and if he could get her into an
asylum he would. But how? One cannot drop
a person off without reasoning, and at this point, she is a jilted lover,
nothing more.
He paced the floor
with his glass of port in hand. The fire brightly burning in the library
reduced him into a puddle of sweat. All this anger beginning to emerge did
nothing for his nerves. He wanted a fight, but he could not hit a woman.
“Calm yourself,
Bastian. By now, Cordelia will have had enough time to relax. I would prefer
that you kept her and the baby here until you two are married. Perhaps by then,
this situation will have been rectified.”
The thought had
merit, though he would much rather protect her himself. But removing Cordelia
from the townhouse might be the solution, until he could find the opportunity
to catch Mary Elizabeth in the act of something socially unacceptable. “An
excellent thought, Nathaniel. Do you suppose that we could hold the private
ceremony here instead of the parsonage? That is to say, if it would not be a
terrible imposition.”
“I was going to
suggest the same thing. And to clarify, it would be no imposition at all. By
keeping the ceremony private, and under the roof of a protected home, there is
less risk of your vows being interrupted unnecessarily.”
Perfect . Now all he had to do was relay
the change of plans to Cordelia, and hopefully she would not be to cross with
him. ’Twas bad enough that she had expressed her
displeasure in his commencing the plans of the wedding without consulting her
first. He did not wish to add further fuel to the fire.
Bastian downed the
contents of his drink. “I do not want to be rude, Nathaniel, but I would like to
spend some time with Cordelia.”
The marquess lifted his glass. “Go on. Enjoy the rest of the
evening. We have all had a trying day, and I could use the company of my lovely
wife too.”
He nodded, and
Bastian turned to leave the library. Soon, they would move out of the townhouse
and take up residence in her family’s estate. Though, he had not had a chance
to examine its condition yet. Her ancestral home should have been passed along
to her elder brother, but her parents had wanted to lure the duke in with a
proposition that would sweeten the deal.
In the last few
days, he had come to discover that the lands in which the estate is located is
rich by agricultural means. He supposed that once they were established, and he
had the opportunity to meet with the tenants, they could work together in
turning a healthy profit. Which would, in turn, provide for future generations
of their growing family.
Nevertheless, the
first order of business was to get married and get settled. Once things finally
smoothed over, he would attempt to convince her to have another son. Ah, to have a brood full of sons. Brawling,
handsome, mischievous little buggers . Cordelia might oppose having an
entire brood of little boys, but he would leave their fate in the hands of
destiny.
Happening upon
Cordelia in their quarters, he swept into the room with a charming grace. Her
brows perked up, speculating his every move. When he reached the edge of the
bed, Bastian slowly removed his cravat, gave it twirl, and tucked it into his
pocket. “So my love, where is our darling son at this moment?”
Her lashes
fluttered, and she licked her lips. “In the nursery with his maid,” she purred
seductively.
“Hmm…all this time
alone. I think we need to find something productive and conducive to our
health, no?”
She nodded and
chewed on her bottom lip. “What did you have in mind, my lord?”
What did he have
in mind? They could not behave as if there was no one else in the manor, so he
had to get creative. And he did not have the implement he preferred to use on
hand. “Well, for one thing, you are wearing an impossible amount of layers.
Begin divesting yourself. I shall sit here and watch.”
There were times
in their previous occasions together when she would undress, teasing him
asylum he would. But how? One cannot drop
a person off without reasoning, and at this point, she is a jilted lover,
nothing more.
He paced the floor
with his glass of port in hand. The fire brightly burning in the library
reduced him into a puddle of sweat. All this anger beginning to emerge did
nothing for his nerves. He wanted a fight, but he could not hit a woman.
“Calm yourself,
Bastian. By now, Cordelia will have had enough time to relax. I would prefer
that you kept her and the baby here until you two are married. Perhaps by then,
this situation will have been rectified.”
The thought had
merit, though he would much rather protect her himself. But removing Cordelia
from the townhouse might be the solution, until he could find the opportunity
to catch Mary Elizabeth in the act of something socially unacceptable. “An
excellent thought, Nathaniel. Do you suppose that we could hold the private
ceremony here instead of the parsonage? That is to say, if it would not be a
terrible imposition.”
“I was going to
suggest the same thing. And to clarify, it would be no imposition at all. By
keeping the ceremony private, and under the roof of a protected home, there is
less risk of your vows being interrupted unnecessarily.”
Perfect . Now all he had to do was relay
the change of plans to Cordelia, and hopefully she would not be to cross with
him. ’Twas bad enough that she had expressed her
displeasure in his commencing the plans of the wedding without consulting her
first. He did not wish to add further fuel to the fire.
Bastian downed the
contents of his drink. “I do not want to be rude, Nathaniel, but I would like to
spend some time with Cordelia.”
The marquess lifted his glass. “Go on. Enjoy the rest of the
evening. We have all had a trying day, and I could use the company of my lovely
wife too.”
He nodded, and
Bastian turned to leave the library. Soon, they would move out of the townhouse
and take up residence in her family’s estate. Though, he had not had a chance
to examine its condition yet. Her ancestral home should have been passed along
to her elder brother, but her parents had wanted to lure the duke in with a
proposition that would sweeten the deal.
In the last few
days, he had come to discover that the lands in which the estate is located is
rich by agricultural means. He supposed that once they were established, and he
had the opportunity to meet with the tenants, they could work together in
turning a healthy profit. Which would, in turn, provide for future generations
of their growing family.
Nevertheless, the
first order of business was to get married and get settled. Once things finally
smoothed over, he would attempt to convince her to have another son. Ah, to have a brood full of sons. Brawling,
handsome, mischievous little buggers . Cordelia might oppose having an
entire brood of little boys, but he would leave their fate in the hands of
destiny.
Happening upon
Cordelia in their quarters, he swept into the room with a charming grace. Her
brows perked up, speculating his every move. When he reached the edge of the
bed, Bastian slowly removed his cravat, gave it twirl, and tucked it into his
pocket. “So my love, where is our darling son at this moment?”
Her lashes
fluttered, and she licked her lips. “In the nursery with his maid,” she purred
seductively.
“Hmm…all this time
alone. I think we need to find something productive and conducive to our
health, no?”
She nodded and
chewed on her bottom lip. “What did you have in mind, my lord?”
What did he have
in mind? They could not behave as if there was no one else in the manor, so he
had to get creative. And he did not have the implement he preferred to use on
hand. “Well, for one thing, you are wearing an impossible amount of layers.
Begin divesting yourself. I shall sit here and watch.”
There were times
in their previous occasions together when she would undress, teasing him
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