Page 64 of Marigold and the Marquess
He had been a hot coil of desire ready to burst at the first flick of her tongue. Well, it had taken a little more than that because she had no idea what she was doing.
And yet, she was wonderful.
He would call it the most unforgettable afternoon of sex he had ever experienced…all five minutes of it.
“Marigold, you wanted to know what was troubling me.”
Her cheek grazed his chest as she looked up at him. “Oh, yes. Leo, what is wrong? You did look troubled.”
“Denby will be at Lady Gaston’s soiree.”
“He will?” She sat up and stared at him. “What are you going to do?”
Right now, he wanted to kiss her naked body and forget about what tonight might bring. But she was not going to let him touch her now that her mind was racing over what he might do to Denby. “I don’t know, my pet. That’s the truth. I simply do not know.”
“Dillie mentioned she and Ian will also be there. I think you must discuss this with Ian as soon as we arrive at Lady Gaston’s. It is quite possible he has discovered something relevant. After all, he and the best Crown agents have been on this investigation for weeks now. So has Mr. Barrow. Has he turned up anything yet?”
“No, love. He would have contacted me if he had found anything worthwhile.”
She looked around as though considering getting out of bed, then sighed and nestled against him once more. “I am going to stick to you like a barnacle to a ship. If you haul back your fist to strike a blow, you will have to strike me down first because I will be right beside you.”
His stomach began to churn at the thought of her meddling, for he wanted her to remain completely out of this. “Do not interfere, Marigold. You will only put us both in danger with that foolish action.”
She hugged him tightly. “Foolish would be your killing him, Leo. Do not throw away your life and our marriage. Let the authorities handle him. You don’t even know if he is the guilty party.”
“He is guilty. He has to be the one.”
“But you still do not know for certain. You cannot convict him before all the evidence is in.”
“What evidence? He’s had four years to burn it.”
Marigold spent the rest of the hour trembling in his arms.
He was in agony.
She wanted him to be reasonable.
He could not.
They washed and dressed in their separate bedchambers, Ethan assisting him and Jenny assisting Marigold. Their doors were closed to each other and he feared Marigold’s heart would close to him now because he knew how badly he was hurting her.
And yet, he was not going to stop.
If Denby made the slightest slip, Leo meant to kill him.
They rode in silence to Lady Gaston’s home, seated beside each other in his carriage. But they were miles apart. This left him in agony. “You look beautiful, Marigold.”
She did look achingly lovely in a gown of blue silk that matched the vivid splendor of her eyes. “You look handsome as sin,” she replied, immediately turning away before he noticed tears forming in her eyes.
“Don’t you dare cry, love.”
She sniffled. “Don’t tell me what to do, Leo.”
He sighed.
When they arrived, Leo hopped down from the carriage to assist her out of it. He shooed away the Gaston footman, suddenly feeling ridiculously possessive of this wife he was about to lose if the evening went as badly as Marigold feared it would.
As for Marigold, she would not leave his side and remained constantly underfoot. He could not walk away without almost tripping over her.
