Page 96 of Saved By the Belle

She clutched her father’s arm more tightly, leaning on him until she was finally standing before Hew. He looked down at her, answered some question the minister had posed, then took her hand. He wore white gloves, as did she, but she could feel the warmth of his hand through the material. He squeezed her hand, and somehow she knew everything was right. This was right.

He was perfect.

HEW’S PARENTS HAD HOSTED the wedding breakfast at a rented town house. Now that it was late fall, not many families were in London, and they had been able to rent a large, lovely house. And yet, Hew rejected the offer to stay with his new wife in one of the many bed chambers. Instead, he took her to Mivart’s.

He insisted on carrying her through the door of their room, and she gasped as soon as she looked about. “It’s our room!”

He smiled. “I thought you’d like that.”

“Mr. Arundel, I never would have thought you were the sentimental sort.”

“I can be.”

He nodded to the footman who had carried their luggage then used a foot to close the door behind him.

“You can put me down now,” Belle said.

“Not here,” he murmured and carried her straight to the bed chamber. He hadn’t seen her in weeks, and he’d done nothing but imagine what he would do when he finally had Belle alone. Hew set her gently on the bed and pulled her to her knees, cupping her face. “You look so beautiful,” he said. Her cheeks reddened and she started to tilt her head to one side, to hide her scars, but he kissed her. “When I saw you walking toward me in St. George’s, I knew I was the luckiest man alive.”

“And when I saw you,” she said, “all of my worries and fears floated away.” She smiled. “I’d begun to think you were just a dream. Mrs. Price misplaced all of the letters you sent. My father found two, and I only read them this morning. You caught Pennywhistle,” she said.

Hew reached for the ribbons of her hat and untied them, then found the hat pin and tossed the hat aside. “The Saboteurs caught him with the information your father and I provided, which included confessions from the men we caught.” He nodded at her as he began to pluck pins from her honey-blond hair.

“Does this mean I am now an agent for the Crown?”

He laughed. “Retired. That was your one and only mission.”

“Fine by me,” she said and reached up to push his hat off his head. He freed her hair just as she began to pull off her gloves. Hew ripped his own off then ran his bare fingers through her silky strands. “Why did he do it?” she asked.

Hew removed a broach from her neck and began to unfasten her bodice. “Hmm?”

“Pennywhistle,” she clarified. “Why did he sabotage the railway tracks and kill those people?”

“Exactly the reason we’d thought. A deposit of minerals had been found on his property and it extended into the land he’d sold the railway. He tried to buy it back and couldn’t, so he decided to steal what he could. He needed time and a diversion.”

“What will happen to him now?” she asked, the slightest tremor in her voice as he opened her bodice. Hew looked into her face, noted her eyes were large and a deep brown.

“A trial and hopefully years and years”—he kissed her neck—“and years of time in prison. But I don’t want to talk about Pennywhistle.” He kissed her again. “Or railways.” Another kiss. “Or sabotage.” He pushed her bodice off her shoulders and helped her shed it. “I have more important things to do.”

“Such as?”

“Figure out how the devil to get you out of those skirts.”

As it turned out, he didn’t have to figure it out at all. With only a little help, she shed them easily, followed by her corset, and then her chemise. Hew had been shedding his own clothes, but when she stood naked before him, his hands trembled slightly.

My wife, his mind repeated over and over.

A bubble of fear rose in him, but then she reached for him, and the bubble floated away. This was Belle. His Belle. He could trust her with his life. Hell, she’d saved his life.

Hew shed the rest of his clothing and pulled her into his arms. Her warm body slid against his as he ran his hands over her, reacquainting himself with her every dip and curve. She kissed him, long and deep, and then they were on the bed, lips meeting and parting, hands stroking, bodies coming together. He was careful with her, but he needn’t have worried. He didn’t hurt her this time, only gave her pleasure. She gave it back, and after a while they lay spent in each other’s arms.

Hew’s eyes were closed, and he dozed, waiting for his strength to come back so he might ring for food or—Belle’s favorite—tea. She rolled over, and he opened one eye to look up at her.

“How long do we have?” she asked.

“Until?”

“Until we can do that all over again.”

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