Embracing Ashberry (20 page)

“Of course,” Ellie murmured. “In the
salon.”

The marquess was the one who breathed a sigh
of relief as they disappeared up the stairs.

“Shall we go up as well?” he offered his
arm. Ellie accepted, her eyes on him as they climbed. “Are you
sending them to your brother and the countess because of me?” she
asked after the first few steps.

Ashberry looked surprised. “Why no, we’ve
planned for some time that they stay in London to finish their
education,” he admitted. “However, I’m afraid it is up to Sebastian
and I to entertain them until you and I leave—their tutor has gone
to visit his family in Wales and isn’t expected to return for
another few days.”

“I thought you might come and find me, to
tell me about Edward.”

He waited to reply until they reached the
privacy of her sitting room. Closing the door behind them, he said
carefully, “He was quite surprised that you told me. He had the
impression that your father had extracted a promise from you as
well, that you would not say anything about Edward’s part in your
nightmare.”

She shook her head. “Only a more general
promise to not say anything that would embarrass the family.” She
shrugged before adding to his surprise, “You told me I could trust
you—telling you was not a violation of my promise. But even so, you
are my husband.” Her eyes were on him squarely. “Surely you
remember that I promised you and God, with my father’s permission,
even if it was reluctant, to obey you and that this morning you
insisted I tell you everything.”

Ashberry’s voice was rough. “You have not
yet failed to amaze me, Ella.” He came and stood before her, his
hands clasping her shoulders. She did not try to hide from his
touch now, and he gloried in the contact their eyes kept. “I think
Edward was relieved that I knew, for he said that he need no longer
worry that I might change my mind about you, or worse, try and take
Charlotte from him.” His hands ran down her arms until he could
take both hands in his. “And that he felt no pressing need at this
time to talk to Charlotte about the experience.”

“But he could if he needed to?” Ellie was
insistent on this point.

Ashberry smiled. “I reminded him that I had
taken no oath of silence but would never risk your reputation or
his and Charlotte’s. He knows he may discuss any part of the
situation with me if he wishes.”

Ellie frowned. He had not given the answer
she wished, but she supposed it was the best he could do in a
single morning. “Is he angry with me, for telling you?”

Ashberry shook his head, lifting her hands
and kissing the back of each one. “I explained to him that I had
given you no choice except outright dishonesty, of which we both
knew you were incapable. He accepted my version of events, and I
expressed my gratitude for his role in your recovery.”

He kissed her forehead gently then added, “I
invited he and Charlotte to join us for dinner tomorrow evening. I
hope you do not mind?”

Ellie was surprised. “Why, no, I don’t.” She
tilted her head, “Shouldn’t we ask Caroline and the earl as well?”
The earl of Eldenwood was older than Ashberry, old enough that the
first tinges of gray were beginning to show when he left off the
powdered wig. He seemed reserved to Ellie, a silent man in the
background of his young, vivacious wife, but he obviously adored
her.

He smiled, “That’s up to you, my dear,”
before moving them toward her dressing room. “There is something
I’d like you to do for me, if you don’t mind.”

Ellie looked at him, surprised, for he
rarely asked her for anything. “Yes?”

He opened the door and guided her through,
waving Wendy back for the moment. The girl disappeared up the
stairs to her room while his wife turned to face him. Quite
deliberately, he slid an arm around her waist and drew her close,
until their bodies nearly brushed. His head lowered, slowly, until
Ellie’s mouth opened just slightly in expectation. It was all the
invitation he needed. The marquess found her mouth willing, though
a bit unsure. “Kiss me back,” he whispered after a long, silent
moment.

Ellie heard a gasp in the room, realized it
was her own only after a shocked second. She took another full
heartbeat to respond, while Ashberry felt his life hang in the
balance. Her mouth tilted up magnificently and she pushed her lips,
just slightly open, against his.

Possessively, his hand angled against her
spine, pushing her against him. He tangled his free hand in her
chignon, pleased to find her small hands trapped between them,
palms against his lapels. He could detect no resistance in her
body, except perhaps that slight shudder he had felt when their
bodies had at first touched. He pushed away the thought,
concentrating instead on the responsiveness of her mouth. Her lips
trembled delicately when he pulled away, just enough to see them
slightly swollen from his touch. Her heart was beating faster as he
smiled and whispered, “Promise me something.”

She waited, not knowing what he could ask,
her mind whirling with thoughts. Finally, she rubbed her lips
together, her eyes fixed on him.

His eyes wandered down over her shoulders
and lower. “Promise me that you’ll tell me when I frighten
you.”

Ellie’s eyes widened. “You haven’t, not
since that first night,” she whispered.

Ashberry’s heart pounded violently at her
words. The gasp, the shudders, they were not fear. “Not once?”

She nodded. “Not once,” she whispered.

“But you’ll tell me if I do,” he urged.

“All right, I will,” Ellie agreed. He
realized then that even now, their bodies so close, she did not
pull away, but submitted to the guidance and urging of his hands.
Ashberry couldn’t help but position her more closely, until her
breasts came into contact with his chest.

“Tonight, I’ll need to spend an hour or two
with Sebastian. We have business to discuss and conclude before you
and I leave, so I’ll send Aunt Lucy with you to the drawing room.
Spencer and Sidney may choose to join you, but I suspect they’ll
opt for the billiards room.” He whispered against her forehead,
rocking her back and forth in his arms. “Please don’t forget that I
would much rather play chess or billiards with my wife than discuss
business.” He felt her nod against his shoulder and reveled in the
weight of her against him, wishing as he did that she knew how dear
she was to him already. “When you retire, go ahead and get into
bed. I’ll come and say goodnight when I can, though Spencer and
Sidney will expect some of my time as well.”

“If I’m asleep?”

“Then it will be easier for both of us,” he
told her softly. “We’ll all be going to church in the morning. I
suppose your parents will be there.”

“Probably Edward and Charlotte as well.”

He pressed his lips to her temple and
released her. “You and I, alone, will manage some time in the
afternoon.”

Ellie nodded, standing still until he
disappeared through the door to her boudoir, en route to his own
room. Her mouth opened, her hand reached out, but she didn’t stop
him. Instead, she turned and called for Wendy, wishing as she did
that she had the courage to call him back. The loss of his warmth
against her body had been almost painful.

Later, much later, Ashberry scowled at the
mirror. Griffin had been intolerably cheerful that morning,
particularly as it had been obvious that Ashberry’s bed had
remained unoccupied all night. The nighttime rituals were even
worse, with Ashberry’s belligerent stare the only thing that kept
the man from whistling. Ellie had been discovered in his room this
evening, reading by his fire. Griffin had taken great delight in
delivering the information, along with Ellie’s book, which she had
left behind when she retreated from Griffin’s knowing eyes.

Ellie was soundly sleeping when he slipped
into her chamber. It was better that way, Ashberry told himself,
pausing beside her in the bed. At the very least it would be less
damning for him, less frightening for her. He couldn’t bear the
thought of her facing the demons that haunted her sleep alone and
yet explaining his solution had seemed nearly as impossible, given
the causes and content, not to mention his promises. He moved to
the other side of the bed, dropping his robe to the floor and
looking with disgust at the nightshirt he had retrieved from its
place of banishment in the back of his armoire. He had not dared to
ask Griffin for the garment, for the man knew that Ashberry slept
with nary a stitch of clothing and would question with suspicion
any deviation.

Ellie was already shifting uncomfortably in
the bed, so he slipped inside its curtains and between the sheets,
his hands reaching out to draw her close. He held her as the
nightmare wracked her frame, slipped his arms around her body and
whispered softly in her ear until she shuddered and lay still. He
said a small prayer of thankfulness when he was convinced she slept
peacefully but did not leave her. Instead, one arm cradling her
cotton-covered body against him, he laid her head on his shoulder
and stared at the canopy.

* * * *

Her bed had never been so deliciously warm
before, Ellie thought sleepily, turning to curl against the heat.
She stilled almost immediately as reality returned to her foggy
mind.

Cautiously, she opened her eyes to find a
very male shoulder in front of her. Relief swept her when she saw
he was clothed and still sleeping. After a very long moment, she
slowly backed away and out of the bed, hardly daring to breathe
lest she wake him.

Wendy’s smile was deliciously wicked when
Ellie had told her they must be quiet and had turned to a grin when
she had seen why. Ellie forewent the extra work of a bath, washing
herself behind the beautiful paper Japanese dressing screen that
was etched with pink roses—a useful amenity to the room in
situations as these, she mused. A heavy dressing robe already
covered her body when Ashberry appeared at the door, rumpled and
robed. “Good morning, Ashberry,” she smiled at him in the mirror.
His eyes softened as he watched Wendy brushing her hair into shiny
curls.

“Good morning, my dear.” He tilted his head.
“I will escort you downstairs, if you like,” he offered.

Ellie inclined hers in return. “I’ll wait,”
she said serenely, taking a deep breath only when he returned to
her chamber. She heard the door close behind him as he made his way
into his own apartment, daring not to look at Wendy.

“What do you think,” the girl said after a
few moments, “About your burgundy gown?”

“That would be lovely,” she replied, her
heart finally slowing. “With the cream shawl to wrap around me
during the service.”

The couple had no time to discuss Ashberry’s
occupation of her bed. By the time he arrived in her sitting room,
it was time to leave and Ashberry’s brothers were already settled
into the carriage. Ellie and Ashberry settled into the forward seat
alone but somehow Ellie found her body lodged closely against her
husband, who even lifted an arm and draped it behind her, so that
she sat pressed against his side.

The church service passed quickly.
Afterwards, her family surrounded her, smiles wreathed on all
fronts. Despite the hint of suspicious concern in her father’s
eyes, she thought they managed well, especially because Ashberry
stayed immediately by her side and guided her through the hugs and
comments. Edward managed to whisper in her ear that they would talk
that evening, at the same time smiling in a way that helped her to
believe he was not upset. Even the rector examined her face
carefully, appearing pleased by what he saw there.

“I haven’t been to see you since the
wedding, Mr. Hughes,” she admitted.

“Have you felt a need to pray?” he asked
very quietly, noting that Ashberry had turned his back long enough
to greet Lady Whitney.

“No, not about the usual problem,” she said
with surprise in her voice. “I suppose I haven’t.”

His eyes twinkled then. “Do not forget us,”
the rector said with a pleased smile, “if you need anything?”

She nodded quite seriously. “I will,” she
promised, her smile brightening when the cleric bid her well. Ellie
turned to Ashberry, her eyes on her husband as the two men
spoke.

The carriage ride back to the house was
quiet, with Ashberry inwardly focused and Ellie watching out the
window. The twins debated quietly who would win at their afternoon
game of chess, their voices low and subdued despite the cold.

It wasn’t until they had dispersed into the
house that Ellie wondered what plans Ashberry had for them,
remembering his promise made the previous afternoon. The house was
mostly quiet; a cold buffet lay in the dining room as most of the
staff had the morning off. Still, Ellie ate alone. The younger
brothers refused lunch after having shared a large breakfast while
Ellie and Ashberry slept. Ashberry reluctantly prepared his plate
and trailed his siblings from the dining room after Sebastian
arrived, his expression apologetic despite Ellie’s encouragement to
spend time with his brothers. All four were engaged in an intense
discussion about two horses the marquess had recently purchased and
closeted themselves in Ashberry’s study to consider the
contracts.

She was amazed that the marquess permitted
his brothers to question his judgment of the mares but supposed
that it was yet another difference between her family and his.
Perhaps, she mused, the difference was because Ashberry, Sebastian
and the twins were brothers and not, as in Ellie’s family, a father
and his sons.

After her lunch and a slow examination of
the plants in the adjoining conservatory, Ellie made her way to the
music room, knowing Ashberry would find her if he wished. She sat
by the fire in the music room reading for some time but soon moved
to the pianoforte, her fingers seeking the keys in a reverent
melody that spanned the centuries.