Luton had lit two branches and they sat at Eva’s back so she could read the music before her. She was playing a ballad as they walked in and took the two seats set out for them.
“Even my untrained ear can hear she’s good.”
Daniel nodded but remained silent, content to watch her.
Some people played music because it was expected of them but he could feel Eva played because it was a passion, as it had once been for Daniel and his mother. She was engrossed in the music as her fingers flowed over the keys. It was not a chore or something she did because it was expected of her. A small smile played around her lips and he wondered if she was even aware they had entered the room.
Had this been her escape? To play so well meant practice, and many hours of it. Had her family left her alone to do just that?#p#分页标题#e#
“You play well, Duchess.” Daniel said when she stopped several songs later.
“Thank you. It is something I have always enjoyed.”
“And on that note, I am ready for my bed. I shall say goodnight, Duchess, Daniel.”
“Goodnight, Lord Kelkirk,” the duchess said, rising. “I, too, shall retire, your Grace.”
“Daniel,” he said, watching as she headed for the door. “And thank you for playing for Simon and I, Eva.”
She didn’t turn, just nodded and left the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts, most of which consumed her.
Yes, she was beautiful, but there was more to her allure. She intrigued him. The woman she had been was still there, yet she was changing, growing stronger every day and he wanted to continue to see her grow. He wanted her to laugh freely and talk without restraint.
So you finally believe that, do you?
Daniel replayed Simon’s words in his head. Had he also changed? Was he, too, starting to believe he was not now nor ever could be his father? Shaking his head, he made his way to bed, however it was not his he would seek tonight.
Too restless to sleep, Eva sat on the windowseat and pulled her knees to her chest. Her head was filled with so many thoughts. The life she always believed she would live was now so very different. She was a duchess with so much and with that came responsibility. She knew that she couldn’t prolong going to London indefinitely no matter how much she wished to. Here at Stratton, she knew what awaited her at dawn each day. No surprises greeted her, no one wanted more than she could give and no one would force her to do their bidding. Surely in London all that would change.
The sound of her door opening drew Eva’s gaze. Her husband walked through, dressed in his robe. He looked to the bed and then swung to where she sat. His legs were bare, which told Eva that he wore little beneath that robe, if anything. He had come to consummate the marriage and to start her quest for a baby. She now knew he would not hurt her, and that the man she had come to know over the past few days would not take her in anger either, of that she was certain.
Rising on unsteady legs, Eva walked toward the bed. “I…I know what I must do, your Grace.”
His intercepted her in two long strides, one large hand wrapping around her wrist and stopping her before him. “And what is that, Eva?”
She felt a fiery blush heat her cheeks as she looked up at him. “I am to lie still on the bed until you are...um, finished, your Grace.”
The hand that held her wrist moved up her arm to cup her cheek. “Did your brothers tell you that?”
Nodding, she watched his features soften into a gentle smile.
“I would ask you to forget anything they ever told you, Eva. Can you do that for me?”
His thumb traced her lower lip and Eva felt something stir inside her. “I can try.”
His hand slipped around her waist and she was slowly pulled closer until her chest touched his.
“You are a very beautiful woman, Duchess, and this, what we are about to do, will not be a chore for either of us, I can promise you.”
“Oh,” was all Eva managed before he lowered his head and claimed her lips.
The stiffness in her body slowly eased as he teased them. Soft and coaxing, he drew a response from her until she reached for him, one hand clutching the material of his robe in a fist as she arched toward him. Where one kiss ended another started. The pressure that slowly built inside her as he took her mouth on a sensual exploration was beyond anything in Eva’s experience.
“Do you like my kisses, Duchess?’ His breath brushed her swollen lips.#p#分页标题#e#
“Yes.” She couldn’t lie, not when her body was pressed against his, need filling her eyes, she was sure.
His lips moved to her neck and then lower. She felt his fingers on the buttons of her nightdress and then cool air as he released the last one.