Page 57 of The Scoundrel of Drury Lane
She met his gaze and brushed his hair back from his eyes. “Youaren’talone anymore. You have friends to help you fight your battles, but even then, you shouldn’t be fighting at all because it frightens me, Kit. What if something happens to you and tonight changes everything?”
“What do you mean?” He wasn’t following her.
“What if it isn’t just me you leave behind? What if it’sus?” she emphasized, placing a hand on her abdomen.
“Us...” He repeated the word, his mind suddenly spinning wildly. He’d been so focused on claiming her earlier and hadn’t given a single thought to the possible results of their union. Even now she could be with child.Their child...He didn’t know whether to shout or to just clutch her to his chest and hold on so he wouldn’t cry. The unexpected joy at the thought of sharing a child with her, with his own ray of golden light... His future, once dark, seemed now to be illuminated.
Suzannah smiled mischievously. “It’s only a small chance.”
“Small chance be damned. I think we should work on increasing the odds straightaway. What do you think?” He pulled at the sash of the robe that covered her.
“Men seem to think sex renders females weak, but I rather think it’s the men who become quite senseless from it.”
He curled his arms around her waist, gently pulling her to stand in the space of his spread legs.
“Well, I certainly do become senseless with you,” he agreed. “And I’m ready to become even more senseless.” He silenced her laugh with a deep kiss, and he scooped her up and carried her to his bed. They fell back onto it with her on top of him. Neither of them said anything more for a long while as they diligently and thoroughly worked to increase theirchances.
14
St. George’s was filled with people, far more than Kit had expected to be present at his wedding. He stared over the packed crowd, a mix of friends and curious onlookers, as he waited anxiously for Suzannah to arrive. He clenched his hands tight in front of him, but his nervous reaction didn’t go unnoticed by his groomsman.
“Steady on, old boy,” Darius said calmly beside him.
“The last time everyone stared at me like this, it was at my sentencing,” he muttered. “I didn’t wish for my wedding to be such a spectacle...” He tugged at the tight cravat, feeling like it was cutting off his air.
“There she is.” Darius nodded at the back of the church. The doors opened and Suzannah came in. Dressed in a cream-colored gown, trimmed with lace, she presented a picture of loveliness to rival any of the highborn ladies of the beau monde. Her face was still flushed with the passion of the previous night, and Kit’s heart beat faster seeing the glow on the face of his well-loved woman.
Those seated on either side of the center aisle whispered excitedly as she walked past. When she finally reached Kit at the altar, she smiled shyly up at him. Blushes suited her nicely, and he wanted to make every excuse to see her blush once they were alone. Green ribbons were threaded through her hair, reminding him of the night they’d first met. Something spinning in his chest left him feeling strangely dizzy.
“My green-ribbon girl.” He reached out a gloved hand and stroked his fingertips over her own, briefly, but the contact heated between them.
The ceremony was a blur and Kit held on to her hand the entire time. That simple act grounded him in the moment and deepened his connection with her. He never could have imagined that the daughter of a man who’d helped ruin his life was now one of his truest joys. Suzannah was a gift. He could not deny that now.
The wedding ceremony ended, and they faced the crowd. His friends cheered. Warren whistled, causing an older woman seated behind him to wallop Warren on the head with her reticule.
“Come along. We have a wedding breakfast to attend.” Kit gently tucked her arm in his as they began the long walk down the aisle to the carriage waiting outside. Men shook Kit’s hand in congratulations, and women wiped their eyes with fancy handkerchiefs. Something prickled at him with unease, and he searched the crowd around them. All he could see were happy wedding-guests, hearing the excited voices of everyone talking at once.
Then, just as they were about to reach the door, Kit saw something out of the corner of his eye. It was like catching sight of a black shadow that fractured the light ominously on a sunny day. The shadow transformed into a man as he emerged from the crowd, a pistol in his hand. It was Walsh.
“You’ve ruined everything!”
Kit’s life slowed to a crawl as Walsh fired the gun. Suzannah cried out, and he caught her limp body in his arms.
“No!” He collapsed to the ground, his wife in his arms. Blood stained her gown, and the bouquet she held was sprayed in red.
Suzannah’s lifeless gaze stared up at the painted angels on the ceiling far above them. He let out an unholy roar of violence and pain.
The shout sent him flying upward in his bed. Kit flailed as he realized he was in the dark, his body coated with a cold sweat and the bedsheets all tangled around him.
“What’s wrong?”
He turned, seeing Suzannah’s form in the shadows beside him. She was here. She wasalive. She wasn’t on the floor of St. George’s, her lifeless body sagging in his hold.
“Oh, thank Christ,” he moaned. The pounding terror that threatened to crush his ribs faded slowly. He pulled her into his arms so he could feel her heartbeat against his chest.
“What is it?” Suzannah cupped his face in her hands, and his eyes adjusted to the darkness so he could just make out her fear and worry. “Pleasetalk to me.” He grasped her wrists gently, holding on to her just as she held to him and pressed his forehead to hers.
“It was a bad dream, that’s all.”
