Her Prodigal Passion by Grace Callaway

Author:Grace Callaway [Callaway, Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9781497309531
Amazon: 1497309530
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2014-04-12T04:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-TWO

In the village a few days later, Paul watched with amusement as Charity bartered with a cheesemonger for a hunk of the local delicacy. Polite yet determined, his little wife went back and forth in earnest tones with the equally determined merchant. Paul found this practical streak of hers rather endearing; he, himself, never bothered to haggle over anything. And the ladies in his circle were equally blasé when it came to money: just one of Rosalind's hats had probably cost more than Charity's entire wardrobe combined.

Frowning, he caught himself. This was the first that he'd thought of his past love during the wedding trip; it made him feel oddly guilty. So he pushed the thought aside and focused on the pleasures of the present.

By Jove, there'd been many. Charity's passion surpassed his wildest dreams, and he'd never been a tame dreamer. They were getting on well outside the bedchamber, too—better than he'd even expected.

Of course, there were differences in their natures. She was careful with everything—for instance, saving their meal scraps for their village maid's pig farm—whilst he didn't give things like trash a second thought. She preferred quiet and shied away from attention whereas he liked the hustle and bustle of boisterous activity. Yesterday, he'd gone to join in a game of cricket with some local lads he'd met whilst she'd opted to stay in the cottage and work on her sewing.

He didn't mind their divergent ways because they always came back together in the end. What did bother him was when he felt a different kind of distance from her. She had a tendency to withdraw into her thoughts, and he couldn't read what was on her mind.

Was she worried about the shop, her father? Or perhaps she fretted over him going away to box or doubted his ability to help with Sparkler's or found him lacking in some way ...

Whenever he asked, she just smiled and said everything was fine.

Disquiet would cast a shadow over him. He had the vague, irrational sense that he'd done something wrong. That their present sunny idyll was too good to last ...

He shook off his doubts as she came toward him. She was such a fetching thing, he thought with a pang, a wood nymph hiding in plain clothing. For other than the stylish travelling dress compliments of Percy (Paul could hug his sister), Charity had only her own uninspiring gowns to wear. At least she'd left off the pomade: her hair gleamed beneath her old straw bonnet. Once they returned to London, he resolved to see her properly outfitted from head to toe.

He took her shopping basket and held the door open. "Got you what you wanted?"

"Yes," she said, "and for two shillings less than what I was willing to pay."

Hiding a grin at the hint of smugness in her voice, he offered her his arm as they walked along the neat row of shops. "Where to next, Mrs. Fines?"

"I'm ready to head home if you are," she said.

He thought an afternoon session between the sheets quite the capital idea.

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