Just One Kiss (34 page)

“Mother!” Daphne gasped.  It hurt, it hurt so much that her mother cared more about keeping up appearances than she did about her own daughter!  “How can you-
?
” she tried to say, but couldn’t get the words out; they stuck in her throat and choked her.

“Your mother doesn’t know what she’s saying,” Edward said evenly.  He patted Daphne’s hand, and then scowled at Mrs.
Hargreaves
, this time daring her to disagree with him.  “And she certainly doesn’t mean it.”

Mrs.
Hargreaves
gaped.  “Well I never-!” she spluttered.

“Oh b
e quiet, M
other!” Daphne snapped, reaching the end of her tether.  “If you haven’t got anything useful to say then don’t-”

“How dare you!” Mrs.
Hargreaves
exploded.  “How dare you speak to me like that?  I am still your mother you know!”

“I know,” Daphne growled under her breath.  “Believe me, I know.”

“And just what do you mean by that, young lady?” Mrs.
Hargreaves
demanded, rounding on her daughter.

“Ladies!” Edward barked.  Daphne did notice, with a tiny surge of glee that, he was really barking at her mother and not at her.

“There is only one
lady
here, Lord Coventry,” Mrs.
Hargreaves
sniffed cruelly, casting her daughter a meaningful glance.  Daphne couldn’t speak for the pain and the anger that was suddenly coursing through her body.

“I believe that I would have to agree with you, Mrs.
Hargreaves
,” Edward hissed.  He turned to Daphne.  “My lady, did you have anything else that you wished to say to your mother?”

Daphne silently shook her head, too stunned and disbelieving to be able to manage to say anything at all.  Her mother seemed to be having a similar problem, her mouth was opening and closing, but no sound was coming out- bar indignant little splutters that could hardly be called words.

“In which case, Mrs.
Hargreaves
,” Edward said coldly.  “I believe we should bid you goodnight.  I will have my coach-”

“I brought my own coach!” Mrs.
Hargreaves
hissed.  “We
Hargreaves
are not so far below you Evertons that we need to beg transportation from you!”

“Mother!  That is not what Edward was implying and you know it very well!” Daphne cried irately, jumping to her husband’s
defense
.  Her mother refused to hear or speak another word however.  She swept out of the drawing room and into the hall.  Daphne made to follow after her, but Edward caught her by the wrist and shook his head.

“Let her go,” he instructed coolly.

“B-but-?” Daphne stammered.

“But she really isn’t our concern any longer,” Edward declared, glaring in the direction of the door.

He scowled for almost a full minute before turning back to his wife.  “I can’t believe that she spoke to you in such an appalling manner!”

“Oh that was nothing,” Daphne laughed bitterly, and then wished that she hadn’t, because Edward’s face fell.  He looked like something had just punched him in the stomach.

“What do you mean?” he croaked hoarsely.

“Nothing really,” she said quickly, wishing that he would let her change the subject, but knowing Edward too well
to believe
that he wouldn’t pursue the matter.

“Daphne,” he growled.

“My mother can’t forgive me for disgracing the family,” Daphne blurted baldly.  “That’s all,” she added weakly.

“Neither could your father,” Edward added quietly, wincing as he spoke the words.

“No,” Daphne nodded, swallowing the lump that tried to rise in her throat.  “My father died cursing me,” she whispered bleakly.

“I’m so sorry, Daphne,” Edward blurted, feeling how pathetic those words sounded.

“It’s not your fault,” she murmured, lifting her head so that she could look him straight in the eye.  “I can’t hold you accountable for their reactions,” she said softly.  “Their betrayals were their own.”

“But Daphne,” Edward groaned.  “If I hadn’t left you-”

“I believe we decided that we would stop talking about the past, Lord Coventry,” Daphne interrupted her husband, forcing an overly cheerful note into her voice.  Edward didn’t look fooled for a moment.  He sighed her name again, but Daphne wouldn’t let him continue.  “Not now, Edward, not yet,” she pleaded, sounding desperate.  “I was having such a lovely day,” she sniffed.

“I can be lovely again,” Edward murmured, gently enfolding her in his arms.  “I’m so sorry that I didn’t think to send word to Dunnely sooner, Daff,” he
apologized
, kissing the top of her head softly, and running his hands soothingly over her back.

Daphne raised her head, and managed a weak smile.  “Well, you
were
otherwise occupied,” she said sweetly, cuddling against him, although she was looking for something other than lust or passion
there this
time
. She
could scarcely believe it when she found it.

Daphne couldn’t quite find the right name for what
it
was, but it was warm and wonderful, and it wrapped around her like
a
soft, snug blanket- holding her so safe and secure that she never wanted it to end.  And it didn’t end, because Edward didn’t let
her go.  He guided
her towards a cushioned sofa and pulled her down on the seat beside him.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, leaning her head against her husband’s shoulder, while Edward gently strummed his fingers down her arm.

“Holding my wife?” he murmured in reply.  “You know, you’re a tense little thing,” he chuckled, suddenly standing.  Daphne made a small whimper of protest, but Edward only moved as far as around to the back of the sofa.  He arranged Daphne in front of him, and then slowly began to massage her shoulders.

“Oooh…” she purred, as the tightness began to seep out of her muscles.  “
Mmm
, oh, that feels nice,” she sighed, relaxing into her husband’s deft touch.

“A little trick I picked up on my travels,” he revealed, laughing to himself when Daphne instantly tensed
again.  “I haven’t really had the
occasion to use it until now, darling,” he assured her soothingly.  Daphne gave a little indignant sniff, but very soon she was melting under his hands again.

“Why are you doing this, Edward?” she sighed, deeply and contently.  Edward couldn’t see Daphne’s face, but he imagined that her eyelids had dipped almost shut.

“You deserve some pampering,” he murmured tightly.  He felt
like he owed her more than sex. It
was a foreign concept to Edward, but he wanted to give Daphne more than merely his body.  He enjoyed bringing her pleasure, and not necessarily the carnal kind- he enjoyed mak
ing her smile and seeing her laugh

“I
do
?” Daphne giggled, she twisted around to face Edward.  “Whatever for?”

Edward opened his mouth to answer- only he didn’t have a ready answer at hand, so he was forced to tell her the simple truth.  “Because I would enjoy pampering you,” he breathed thickly.

Chapter 35

Daphne hadn’t taken Edward literally.  She certainly hadn’t expected anything more to come from his declaration, even if she had hoped that it might, but over the coming days her husband did spoil her splendidly.  He lavished her with attention, and treated her to a liberal showe
ring of gifts: jewelry, flowers, dresses.
Daphne hadn’t received so many presents all
at
one time since she had been a little girl at Christmas! 

And at night… Daphne blushed crimson at the memories that had
been scorched onto her memory. A
t night Edward worshipped her body so exquisitely, so wonderfully, teaching her all of the wickedly delightful things that she had been born to do, that they rarely managed to leave their bedch
amber before noon the next day.
Daphne had quickly been forced to give up worrying about what the servants thought
about the hours that they spent
in their suite of rooms.

She was living her dream.  Edward was acting the role of
enamored
husband to perfection –
why
he was doing this Daphne hadn’t quite fathomed.  She had reached the shaky conclusion that he really did want her back, and was apparently willing to go to any lengths to ensure that she stayed with him this time… and Daphne was finding that she was very quickly being won around.

So much so in fact, that she was standing in the east wing of Packwood House, in the rooms that Edward had said he wanted renovated, looking around them with interest- wondering if it would be possible to craft them into a nursery and a little schoolroom,
perhaps
with bedrooms for the older children? 

Edward had been called away on business for the afternoon.  Daphne’s preparations for the ball had been going well, but she had done as much as she was currently able.  She didn’t know why her feet had led her up here, but now that she was, she couldn’t help herself
from
imagining what it could be like if the space was redecorated and filled with children.

Daphne’s hand wandered to her stomac
h, brushing it lightly, wondering
if it was possible that she was already pregnant
.
  She didn’t feel pregnant, and she had displayed none of the signs
- not
yet
,
anyway.
Still, that didn’t stop her from
hoping.
  She had always wanted children.  She had always wanted children with Edward
,
but it was somehow slightly tainted now.  She still didn’t know whether or not a child, an heir, was the only reason that he had come back for her in the first place.

There was something between them now, something that hadn’t been there before.  It was something that Daphne had always longed for, always suspected was there, or
could
be there, but she had never felt it
as
strongly as she felt it now. 
Despite her pain and doubts, s
he
had fallen
in love with him all over again.

Daphne sighed heavily and wandered out of the room that she had been perusing.  She had never stopped loving Edward.  She had
realize
d that long ago.  But now, suddenly, her love was once again a bright shining thing that was vividly alive, instead of lying dormant, as it had done before, a memory to be looked back on and bitter-sweetly cherished.

Daphne wasn’t really paying attention to where she was walking, simply letting her feet lead her around the upstairs of the house as her mind whirred around and puzzled over her current situation.  She gasped when she finally
realize
d to where she had sauntered. 

She was standing outside Edward’s old bedroom.

Daphne’s heart was suddenly pounding violently in her chest, her
hands clammy
and her
breath shallow
.  This was it.  The scene of her crime.  How could she possibly resist the urge to peek inside?  Her hand was turning the door handle before she even knew what she was doing, she gulped uncertainly, and then she crept within.

It was exactly the same as she remembered.  Almost.  There was a musty feel to the room now, there was no dust, the servants saw to that, but there was a general air of abandonment that filled the chamber.  Even so, an echo of the same rich masculine scent lingered- different now to how Edward smelt, it was younger, more boyish and fresh.  It was the scent of the man that Daphne had first fallen in love with.  He was here.  A ghost returned to haunt her
and torture her with the thought of everything she might have if she had possessed more sense six years before.