With a nod, Rebecca slumped back down on her pillow. “Which book did you pick? Anything of interest?”
“Gulliver’s Travels,” he said as he scuffled about.
Rebecca sighed dreamily. “That’s a good one.” She rolled onto her side just as Daniel slipped beneath the covers, his arm snaking its way around her waist and dragging her closer until her head was resting on his shoulder. He dropped a kiss against her brow, and she snuggled closer, peacefully content as sleep once again claimed her.
Chapter 16
When Daniel awoke the following day, he found Rebecca gone from the bedroom. Looking across at the clock on the dresser, he wasn’t surprised—it was almost two in the afternoon. After discovering Rebecca asleep the previous evening, he’d gotten dressed and headed out, hiring a hackney to take him to Piccadilly. It had been close to three in the morning before he’d returned home, but at least he’d doubled his money at the gaming tables.
Stretching, he allowed himself a smile of contentment. Rebecca must think him a terrible card player after he’d let her win yesterday. He wanted her to get a taste for the game though, and he knew that there was nothing more discouraging than constantly losing. Truth was that in spite of his uncle’s complaints, he was one of the best gamblers he knew of. His biggest problem had been his love of spending—parties, the phaeton, courtesans and jewels required to keep his mistresses exclusively to himself. It all seemed so ridiculous now in hindsight, but he’d been a reckless fool back then without a care for the future.
Things were different now. He had a wife to care for and employees in need of wages. Last night’s winnings would help with that, his only regret being the secretiveness of it all and the lie he’d told Rebecca about reading Gulliver’s Travels. He couldn’t tell her what he’d been doing though—not if he wanted to manage without her help. And he did. For the first time in his life, Daniel Neville, heir to the Marquisate of Wolvington, wanted to prove himself capable of standing on his own two feet. Receiving help wasn’t an option.
Swinging his legs out of bed, he got up and padded across to the washbasin, where he picked up a sponge and proceeded to clean the most necessary areas. He then added a touch of cologne and went to select a clean shirt from the dresser—no need to bother Hawkins, who had other tasks to see to. As he buttoned the shirt, his gaze went to last night’s cravat, which was hanging across an armrest where it had landed after he’d tossed it aside. A good thing Rebecca hadn’t noticed, or she might have wondered why he’d bothered to put it back on if all he’d been doing had been reading quietly in the library—the reason why he hadn’t tried to rouse her with caresses. He made a mental note to discard his waistcoat, jacket and cravat before returning to the bedroom the next time he ventured out.
“Where’s my wife?” he asked Molly as soon as he was seated at the dining room table and had summoned the cheerful maid to bring him a pot of coffee.
“She went out with Laura for a stroll in the park,” she said as she poured the steaming hot liquid into his cup. “The weather’s beautiful, and she seemed quite eager to take a look around Town. Would you care for some breakfast or lunch, sir? Madame Renarde made an excellent chicken pie earlier, or if you prefer, there’s toast with the usual toppings . . . eggs too, should that meet your fancy.”
“Thank you, Molly—perhaps a bit of that pie you mentioned. I’ll retire to the library once I’m done eating. Perhaps you’d be good enough to ensure that my wife comes to see me there when she returns. I’d like to speak with her.”
“Very good, sir,” Molly said, bobbing once too many times as she retreated from the room.
Daniel grinned and took a sip of his coffee. He liked the rambunctious maid and found her most amusing, though he had to agree with his uncle’s dismissal of her; she wasn’t suited to the Wolvington household at all.
After finishing his food, Daniel penned a quick missive to Lord Chilton requesting a meeting and asked Hawkins to deliver it. He needed to speak to his brother-in-law as soon as possible so he could become more respectable, making money from investments rather than from gambling, a vital part of the plan he’d made to turn his life around.
It was almost three thirty before a quiet knock at the library door announced Rebecca’s arrival. Keen to see her, Daniel hurried across the floor and opened the door with a smile, his pleasure at seeing her almost overshadowed by how stunning she looked, with her bright smile and flushed cheeks, her hair swept up in an intricate coiffure. “You look radiant,” he said, taking her hand and leading her across to a chair. She took her seat and he bent to place a kiss against her cheek before going back to close the door. “Did you enjoy your walk?”
“Oh yes,” she said, eyes glowing with delight. “It was marvelous, really—so many people dressed in the most exquisite clothes, either on horseback, in carriages or just strolling about. I even saw a group of people picnicking, though I must admit I thought it a bit nippy for that. Oh, and there were boats on the Serpentine too—again, something I’d prefer to try when the weather gets a bit warmer.”
Daniel grinned. “I’m glad you had fun,” he said, “but then again, you’re generally quite cheerful by nature. I have a feeling you delight in most things, and frankly, I must admit that it’s one of the things that I . . .” He stopped himself from saying love about you. It was just a turn of phrase of course, but he suddenly worried that she might get the wrong idea. God forbid if she actually thought him in love with her. He wasn’t, of course. Men like him did not fall prey to Cupid’s arrow so easily, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t like her and respect her.
In Scotland, she’d prattled on about him keeping mistresses while she took a lover, but he’d suspected that she’d made the suggestion not because it was the sort of marriage she wanted but because she was convinced it was all she could expect. He wanted to give her more, especially since they suited each other so well that he saw no reason to bother with other women. But he couldn’t allow her to think him smitten either, so instead he said, “admire about you.”
She looked at him quizzically, but when she didn’t comment, he decided to proceed with the matter at hand. “Actually, there was something specific I wished to discuss with you— namely, the matter of your pin money.”
“Daniel, that’s really not necessary,” she said, her features not nearly as lively as when she’d first entered the room. “I have my dowry, which is more than sufficient. Unless of course you’re saying that it now belongs to you, which technically it does, and that you’re considering how much of it I should have access to each month.”
“That’s . . .” Daniel shook his head. “No, I’ve no designs on your dowry, Becky.”
“Then there’s no need for me to burden you with pin money when no such agreement was ever made.” She leaned forward in her seat. “Ours is a marriage of convenience—one meant to help both of us. I’d hate for you to think that I expect more than freedom from you, so if you agree, I’ll handle my own expenses, though I do thank you for wanting to offer me more.”
It took every ounce of willpower not to gape at her. Not burden him . . . a marriage of convenience . . . she wanted freedom. Her words resonated in his head, darkening his mood. He forced himself to relax, and he managed a smile that he hoped looked sincere. “Look, regardless of the circumstances surrounding our marriage, I still like you, Becky, and now that you’re my wife, I care about your well-being and wish to ensure that you’re properly cared for. However, if you feel more comfortable spending your own money, then of course you’re welcome to do so. Just know that I don’t consider you a burden in any way. In fact, I genuinely enjoy your company and doubt I would have gotten along this well with someone else.”
“I’m happy to hear it,” she said, her smile returning. “As far as I am concerned, marrying you was one of the best decisions I ever made—I’m certain of it.”
Daniel felt his whole body sag with relief. When the devil had this woman’s happiness become so important to him? When you held her limp body in your arms, a tiny voice called from the back of his mind. He considered that and knew it was true. Since she’d been shot, he’d felt an innate responsibility to protect her. It was yet another reason why he wouldn’t humiliate her by taking a mistress, and though he’d told her as much already, he wanted to make it clear. “When we were in Scotland, you spoke at great length about your expectations in regard to our marriage.” He paused as he studied her but found it impossible to discern her emotions. “I want you to know that I meant what I said when I told you that I have no interest in any other women.”
She hesitated briefly, then nodded. “As I’ve mentioned before, I want us to be honest with each other, for I believe that the best relationships are built on trust, and I want to be able to trust you, Daniel. I realize that I expect you to stray based on your history and reputation, but I also think that you deserve the chance to prove yourself. You say that Lady Vernon approached you, that she kissed you and that you have no intention of accepting anything more from her.” She paused, her gaze intense, as if gauging his reaction. “I will trust you in this, Daniel, because I want more than anything for our marriage to be a pleasant one, and for our . . . friendship to last.”
“I want the same, Becky,” he said, and as he did so, he wondered once again if he should tell her about the gambling now and just be done with it. She had a right to know. In fact he owed it to her, but he also didn’t want her to worry, and he certainly didn’t want her help. This was something he had to handle on his own, so he decided to wait a while. Once his investments began to grow and sustain themselves, he would stop the gambling and confide in her the truth. She’d probably be shocked at first, but once that dissipated, he was sure she’d be proud.
By the time ten o’clock rolled around that evening, Daniel could scarcely wait to get out the door. He’d received a response from the Earl of Chilton in the afternoon, inviting Daniel to meet with the earl at his home the following day, but until then, Daniel intended to try and make some more money at the gaming tables. What harm was there really, when he was applying discipline and only intended to risk the money he’d already won?
“You look tired,” he told Rebecca when they retired after dinner and yet another game of cards at which he hadn’t been quite so lenient with her as he’d been the previous evening. She’d looked at him suspiciously, but he’d just grinned, shrugged a little and blamed his win on a stroke of good luck, though he was pretty sure she’d seen straight through him.
“Not as tired as yesterday,” she said as she presented him with her back, allowing him the pleasure of unfastening the long row of buttons belonging to her gown, “and since I denied both of us our pleasure then, I’ve every intention of doubling my efforts right now.”