Page 59 of Undercover Duke
Caught up in the enthusiasm of the onlookers, she didn’t even falter when Sheridan took her by surprise and kissed her before helping her up into the landau. Amidst universal cheers they were driven away, with the crowd following them for a good distance.
Despite being tied for life to Sheridan, she felt inexplicably free . . . from her mother, her fears, her past. This was the beginning of her life apart from her family. It would be her and Sheridan from now on, with any children they might make. The thought of it was exhilarating.
When they were alone except for their coachman, she caught Sheridan staring at the side of her head. “What are you looking at?” she asked. “Do I have odd ears or something?”
“I’m just now noticing that Mother also gave you the pearl earrings that go with the strand of pearls.”
She held up her arm. “And the bracelet and comb as well. The whole parure, I believe.”
“Ah, yes. I should at least have noticed the comb in your hair. Although, to be fair, it’s in the back, and I’ve mostly been looking at your front.”
Self-consciously she touched the earring he was eyeing. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not. You’re my duchess now. You should have the family pearls. I only wish there were more jewelry to give you.”
She wouldn’t have believed he meant that if not for the hungry look in his eyes that surely resembled that which the wolf in the children’s story had given to Red Riding Hood. Too late she remembered that Sheridan’s surname was Wolfe. Oh, dear.
“Besides,” he went on in a husky voice that sent a thrill through her, “you wear those pearls well.Verywell.”
Vanessa wasn’t sure if she should thank him for the compliment or run for the hills before her wolfish husband could devour her.
“Never have I wished more to be in a closed carriage,” he drawled.
“Oh?” she asked, determined to lighten the mood by teasing him. “Why, pray tell?”
“That should be obvious. I want—”
When her laugh interrupted him, he apparently realized she knew precisely why. And precisely what he wanted, too.
He bent his head to whisper, “Later, I want to see you wearing nothing but those pearls.”
So much for knowing what he wanted. She’d had no idea that Sheridan was so . . . so wicked. All thought of teasing him vanished, replaced by a vivid image of him looking her over while she wore nothing but the Armitage pearls. Her mouth went dry and her breath quickened. She began to feel a little wicked herself.
“I believe I now understand your wish for a closed carriage,” she murmured.
He groaned. “I fear this will be the longest bridal feast I’ve ever attended.”
Unfortunately, she feared the same thing.
Chapter Thirteen
Sheridan paced, waiting for Vanessa to open the door that separated their bedchambers. Her maid, Bridget, was, of course, preparing her for her wedding night, although it wasn’t technically night, since the sun was still slipping into the horizon. But given that the bridal feast only included their families, who were liable to stay up celebrating until the wee hours of the morning, he hadn’t had the patience to wait them out.
So after the usual wedding traditions had been gone through, he’d whisked Vanessa away. Let his brothers and his brother-in-law drink and dance with their wives. He meant to have a different sort of entertainment.
He rubbed the unfamiliar gold band on his finger, and Thorn’s words leaped into his mind:She seems a reasonable sort. You should talk to her.
About the murders? Tonight? There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d do that. Not only did he ache to make Vanessa his wife in every sense of the word, but he didn’t want to risk the possibility that telling her about the investigation might destroy the tentative camaraderie he and she shared.
And while he’d been a bit uneasy to leave Mother and Lady Eustace in the same room together downstairs, it couldn’t be helped. They would have to find a way to endure each other’s occasional company eventually. They might as well start now.
Unless he discovered that Lady Eustace was a murderer. Then he’d make sure she’d be out of their lives forever. He supposed he shouldn’t wish that for his new mother-in-law, given it would mean his own family would have to weather yet another scandal, but it was hard not to. The woman was awful, and he despised how she treated Vanessa.
The door creaked open, and he held his breath. But it was just Bridget.
“You may come in now, Your Grace,” the lady’s maid said, averting her eyes.
Good God, it wasn’t as if he were naked. Yet. He still wore his shirt, trousers, and undergarments beneath his favorite banyan. He was miles away from naked at the moment. Too many miles.
