me very happy, my lord.”
“Tell me, Your Grace,” he said, wrapping her in an embrace.
“You can make love to me tonight.”
Rhys touched his lips to hers for a brief kiss and then said, “I plan to make love to you every night, my love.”
Chapter Twenty
Dalinda gave last-minute instructions to Mr. Blair and Mrs. Franklin and then allowed Rhys to assist her into his carriage. Arthur and Harry already waited inside, sitting opposite each other. Arthur indicated for her to sit next to him and Rhys took the seat beside Harry. She thought it interesting that it seemed as if her older boy wanted her apart from Rhys as they journeyed to Sheffield Park this morning. It probably was a good idea to have a little distance from Rhys, especially after the night they had spent together in her bed. Her cheeks heated thinking of his touch in very intimate places. His teeth. His tongue. His hands. They all seemed to conjure magic in them, turning her from a sedate widow to a writhing wanton.
She glanced to her newly-betrothed and saw he appeared totally captivated by Harry’s constant chatter and questions. Harry always took to people quickly and was open to new relationships and experiences, much like Dalinda herself. Arthur, on the other hand, proved to be more like his father, circumspect and slow to warm to others. It still amazed her after all this time that Gilford, usually so methodical and shy, had offered to marry her after only a brief conversation.
As they rode, she sensed Arthur wanted to talk and so quietly, she asked, “Are you happy to be visiting Sheffield Park?”
He glanced to the pair across from them and seeing they were engaged, told her, “I suppose so.”
“I know this is a lot for you and your brother to take in,” she began. “It is right for me, though. There will be times in your life, Arthur, when you will take your time, weighing a decision from all sides. Sometimes, though, you must go with what your gut and heart tell you to do.”
“Do you love Lord Sheffington?” her son asked.
“I do. I feel very fortunate at this stage in my life to have found a good man, one I have much in common with, and one who is willing to build a life and family with me. Rhys loves me and I do love him. Very much.”
She saw a shadow cross Arthur’s face and she added, “Just because I love him doesn’t mean I love you any less.”
His expression let her know she had discovered what troubled her son.
“Think of it this way. When you were born, your father and I were over the moon in love with you. We thought you perfect in every way. Yet your father already had a son—Reid—and he loved him first. Just because Reid already existed didn’t mean your father loved you less and Reid more. He loved both of you.”
She pushed a lock of hair from his brow. “When Harry came along, it was the same. We both loved him tremendously. Harry was very different from you or Reid yet your father couldn’t have been prouder of Harry or loved him more. He loved all three of his boys with all his heart and said many times he was grateful for having a second chance at marriage because it enabled him to be a father to more children.”
Arthur grew thoughtful as he mulled over her words. Dalinda gave him a few minutes and then continued.
“Just like Gilford did in his second marriage to me, I hope to do the same and have children with Rhys. Legally, they will be your half-brothers or half-sisters. I hope what you will learn is that that word—half—doesn’t really mean much. You will be related by blood to any children I have with Rhys. I hope you will accept and grow to love those new babies I bear.”
He frowned. “I don’t know anything about babies.”
She chuckled. “Well, you will begin to learn a little about them when you meet your cousin. Charlie is a happy baby. I hope as he grows that you and Harry will teach him many things and offer Charlie friendship.”
“Rhys will love his children more than us,” Arthur said glumly.
“That is a possibility. I know I love you and Harry more than I do Reid, who is my stepson as you and Harry will be stepsons to Rhys. That may be because Reid is an adult and close to my age