Epilogue
Their wedding day was an event attended by young and old, rich and poor. Though only relatives and invited guests were allowed into the chapel, many more gathered outside to watch the happy couple exit once the ceremony had been performed. Alice felt like a princess, dressed in a white satin gown with white lace accents, her veil pulled over her face and held into place with a tiara until Thomas lifted it to offer her their first kiss as man and wife.
It was a truly magical day attended by all those Alice loved: her parents, Owen and Nancy, even Mr Tulk who seemed quite happy to see her married and in his usual playful fashion assured her afterwards that if it ever went wrong, he would be around to pick up the pieces.
Both she and Thomas had laughed at the jest, both having become true friends with the gentleman who likely would have married Alice just to see that she was safe and her parents happy. Not to mention that he might finally have shut his cousin up on the subject.
There was one guest noticeably absent. Though Alice had insisted upon inviting him as a sign of friendship, Alice was slightly disappointed not to see Mr Gouldsmith amongst the crowd. Though she knew it was likely a great relief for her now-husband.
The celebrations were held in Lord Skeffington’s London townhouse, the viscount insisting on one final act for his daughter’s wedding before the couple retired to the Warrington townhouse to recover from the last few weeks of planning. It was a great affair, and one that Alice would remember for the rest of her life, but she was more than a little relieved when Thomas finally took her hand and whispered into her ear, “I do believe it is time we returned home.”
Home,Alice thought.Home is wherever you are, Thomas.
She accepted his hand willingly and saying farewell to those guests who had not yet retired to the guest rooms, she allowed her husband to guide her down the steps of the Skeffington townhouse and into the carriage that awaited them at the bottom.
Excitement warded off the exhaustion that been creeping in for the last few hours and by the time they made it to the Warrington townhouse she was fizzing with renewed energy. Her heart jumped for joy when Thomas insisted upon carrying her over the threshold.
“What are you doing?” she asked when he continued to hold her long after they had passed through the front door held open by their butler. She squeezed her grip more tightly around his neck when he carried her toward the staircase.
“I am taking you straight to bed, Lady Warrington,” he said, and Alice quivered. That was going to take some getting used to. For so long, she had been Miss Skeffington. Now she was a Countess, higher ranking than even her own mother.
She did not protest when Thomas set her down on the floor of their master bedroom. The staff had clearly been hard at work because the bedsheets and linens appeared fresh, as did the curtains draped around the four-poster bed. The room smelled of cleaning products and flowers and Alice saw that many of the wedding flowers had been brought back from the chapel to decorate the room.
Thomas barely seemed to notice for he could not take his eyes off her. He pulled her in close and cupped her face, kissing her so passionately that her head spun with the desire coming off him in waves.
She kissed him back, instinctively reaching for the buttons of his jacket. She felt as though she had been waiting for this moment ever since Thomas had proposed, waiting for the moment when she could finally give herself fully over to him as his wife.
His felt his hand snake around her back to take hold of the lacings of her gown and her entire body began to tremble with anticipation. When she felt the lacings come free, she began to shrug her shoulders from the gown. The satin did not take much persuasion and soon it pooled around her ankles.
Standing before him in her stay, stockings and her shoes, Alice hurried to help him out of his own clothes, getting him down to his breeches before he finally took care of the rest, kicking off his boots and standing before her in all his naked glory. Alice bit the inside of her lip at the sight of him, all that hard muscle and fine layer of masculine body hair, his rock-hard member that was standing to attention, practically calling her name.
A part of her wanted to drop down onto her knees and worship him but she did not get the chance because he stepped forward and cupped her buttocks, pulling her up into his arms to carry her to the bed. Kissing her as he went, Alice marvelled at his lack of needing to see.
In the next moment, she found herself on her back beneath him. His hand landed between her thighs, and he stroked her there delicately, slipping a single finger inside her. His eyes lit with desire, feeling the moisture that pooled between her legs.
Alice reached up and gripped the back of his head, urging him down on top of her. He kissed her lips before surprisingly lowering his lips to the curve of her breasts, kissing them gently before travelling further still. He went further and further south until Alice’s heart was hammering so hard in her chest, she was certain he would be able to hear it.
When he finally reached his destination between her thighs, she was so wound up that his tongue upon her most sensitive area was all it took to cause her to spiral toward her climax. Her insides twisted up until it was almost painful, and she screamed when the explosion of pleasure finally erupted deep inside her. Thomas’ hands gripped her thighs, holding her to the bed to stop his head from being crushed while he continued his onslaught.
Dazed by the multiple bursts of pleasure that fizzed throughout her body, she was stunned by the time Thomas came to rest atop her again. The sweet and tangy smell that lingered on his face caused Alice to blush right before he pressed his lips to hers.
She let out only a small gasp as he entered her, stretching her and making her feel uncomfortable for only a few moments before he began to move his hips back and forth, thrusting with a passionate, steady rhythm. All she could do was hold on to his shoulders, digging her fingernails into his flesh as he urged her closer and closer to climax.
It was a surreal and explosive sensation to finally make love to the man she had longed for without fear of consequences, to know that they could do whatever they liked now in the privacy oftheirhome.
Happy tears rolled down Alice’s cheeks even as she screamed her pleasure into the ceiling. Thomas’ own body tensed and quivered atop her, and Alice braced herself, knowing all too well what was coming. Yet this time she was surprised.
Instead of removing himself from her as he had the first time, they had made love together, Thomas buried himself even deeper inside her, his entire body convulsing as his release came. He groaned deep in Alice’s ear, “I have waited a long time to do this with you.”
THE END