Mrs. Blackstone’s eyes widened. “Then we will speak later.”
She hurried off in a huff, her rapid footsteps loud as she traversed the adjoining room.
Reggie blew out a breath. “Thank God the windbag has gone. I do not like the way she snaps her fingers at you.”
Clara sighed and picked up her teacup.
“Still unable to speak ill of anyone,” Reggie whispered close to her ear. “I was serious before about you staying on. I want you to live here.”
Clara spun about in her chair. “I cannot do that. I always feared Mr. Blackstone senior would summon us to Whitstable. Mother Blackstone has been harping on about her father-in-laws eventual reversal for months. Despite his distaste for me, he has no other heir.”
“Of course you can live here.” He chuckled. “Many men actually live with their wives, and I’m led to believe they do it quite happily too.”
“Wife?” Clara coughed. “Can you ever be serious?”
Reggie grinned at her words. “Again you doubt me. I really must be doing something wrong when it comes to you. Of course I want you for my wife. I would not engage your affections without having honorable intentions.”
Clara clutched his hand. “But I am carrying another man’s child. If you were to marry me any child born within the marriage would be your legal heir. You could not want that.”
Reggie cupped her cheek. “The child you carry is also yours, my love. I think I’ve hovered over you enough, fretted over your health as much as any expectant father. I want to be the first to know you have delivered the child safely. I want to hold you both in my arms and care for you. There is nothing hard to understand in all that, is there?”
A single tear coursed down Clara’s cheek. She sniffed suddenly then a deluge of tears began that seemed never-ending. Reggie shuffled his chair closer and withdrew his handkerchief. Clara clenched it tight in her hand and dabbed at her streaming eyes.
Quite used to such emotional outbursts from the expectant mother, Reggie waited as patiently as he could. In time her emotions would grow steady again and he would have her answer. He put his arm around Clara and waited.
“Oh Reggie, whatever am I to do with you? You are quite committed to shocking me today.”
He pressed his lips against her forehead. “I had intended to wait until the child comes, but I cannot allow you to be taken away from me now. I’m in love with you, Clara. I think I loved you from the first day we met. Do you remember the occasion?”
Clara sniffed. “You and Blackstone had been out celebrating your new venture and I put you to bed. You said your wife had never tucked you in so sweetly.”
Reggie sighed. “In the end it seems my wife never cared for me much. She only cared that our London house be grand enough, and her pin money sufficient for her needs. I suspected her of taking lovers, but I did not know about Blackstone until the end. She made a very poor friend to you too.”
Clara raised a tear stained face to his. “When I think on it, she probably only called to see Blackstone—not me. I was naive to suppose she would care one whit to grace my parlor.”
Reggie pressed his lips to her skin again, forever thankful that the two most inconstant of spouses had left them free. “Could you love me, Clara? Taking care of you these past months has been my greatest joy.”
“You are such a dear man. Of course I could love you. I already do. You have made me so content. But you must also let me take care of you.”
Reggie’s heart burst with happiness. He pulled Clara tight against him.
Clara’s hand dropped to his thigh and skimmed upward. “I must take care of you. I owe you for earlier.”
Her eyes met his and a wicked glint brightened them. Reggie stood and held out his hand before he took her up on her generous offer on the spot. With swift sure strides he led her back through the house and along to his bedchamber. Reggie bolted the door and stripped.
Chapter Four
There was nothing quite like the sight of a man shedding his clothes in a hurry to excite a woman. Reggie flung his clothes left and right until he stood in only his trousers, and even then, they were partly undone.
He prowled toward her and stopped inches away. The urge to touch his powerful chest overwhelmed her. She set her hands to his sleek flesh, and spread her fingers wide. How warm and delicious he seemed. Reggie stood still as she traced the hard ridges of his muscles and bones, flinched when her light touch tickled and breathed hard when her wandering stopped at the waistband of his trousers.
He caught her hand, the one containing her wedding band, and worked it from her finger. When her finger was bare, he kissed the newly exposed skin. “Much better,” he murmured against her flesh.
The grin he flashed melted her heart. What a sweet, dear man.
Perhaps there was something special she could do for him tonight that would compensate for the pain of dealing with Mrs. Blackstone. And she had a wicked idea of what might please him. “I should thank you properly for dealing with my mother-in-law earlier.”
She dipped her fingers beneath the band and skimmed the tip of his erection.