Queen of my Hart - Emily Royal Page 0,15

and she’d endured enough contempt and pity in the past few hours to last a lifetime.

“Very well,” Mrs. Draper said. “I’ll leave you to ready yourself for the master.”

“Ready myself?”

“Yes. Best be quick. He’ll be here soon.”

“B-but he has his own chamber!” Meggie said.

“That he does, but you must know he’ll be visiting you tonight.” The housekeeper gestured toward the door at the far end of the chamber. “He’ll use the adjoining door. Did your mama never speak of your wedding night?”

Heat warmed Meggie’s cheeks. “I never knew my mother.”

“Then let me advise you as a mother would,” Mrs. Draper said. “Undress quickly, blow out the candles, and await him in the bed. Once your chamber’s in near darkness, he’ll know to enter. But be quick, my dear. He’s not a man who likes to be kept waiting.”

As if on cue, a murmur of voices rose behind the adjoining door.

“That’ll be him, with his valet,” Mrs. Draper said. “Hurry now!” Before Meggie could protest, she opened the trunk and pulled out Meggie’s nightgown. If she noticed the frayed hem, she said nothing, but her eyes conveyed sympathy as she handed the garment over.

“If I may be so bold, ma’am, let me reassure you that it will be over quickly. I’ll send Tilly to tend to you in the morning in case of any—discomfort. There’s nothing a good dish of sweet tea won’t fix. You needn’t worry about rising early. A new bride is expected to rest after her wedding night.”

Discomfort…

Mrs. Draper excused herself and left Meggie alone. Mindful of the voices next door, she removed her wedding gown, slipped off her underclothes, and pulled her nightgown on. Then she extinguished the candles, and the room was in darkness, save for a sliver of light at the bottom of the adjoining door and the orange glow from the fireplace.

The voices stopped.

Meggie slipped under the bedsheets and waited. Her heart pounded in her ears at the eight-year-old memory of pain and heartache.

Her husband was such a large man. How much more would he hurt her, compared to…

She closed her eyes, praying sleep would claim her. A clock chimed in the distance, and she counted eleven notes. On the final stroke, the adjoining door creaked open, and a tall shape entered the chamber. The bed shifted with his weight, and he slipped in beside her. His body heat seeped through the bedsheet, and she turned her head to face him.

He lay on his back, the outline of his profile silhouetted against the diffused light from the fireplace. He blinked, and his eyes glittered as he stared at the ceiling. The tick-tick of the clock on the mantelshelf seemed to grow louder, but he made no move.

At length, he sighed and rolled toward her, and she felt his breath quickening against her cheek.

But still, he made no move to touch her. Eventually, she could bear the silence no longer.

“Are you g-going to touch me?” she blurted. “You don’t have to…” she waited, but he remained silent, “…if you don’t want to.”

“Take off your nightgown. I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

His voice was a low growl, but his tone was kinder than it had been all day. He moved closer, and she drew in a sharp breath.

She hadn’t realized he was naked.

She grasped the hem of her nightgown and pulled it over her head. Perhaps if he’d promised her gentleness, she might be able to trust him. What reason would he have to lie, given the power he had over her?

He moved on top of her and nudged her thighs apart with his knee. She turned her head aside, unwilling to see the expression in his eyes—to have it confirmed that he saw her merely as a tool by which to best Alderley.

He placed his elbows on either side of her, and she felt something hot and hard nudging against her thigh. She parted her legs wider and waited for the onslaught.

He thrust forward, and she cried out in anticipation of the pain. But there was no pain—not like before. Only a tight pinch. He thrust into her again and again, his breathing growing hoarser with each movement. The discomfort as he’d entered her intensified, but before it grew unbearable, he let out a groan and collapsed on top of her.

When he withdrew, she opened her eyes to find him staring down at her, his eyes glowing in the dark.

“You deceived me,” he said. His voice, though quiet, held a note of danger.

“I don’t