Lynne Connolly Read Online Free Page B

hand and pressed it down into the soft pillow, another link between us. “Oh, my love, never, never stop—”
    “Never,” he gasped. “For the rest of my life. Only you.”
    From the breathiness of his tone I knew he was close to his peak, so I opened my eyes again, watching as he in his turn lost control. That he trusted me, loved me enough to let go meant more to me each time. I wrapped my free arm around his back, felt his muscles hard and straining with effort and held him tight when he climaxed, his explosive cry of my name better than the most exquisite music.
    Even when the act of love overwhelmed him, he never forgot my welfare. He slid carefully to one side of me before letting his body relax. I lay still, one hand clasped in his, one arm across his back, breathing deeply. I was never so aware of my body as when we made love. He made me feel beautiful, desirable, wanted.
    After a few moments he opened his eyes and smiled. “Rose.” Just that, just the one word, but suffused with love. He leaned forward to kiss my shoulder, and I turned on my side so I could kiss his mouth. He touched my face with his hand and cradled the back of my head protectively. I rested my head on his shoulder and breathed in, letting the scent fill me—love, arced through with him. “Wonderful.”
    “Yes.”
    “Wonderful too to have you here, so I can turn over in the night and know I’m not alone. I’ve never slept as well as I do with you.”
    “I’m sorry we ever have to sleep apart.”
    “It’s one of the reasons that, when you had Helen, I preferred to sleep in a chair in here than in my own room. That, and the need to look after you. I’d never felt so helpless.”
    I looked up at him in surprise. That aspect of things had never occurred to me before. “Helpless?”
    He smiled wryly. “I could do nothing to help, nothing to share your pain. I was desperate and angry.”
    I smoothed my hand across his chest, resting over his heart, which pulsed with life. Richard always remained in control, organised his own life with ruthless efficiency before I met him. “I was happy I could do something for you, at last.”
    He made an impatient sound. “You’d already done more than anyone else ever had. The child was an irrelevance. At least she was until I saw her.” His smile reflected the one I had first seen when he had taken her up into his arms. Now, so close to giving him another child, I hoped to see that expression again.
    “Well we know that I can give birth and recover after. It won’t be as fraught this time—will it?”
    “I pray every day that it will not.” He held me tighter. “I’m sure you’re right. Shall we stay here all day and send our apologies to visitors?” he said after a few moments of blissful closeness.
    The idea tempted me. “Richard, we can’t do that.”
    “Why not? You need your rest. I need to care for you. We can have something to eat sent up to us as we did in Venice. Do you have anything important arranged for today?”
    A small shudder passed through me, and Richard looked at me in concern. I smiled reassurance. “Nothing. I think someone walked over my grave.”
    It was his turn to shudder. “Terrible expression. I told you that you needed rest.”
    I snuggled into him and felt his arms tighten around me. There was nowhere I would rather be than here. Perhaps he had a point. When we got up we’d have to face the day and the true reason for my shudder. John was in London. I couldn’t avoid facing the problem forever, but I didn’t need to rush into it.
     
    We ate breakfast informally, no servants present, so we could converse easily. We helped ourselves from the dishes laid out on the buffet. The only exceptions were our levée days, when we would receive people as we dressed, and then we usually ate in our separate rooms. I preferred these days, but I had to hold the levées. Part of the job.
    “I have a letter from Lizzie.”
    “Really?” Richard looked up from the