A Midsummer Night's Kiss (Howertys #1)

Chapter 31: Birds and Bees

Sitting in the window of her guest bedroom at Holcombe Hall, Angel stared out into the night, finding comfort in the darkness. A few lights from what she assumed were farmhouses were dotted across the distance. The village was a couple of miles away but in the opposite direction from where her window faced.

The supper served in the large dining hall had been delicious, but she'd only picked at the food, her nervousness making her stomach churn uncomfortably. Nathaniel had not turned up yet. James had suggested he might have opted to stay with his aunt and two youngest sisters and would meet them at the church the following morning.

After dinner, the men had retired for a glass of brandy and a cigar, leaving Angel and Jessica in the drawing room. Her friend had done her best to make her forget about the impending wedding, but in the end, she had opted to retire early, hoping to get a good night's sleep. Yet here she was in her room, all ready, but unable to sleep.

Sitting in her modest white nightgown with her hair in a long braid down her back, she wondered if Nathaniel felt even a smidgeon of the same nervousness that she was. Everything was just changing so quickly. She was moving to a new house, with a new family... And she would share her bed with a man.

The thought made her worry her lower lip with her teeth as a wave of mixed excitement and worry travelled through her. What could she expect to happen? It was all a big mystery, and that might be the most worrying bit. The not knowing. Some married couples didn't share a bedroom, but something told her Nathaniel would not be the type of husband who slept separately from his wife.

As she continued to fret about what might or might not happen, a hesitant knock sounded at the door. Surprised, she called out, "Come in."

The door opened, and James stepped inside. He looked rather ill, as if he'd eaten something rotten. Closing the door behind him and taking a deep breath, he walked over to sit on the bed. He was silent for a moment, taking several more deep breaths before finally looking up to meet her worried eyes.

"I thought I should come to speak to you," he said hesitantly and patted a spot on the bed next to him.

Puzzled, she left her seat by the window and walked over to sit down by her brother. "What did you wish to speak to me about?"

"Well..." He looked decidedly uneasy with whatever he was about to say, and for a moment, she feared Nathaniel had called off the whole thing. "I realise that the evening before a young woman gets married, her mother usually sits down to talk to her." He hesitated and then added, for explanation, "Since you don't have a mother, I thought I probably should talk to you. About what is expected of you as a wife and all that."

She smiled, touched by his concern. "It's all right, James. I've been properly schooled in how to run a household."

"Ah." He groaned, and it surprised her to see his cheeks turn a darker shade of pink. "No, I mean... Ah. In the marriage bed."

"Oh." As she realised what he meant, her cheeks must have mirrored his, and she nodded. "That is very kind of you, James. And I really appreciate it because I know little to nothing about it."

"Right," he said, sounding less than positive. "Well, then."

There was a moment of silence when she waited for him to continue. When he said nothing, she prompted him. "Well?"

He stared uneasily across the room without seeming to actually be looking at anything. Moving his hands to his knees with the palms down, he took a deep breath. "Well... On the wedding night, you will share a bed with Pens—" He cut himself short before clearing his throat and finishing the sentence. "With your husband."