Page 37 of Watching the Earl

He remained where he was, watching her hips sway with her brisk stride. He was quite sure something was wrong, and tonight would be the perfect time to find out. Surprisingly, he was more attracted to his new wife than he’d expected, and he planned to act upon that for his wedding night.

Chapter Eleven

Georgina dismissed her lady’s maid and moved to the full-length mirror in her dressing room. She had three rooms: one for sleeping, one for dressing, and one for reading, eating, or having close friends visit. It was actually more than her mother had had at their estate.

She viewed herself critically. Like most female birds, her coloring didn’t stand out. Dark brown hair that she held back with a white ribbon, pale skin to match her ribbon, pale pink lips, and golden-brown eyes. Perhaps her eyes were a bit different, but otherwise she was like any other female of her species. The shift she wore was her best one, but not new. What would Philip think of her?

She moved away from the mirror and walked into her bedroom. Her new husband would soon walk through the connecting door and consummate their marriage. She wasn’t nervous. She simply wasn’t excited. Maybe if they didn’t kiss first, it wouldn’t be so disappointing. Yes, that would make it so much better. He kissed far better than Lord Ashfield, so having Philip take her after kissing her would be an even bigger disappointment because he had made her feel so wonderful.

But was that acceptable, not kissing before intercourse? She started to pace toward the fireplace then back to the door he would come through. What if he refused her request? He was her husband now. If he wanted to kiss her before entering her, there was nothing she could say about it. All her married friends said they enjoyed their conjugal visits. Maybe there was something wrong with her.

At that thought, she stopped.

The book! The book Sophie had given her that very morning. All her married classmates had read it. Maybe there was something in there that would let her know if she was normal. Maybe because she was born to her mother so late, something was wrong with her. The duchess had not discussed differences among women or men in the biology course, only what occurred normally.

She scanned the room. Where was the book? She’d given it to a maid to bring to her room, but there was nothing on the end tables. She rushed to the dressing room, but no shelf contained a brown-paper-wrapped book. She ran into the sitting room, scanning every table surface, but no book was in sight.

Maybe her chest or armoire. She moved back to her dressing room and hastily looked through the drawers, then pushed back the clothes that hung inside the armoire to see if the book was at the bottom, but nothing was there. What if it hadn’t come to her room yet? Frantic now, as if the book had the answer she sought, she went back into her bedroom and knelt by her chest. She looked toward the connecting door and listened. Hearing no sounds from that area, she opened her chest.

“Georgina, what are you doing on the floor?”

Startled, she slammed the chest shut, whipping her head around to find Philip entering her room from the door to the corridor.

She jumped up to stare at him. He wore a brown dressing gown with black trim tied with a silken black belt. The material revealed part of his chest, which appeared to have a smattering of light brown hair upon it.

Feeling flustered, she pointed to her right. “Why didn’t you enter from there? I thought you’d come through our connecting door.”

He closed the door behind him. “My rooms don’t connect to yours.”

“But Mrs. Newman told me today that my rooms connect to the lord’s rooms. You are the Lord of Durham.”

“Yes, I am, but I didn’t move into my father’s rooms after his passing.”

She frowned at him, completely baffled. “Was that not over three years ago?”

“It was. However, I had no need to move my rooms, as I have not resided long here at Crestfield Hall, and since I was not looking to marry, there was no rush.”

While that all made sense, he held himself very stiffly, like he did whenever he didn’t wish to discuss a subject. She hadn’t realized that until just now. She’d been watching him in public as well as in private, and there was definitely a stiffness that could be seen along his jawline and at the corners of his eyes.

“Then perhaps you will move in before we leave for Town?”

He inhaled. “Perhaps.”

Her parents had used that word far too many times, and it meant no. “You don’t intend to move into those rooms before we leave. Will you when we return in the fall?”

He waved off her question. “That is hardly a conversation we need to have tonight. After all, this is an auspicious night. We are now married.” He walked toward her, though no smile lifted his lips. There was a predatory feel to his movements, as his gaze didn’t leave her for a moment.

Now she was the one who felt stiff. Having him in her bedroom made her request for no kissing feel odd, especially because she greatly desired for him to kiss her.

He held out his hand. “Come, let us learn about each other.”

She wasn’t sure what that meant, but she had an inkling. Still, she took his hand, curious what he would do. Would he have her touch him through his dressing gown, much like Ashfield had had her touch his pantaloons? Would he squeeze her breasts and find them lacking in size, as Ashfield had?

He led her around to the side of the bed. Then he cupped her face and kissed her.

Despite knowing the disappointment to come, she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him back. He smelled of spruce, her favorite tree, for the goldcrest lived among them, and she just adored that little bird. Was that why she felt safe? Whatever the reason, she took a deep breath as she stroked her tongue inside his mouth, tasting a bit of cognac and something else.

He moved his hand to behind her head and tilted it slightly, and she felt warmth fill her as excitement started in the pit of her belly. Then both his hands ran down her back to her behind, and her insides tightened with yearning.