consummate our marriage until we reach that magnificent bed we chose together, no matter how prettily you beg me.”

“Here?” She laughed in amusement, but her humor faded as she realized he was very serious. Her gaze dropped to his lap. Very serious and very aroused. Everything Martine had told her rushed through her mind. She pressed the backs of her hands to her hot cheeks.

“I’ve also determined,” he continued, “that from the time the carriage comes to a stop, I can be out the door, inside the house, and in my bedchamber in twenty-seven seconds.”

“You— You
timed
yourself?”

“Indeed.” He shrugged out of his coat and glanced around before shrugging and shoving it beneath the seat. “Jasper will have a fit when he finds that. Now, I’ll have to take care whilst carrying you, so I’ll round up to thirty-seven seconds until I have you in my bedchamber. That leaves me only twenty-three seconds to undress you and toss you on the bed, but I shall contrive.”

“Why must everything happen in the space of sixty seconds?” She regarded him with suspicion. “Have you made some idiotish bet?”

“Only with myself, and it’s more of a promise to both of us.” His gloves went the way of his coat. “I was perilously close to taking you on the floor of that dressing room, but you deserved a proper proposal and engagement. I swore to myself that our first time together would be in a bed and that we would be married.” A wry smile twisted his lips. “Had I known the hell you’d put me through, I would’ve just found a bed and thoroughly compromised you. That’s the past, though, and we’ve finally accomplished the married part.”

He ran a finger over her lips. “I’m in a bad way, Di. I have been for months. Once we reach Ravensfield, I’ll not wait longer than a minute to have you naked in my bed.”

“Oh!” An involuntary gasp escaped her.

“Have I shocked you?”

“Well, yes, a— a little.”

“I think I’ll shock you often. I love when you blush.”

Naturally, his words made her blush even more furiously.

He loosened his cravat before taking her hand and tugging off her glove.

She eyed him warily. “What are you doing?”

“The carriage will get hot,” he explained. “I only thought to make you more comfortable.”

She was a bit overheated, but that had nothing to do with the carriage. If he planned to spend the entire journey saying wicked things to her, she would combust before they changed horses. He pulled off her other glove. “You may not shove these beneath the seat,” she warned him. “They’re new, and they match my dress. I won’t have them ruined.”

He placed them in the pocket on the door, and then frowned at her. “Your gloves are purple.”

“Madame Bessette prefers
lilac
. My shoes are also lilac.” She lifted a foot from beneath her skirts to show him.

“I can see your shoes and your gloves match, but your dress is green.”

“Pistachio,”
she corrected him, “and there are lilacs embroidered on the gown, but they’re hidden by my spencer.”

“There’s no need for you to wear your spencer in here. Show me your gown,” he urged.

“I know what you’re doing. Do you think taking off my gloves and spencer will help so much in your sixty seconds?” Still, she twisted, giving him her back, and allowed him to help her out of the short coat. She gasped as his fingertips settled lightly on her shoulders and began to explore the exposed skin from her nape to the neckline of her dress.

“Very pretty,” he murmured.

“Madame is quite extraordinary. Did you not think my wedding gown incredibly lovely?”

“My attention was on my incredibly lovely bride.” He began to pull the pins from her hair.

“Oh, thank you. I do believe that one was embedded in my skull. Surely you noticed the embroidery on my gown? ”

“Ah, yes.” He chuckled. “The ducks. How did she know—?”

“
Ducks?
Those were swans! Swans, as in the animals in your family crest. Honestly, Henry, why would there be ducks on my wedding gown?”

“I like ducks.”

“All… All right. I suppose a wife should know that sort of thing. Do you have a favorite color?”

“The color of your hair,” he said easily, tossing aside the last of the pins. He began to unbraid her hair, and she sighed as it relaxed from the tight hold. He combed his fingers through the heavy mass, and then massaged her scalp and neck until she groaned with pleasure.

“Heavens, if I’d known you could do this,
I
might have proposed to
you
at the Keltons’.”