“Every single fiber is yours.”
His thumbs caressed the pulse in her throat. “In that case, then, I suppose I’d best keep you around. I like being happy.” He kissed her again, more deeply this time, what he was feeling for her building and expanding, and he supposed the
n that it would continue to fill him. He couldn’t imagine anything better than that. Snell the butler, the only witness to their display of affection, harummphed only very slightly to remind the young couple that this wasn’t, after all, their own house, then turned away. Only two footmen were still staring when Snell closed the front door behind Baron and Baroness Cliffe.
When they returned to the St. Cyre town house, both of them nearly incoherent because they wanted each other so badly, they were stopped cold by Colin Kinross, the earl of Ashburnham, who nearly leapt upon them the moment they stepped into the entrance hall.
“She’ll be fine!” he shouted, grabbed Gray’s arms and shook him. “Did you hear me? Sinjun won’t die birthing our babe. Dr. Branyon is an excellent fellow, Gray. He told me that she has wide hips, that she was created to make as many babes as she wants to. Or that I want to. He wasn’t quite certain whose wants would take precedence, but that doesn’t matter at all. All that does matter is that Sinjun will be here to torment me until the hands fall off my clock and I stop chiming.
“When Sinjun’s time is nearing Dr. Branyon and his wife, Ann, will travel to Scotland and stay with us at Vere Castle.
“Ah, yes, it’s about time you’ve returned home. From your wedding trip, wasn’t it? Fresh love, there is nothing like it. Well, there is, but I needn’t go too deeply into that. But neither kind of love is as important as Sinjun being healthy and all ready to birth babes.”
He grabbed Jack, hugged her tightly and lifted her off the floor. “Your incredible new husband sent me the man to save my wife’s life.” He swung her around and around. Jack was laughing so hard that when she tried to punch Colin lightly in his belly, he laughed, twisted to the side, and nearly dropped her. It was Gray who plucked her out of Colin’s arms and righted her again.
He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry, love, but I don’t think Colin would understand if I pulled up your skirts right in front of him.”
“He might,” Jack said, then quickly stepped back at the look in Gray’s eyes. He’d called her Love. She wished Colin Kinross to the devil in that moment.
Colin said to Gray, “I couldn’t very well dance around with you. You’re a man and you’re too heavy. You’re still laughing. Does that mean you’re pleased with yourself or that you wish me to Hades so you can have your way with Jack right here, right now? No matter—forget your lust for the moment. Just imagine it—Sinjun will be around to plague me for the rest of my days.”
“I’ve just arrived to begin the plaguing,” Sinjun announced from the open doorway. Quincy was standing beside her, grinning so widely that Jack could see the gaps left by missing teeth in the back of his mouth. “My husband no longer yanks at his hair when he looks at my stomach. He is pleased, Gray, as am I. We thank you very much.”
“Congratulations, Sinjun,” Jack said and hugged her. Sinjun looked over at her large husband, gave him so provocative a smile that it threatened to melt the brass fittings on his boots, then said to Gray and Jack, “Thank you both, very much. Whilst Colin has been suffering and making me suffer with him, I suppose you two have had nothing more on your minds than kissing and doing delightfully silly things to each other, and other things as well. I suppose you’re wishing us as far south as Italy right now.”
Gray brushed an invisible speck of lint from his jacket sleeve. “Italy is to the south, true enough, but you know, Greece is even farther south. A grand place, I hear. No, Sinjun, what I was actually thinking was that my Jack adores silly things. She likes to sing me ditties while I’m shaving in the mornings, just one small example. Our ‘other things’ were proceeding apace when Colin sprang himself on us. We, like you two old married fossils, are very happy, and we also plan to plague each other until the next century.” He turned to his wife, lightly touched his fingers to her cheek, and whispered, “What do you think, Jack? Will we still be able to plague each other in another eighty years or so?”
“I’ll do my best, my lord, to dodder along after you.”
He patted her cheek, then dipped down to kiss her lightly on the mouth.
Sinjun rolled her eyes. “I remember when Colin and I were newly married, he was always finding the slightest excuse to kiss me, to haul me away to a handy bedchamber, or kitchen, or up in his tower room—”
Colin interrupted her without a by-your-leave, laughing as he said, “Finding the slightest excuse to kiss her? Finding the slightest excuse to haul her away to wherever? Now that’s an observation that can’t bear examination. The truth of it is that Sinjun managed to be just everywhere I was, Gray. She would hide herself behind the stairs, behind a door, behind the dressing screen, all so she could leap out at me, catch me by surprise so I wouldn’t have time to protect myself or to escape or to find excuses to put her off. No, she would always have her way with me. Actually, now that I think on that a bit, she jumped out of her armoire just yesterday morning to waylay me for a good hour.”
“Well,” Douglas Sherbrooke said from the open doorway, beaming at everyone, “this reminds me of a party I attended before my marriage. The only difference is that there were six ladies present and I”—he sighed—“was the only poor male present. They didn’t let me leave until nearly noon the following day.”
“You keep speaking like that, my lord, and your wife will surely take a knife to your gullet.”
The four people in the entrance hall stared at Douglas Sherbrooke, his wife, Alex, and Helen Mayberry, who stood behind Alex, towering over her, her beautiful blond hair fashioned in thick coils atop her head.
“Er,” Quincy said, “may I relieve anyone of his hat? His cane? Ah, I know, cloaks abound. In addition, there are all those other outer items the ladies wear. Shall I take anything you wish to give me?”
No one paid Quincy the slightest heed.
Colin Kinross said to his wife, “I believe it is time that you and I returned home and made plans for our offspring.” He bowed to his wife and formally offered her his arm. The countess very properly touched her fingers to his sleeve, then turned and winked at Jack. “We will see you soon, my dears. Good-bye and thank you. Douglas, Alex, don’t hold poor Jack and Gray for long. They’re newlyweds, you know.”
Alex Sherbrooke waved to Sinjun and Colin and paid no attention to Jack or Gray as she marched up to her husband, stuck her chin up, clutched his shoulders, and said, “Where did this happen with the six ladies? I demand to know the address. I demand to know their names. You will list them all out for me, and I will patiently explain to them that you are no longer available for such orgies.”
“But Alex, this happened before we met. Over eight years ago. Look at me. I’m a staid old married man.”
“With too many fond memories of your wild days, my lord. However, I just realized that I’m probably still blessed with enough vigor to enjoy myself in such a situation. Eight gentlemen, that’s what I need.” She struck a pose, a very clever one, pacing, looking more serious than a philosopher, her fingers stroking her chin.
“Your jest doesn’t amuse me,” Douglas Sherbrooke said, his voice as austere as a judge’s. “You will cease speaking of such things. It displeases me. It would most certainly displease my mother, your mother-in-law, whom you’ve yet to win over.”
“I know,” Alex said, brightening, and ignoring her husband, “I will see Heatherington. He knows everything there is to know that is wicked. I remember the first time I met him—I was alone and he wanted to be my shepherd. I was so furious with Douglas at the moment that I didn’t give him the proper consideration. Perhaps he would participate. Now that would be amusing—”
Douglas picked his wife up, held her above his head, and shook her, making her auburn hair come unmoored from its fastenings and stream down her back and over her shoulders. “You will not see Heatherington. You know he will only try to seduce you. He wouldn’t even allow you to find other men for your orgy. He would insist that he could give you the pleasure of a dozen men. This is not true. It’s a gross exaggeration.