“In other words, I should always listen to you,” he said dryly.
“I would never be so arrogant as to suggest such a thing.”
When he laughed, she felt a little kick of relief in her chest.
“Well, in this case you were right. No good, and likely a great deal of damage, would have resulted from turning Weston over to the law. Doing the
righteous
thing is not always the
right
thing. That's not an easy lesson for an old soldier to learn.” He paused to nuzzle her neck, and a hot little shiver rippled down her spine. “But with your help,” he murmured between kisses, “I'm sure I'll evolve into a satisfactory lord of the manor and husband.”
She arched her neck to give him better access. “I am sure you will.”
Unfortunately, just when things were turning interesting, he pulled back.
“But let's be clear about one thing, Phoebe,” he said. “No more lies and no more secrets between us. Understood? I will not tolerate either from my wife.”
She stared back, knowing he was absolutely right, which meant she had to ask him the one question she dreaded more than any other. “And you, Lucas. Will you tell me the truth?”
His expression grew guarded. “About what?”
“About our baby.”
He frowned. “What truth about the baby? I don't understand.”
She gazed down at her hands, her courage failing. How could she bear it if he did not love her enough to love their child?
He tipped up her chin. “What troubles thee, my love?” he asked.
The affectionate mockery brought a mist of tears to her eyes. “I do not know if you want this child. You already have so many burdens to carry. To add another . . .”
She trailed off, disconcerted by the stunned look on his face. He blinked a few times, then shook his head. “Clearly, I am a dreadful husband if I left you in any doubt about that.” He captured her face between his hands. “How could I not want any child of ours, Phoebe? What a goose you are to think I would not.”
She peered into his eyes, seeking answers. “But you did not seem happy when I told you.”
“I was just a bit stunned, that's all. You caught me completely unawares.”
“Truly?” she asked, still doubtful.
He gave her a steady look, one that challenged her to believe. “It would be impossible not to want the child when I love the mother as much as I do. Phoebe, I never thought I
could
love anyone as I do you.” He gave a ghost of a laugh. “But I do love you, my darling. In opening your generous and honorable heart to me, you taught me how to trust again. You taught me how to forgive, both myself and others. Without you, I would still be a thick-skulled idiot, convinced he could never love another woman again.” He kissed her gently on the forehead. “Imagine my surprise to discover how very easy it was, after all.”
She clutched at his hands, unable to say a word as her throat went tight.
He unleashed a devilish smile. “Will miracles never cease? Phoebe Stanton silenced at last.”
That barb loosened her tongue. “Really, Lucas! You areâ”
She never got a chance to tell him exactly what he was, because his mouth swooped down to take hers in a devouring kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, joy sweeping away the last remnants of doubt and anxiety. Phoebe would never be alone againânot as long as Lucas held her in his arms and in his heart.
Their embrace grew more and more heated, until her husband's fingers moved to the front of her bodice, dipping below the lace trim to find the top of her chemise. Phoebe broke away with a gasp. “Lucas, we cannot do this. Our guests are waiting for us.”
“Let them wait,” he said as he began to unlace her. “This is our home, and if I want to make love to my wife, I will do so.” He raised mocking eyebrows at her. “I hope
thee
does not have a problem with that.”
She laughed, reaching for his cravat. “Not really.”
Lucas was right, of course. In each other's hearts and souls, they had both finally come home.
Author's Note
Readers will note that my heroine occasionally uses what Quakers refer to as
plain speech
, which sounds archaic to our ears. Quakers in the Georgian and Regency periods would have eschewed elaborate or
fancy
forms of address as much as they avoided fancy or richly ornamented clothing. Persons of rank would have been addressed using the familiar
thee
or
thou
, in order to illustrate equality between persons and to encourage direct speech.
Â
By 1817, the year in which my novel takes place, Quakers had replaced
thou
with
thee
as the nominative case form of the second person singular pronoun. That is why Phoebe only uses the word
thee
, and never
thou
. Naturally, any mistakes in her diction are mine!
Â
Readers will also note the number of characters in my book bearing the surname of
Christmas
. Although an unusual name, there are generations of Englishmen and women bearing this name especially, apparently, in Sussex and Essex counties. And on more than one parish or local registry I did indeed find the name,
Honor Christmas
.