Truly a Wife (Free Fellows League 4)

He ached all over. His ribs. His wound. His sunburned skin.

But poling Miranda around the lake had proved excellent therapy for him. He had been so busy making love to his wife that by the time they reached the opposite shore, he’d forgotten all about the sick feeling he usually felt when the boat began rocking side to side.

And just when he feared his sick feeling had returned, Miranda had returned the favor and made love to him in several rather inventive ways.

He would never look at the little boat, or any boat, the same way again. Miranda had turned the tables on him, by showing him that there was pleasure to be found even in the thing he feared most. Just as she was showing him that marriage to her could be an endless source of pleasure. Teaching him to enjoy marriage instead of fear it.

In return, he had very nearly brought her fantasy to life. Next time he would have the satin pillows and the rose petals to go along with the sunshine, for he’d quickly learned that the floor of a boat was hell on the knees.

He smiled at her. “You’re going to regret this tomorrow, milady.”

Miranda laughed her throaty laugh and trailed her hand in the water. “Impossible.”

“You’re a bit too pink in a few very interesting places,” Daniel observed as he poled them toward the bank where they’d begun several hours earlier.

“So are you,” she reminded him. “But your clothes cover it up. Whereas I’ve only a sheet and I’m lying on it.”

“In your fantasy, the poling was easier,” he said, gasping for breath as he pushed the boat across the water.

“That’s true,” she admitted, sitting up and rolling to her knees. The boat tipped precariously, then righted itself as Miranda made her way to the stern and climbed up beside him.

“What are you doing?” His voice rose a fraction. “My turn to pole,” she replied, reaching for it. “Your turn to rest.”

Daniel hesitated, but the allure of having a six-foot-tall naked woman pole him across the lake was too tempting to ignore. He inched his way to the prow as he exchanged places with his bride, then lay back and enjoyed the view as Miranda pushed them home.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“The first step is the hardest.”

—Marie de Vichy-Chamrond, 1697–1780

Daniel paid another call on his mother, the dowager duchess, four days later. She greeted him as he entered her sitting room.

“Good morning, Daniel.”

“Mother,” Daniel bowed. “I haven’t a great deal of time. I’m going away on business and I’m leaving within the hour.”

“It seems to me that you’re making a habit of that lately,” she said. “No trouble in paradise, I hope.”

“Of course not,” he replied. “But my business demands that Miranda and I be apart for a few days …”

“What brings you to see me so bright and early?”

“I wanted to see you before I left, and to ask a favor.”

The duchess raised one elegant eyebrow at that. “Twice in one week. What have I done to deserve this distinction?”

“You’re my mother,” he replied, handing her a thick goatskin folder full of legal documents. “I’ve brought you copies of my personal papers. You’ll find them quite in order. If anything should happen to me, I’d like you to see that my wishes are carried out.”

“What do you mean, if anything happens to you?” She stared at him. “You are my only son and the Duke of Sussex, nothing had better happen to you.”

“The business I’m about is very serious and very important. I hope to return in a few days’ time none the worse for wear, but I can

not guarantee that that will be the case. I’ve left instructions for you on the first page of that letter.” He gestured toward an envelope. “And I’d appreciate it if you would begin work on that project right away.” Daniel smiled down at her. “It’s for Miranda.”

He watched as his mother scanned the letter of instructions. “Miranda has copies of every legal document here except my letter to you. Everything has been made current in order to reflect my change in marital status—including my will.” He looked at his mother. “I would be most grateful if you would use whatever you need to make this possible.”

“Daniel, I’m not sure this is appropriate …”