Page 55 of Her Daring Earl
Eliza couldn’t help but smile as he hurriedly left. They had certainly had their misunderstanding, but deep down, he was a good man. She wouldn’t have agreed to marry him if he wasn’t.
He returned quicker than she expected, but, being Fitz, he hadn’t just brought her one pastry. Or even a plate of pastries. No, Fitz had brought her an entire basketful.
“Fitz!” she laughed as she pushed herself up to sit. “Thank you for the food, but I could not possibly eat all that!”
“I can help,” he said with a shrug as he flopped down on the bed beside her. “What’s your favorite?”
“Do you have a Sally Lunn Bun?”
“I believe I do,” he said with a grin. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say you wanted the Bath Buns as those are my favorite.”
She made a face. “They have currants. Desserts should not have currants.”
“That’s the very best part!”
He found one for himself and Eliza couldn’t help but stare at the sugar crystals that covered it. He noticed the direction of her gaze as he grinned at her.
“You want it, don’t you?”
“I don’t want the entire bun,” she said. “But a bite would do.”
Without question, he passed over the pastry and she sunk her teeth into it, scraping off the sugar and the top layer, carefully missing all of the currants, before passing it back to him.
“Thank you,” she said from around the pastry.
“You are most welcome,” he said, taking a closer inspection. “I see you left me all of the currants.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to deny you the pleasure.”
They sat silently for a few minutes, finishing their sweets, before she lay her head back against the pillows.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked.
“My stomach discomfort has eased, but the exhaustion hasn’t,” she said. “I can hardly imagine how I will feel in a few months if I already need to constantly lie down.”
He stretched out on his side next to her, his head resting on his fist.
“I will find the best midwife or accoucheur around – whomever you’d like, in addition to Dot,” he said earnestly. “We will make certain that you have the very best care.”
“Thank you,” she said with a small smile. “I appreciate that. And I am glad that you now believe me.”
“I should have from the start,” he said gruffly. He reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Go to sleep.”
“Do you not want?—”
“I want only for you to feel well and stay healthy,” he said, shifting his head from side to side. “That is all that matters to me.”
“I need to ask you something,” she said, tracing embroidery on the gold coverlet with her fingernail. “What are to be the… guidelines of our marriage? I know marriages of theton– especially those that are not based on love – are often marriages only in name. I understand that you did not want to be married so I will not force you into anything, but I feel it best if I know from the start what to expect.”
He lifted himself on his elbows and stared deeply into her eyes.
“The beginnings of our marriage may be unconventional,” he said, “but there will be no one involved in our marriage except for the two of us. Do you understand?”
“You do not want to take other lovers?” Her heart tripped at the words, but she had to ask.
“No,” he said, shaking his head fiercely. “Neither of us will.”
She nodded slowly, trying unsuccessfully to hide her emerging smile. She didn’t want to appear too eager.
