The Formidable Earl (Diamonds in the Rough #6) - Sophie Barnes Page 0,116

two of them. No one else mattered.

“Shall we?” he asked in a low whisper once he’d straightened himself.

Ida caught his gaze and felt her heart triple in size. He was her everything and she knew he felt the same about her. “Yes.”

Not taking his eyes off her for one second, Simon offered Ida his arm. Stepping closer to him, she took it, upon which they turned to face the vicar together.

“Give me your foot.”

Simon blinked. After getting married that morning, he and Ida had endured several grueling hours of ‘required’ socialization during a much too long wedding breakfast hosted at Windham House. While Ida had been prepared to accept Philipa’s absence from the festivities, Simon had insisted she be there. The woman was, after all, her only living relation; she’d taken her in and been like a mother to her these past four years. So if some of the gentlemen present found discomfort in having Amourette’s owner, the keeper of some of their dirtiest secrets, there then that was simply too bad.

Simon was beyond giving a damn. His wife’s happiness was all that mattered from now on. As well as his own, of course. And he’d rather thought she was about to make him very happy indeed when she’d knelt before him moments ago. They’d returned to Fielding House and were now upstairs in their bedchamber. He’d taken a seat on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes.

And now she wanted his foot?

He raised an eyebrow and lifted the right one.

She grabbed it and started removing his hose. Simon’s lips quirked. “Of all the ways in which I imagined our first night together as husband and wife might proceed, I never pictured this.”

A wry smile curved her mouth with mischief. “Why, Lord Fielding. Have you never been seduced in such a way before? From what I hear it’s all the rage on the Continent.”

“Is that so?” He was already trying to figure out how to get her up onto the bed so he could seduce her instead. The task would be easier if she’d release his foot. But she’d just pulled off his hose and was now holding him firmly by his heel.

He wriggled his toes. And then something warm and soft was sliding against his skin. Simon leaned forward to get a better look at what she was doing. A thick woolen sock, beautifully knitted from navy blue yarn, slid into place until the ribbing hugged his calf.

Ida grinned and clapped with delight. She was suddenly removing his other hose and putting on the matching sock. “They fit. Oh, I’m so pleased to see it, for I wasn’t quite sure. How do they feel?”

“They’re incredibly comfortable and I’m sure they’ll be wonderfully warm in the winter.” He gazed down into his wife’s bright eyes, so full of pleasure his heart was near bursting. “This is what you were making?”

A blush colored her cheeks. “Initially, I merely thought to repay your kindness toward me with a small gift in exchange for your help. But then, as I got to know you better and as my feelings for you deepened, it turned into a labor of love.”

With a smile of appreciation directed at her, Simon stood and walked a few paces, tested the feel of the socks she’d made. His chest tightened as he thought of all the hours she must have spent on them. No one had ever done something so thoughtful for him before. “Thank you, Ida. They’re perfect.”

“I’m so glad you like them.”

Her entire face was aglow with pure happiness. And he could resist her no longer.

In one swift movement he pulled her up off the floor and placed her on the bed. She laughed as he followed her down and sighed the moment he kissed her. “I love you, Ida, and I plan to show you how much every day for the rest of my life. Starting right now.”

She answered his declaration with a kiss so deep it seared his soul, then surrendered herself to his caresses and the promise of endless happiness lying ahead.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Arms crossed and with his shoulder propped against a post in The Black Swan dining room, Blayne MacNeil considered the woman who’d taken a seat at one of the tables in the opposite corner. Her face was softly curved, her eyes sharp with a hint of resolve, and her mouth a deep shade of coral with just enough fullness to stir a man’s blood. Black hair so glossy he fancied