Page 61 of Wicked Rivals
“Really? I had no idea.” She prodded his chest with a finger, making him laugh again. It was a rich, deep sound that made her think of melted honey.
Ashton moved off her, withdrawing from her body. The sense of emptiness that followed angered her just a little. She didn’t want to miss his warmth, the feel of him deep inside her. The feel of them connected.
He slipped out of bed completely bare and padded over to the fireplace, put a few more logs on the fire, then extinguished the candles by the bed and joined her under the covers. When he settled in, Rosalind cuddled up to him, placing a hand on his chest. He covered it with one of his, squeezing her fingers.
“I’ll leave for London first thing tomorrow. What do you say about a wedding in the little parish church a few miles away?”
Rosalind tensed. The wedding.
He tensed beside her. “You promised, remember? The terms—”
“Yes. Whatever you wish—I do not care.” She pulled away from him and rolled onto her side facing the opposite wall. “Why couldn’t you be satisfied with being just lovers?”
The bed dipped as he moved, but he didn’t try to touch her again. “I enjoy being complicated. Now I suppose you’ll be cross with me.”
“I’m not cross with you,” she snapped.
His chuckle made her bristle. “Goodnight, Rosalind.”
She didn’t respond except to reach behind her and sock him in the hip with a balled fist.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Sixteen
Ashton stood on the steps of the Sheridan townhouse on Curzon Street and tried to quell the sudden bout of nerves in his stomach. He’d risen well before dawn at his estate and slipped out of bed, pressing a light kiss to Rosalind’s lips before leaving. It had taken two hours of hard riding to reach London, and his horse was lathered and exhausted. But it was important that he arrive in time to catch Cedric before he left his house for the day. He and Anne were likely to be selecting new mares at Tattersall’s this afternoon.
For the mission he had this morning, he only trusted Cedric. Today he was acquiring a special license to marry Rosalind. In the past, he’d always been the one to accompany the others to the Doctors’ Commons, but it was strange to think today washisturn.
He couldn’t ask Godric or Lucien. They had married for love alone and would challenge him for marrying Rosalind for mercenary reasons. He could, perhaps, admit that he was marrying her because he wanted to, because he found her fascinating and enticing. But to do so would only prompt further interrogation from his friends, and he didn’t wish to deal with that until he had time to fully understand his own feelings about her.
Cedric, however, would understand. He and Anne had married to save her from fortune hunters after her father had passed. They’d married as strangers but had found love along the way. Ashton hoped Cedric would understand where Ashton’s decision came from. Not everyone was lucky enough to fall in love.
His heart gave a strange little hop inside his chest.
I just want a small measure of happiness. Despite the pleasure he had given her, he was under no illusions about what Rosalind truly thought of him, and given his treatment of her in the past, he had no reason to assume that would change simply because of one night of passion. He would likely never have a great love like his friends, but he hoped Rosalind would someday learn to love him in some small way.
He removed his hat, brushing the dust of the road off of it before tucking it under one arm. Then he raised the heavy brass knocker and let it drop against the door twice. Shifting restlessly, he waited for the butler to answer.
“My lord,” the butler said with a smile. “The master and the lady are in the parlor. I’ll take you to them.”
“Thank you.” Ashton followed him, amused that after so many years of friendship, the League never stood upon ceremony. In most households he would have had to wait upon the steps while the butler ascertained whether anyone wished to receive him.
The butler stopped in front of a closed door and opened it, slipping inside. Ashton listened to him announce Ashton’s arrival.
“Show him in,” Cedric said from the other side.
The butler reappeared and allowed Ashton to enter the parlor. He ground to a halt at the sight of four other people he had not expected to see there. Godric, Emily, Lucien and Horatia were all present.
Good God, he could not do this, not with everyone there to mock him.
“Ash!” Cedric stood and came to shake his hand. “Thought you’d be in Hampshire dealing with the tenant farms.”
“I was.” Ashton glanced at each of his friends’ faces, sensing he’d stumbled into the middle of something. It might prove to be a good excuse for him to depart without admitting his reasons for coming. “If I am interrupting, I could—”
“You aren’t.” Anne assured him as she stood up, a warm smile on her lips. “Would you like some tea?” She gestured to the tray on a nearby table and a footman who hovered next to the doorway. “Nelson just brought us some fresh pekoe, and it smells divine.” The domestic scene, the three of his friends and all of their wives meeting for tea—Ashton didn’t know whether to laugh or to turn tail and run.
“Tea?” He choked on the word.
