Romancing His English Rose (Entangled Scandalous) (19 page)

Nodding, Rose worked at adjusting her attire in preparation of departing the carriage. Doing the best she could without a reflective surface of some kind, Rose felt as presentable as she was going to get within the cramped quarters. She hoped she would have the opportunity to use a mirror and perhaps a wash basin prior to their trip to the altar.

When the carriage came to a jolting halt in front of the inn, Simon jumped down quickly. Sticking his head back inside the vehicle, he said, “Wait here a moment, love. I want to check on the accommodations first.” Without waiting for a reply, Simon shut the door and was gone.

“Oh,” Rose said in surprise, sitting back against the cushions. “All right.” She was a bit confused by Simon’s actions, but supposed he had his reasons. Still, did he even consider that she had been stuck in the cramped space of the carriage for many, many hours? What if she wanted to stretch her legs, breathe some fresh air, use the facilities, for goodness sake?

Unwilling to wait for the latter any longer, Rose jumped forward and reached for the door. Before she could even turn the handle, she felt it being opened and out she tumbled, landing awkwardly in Simon’s arms.

“Well, this is a nice greeting, I must say,” Simon said with a chuckle, as he set her on her feet.

Blushing, Rose stammered, “I, ah, I, er…oh, never mind.”

Simon laughed at Rose’s obvious consternation before escorting her into the hotel. The innkeeper greeted them in a way that made Rose suspect Simon had gone ahead to ensure they were treated as extra special guests. Rose was touched that Simon wanted to make the day so wonderful, but honestly she had other more pressing needs at the moment.

Luckily, Simon bypassed the front desk and led her straight to their suite.

Rose was relieved to see the room—and most especially the chamber pot tucked behind a discreet folding screen. Shooing Simon out of the room, she rushed to make use of the, ah, private area.

When Simon knocked on the door minutes later, Rose was once again comfortable and presentable. “Come in.”

Simon entered the room immediately, followed by two housekeepers carrying a number of bags. “I thought you might want to freshen up a bit, before we get on with the wedding.”

“Where did the bags come from?”

“I asked your mother to put one together for you. Seemed easier than trying to guess what you would need myself.”

Rose was touched that he would think of such a thing. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you.”

Simon reached up to cup Rose’s cheek. “You are welcome, love. Now then, how much time do you think you will need before you are ready?”

Rose blinked at the rapidity of Simon’s mood change. One minute he was caressing her cheek romantically and now he was all business. “I, ah…a few minutes, I suppose,” Rose said haltingly.

“Good, good. I will return for you shortly, then.” With that, Simon turned on his heel and exited the room once again.

Do all bridegrooms act so strangely before their weddings? Rose wondered with a shake of her head. She supposed she wasn’t likely to find out as Simon would certainly be the only bridegroom with which she would have any experience, but Lord, he was acting odd.

Shrugging, Rose pushed that thought aside and went to work putting herself together. Luckily, her mother’s fastidiousness had served her well, since much of her dress had been pressed so repeatedly it still remained relatively wrinkle-free. Even her hair had held up well, she noted gamely. Really, aside from a few loose pins to re-affix and the straightening of a few bows, Rose was pretty much ready to venture downstairs.

Stepping out into the empty hallway, Rose closed the door softly behind her. She wasn’t sure why she was being so careful, but she couldn’t seem to stop feeling like she was doing something wrong. Simon had said he would return for her.

As she came up on the corner of the hall that led to the stairs, Simon suddenly stepped in front of her, arms crossed and a knowing look on his face.

Rose felt her heart leap wildly and she gasped, “Simon! You scared me!”

“I had a feeling you would not do as you were told,” Simon replied.

Recovering from her fright quickly, Rose retorted, “I didn’t realize staying in the room was an order.”

Simon dropped his stern pose and laughed, pulling Rose into his arms. “It wasn’t, sweetling. I was just going to check on you when I heard you coming down the hall. I couldn’t resist another opportunity to catch you in my arms, but apparently I timed it wrong, so I suppose I will have to put you there myself.”

Rose found herself laughing too, as she relaxed in Simon’s embrace.

“Come now, Rose, our wedding awaits,” Simon whispered as he took her hand and led her downstairs and toward the back of the inn.

…

Simon held Rose’s hand and brought her out into the gardens behind the old building. Apparently the innkeeper or his wife had quite a way with plants, for the garden fairly overflowed with beautiful fragrant flowers, herbs, and vegetables.

Off to the side, Rose could make out the top of a person’s head—a number of heads, actually—just showing over the tall growing plants. As she drew closer, she counted the outlines of four people standing just past the wall of greenery, and when she and Simon finally wended their way around the last turn in the path, she realized the four people were her parents and Simon’s. Her eyes filling with tears, she looked up at Simon. “What are they doing here?” she whispered thickly.

“You didn’t honestly think we could get married without them here, did you?” Simon replied with a tender smile.

“Oh Simon,” Rose cried, completely unmindful of the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Thank you!” Now the day felt real and special and exactly what she wanted it to be.

Rose had not fully admitted to herself how she felt about marrying Simon without the presence of their parents, but now that she saw them there, she knew it would have always bothered her if they hadn’t been there for the special event. And realizing that Simon knew that, even before she knew it herself, erased the last wisps of doubt she had that he wasn’t ready to commit to this marriage and a life with her. He was ready and so was she.

“This was the best day of my life, Mr. Trumbull,” Rose said expressively hours later, rolling over on the bed to lay her head on Simon’s chest

“This was the best day of my life, Mrs. Trumbull,” Simon concurred readily, running his hands through Rose’s hair, picking the pins out one by one until he was able to spread the long silky curls out behind her.

“Hmmm,” Rose purred, loving the feeling of Simon’s hands in her hair. “How about we try for the best night of our lives, too?” she proposed, rubbing her body suggestively against the length of his, feeling oh so daring in her new role as wife.

Growling, Simon flipped them both over so that he was now lying on top of Rose. “I do like the way you think,” he said roughly against her lips before crushing his mouth to hers. This was going to be the best night of their lives, she vowed silently.

The first of many…

Acknowledgments

A special thanks to my editor, Stacy, who always seems to make my work even better than I thought it could be. And to Kathy, the best agent ever!

About the Author

Catherine Hemmerling has been a technical writer in the software industry for nearly twenty years and has published many user manuals and technical documentation in that time. She has always had a love of writing fiction, but has only recently begun publications in that genre. Hopefully, it is the beginning of a long new journey. She is also the author of Taming Her Forbidden Earl, first in the Lady Lancaster Garden Society series for Entangled Scandalous. Catherine happily resides in Tehachapi, California with her family. Visit her online at www.catherinehemmerling.com.

Other books by Entangled Scandalous

Taming Her Forbidden Earl
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Everyone knows William Bredon, the earl of Pembroke, has a reputation as a captivating rogue, determined to never marry until his duty to produce an heir requires it. So when he invites Lady Hannah Rochester to dance, Hannah vows to keep her distance. After all, it’s clear her mother would forbid a match with the devil-may-care ladies’ man. But the undeniably gorgeous William, with his dark humor and seductive gaze, draws her in nonetheless.

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Too bad the beguiling beauty has no intention of coming meekly to the marriage bed.