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Isabel climbed into bed and covered herself with sheets. There really was no good way to explain these cards to her husband.

“Isabel…” He was frowning again.

She wanted to reach up and smooth the wrinkles on his forehead. He sat next to her, still completely naked. Isabel’s gaze couldn’t help but roam along his slick, muscled body. “Did you… You do not have to answer if you don’t want to. You do not owe me your past, but… Are these yours? Did you… use these with Stanhope?”

Isabel’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound emerged. What did Stanhope have to do with anything? She sat up, still clutching the bedsheet to her chest. “The cards?”

Rhys nodded, and Isabel couldn’t help but spill into laughter. She shook her head emphatically. “No. It is a gift from a friend for our honeymoon.”

Rhys raised a brow. “A friend?”

Isabel let out an exasperated breath. “From Evie.”

“Oh.” Rhys’s features immediately cleared, the relief evident on his face. “That explains a lot. And did you learn all that you did from those cards?”

Isabel gave a tiny nod. “Did you not like it?”

“Not like it? It was the most blissful experience of my life!”

“Oh!” Isabel’s mouth split into a grin. “You were frowning, but now I realize you always do that.”

Rhys frowned again. “I don’t always frown!”

Isabel raised a brow. “No. Sometimes you scowl or glare.”

Rhys caught her by the waist, and she giggled. “Isabel,” he rasped. “What you did just now. It was lovely but… if you didn’t like it—”

“I did.” Her smile gentled, and she cradled his cheek.

“Are you certain? Because I wouldn’t want you to do it if you didn’t enjoy it.”

“I did.”

She slid her hand lower and caressed his arm. Oh, what a strong and beautiful arm it was. She could look at Rhys’s naked form forever. Her gaze moved down, and her mouth formed a silent ‘O’ as she saw the appendage between his legs start growing again.

Rhys noticed her distractedness and smiled. “You know what we did just now… It wouldn’t result in a babe. And if you’re not feeling tired yet, we can—”

Isabel wrapped her arms around his neck. Perhaps it made her a wanton, but she did not care. She was, and would forever be, her husband’s wanton. “I am not tired,” she said and covered his mouth in a kiss.

* * *

The next day, more carriages rolled down the driveway as Isabel’s sister Sam arrived with her husband and their babe. And only a few minutes behind, two more visitors graced their doorstep, their brothers Adam and Alan.

The exuberant greeting in the hall surprised even the reserved butler, but now that the entire Lewis family was reunited under the same roof, quiet was not something that would be observed in the house for a long time.

They moved to the drawing room, as everyone continued chattering away.

Rhys and Sam’s husband, Ashbury, immediately bonded over the subject of reconstructing housing at their estates. They quickly disengaged from the Lewis family, giving siblings space to catch up.

“When did you arrive from the Continent?” Isabel asked as she embraced her brother, Alan, for the first time in years.

“A few days ago. I’ve missed enough family events, it seems,” he said, looking pointedly at Sam’s babe gurgling in her arms. “I didn’t want to miss anymore.”

Richard clapped him on the shoulder. “We had to marry both our sisters without you.”

“And I regret that immensely,” Alan answered solemnly.

“Why didn’t you tell me Alan had returned?” Isabel threw an accusing gaze toward Richard.