Love in the Time of Scandal by Caroline Linden

Author:Caroline Linden
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2015-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Benedict had always been an early riser, and the morning after his wedding was no exception. He slipped from bed when the light outside the windows was just beginning to turn from gray to pale pink. There was a pounding in his head, but it was mild; all the more reason to rise before the sun became blinding. Penelope still slept, stretched out half on her side, half on her stomach. Her golden hair was a glorious mess, spilling over her pillow and one arm, although her shoulder peeked out, soft and bare. He reached out, then stopped himself before his fingers brushed her skin; better to let her sleep. God knew she needed it, after he’d kept her awake until the small hours of the morning.

What a brilliant decision pursuing this marriage had been. Not only the fortune he needed but a wife he couldn’t seem to get enough of—and better yet, she had none of the virginal hesitation he’d expected, even though she had most certainly been one. No tears, no alarm, no complaints, no matter what decadent desire he whispered in her ear. She’d blushed scarlet but denied him nothing. His eyes tracked down the curve of her hip and the line of her leg. She must read the notorious Lady Constance’s stories. That woman was a bloody genius. Half the women in London were so aroused by her naughty adventures, they could be tumbled by any man bold enough to ask. Benedict, searching for a respectable bride, hadn’t availed himself of any coy invitations, but the men of the King’s Life Guard would probably vote Lady Constance an annuity if she asked them. It went without saying that she could have had nearly any man in the regiment for the asking. Sir Perry Cole, a retired captain of the Guard, had had her, despite losing his left hand in Spain. He denied it in public, but in the officers’ mess, he would give a wink and say that a man needed only one hand, if he knew how to use it.

But as Penelope said last night, there was more to marriage than making love, even if that proved an exceptionally pleasing aspect. He’d been drunk last night, but not too drunk. He hadn’t really expected an inquisition on his actions toward Sebastian Vane—or rather, he hadn’t expected it on his wedding night. The questions were inevitable, since her sister was married to Vane and must have told her some of the ancient history between his family and the Vanes, and also since Penelope seemed incapable of keeping her curiosity to herself. It would have been better to have that conversation in a more sober state, but he wanted to win his bride over; brushing aside her query would have been a wasted opportunity. No doubt she would hear it all eventually. Stratford family affairs were private, always, from everyone, but now she was part of the family.

That thought flattened his mood for a moment. Her family was so very different from his.

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