Page 51 of To Tempt a Scandalous Lord
“Just a few vegetables and some herbs.” Alicia lifted a shoulder. “I thought I’d put to use some of the tips I learned from the children at Little Windmill.”
“They’ll delight in hearing it,” he said, his voice soft. Maybe even a bit tender.
And tender made her nervous, like her heart might just thunder out of her chest. Lindsay had never inspired this sort of reaction in her during their many years of marriage, but conversing with Niall, even whilst she sat in the dirt, made her stomach flip upside down.
Desperate to restore a measure of her equilibrium, Alicia cast her thoughts about for a distraction.
“We received an invitation to the Dunmore dinner party tonight? The countess was quite eager for you to attend.” She quirked her lips. “After your illness and recovery, you are theton’s most sought-after guest.”
Niall crossed his ankles and leaned back. “If that is the case, it’s only because you have somehow turned my very humbling illness into public relations gold.”
“Yes well, I thought you were very thoughtful…and brave in how you responded to the situation,” she said, studying the trowel she still held in her hand. “I wanted others to know.”
Alicia risked a glance up and found him staring back with an indecipherable expression on his face.
“If you are not opposed,” Niall said suddenly, “I’d rather we stay in tonight. Together.”
Her mouth dropped open as she inhaled. “You would?”
His brows dipped low. “Of course. You’re my wife after all.”
She was…and Alicia was more than ready to be his wife, inallways.
…
Niall found it impossible to tear his eyes away from his wife during dinner that night. As they dined on soup and potted beef, mushrooms and pudding, he was acutely aware of her.
Alicia.
The spouse he sought to exile but who had saved him instead.
Raising his glass of port to his lips for a bracing sip, Niall tracked her every movement as she savored her meal, humming in the back of her throat when she enjoyed a particular bite. Would she respond in a similar manner if he touched her? He gripped his glass like a vise until the arousing thought fled. Such thoughts and images had plagued him as of late.
When their meal was complete, Alicia stood and smoothed down the folds of her blue gown. She looked lovely. Sophisticated. Just that morning he had found her in the gardens, sitting in a patch of sunlight, dirt coating her elegant hands, and an ugly worn apron swallowing her form. She’d appeared so young. Innocent.
Both Alicias enchanted him.
“I thought that instead of retiring to the drawing room, we might enjoy the terrace. The weather is so pleasant this time of year.” Her burnt umber eyes met his, leaving him stunned, like a dizzying upper cut to the jaw. “Would you care to join me?”
He would.Very much.
But he didn’t voice such thoughts, simply inclining his head instead.
Trailing behind her, Niall thought of the stack of reports waiting on his desk. Of the pile of correspondence and the ledgers he’d yet to review. With his gaze on his wife’s gently swaying hips, he decided those items could wait a bit longer.
On the terrace, they sat quietly for a time while crickets and the rustle of birds in their nests in the trees above serenaded them.
“Are you looking forward to returning to the hustle at Westminster?”
Her voice was soft, blending effortlessly into the intimacy of the moment.
“I am.” Niall grasped his glass of whisky, ignoring how his stomach dropped at the idea of returning to his busy schedule. His work used to fulfill him…but now the long hours spent in his small office at Westminster simply meant less time to visit the children at the home and late nights returning home to his wife. Going back to that harrowing routine left him feeling decidedly empty.
“It’s going to be quieter in the house without you and your fellows MPs discussing and debating in the study at all hours.”
His forehead crinkled. “Has the constant activity been taxing?”
Her laugh dispelled his concern. “Of course not. On the contrary, it’s provided me with a firsthand glimpse into the true workings of Parliament.”
