Page 375 of From Rakes to Riches

With his elbow on the arm of the chair, he propped his chin on his fist. “Did your mother tell you what usually happens on a wedding night?”

She felt heat rise up her face. “Some, my lord. Mrs. Wayneflete helped as well.”

“Your housekeeper?” he asked, raising a brow.

“She has always been more than that to me. You’ll never know how much I appreciate that you’ve employed her.”

“Smith says she is an excellent worker, and already the household seems to be running smoothly.” He leaned forward. “You don’t need to keep calling me by my title.”

She frowned. “How would you wish me to address you?”

“My name is David.”

And suddenly, it was as if he’d brought up the memories of another time, when he’d called himself by another name. The deception hung between them, and bitterness made her worry about what kind of life they could have together. How was she supposed to forget such a betrayal?

Yet he’d saved her family. And now she was the one doing the lying.

He pressed his lips into a thin line. “Call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

“But I shall call you Victoria.”

Because I never lied about my name, she thought with heavy sadness.

“Is your hair dry?” he asked.

She wet her lips and nodded. He took the brush from her hand and set it down, then encouraged her to take another drink of wine.

He twirled his own glass between his fingers and watched it. “I know why you asked that I should take my time with you. This is truly awkward between us, since we did know each other once upon a time. Now we’re newly married, yet…with so little time for you to grow used to the reality of being alone with a man.”

“Is it the same for you, my lord?”

“Pardon me?” His heavy brows lowered in obvious confusion.

“Are new husbands…nervous?”

He opened his mouth as if astonished, but nothing came out, and he finally refilled his glass and took another drink before speaking. “No, I’m not nervous, but then husbands tend to already know what’s involved in a wedding night.”

“Why?”

Was he blushing?

“Victoria, unlike women, most men have already—” He stopped and frowned. “I have already…participated in the act.”

The act?she wanted to repeat incredulously. That’s what he called the most intimate part of marriage between a husband and wife?

“You had a mistress?” she asked. Her sisters had told her that men did not have to wait for the sanctity of marriage, that no one assumed they would. Victoria had always thought that seemed rather unfair.

“Yes, but rest assured, I have one no longer. I would never dishonor our marriage like that.”

She wondered why that didn’t reassure her. Perhaps because it sounded as if he was more worried about how the “marriage” appeared than about hurting her feelings? But he was a man, and she knew men did not think of emotions as women did.

“So you have…” She waved vaguely toward the bed. “…done that before.”

He tilted his head, his eyelids lowered as he studied her. “Yes.”

“Mrs. Wayneflete said that I might enjoy it, though perhaps not the first time.”

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