The next morning, Gavin sat outside on the front steps with a cup of strong coffee laced with brandy. God, he had such a headache. He remembered little after Robbie had gone to bed, although he vaguely recalled storming into her room.
Embarrassment and shame washed over him. She must think him such a fool. He had passed out for the entire night, not waking until he heard her quietly close the door this morning. There he was, fully clothed in his wife’s bed, nothing removed, nothing amiss. His friends and his brothers would roar with laughter.
He had never wished to be like other men. Pierce, his oldest brother, now gone these five years after drowning, had had a presence that everyone respected and was in awe of. Louis, who was the gay blade, loving life and love and everyone around him. Colin, who, in spite of his disfigurement, cut a dashing figure among some women.
And Gavin? Stuck with his nose in a book or hovering over a map older than dirt. Some rake. Some playboy. He pulled out a cigar and lit it, puffing on it until the end was good and hot. It would make him sick, he knew, but what the hell. He couldn’t possibly feel much worse than he did at the moment.
He would avoid Robbie today. Surely she must feel as disgusted with him as he did with himself. How had it begun? They’d been having delightful conversations. He remembered the one about the ancient maps, her mentioning the statuary of Mesopotamia…oh, now he remembered. He’d finished the wine and drank some brandy, all the while thinking of her lily white bosom. That’s what did it. She had never dressed this way until after they were married. Did that mean something?
He stubbed out his cigar, left his cup on the ledge and wandered down to the Tweed. Maybe a good dose of cold river water would make him feel better.
• • •
Robbie stood at the breakfast parlor window, watching her husband walk toward the river. Poor man, she thought with a grim smile. A hangover to beat all hangovers.
She had studied him after he’d passed out, in the low glow of the lamp. His jaw was strong, as was his chin. He had a wide, smooth forehead and a regal nose. His lips were full but not fleshy. His eyelashes fanned out over the tops of his cheeks like feather brushes. He was adorable. And, if she played her cards right, he would be hers, Faith Baker bedamned. (Sorry, Papa.)
Out of curiosity, she left the house and followed him. He strode toward the river. She heard it bubbling over rocks in the distance. The air was heady with the smell of flowering rhododendrons. She stopped behind a healthy bush and watched Gavin sit on a rock and remove his boots. Then he stood and removed his shirt. She should leave, she knew she should, but she stood, riveted to the spot as his broad back came into view. When he unbuttoned his trousers and slid them down his legs, she held her breath. He stood in his breeks; she wondered if he would swim in them or not.
Gavin glanced around, apparently feeling quite alone, and slid his breeks down, kicking them away from him.
Robbie admired the hard, round buttocks, the long, well-muscled legs. And when he briefly turned to the side, she nearly gasped as his package came into view. In truth, she had not seen one before, no matter how often she wrote about the male organ, one she could describe with little difficulty and “use” as it was to be used, she had not set her eyes on one her entire life. And she was not disappointed. Settled into a thick bush of tawny hair was a handsome penis, slightly engorged, and two ample balls. She continued to stare as Gavin waded into the Tweed, watching until he was completely submerged.
She stumbled back to the house, breathless, heart palpitating, and her own desire climbing to a near fever pitch.
• • •
The following morning, she and Gavin went in to Galashiels so she could mail her letter and he could scope out the schoolroom, which was, as at home, attached to the kirk.
As they rode, Gavin started the conversation. “I apologize for my appalling behavior the other night. You must think I’m a terrible cad and a sloppy drunk.”
She briefly touched his arm. “It’s over. Let’s just get on with things, all right, Gavin? I don’t think any less of you. Sometimes those things just happen.” The image of him naked at the river never left her mind. She hoped it never would.
“I never drink like that. Never. I don’t think I’ve been drunk in my life until you…”
She raised her eyebrows at him, pretending surprise. She knew very well the affect her gown had had on him. “Until I, what?”
“Suffice it to say that I was surprised at the cut of your gown.”
Oh God, how proper he was! “Would you prefer that I wear my old things?”
“No.”
She hid a quiet grin. “I didn’t think so.”
When they reached the village, he dropped her off at the inn. “Walk over to the church when you’re done.”
She went inside and strode to the counter, laying her envelope on top of it. The innkeeper, remembering her, beamed as he came forward. “Aye, miss? What can I do for ye?”
She pushed the envelope across to him. He noted the address and assured her that the next coach would pick up mail in the morning.
Grateful to have the drivel out of her hands, and with only a few more stories to go, she stepped from the inn and made her way to the kirk. Before she could open the door, it opened for her and out stepped Faith Baker, a surprised, rather delicious smile on her face.
“Good morning!” It was such an overly cheerful greeting, Robbie almost didn’t answer.
• • •
Faith Baker entered the inn and stepped to the counter where her uncle, Eli, worked as innkeeper and postman. They greeted each other, then Faith asked, “Did a woman just leave here?”
“Aye.” He gave her a sly look. “She came to mail a letter.”
His expression told her something delicious was about to unfold. “And where was the letter going, pray tell?”
Her uncle looked around to make sure they were alone. “I’m familiar with the address, Faithy. ’Tis not a place I’d expect any nice young woman to even know.”
Faith’s eyes grew large and she said, “Well, what is it?” When he told her, Faith could barely contain her excitement. She was certain Gavin, sweet, innocent Gavin, had no idea that his wife was corresponding with underground smut.
Gavin had invited her to the party he was throwing for his family. She could hardly wait to inform him of her latest bit of juicy news.
• • •
That evening Gavin was surprised when Robbie didn’t show up for dinner. Mrs. Murray told him that his wife had asked to have something sent to her room, if it wasn’t too much trouble.
Mrs. Murray had rolled her eyes. “As if anything that sweet girl does would be trouble,” she had said.
Gavin was concerned; Robbie had mentioned meeting Faith as she entered the church, but it had not sounded as though it bothered her. He understood that Robbie’s first meeting with Faith had not been pleasant for her, but he hoped they all could be friends in the future.
Now, in his bed chamber, he undressed in the dark and slid into bed. He had just gotten to sleep when a whoosh of air washed over him, and then was gone. He got up on one elbow. “Is someone there?” That was crazy, but he felt another presence in the room.
“It’s me, Gavin.”
Robbie’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper. She sat on the bed next to him.
“Do you mind that I’m here?” she asked, her voice shy.
“No, of course not, but—” She got off the bed and he felt a stab of disappointment.
“I’m removing my nightgown, Gavin. I’m getting into bed with you.”
A sudden burst of desire fired his loins. He quickly pulled back the covers for her and waited until she was lying next to him and then announced, his heart beating a wild tattoo, “This certainly isn’t what I had expected.”
She turned toward him and put her hand on his cheek. “I know you don’t love me, Gavin. I understand that. But I’ve loved you forever and I think I have enough love for the both of us. And—”
“Silence, wife,” he said, suddenly feeling very virile, “I have need of you.”
Her skin was soft and silky, her breasts blissfully full. His fingers moved over the whole of her, learning the perfection that he had not imagined would be there. He traced her buttocks, soft and yielding. He skimmed her thighs, firm and smooth.
She lay there, allowing him everything. He dipped between her thighs to find her bush and lightly stroked it, hearing her swift intake of breath. She parted her legs for him and he found her wet and ready. But he wasn’t quite done yet; he stroked her, lightly grazing her mound, dipping inside until he heard her breathing become ragged and erratic. Then and only then did he enter her and find the barrier that made him realize that never in his life had he ever had a virgin before.
“I don’t want to hurt—”
“You won’t,” she interrupted, her voice breathy. “Please…”
He thrust through the obstacle and tried to hold back his orgasm until he knew she was ready for her own. When they came, it was fireworks, and he felt joy when he heard her nearly scream her pleasure.
They slept, Robbie tucked sweetly against Gavin’s chest.
• • •
Before dawn, Robbie woke and slid soundlessly from the bed. She put on her nightclothes and, with one last look at her sleeping husband, left for her own room. Poor Perlina was probably beside herself having to sleep alone.
When she entered her room, she found the pup happily chewing on one of Robbie’s slippers. “Bad puppy,” she whispered.
As she prepared for the day, she thought about the night, and it made her chuckle. No, he was not a playboy or a rake. But he was a gentle and considerate lover. And while she was a virgin, she realized that he probably had not been, for he knew what he was doing. Silence, wife, I have need of you.
And she definitely had need of him. Writing her drivel seemed even more unpleasant now that she, herself, was fulfilled. Soon it would end, and it couldn’t come quickly enough for her.
• • •
At breakfast the next morning, Robbie was surprised to see her husband sitting in the chair across from her. “You never have breakfast with me.”
He looked at her with his teal blue eyes. “Are you disappointed?”
She quickly sat. “Not one whit.”
“How are you feeling this morning?”
She had glanced in the mirror before she left to discover whether or not she had changed overnight. She decided that she had; her eyes were bright and her heart was light. “I feel wonderful, thanks to you.”
He appeared to puff up a bit, and Robbie was glad.
“I’m feeling pretty good myself, dear wife.” He reached for the platter of eggs and sausage and heaped some onto his plate. “My appetite is insatiable.” Looking at her over his coffee, he added, “All of them are.”
Robbie actually blushed. This was a side to him she hadn’t seen before. She liked it. And she would not have to worry about him going off to see that Baker woman. If she had learned nothing else from her writing, it was how to please a man. Although she had to admit she wasn’t sure she could do some of the things she wrote about!
She merely smiled and reached for a fresh, warm bap. Not until that moment did she realize she was actually starving. “Pass me the eggs, would you please?”
“So your hunger is as great as mine,” he said with a grin.
Again, she felt heat rise into her cheeks. That he was taking the lead delighted her. Yes, definitely a side to her husband she had no idea existed.
Their courtship, as Robbie liked to think of it, continued into the following week, shortly before his family arrived. Although he visited her room almost nightly, they slept apart. Robbie was hoping that would change. Lady Perlina had not been quite the bed companion Robbie had hoped for.
But for now she was happy. Ecstatic, really. Even if he never learned to love her, he cared for her, of that she was certain.
Before they had a houseful of interested family members, Robbie had to know just one thing. At breakfast the day they were to arrive, she asked Gavin, “Is your family aware of the mistake you made?”
He shook his head. “I apologize for not getting that message back to them.”
“So they’re expecting to see Birdie?”
His expression was so pained, Robbie nearly laughed. “They have no idea.”
“Then let us surprise them, shall we?”
Gavin’s face changed, and he matched her mischievous grin. “Yes, let’s surprise them.”