He was on his knees in front of her, lifting her wedding gown. "It's more delicate than your riding habit, you know, and thus requires more care. I don't wish to rip it."

She felt the cool air on her legs. Then he was standing in front of her again, his head coming down so he could kiss her, and she felt his hand on her thigh. She gasped, wrapped her arms around his back, and strained toward him.

His hand moved upward, very slowly, and he kissed her again. Then he said into her mouth, "Do you like that, Lily? Nearly there, my dear, I'm nearly touching you. Oh, God, do you have any idea what you feel like to me?"

His fingertip lightly brushed through the curls to find her. She cried out and shuddered helplessly against him.

"No interruptions this time. Not a one."

His kiss was deep now, his tongue stroking hers just as his fingers were rhythmically caressing her, making her wild, making her cry out beyond herself, making her press against his fingers to know more- He slipped his middle finger inside her and Lily fell forward, her head on his shoulder. "Knight, I can't-"

Deeper into her. "Can't what? You're so warm, Lily, so tight, and-"

He was nearly out of control; he withdrew from her. He wanted to bring her to a climax before he took her.

His fingers slid upward until they found her again. He smiled and nudged at her face until she raised her head for his kisses. "You like that, don't you, Lily? I know you do. You're so soft and I-" His tongue eased into her mouth.

She couldn't have spoken if the house had been on fire.

She moaned, flinging her head back, offering him her throat and her breasts. His fingers delved and teased. He felt the tension building in her, felt her legs stiffen, and knew that in just another moment she would reach her climax, and when she did he would be watching her face. He wanted to hold back, build the tension in her even higher, but he knew he couldn't wait.

He pushed her then, his fingers burning deep, driving her to a frenzy. Her back arched and she closed her eyes, crying out.

"Open your eyes."

She did and he saw the wonder in them as her body exploded, then the vague surprise and the hopeless wash of feelings that swamped her, feelings that she could never hide from him.

He continued caressing her, his motions now soothing, more gentle, as she slowly quieted. Then, without warning, he released himself from his trousers, lifted her, and said sharply, "Put your legs around my waist."

Lily did as he said, not understanding, not caring in any case. His hands were shoving away her wedding gown, baring her legs and hips. "Knight," she whispered, then froze as his fingers parted her. She sucked in her breath at the feel of him. His sex was against her, pushing hard, and she was trying to draw back, unable to help herself. Suddenly, without warning, his hands lifted her and he thrust up into her. She stiffened, then screamed with the pain.

Knight was aware of her smallness, how tight she was, but she'd wanted him and she was slick and hot and he was inside her and he wanted to howl with the feelings that were making him wild. He heard her cry out.

No, it was a scream, and she was fighting him. He didn't understand. He shoved her more closely against the wall to hold her still.

His hands were firm about her waist now and he lifted her, then drew her down on him. God, she was so tight, and there was something wrong, something-He tore through her maidenhead. He could feel her womb.

She was hitting him with her fists, crying, her body shuddering with pain, her long legs tightening about his flanks.

She was a virgin and he'd just taken her as he would an experienced woman. Knight couldn't comprehend the consequences. He was inside her, deep inside her, and he could feel her pain, feel her muscles clenching about him, and for an instant he got hold of himself. "Lily, I'm sorry. Hold still, no, don't move."

But she was trying to get free of him, and her struggles sent him over the edge.

He was insensate for many moments, his breath coming harsh and ragged as he pressed his face beside hers against the wall. It was the sound of her hoarse sobs that brought him back to his senses.

She had been a virgin.

He felt her legs sliding from his flanks. Gently, he eased out of her, wincing at her moan of pain. He lifted her in his arms and carried her to his bed. Her beautiful wedding gown was a tangled mass of silk. He smoothed it about her after he laid her on her back. Her eyes were closed and he could see the trails of tears down her cheeks. She looked like a damned virgin sacrifice.

"Lily," he said, sitting beside her. "Come, open your eyes."

"No," she said, very clearly. "I don't want to."

"I don't blame you. I-" He'd started to say he didn't know, hadn't believed she was a virgin, but he wasn't stupid. "I'm sorry, it's just that you made me wild and I wanted you so very much, Lily."

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "That hurt horribly. I thought it would be nice."

"I'm sorry," he said again. "But it won't ever hurt again, I swear it to you. Next time we'll be so close, Lily, and you'll want me inside you."

She wasn't so certain about that, even though he appeared to be. "Is that what you would have done to me in the forest that day if John hadn't come?"

"No. I wanted to, but I decided I wanted only to give you a woman's pleasure. Your pleasure is beautiful, Lily."

She studied his face. "Could you please leave me now, Knight?"

"No. Let me help you, Lily. Don't argue with me-you know you can't get all those tiny little buttons by yourself."

He helped her up and began unfastening the length of buttons down her back. He was efficient and quick. He paused only when she was standing in her chemise. Lily looked down and saw the blood spots on the soft white lawn, and gasped. She looked up at him, horrified. He gave her a pained smile.

"No, no, it's all right. Come and lie down and I'll bathe you."

"But, Knight, I'm bleeding."

"Just a bit. It's from my tearing through your maidenhead. Now hold still."

She said nothing. In truth, she couldn't think of a thing to say, even when he pulled her chemise up to her waist and bathed her with the soft wet cloth. She knew he was looking at her, but still she didn't move. He pressed the cloth against her and the soreness receded a bit.

Knight stared down at her, watching his hands push her legs apart. He'd bathed off the blood and his seed. And now he just wanted to look at her, touch her, and the wet cloth gave him an excuse. God, she was beautiful, those long white legs of hers sleekly muscled and so wonderfully soft, and he saw her again, her long white legs wrapped around him, and he wanted her. Again. Lightly he touched her and she flinched. "Do you still hurt?"

He looked up, and for a moment she just looked at him.

He laid his warm palm over her. "The next time, Lily, you will be smiling at me, and ordering me not to leave you."

"It's hard to believe that."

His smile never wavered. He couldn't blame her. He'd been a complete clod. "Here, let's get that chemise off you."

"No," she said, and to his surprise, she folded her arms protectively over her breasts. Her thighs were spread wide and she was covering her breasts. He grinned. "You're wonderful, my lady," he said, grasping the bottom of the chemise and ripping it off her. "Move your arms."

When she was naked, sprawled on her back, he still held himself back. He lightly laid his palm on her flat belly. Then he leaned down and kissed her breast.

Rampant, wild pleasure. She arched her back without conscious decision.

"Would you like more, Lily? I won't come inside you again, you're too sore, but I can pleasure you."

She wanted to tell him that he was still clothed and she wanted to see him, touch him, but she felt his warm breath on her flesh as he moved down her body.

He was kissing her belly, his fingers finding her, then pushing her legs apart. He came between her legs, lifted her, and his mouth was on her, hot and deep, and she was crying with the wonder of it, the strength and power of it, and she screamed as she shuddered and tensed.

She was gone from him, yet oddly a part of him, something deep inside her swirling about him, binding her to him, and she forgot then everything but the magic of his mouth and her response to him, and it went on and on.

She slid away from him as she quieted, falling asleep even as he lifted his head to smile at her. In triumph.

She was truly asleep, he saw. He supposed he should be quite satisfied with himself. He'd exhausted her with pleasure. He gently eased off the bed and rose. He looked down at her. Her hair was tangled about her head, her body was sprawled for his pleasure, and his pleasure in looking at her was great. Even her narrow feet were beautiful. He was a lucky man, a very lucky man. She was passionate and loving.

He couldn't imagine now ever entertaining the belief that the wise man should wait until he was forty to enjoy a woman who was his wife.

Knight stripped off his clothes, tossing them to the floor. He was normally ordered and neat, but he wanted more than anything to hold her against him, to feel her warm breath against his shoulder, her smooth palm on his chest. He eased in beside her and pulled the blankets over them.

She murmured something he couldn't understand.

He kissed her temple and stretched out on his back, tightening his hold on his wife. Life was just fine. There was nothing he would change, not a single thing.

Knight woke slowly, aware that something wasn't quite right. But even before he opened his eyes he thought of Lily and smiled. No, it wasn't- He opened his eyes to see not Lily but Laura Beth. She was curled up between them and her elbow was in his throat.

He started, then held himself still. His wits were scattered to the four winds. At that moment, Lily opened her eyes. She stared at Laura Beth, then at her husband.

She grinned and whispered, "Oh, dear. Where did this little baggage come from?"

"I should have locked our door," Knight said.

"At least she's between us. Sometimes she sleeps right on top of me and I wake up barely breathing."

"Hello, Papa. Hello, Mama."

A small elbow barely missed jabbing into his Adam's apple. Knight felt a very wet kiss on his cheek.

"Laura Beth," Lily said, then started to laugh. She turned onto her back and laughed harder.

"Mama, you don't have any clothes on. What happened to your nightgown?"

"Oh, dear," Lily said again, straightening up at once.

"Papa doesn't have a nightgown either, I don't think."

Knight brought his arms up to pillow his head. He gave Lily a lazy look. "I want to see how you handle this four-year-old problem."

Lily had only a minute to look at her husband's bare chest. He was perfectly lovely, as lovely as she'd remembered from that afternoon when he'd stripped to his trousers to bathe Laura Beth. He wanted her to get up and parade about without her clothes on. She fretted with her lower lip, then said, "Laura Beth, I want you to hand me that towel. See, over there, near the screen."

"It's cold," Laura Beth wailed and snuggled down against Knight's chest.

Knight chuckled and brought an arm down to tousle her hair. "Listen, snippet-"

Laura Beth raised her head. "Why are you in here with Mama? This isn't her room. I was scared because I couldn't find her."

"Your mama married me yesterday, Laura Beth. That means that she will always be with me, everywhere, all the time, without exception, particularly when she's sleeping."

"Oh." Laura Beth's thumb settled into her mouth.

Lily tried again. "Get me that towel."

Knight decided to take pity on her. He leaned over and pulled on the bell cord beside the bed.

"Now, just be still and someone will come soon enough. It isn't that early."

It wasn't just someone who came, it was Stromsoe, and he turned red as a sailor's sunset. He'd arrived only two days before and had kept his distance from everyone except Knight.

"We need your assistance, Stromsoe," Knight said easily, enjoying his valet's discomfort. The prig. "Hand me my dressing gown, then take yourself off to the kitchen and tell Mimms we want our breakfast served up here in, say, thirty minutes. A very noble breakfast, if you please."

"Yes, my lord."

Stromsoe carefully averted his eyes when he came to the bed, Knight's dressing gown in his hands. He understood his lordship's problem, naturally, a little girl in his bed, of all things. This would never have happened before she-He shot the new viscountess a look from the corner of his eye. He saw her then, not as an intruder, but as a woman, and he nearly swallowed his tongue. God, she was bloody fine, she was. He quickly stepped away and fled the bedchamber.

"I do believe old Stromsoe was a bit embarrassed."

"So am I. I will forgive him all his lapses of the past. You're a dreadful tease."

Knight eased into his dressing gown. Laura Beth wanted to help him and he finally sighed. "Lily, please take this little brat and hold her down. Thank you."

He heard Laura Beth giggle as he rose from the bed, quickly pulling his dressing gown into very proper lines.

"Please, Knight. A nightgown for me and my dressing gown?"

He grinned at Lily but gave in.

Over breakfast some thirty minutes later, he said to her as he buttered a slice of warm bread, "We're leaving in two hours for Brighton."

"What?"

"I don't think a wedding morning should include a four-year-old girl who not only pokes her elbow into her new papa's throat but giggles and wonders why we're sleeping together."

"But Brighton? It's winter, Knight."

"I know. There shouldn't be a soul about. Just you and me. When we're not in bed, we can talk about it or sing about it, or perhaps even chant about it."

She laughed, became warmly flushed, and felt that wonderful surge of pleasure spread over every inch of her body.

"You're mad," she said. "Two hours?"

Twenty.

The day was cold and clear, the sky a steel blue. Knight couldn't keep the grin off his face. He leaned out the window of the carriage and waved one last time to the children, who were lined up on the front steps, Theo holding Laura Beth, Sam held upright by two footmen.