To tame an Earl (four hoydens #2)

Chapter 19

Three months later.

Ralph entered his home, wanting to see her face. He'd driven his curricle at a breakneck speed in hopes of reaching her sooner. They'd been apart for two whole days. He'd been away in Gloucestershire for estate business and not willingly. Their time apart had made him realise how incomplete and bored he was without her.

It had made him realise that he loved her. He'd suspected as much earlier, but for some reason, his bullheaded male brain wasn't willing to accept it. Now that he knew it, he had to tell her. He had to show her. She hadn't spoken of love yet, but he knew what she felt. Alice was an expressive woman and couldn't hide her feelings even if she wanted to.

Surely she'd reciprocate when he told her he loved her?

"Thompson! Where's my wife?" Ralph asked, agitated when he couldn't find her in the library, her favourite place.

"I do not know, my lord," said his butler.

"Alright," Ralph muttered, dismissing him.

He ran up to their rooms.

"Alice!" He bellowed. No sign of her in the sitting room.

He pushed open the door of his bed chamber. He'd forbidden Alice from using her own chamber and she'd happily obliged.

His breath caught when he entered the room.

For there was his wife. In the large copper tub placed in the middle of the room.

Utterly and magnificently naked.

Her bare shoulders gleamed in the candle light and she wore her cat with the cream smile.

Vixen.

"Alice," he whispered, unbeknownst to himself.

"Oh Lord, you caught me in the middle of my bath!" She gasped with mock affront, putting a hand to her chest for extra effect.

Ralph grinned. He recalled how he'd told her about wanting to catch her while she bathed not very long ago.

Not one dull moment with his wife.

"I need a bath as well," he murmured huskily, trying to keep his wits about him.

"Oh, by all means. I'm done anyway," she replied, rising up from the tub. Much like Venus rising from the sea.

Ralph knew his breathing was heavy. He didn't bother trying to hide it.

He moved towards her, taking his time.

His enchantress.

He watched her, studying the way her coppery hair curled about her face into small tendrils because of the steam from the water. Her eyes glinted, full of mischief. Her luscious lips were pulled up in a sensuous smile.

What he observed as he lowered his gaze, he couldn't put into words.

"I shouldn't want to keep you from enjoying your bath," he said, undoing his already crushed cravat before disrobing completely.

She sighed when he joined her. They sank into the warm water as he cradled her.

"I've missed you," she murmured, turning her head to offer him a soft kiss, the playful vixen gone. Now she was just a loving wife who'd missed her husband.

I missed you too, he wanted to say as he ran his mouth over her tender earlobe. But he decided against it. He firmly believed that actions spoke louder than words. And so he showed her.

He showed her with his body how much he'd missed her, how much he loved her.

Later, when they lay spent in bed, Ralph was talking about the condition of his lands, about his tenants. He didn't want to bore her but she'd been very insistent that he share every detail.

She hadn't asked any question in a few minutes and so he bent his chin to look at her.

Alice was sleeping soundly, her breathing even, her cheek pressed to his chest.

She loved to sleep, he'd discovered. And so could fall asleep at just about any time. He couldn't blame her now though, he had taxed her, after all.

Ralph smiled and kissed the top of her head. He tried to sleep as well. But his heart felt too full.

He propped on hand up, beneath his head and used the other one to hold his wife close to him.

These last few months had been perfect. After Lord Woodbury had agreed to his suit, his wife had insisted on a very long engagement. Alice and Ralph had negotiated and hinted at what had happened between them. And so a blushing Lady Woodbury had reluctantly agreed to a month long engagement.

As for bastard Bates, well, it was as if the cretin had fallen off the face of earth. No one knew where he'd disappeared off to.

Learning of their upcoming nuptials, Wolf had finally accepted his resignation.
Although Ralph did worry about Bates's return and Alice's safety, he tried to remain optimistic.

In the end, it had all turned out to be perfect. He was married to the woman of his dreams, a woman he had come to love. A woman who he hoped loved him back.

He couldn't have asked for a better companion. Alice made it point to breakfast with him every morning even though she wasn't a morning person. She made sure that they dined together at all times. She'd surprise him in his study and help him relax. She had also provided quite a few suggestions for him to improve the management of their estates.

She was passionate about everything that she did. Even when they had their occasional differences, she wouldn't back down and he loved that about her. Ralph knew he could be an unreasonable pig sometimes. She didn't take him too seriously, she humbled him.

Not to mention, they were more than compatible in bed. And all the other surfaces that they'd used, he thought grinning.

Ralph wasn't very religious, but he thanked god everyday for his good fortune.

Alice had taken his dull, monotonous life and turned it into a life filled with joy, roiling emotions, passion and love. He had a reason to live and he was finally content.

He had to tell her how much she meant to him. But a simple "I love you," wouldn't do. She deserved a grand gesture, a grand declaration of love. And that required planning.

He'd always been a good planner, he thought smugly as he drifted into peaceful slumber.