Page 106 of Madcap with a Marquess
“Surprised?” he asked softly.
“How do you know of this piece? Of—”
“I have been enraptured by you for a very,verylong time, Franny. Though I know up until recently my behavior has suggested quite the opposite.”
Her heart took on the same rhythm as their swiftly moving feet.
“I stumbled upon you there once when we were younger.” The other side of his mouth tilted up. “I had been sitting at my window, frustrated that I couldn’t seem to rid myself of thoughts of one maddening raven-haired hellion, when I spotted a flash of white rushing into the forest.” He shook his head as they made their way around a turn. “I knew it was you. And because of that, I was helpless to not go after you.”
Her knees were dangerously weak now. But Franny no longer needed to be strong at all times. She finally had someone to lean on. And he supported her, guided her through the waltz, with the strong press of his palm at her back and his reassuring grip on her hand.
“I searched for you in that clearing more often than I’m proud to admit.” He winced. “It was somewhat obsessive.”
She bit her lip, and she bounced slightly in his arms. His head tilted slightly in question. “You wereobsessedwith me. I knew it. I knew it! Proper Pompous Perty wassmittenwith me.”
He groaned and looked heavenward, but it quickly morphed back into a smile. “Frustratingly smitten. How could I not be with that hoyden? Her tree climbing skills were unmatched. She was a fair hand with a racket. And I’ve learned recently she’s a crack shot with a peach…”
The notes of the piece mellowed, melding with her own soft laughter, before both faded away.
His face sobered. “Oh, but her laughter,” he said quietly, bringing them to a stop. “Her laughter is captivating, and I consider myself the luckiest of men to be granted the privilege of hearing that melody for the rest of my days.”
His knuckles gently traced her cheekbone. “She’s a tempest, a whirlwind that swept me off my feet, turned my world upside down, and when she finally set me down, she placed me where I’ve always belonged.”
“Where?” she whispered.
His pupils flared, enveloping his brown irises. “By her side.”
“Rupert?” she asked in a hushed voice.
“Yes, love?”
“When can we leave?”
His face broke into a grin.
54
Epilogue - Rupert
RupertfollowedFrannyintoher chambers. She went to her dressing table, starting on her pins. He walked up right behind her, pressing her into the piece of furniture, his hands coming to rest on the tabletop to cage her in. Her small chuckle danced around them.
“Eager, husband?”
He dragged his lips down the column of her neck, his fingers working on the buttons down the back of her gown. “You have no idea, love.”
As much as his wife had wanted to leave directly after their dance, they had stayed until the end of the ball. They were both much too appreciative of the dowager Duchess of Ironcrest’s patronage. And by God, Rupert was fairly certain it had worked or at least helped a great deal.
Not only had the Ironcrest family thrown their support behind his wife, but other prestigious families had as well. The Bentleys had made it clear Franny’s bastard status meant not a whit to them, Lord Mallen confirming it when he’d asked Franny to dance. Rupert had struggled with that—it was extremely gracious of the Bentley heir to make such a declaration of support—but the man was stupidly handsome. Rupert hadn’t failed to notice his wife became incapable of words in the man’s presence. And to dance with Franny meant he’d have totouchFranny.
But Rupert had swallowed it down and tempered the beast inside him. He would show his wife who she belonged to now that they were home. And he was going to be very, very thorough.
His wife stared silently at him in the looking glass, a devilish gleam dancing in her eyes. A few more pins and her black tresses tumbled free. God, he was obsessed with those wild ebony waves. They had been the bane of his existence for so long, always flying in the wind as she ran from him. He’d always desperately wanted to pull it. His hand flexed. Wrap it around his fist. Use it to control its wild owner.
Her dress gaped, and after the last button popped free, he stepped back. He indicated with a jerk of his chin for her to lose the garment. A wicked smile curved her dusty-rose lips and then she spun to face him and let it fall.
He swallowed, and his cock throbbed. He pushed down on his length, desperate to relieve the ache. His wife’s gaze dropped to his hand, and her teeth dug into her bottom lip, eyes locked on his groin. So, he teased her and stroked himself over the fabric of his breeches.
A barely audible whine fled her.Fuck. She was too irresistible, pale skin shimmering in the low candlelight, breasts pushed so high from the gussets of her stays, her nipples peeking out the top. Pretty pink nipples. Surrounded by gleaming ebony waves.
