amenable in all things.
Una gasped at his words, possibly even at his alarming behavior. “You do,” she strove to assure him. Her hands fluttered at his shoulders. “You are. Armand?” He drew back. “Should we not take this to the bedchamber?” Her cheeks were bright red and the high color suited her so well, that he suffered another shock. He was fiercely attracted to his wife. Why hadn’t he realized that before?
“Unless you don’t want to,” she said quickly, and it was only then that her words registered.
“Oh, I want to,” he said thickly, scooping her up in his arms. Then he carried her to their room, stripped her naked, and made love to her with a tender thoroughness he had not shown her or anyone before. Una wept in the aftermath, which alarmed him, but when he held her close, she told him they were happy tears and he had to make do with that.
11
Una woke to find light still streaming through the wooden shutters and guessed it was early evening. She was lying naked with Armand’s arm about her waist and he was fast asleep.
She turned carefully about, so she could gaze upon his face. What on earth had gotten into him, to make him so … gentle with her? She could not really think of the right word. He certainly had not collapsed grunting on top of her this time. He had acted like she was precious and in need of careful handling. It had been lovely, she thought, but she did not want him to get the wrong idea about her. She was not some fragile flower that he needed cautious tending. She was a woman and she was his wife. Of course, weeping all over him like that afterward had probably not helped. She wasn’t sure why she had done that, except that her emotions had been all over the place.
The fault had probably lain with those words he’d uttered. She felt breathless even at the thought of them now. I’m going to give you everything, anything you ever wanted. Such an extraordinary thing for him to come out with! Her heart had seemed to stop for a moment before it had started wildly beating once again. She wondered with a pang if he would regret the words on waking.
The word of men could be undependable where women were concerned, or so her old nurse had warned her, when they’d been drinking or when they were trying to get under your skirts. But neither of those motivations applied in this instance. For though Armand had certainly been aflame for her, he had not been trying to seduce or persuade her into anything when he’d made his remarkable statement. As his wife, she had always said that his wishes would be considered law to her and she would oppose him in nothing. She had made that clear the morning after their wedding.
She hesitated before leaping to conclusions, but it seemed like he was now offering to rewrite their marriage bargain. Una bit her lip. It would be foolish to set too much store by such words spoken in the grip of some strong emotion. When he had come to her that afternoon, his feelings had probably been overwrought, and he had likely not been thinking rationally.
Just the fact he had even thought, let alone voiced such words was unspeakably precious to her. Unable to stop herself, she reached out a tentative hand and stroked one lock of dark hair from his face. His eyes flickered open and he smiled drowsily at her. Una caught her breath.
“My sweet princess,” he murmured, tightening arm about her waist. Una felt her chest flutter and swallowed. She really could not let him get away with calling her that. Some would consider it high treason! Her expression must have shown her thoughts.
“You’ll get used to me calling you that eventually,” he said, a glint in his eye. “In the bedchamber.”
“I would much rather you did not!” she admitted, flushing hotly. “It’s dangerous.”
He cocked his head to one side. “What if I told you that men call women that sometimes, even when they aren’t royalty?”
This took her by surprise. “Why would they do that?” she asked, puzzled.
“Much like calling someone a randy stableboy or a lusty tavern wench, I suppose,” he shrugged.
Una felt she was in danger of entirely losing the thread of conversation. “You mean, even when they are not employed in a stable or a tavern?” she asked with a