they were. She kept trying to get closer to her husband, to feel just a little more of his heat against her, and her restless movements in his lap made his own control vanish.
Making love to his wife seemed like a sound idea to him, and he didn't care at all that they were inside
She finally came to her senses when she felt his hand on her thigh. How he'd managed to get under her skirts was beyond her.
'What in heaven's name are we doing?' she whispered in a voice that trembled with her need. 'We're in a carriage, Harrison. What could you be thinking?'
'We're married. It's all right. We can make love wherever we want to.'
It sounded logical to him. Mary Rose pulled his hands away from her and moved back to the opposite seat. Her hand shook when she reached up to secure the pins in her hair, and it was only then that she realized her curls were hanging down around her shoulders.
Harrison was responsible for her disheveled appearance. She gave him a good frown as she threaded her fingers through the mass and tried to make the curls behave.
'You look beautiful.'
The way he looked at her told her he believed she was beautiful. She quit trying to improve on her appearance then.
'Lust has made you blind,' she told him.
'We're here. The gate we just passed is the entrance to your father's estate. He has over a hundred acres.'
She took a deep breath. 'Was he happy to hear you married me?'
'He was,' Harrison replied. 'But he was also disappointed he missed the ceremony. He wants to have another one.'
Her eyes widened. 'I don't believe that's necessary.'
'He does,' Harrison told her. 'You can discuss it with him, after you've gotten to know him. Sweetheart, quit gripping your hands together. It's going to be all right. Just lean on me if you get scared.'
'I'm perfectly capable of standing on my own two feet. My father doesn't frighten me.'
It was all bluster on her part. Harrison wasn't going to argue with his wife though. If she wanted him to believe she wasn't scared, he'd pretend to believe her.
'Will the relatives be there too? Oh, Lord, Harrison, his house is huge. How many bedrooms are there?'
'Twelve, I think. I'm not certain. The relatives are scheduled to arrive late today.'
'What time is it now?'
'Not quite eleven,' he answered after he checked his pocket watch.
The carriage rounded a corner and then began the climb up to a circle drive in front of a large white home Mary Rose thought looked very like a palace. There were flowers everywhere and carefully manicured lawns with shrubs shaped into perfect lines.
There were tall stone lions on either side of the steps leading up to the front door. The stairs were red brick. She thought they must have cost a fortune to ship into England and then realized they were probably made somewhere around the city. Everything had to be shipped by rail and then by wagon into Blue Belle, but her father's home was only a short ride from a major city. It was completely different here. She would have to remember that, she thought to herself.
Harrison helped her out of the carriage. They walked side by side up the steps. The front door was black, with an oblong gold knocker in the very center. Two large white planter boxes were on either side of the entrance, and were filled with spring flowers in every color of the rainbow. Thick vines of lime green ivy trailed down the sides.
Mary Rose moved closer to Harrison as he reached up and knocked on the door. It was opened less than five seconds later by a thick-shouldered man named Russell. He bowed low and then hastily moved back to allow them entrance.
His reaction to the sight of her was similar to the reaction of the butler she'd met in Harrison 's town house. Russell looked just as startled as Edward had been.
'Yes, Russell, my wife does resemble Lady Agatha,' Harrison said before the servant could gather his wits and make the comment.
The elderly man's eyes crinkled up in a smile. 'She gave me quite a start, mi'lord,' he admitted in a whisper.
Mary Rose barely paid attention to the conversation. She stood in the center of the foyer and stared about her in wonder. The entrance was every bit as impressive as the outside of the house. The floor was covered with squares of black and white marble, and its area alone was as large as Mary Rose's entire house back home. There was a grand circular staircase in front of her. Hanging low from a ceiling at least three floors high was a magnificent crystal chandelier. There were over fifty candles in the sparkling fixture, and Mary Rose couldn't imagine how anyone could reach that high to light them.
'Where's Lord Elliott?' Harrison asked. 'Has he come downstairs yet today, or is he working in the library?'
'I'm not certain where he is at the moment, mi'lord. He wasn't expecting you until late this afternoon. Would you like to go upstairs and wait in the library while I search for him?'
Harrison shook his head. 'It's too fine a day to stay inside. We'll go on out back and wait in the garden.'
He pulled Mary Rose along after him. They went through another gigantic room she thought was probably called a salon or a parlor. There were two large sitting areas with settees facing each other, a gigantic marble- faced fireplace, and several round-backed chairs and small wooden tables with glass tops.
The fabric on all of the furniture was a rich ivory brocade. Mary Rose stopped to admire the room. She didn't believe she'd ever seen anything so extravagant.
Harrison watched her. 'What are you thinking? You look puzzled about something,' he remarked.
'It isn't practical,' she whispered so she wouldn't be overheard by the staff. 'A day's worth of dust coming in through the windows would ruin the cloth. Who would put white on their chairs?'
'Do you like it?'
'Oh, yes, but I would't dare sit on such fine chairs. I might put a smudge on one of them.'
Harrison suddenly wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her. She was so wonderfully unspoiled.
'Shall we go on outside?' He took hold of her hand again and pulled her along to a pair of French doors. There was a wide stone courtyard beyond, surrounded by a three-foot-high brick wall. The courtyard overlooked a garden to rival all the pictures she'd seen of gardens owned by kings.
Harrison pushed the doors open and followed her outside. 'Your father likes flowers,' he remarked. 'He told me once that when he has a particular puzzle to solve, he goes outside and pulls weeds. He's figured out how to win many a legal case while he was down on his knees. Your father surrounds himself with riches, but it's the simple things in life he most enjoys.'
Mary Rose nodded, but didn't comment on Harrison 's explanation. He directed her to a cluster of chairs with yellow cushions and suggested she sit down and relax while he went to help Russell locate her father.
'Shouldn't we take our luggage upstairs and unpack our clothes? My dresses are going to be wrinkled if I don't hang them up right away.'
'Staff will take care of our luggage.'
She sat down and folded her hands in her lap. 'Yes, of course,' she agreed.
She'd forgotten about all the servants Lord Elliott employed. Harrison had rattled off at least a dozen names of men and women who worked for her father. She couldn't imagine having so many people attending to her needs. She was used to doing for herself, and she wasn't at all certain she would be able to adapt to the change very well.
Harrison leaned down and kissed her brow before going back inside. She was too nervous to sit still long. She didn't have the faintest idea what she would say to her father when she finally came face to face with him, and it had become extremely important to her that she find just the right words. She didn't want to disappoint him. He had searched for her most of her life, and a simple 'Nice to meet you' didn't seem appropriate.
Mary Rose decided to walk along the stone path that led throughout the garden, hoping the leisurely stroll would help her calm her racing heartbeat and organize her thoughts.
