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Holding a naked Cecilia in his arms post-coitus felt even more glorious than Archie had imagined. If only he could take back those ridiculous words of thanks. He had meant what he said: It had been amazing. More amazing than he thought possible since it was her first time. He had not thought she was brave enough to touch herself but was glad that she had because it had clearly enhanced her pleasure.
He buried his nose in her hair which held faint traces of her vanilla and cinnamon-scented perfume. She was perfection. More than that. She was what completed him. Not because she had given herself to him, but because she was who she was. And before they had slept together tonight, she had finally shown him who that was and what she wanted.
He understood perfectly now what had been holding her back. A wife should feel she was special to her husband and not simply one in a long line of women that he bedded. Somehow, he had failed to show her that. He had thought that his actions were enough: that marrying her was enough to show her that he would be faithful but evidently, it had not been.
Archie planted a kiss on Cecilia’s shoulder, and she pressed more firmly against him. He hoped that she was not too sore because he already desperately wanted her again. He had reached her neck when he heard someone call his name in the hallway. The questioning "Lord Archie?" could only come from Peters. He was the only one who used his cursory title along with the pet name his family used. Archie had protested to being Lord Archibald in private while being dressed and Peters had acquiesced on that account.
Cecilia gave a purring protest as he left the bed. He found his dressing gown in the dressing room and opened the door to his own room, raising an eyebrow in question. Peters knew better than to flinch at the fact that it was early evening and Archie was wearing a dressing gown only an hour after Peters had helped him into his evening attire.
“The duchess requested me to ask whether you and Lady Archie... Archibald would be joining the rest of the family for dinner.” It was evident Peters was trying to hide a smirk as he spoke. Archie did not bother to comment on it.
“No, tell the duchess that Lady Archibald is still unwell and that I am keeping her company.” His valet nodded and Archie began to close the door. “If you could have some leftovers brought to our room, that would be much appreciated though.” He started closing the door then once again stopped. “You can just place it in my room as long as you do not disturb Lady Archibald in hers.”
Peters did not manage to hide his smirk at the last comment. Archie closed the door in his face. Despite their familiar relationship, he did not want to be teased by Peters for sleeping with his wife.
When he entered Cecilia’s room again, she was not lying in bed as he had hoped but was frantically running in circles on the floor picking up her discarded clothes. Archie stopped dead in his tracks. The warm, subtle hum of desire that had been coursing through his body was instantly replaced by a cold dread. She regretted sleeping with him. As he watched her, he raked his brain for any evidence that he had forced himself on her, but she had said she wanted it – and she had enjoyed it.
“The dinner,” she panted frantically when she noticed him. She was trying to pull on her chemise backward. “I completely forgot. They must all be waiting. This is so embarrassing.”
She struggled out of the chemise and turned it around. Archie felt his desire rising again at the sight of her wriggling body. Good, she had not regretted it. She was just embarrassed that they would be late – and that his entire family would know exactly why they were. When he reached her, he took the chemise from her and threw it on the floor again.
“We are not going down to dinner,” he murmured.
“But they will know...” Cecilia began wide-eyed but stopped speaking when he trailed kisses up her neck.
“Luckily we are married, which will make it less of a scandal.” He reached her ear and could not help but suck the earlobe. They were incredibly small and soft, like a petit four covered in velvety foam. Cecilia panted slightly, but was evidently not done protesting it seemed:
“But I have to face them tomorrow.”
Archie stepped back to be able to look at her. She had a frown between her gray eyes as she looked up at him with concern. He tried to imagine why this would upset her. He had been used to his family thinking him scandalous for so long that it had not occurred to him that it would bother her.
Slowly the memory of the first time that his parents learned that he had been with a woman emerged from his brain. He had been eighteen and they had been at a house party with... he could not even remember. One of the female guests, a woman only three or four years older than himself, and already bored in her marriage, had wanted to share his bed and he had happily complied. The next morning his father had walked in on them in bed – although luckily only sleeping – when he had wanted to ask Archie to join him for breakfast.
Archie could still vividly recall the pattern of the carpet that had been right in front of him, as his father had taken him to task over bedding another man’s wife. Since then, he had mainly stuck to actresses, opera singers, and merry widows and avoided the unsatisfied wives of the haut ton. He did not want Cecilia to experience that kind of embarrassment, nor did he think that she deserved it.
“Cecilia, we are married,” he said gently as he looked into his eyes. “They will expect that we are sleeping together.”
Cecilia blushed prettily and bit her lip. Archie wished that it was his teeth grazing her plump lip. If only he could tell what was happening in her head.
“I suppose I just have to become accustomed to it. I am not as seasoned in these matters as you.” Her mouth quirked up in a smile and Archie chuckled. If she could make a jest about his past, they had already come a long way.
“And now, how are you feeling? Because I quite desperately would like to repeat what we just did, but I understand if you are too sore.”
This time Cecilia’s blush was much deeper and spread faster. It made the naked skin on her chest look even whiter in comparison.
“Do... do people really discuss these matters?” she breathed.
“Certainly,” Archie reassured her and nudged her towards him. She did not need any coaxing but stepped closer to him willingly. “If you are too sore there are other things we can do. Like using our mouths.”
“Yes, I read in the pamphlet that women can do that too,” Cecilia breathed and pressed more firmly against him.
“It seems a very informative pamphlet indeed,” Archie murmured and pressed his mouth against hers. He would certainly like to browse it at a later time. Not that he thought he could learn anything, but to know exactly what Cecilia knew. For the time, he was certain they could make do with their shared knowledge.