Protection (23 page)

“Lisa?” her father prompted, and she gave him a determined smile.

“I’m fine, Papa,” she said, although her confidence faltered again when they alighted
from the carriage and the crowd erupted into cheers. Taking a moment to wave in appreciation
for their welcome, Lisa’s conscience twinged as she wondered what they would think
of her if they knew the whole
story.

Rebecca, the bridesmaids, and page boys awaited them inside the Abbey, looking resplendent
in their matching gold-coloured gowns with flower posies for the young ladies and
velvet jackets with cream breeches for the boys. Vibrating with excitement, Rebecca
made sure Lisa’s skirt, with its train and cascading veil were all carefully arranged.
Once they were all in position, her father gave the signal, and the organ music that
would accompany their procession filled the air.

“Ready?” He linked their arms, his eyes filled with pride.

Lisa nodded, and together they made their way along the carpeted north aisle. Smiling
nervously, she acknowledged the admiring looks of the guests who filled the nave.
When they had journeyed far enough to see past the choir, she caught a glimpse of
Nathaniel standing before the High Altar, Hugh and Michael at his side. She breathed
a sigh. The wait was finally over.

When they reached the north transept, her friends from Henbury came into view, and
Lisa’s smile widened. Unable to resist, she gave a tiny wave.

Tears pricked her eyes at the sight of Mr and Mrs Waters dressed in the finery her
father, with Margaret and Penelope’s assistance, had provided for his employees-cum-lifelong-friends.
He’d not wanted them to feel out of place at the ceremony and wedding breakfast to
which he and Lisa had insisted they be invited. They were family, after all, and beamed
at Lisa and her father with justifiable pride.

She smiled widest for John and Helen. The friends who’d helped her make her escape
from Henbury, travelling with her halfway across the country to Worthington Hall,
made a handsome couple in their fashionable attire, although she could tell they were
overawed by the grandiose surroundings. They’d been understandably intimidated by
Nathaniel when she’d introduced them upon their arrival in the city, but he had soon
put them at ease, thanking them for aiding her in her escape from Lord Copeland. A
slight huff of laughter escaped Lisa’s lips when she thought of the plans Nathaniel
and John had for creating a carriage building business together utilising John’s designs
and craftsmanship and Nathaniel’s funding and contacts. She would be seeing more of
the couple in the future, the thought a happy one.

Passing Nathaniel’s family, seated alongside King William, Queen Adelaide, the members
of her newly extended
royal
family, and the rows of various visiting royals and dignitaries, Lisa’s stomach did
a little flip. Confronted by a sea of elegant attire, splendid jewellery, dashing
uniforms, medallions, and crowns, the enormity of the situation threatened to overwhelm
her. But then she looked up to see Nathaniel watching her approach. Her breath hitched
at the sight of him standing tall and regal-looking in his wedding finery. His dark,
curling locks had been ruthlessly constrained, a fleeting image of the disarray her
fingers would cause when she ran them through his hair later that evening causing
a blush to stain her cheeks. Ducking her head, she eyed him through her lashes, and
Nathaniel’s eyes darkened. The passion that simmered between them, even in this holy
location and before such a formidable audience, was undeniable. Only a part of what
drew them together, of much greater importance was the love that bound them as irrevocably
as the vows they were about to declare.

Regardless of the challenges she faced, a quiet life lived in the shadows compared
to one spent with Nathaniel, under any circumstances, would have been a travesty.

After what felt like the longest walk of her life, Lisa came to stand beside the man
she was to marry. She barely noticed when her father squeezed her hand and went to
take his place on the pew beside a radiant Penelope. Or when Rebecca and the rest
of her attendants left her to find their seats. Lisa’s attention was upon Nathaniel.

Ignoring the waiting archbishop, he leaned close and whispered next to her ear. “You
look so beautiful, you take my breath away. I love you.”

His words weren’t a part of the ceremony, steeped in centuries of tradition and designed
to fulfil their spiritual and legal obligations. But they were spoken from his heart
and echoed the content of Lisa’s.

Turning to face the archbishop, they listened while he read about love from 1 Corinthians
13 before speaking of the importance of marriage for creating a new family and the
raising of children. When he charged them to take seriously the solemnity of the vows
they were about to speak, Lisa shared a look with Nathaniel. They’d come a long way
since the day she had challenged him about the hypocrisy of his intention to vow in
church, before God and man, to marry one woman while he loved another. Her heart swelled,
as with complete sincerity he promised to cherish and remain faithful to her—as she
did to him—until death they did part.

Rings were exchanged, communion shared, and the registry signed. Then the archbishop
declared they were man and wife, introducing them to their waiting families as the
Marquis and Marchioness of Marsden.

Chapter 22

Gift

“Not long now, my love,” Nathaniel whispered as he escorted Lisa to their carriage
after they made their escape from the wedding celebrations.

Lisa’s belly tightened at the thought of their
finally
being alone without chaperones to heed or the dictates of conscience to assuage.

“I can barely wait,” she admitted, not bothering to try and hide the direction of
her thoughts.

Nathaniel’s jaw tightened. “You’re not too tired after such a rigorous day?”

“Not in the least,” she said before laughing aloud at his exaggerated sigh of relief.

After bidding their families farewell, Nathaniel helped Lisa into the carriage that
would take them to their mystery destination. Her luggage had been transported earlier
in the day, and Ruth would be waiting to assist her out of her beautiful gown upon
their arrival. But she was otherwise in the dark as to Nathaniel’s plans for where
they would spend their honeymoon. Their intention to journey to France and visit her
mother’s birthplace had to be postponed until the following year when the antislavery
vote was delayed. Nathaniel’s presence would be needed when Parliament resumed for
the Little Season, not allowing enough time for an extended European tour.

Lisa didn’t mind, as long as they were together and could be alone. Well, as alone
as two people can be when they require a lady’s maid, valet, butler, housekeeper,
cook, sundry footmen, maids, kitchen hands, laundress, and gardener to take care of
them and their home, not to mention carriage drivers and stable boys to attend to
the horses.

“Something amuses you?” Nathaniel drew her closer despite there being barely a hairsbreadth
between them.

Lisa shared her thoughts, and he raised a brow.

“Would you prefer I dismiss them all and we fend for ourselves? It’s been a while
since you’ve had practice pouring hot beverages.”

“That’s true,” she said with mock seriousness. “It might be wise if you took responsibility
for that task. But I
know
you enjoy my pastries, and I’m quite skilled at polishing furniture and wiping dishes.
So if you can’t think of anything better for us to do with our time, I
could
take on the household chores and save you the expense of employing all those staff
members. I do hate to be idle.”

“Minx!” Nathaniel lifted her onto his lap. “You know very well what I have planned
for our time together, young lady, every waking moment. So you can put ideas of dismissing
the staff out of your head.”

Lisa giggled and twisted in his lap to face him.

“Every waking moment?” She leaned in to brush her lips over his in a featherlight
kiss. “You intend allowing me no rest?”

“What? No!” Nathaniel sat back, his eyes widening. “It was a jest. I would never take
advantage of you in such a manner.”

“Of course not,” she said uncertainly. She’d been about to admit that an entire day
spent with him in bed sounded extraordinarily appealing.

“When I think of how I treated you at Worthington . . .” His gaze skittered away.
“Making you my mistress, requiring things of you no gentleman should expect of a lady.
I’m no better than Copeland or Edgeley.”

“Stop.” She cupped his cheek, waiting until he looked back to her face. “You’re nothing
like them . . .
nothing
.”

The memories of her abduction were fresh in their minds, but Lisa was determined they
wouldn’t ruin this special time. Nathaniel nodded, but his eyes were still clouded,
and her own insecurities came to the fore.

“Of course, a part of me wishes that I were coming to you as a virgin on our wedding
night.”

“Lisa, please.” He lifted the hand she dropped and kissed her fingers. “When you allowed
me to make love to you at Worthington, you gave me the most precious gift I have ever
received, until today when you granted me the promise of a lifetime at your side.”

“No regrets?”

“No, well, none on
your
part. I’ll just have to live with what I’ve done and be eternally grateful I have
not received the punishment due my actions.”

Lisa opened her mouth to argue that he had done nothing worthy of punishment, but
he silenced her with a kiss. While her desire to pull away and settle this matter
once and for all was strong, it was no match for the passion his caresses aroused.
When he deepened the kiss, she opened her mouth, welcoming the soft strokes of his
tongue.

“You taste amazing.” The words he murmured against her lips echoed her thoughts, and
she wriggled in his lap, trying to get closer. Even through all the layers of her
gown, the evidence of his desire pressed against her hip.

“What is it?” he asked when she chuckled.

“I’m just relieved to know that’s not
a pistol.”

“
Definitely
not a pistol, but likely to misfire if you don’t cease your squirming.”

“You mean like this?”

He groaned, and she did it again, only ceasing her teasing when the carriage came
to a halt.

“We’re here already?” She lifted the curtain and glanced out the window.

“We are, indeed.”

Nathaniel smiled his half smile, a sensual quirk of his lips that did delightful things
to the secret areas of her body no matter how many times she witnessed it. Her curiosity
temporarily overwhelming her desire, Lisa leaned in to give him a quick kiss before
moving to lift herself from his lap.

“Hold still,” he cautioned, triggering a wave of
déjà
vu
.

She raised a brow. “Darling, I don’t think waiting a few moments is going to relieve
your condition this time.”

“Neither do I, but since I’ve no intention of consummating our nuptials in the back
of this carriage, I shall have to suffer for a while longer.”

Images of the two of them becoming one flesh flooded Lisa’s thoughts, and she swayed
towards him. “Not too much longer, I hope.”

Nathaniel shuddered, then kissed her again, hungrily and open-mouthed. Breaking away,
he took a deep breath.

“Not here,” he said with a decisive shake of his head. “I’m eager to show you your
wedding present and
for us to retire to a more conducive location to deal with my condition.”

“
Our
condition.” She smiled before looking to the window, unable to see what was beyond
through the filmy covering. “My wedding present? But you’ve already given me so much.”

“Consider this the fulfilment of an earlier promise.”

After assisting her from the carriage, Nathaniel made sure to stand close enough to
her voluminous skirt so his aroused state was not obvious for all to see. There was
nothing to be done to hide his flushed cheeks and swollen lips, nor Lisa’s, for that
matter. But the light was dim, it was
their wedding night, and their witnesses would just have to make allowances. Turning
to look upon their destination, she saw an elegant three-storey home set back from
the road. Not as overwhelming as Stanton House, she thought its cream walls, marble
portico, and the rose gardens illuminated by both lamp and gentle moonlight most appealing.

“Whose place is this?”

“Yours.” Nathaniel’s smile lit up his face.

“Mine?” Lisa looked up at him before looking back at the mansion.

“I promised you a home of your own, and this is it. Well, one of them, as I also plan
to give you a country home with acreage that isn’t part of the official estate.”

Her mouth opened and closed several times before speech was possible. “But that isn’t
necessary now that I’m your wife. That was only for if I agreed to be your . . .”
Lisa’s words trailed away as she became aware of their audience: two straight lines
of staff standing neatly at attention to each side of the front entrance of the mansion.
Not as concerned about their witnesses as she was, Nathaniel drew her into his embrace.