Moonlight angled in from the open windows. The storm’s fury totally spent, the ground sated—as was her curiosity about the male form, for the moment—crickets echoed her contented feelings, merrily chirping their welcome to another night. Another night which heralded another day, neither of which she need fear any longer. Not now that her Marriage Scheme had come to a splendid conclusion.
But would Zeus share in her certainty? Or would he have regrets? Would he decry what they’d just done? Now that he’d “slept” on things, would doubts creep forth, stealing into the mind of this proud warrior she hoped to claim as her own kingly knight forevermore?
Nay, for he smiled and pressed a tender kiss to her cheek. “My lady? It appears as though we have our first guests to welcome.”
It did indeed.
His actions and words easily banishing any speck of pitch-kettledness, Juliet slowly eased herself upright. Toward Wivy, she called, “Guests? At this hour?”
Turning to Zeus, who hadn’t budged from his sprawled position behind her, Juliet felt her dratted cheeks heat. “We certainly aren’t dressed to receive callers, now are we?”
Giving her nude form an exaggerated leer, Zeus quipped, “We certainly aren’t dressed at all.”
“Aye!” Wivy responded in the midst of their mirth. “The vicar. I wasn’t going to disturb you, but he insists he must be on his way soon and he refuses to leave without seeing you.”
“The vicar?” That was unpredicted.
“Arranged by Mr. Hastings. Come to perform a wedding, dare I hope?”
A wedding?
“Tell him we’ll be down directly,” Zeus answered loudly before she had a chance to.
His countenance completely solemn, only the glint in his eyes betraying the laughter they’d just shared, Zeus stood and bowed before her, in all his naked majesty. “My lady?” He rose and held his arm toward her, palm up. “If you’ll have me?”
Forever. Heart pounding ferociously at the commitment she was about to make, confident in her decision as she’d never thought to be, Juliet placed her hand in his. “I’ll have you forever, Zeus Jupiter.”
“Minx. That stays between us.” After giving her hand a squeeze, Zeus released her to snatch his buckskins from the floor.
“Ah…” His head whipped to and fro. “My shirt? I seem to recall displacing it earlier. Have you any idea where it got off to?”
Remembering exactly where he’d left it, where she’d first inhaled his strong scent, Juliet pointed toward the screen. “I do indeed.”
Zeus quickly retreated that direction. But, lovely man, he took the time to retrieve her dress as well and toss it to her before donning his own attire.
“Perhaps…” she said archly, tugging her dress overhead and immediately proposing once she emerged, “I could interest you in another exchange?”
His face turned speculative and he paused in his efforts to stuff in his shirt. “What would you have of me? You’ve already stript me raw.” Though he didn’t seem to mind overly much, given how one side of his mouth quirked upward. “Turned my expectations and my life on their ear since I stepped foot into your shaky, sodden abode.”
“Oh how you go on,” she teased, unable to subdue the spark of pure joy that flashed through her knowing she could. Tease him, that was. “I’ll grant you blind obedience in public…” Juliet let that dangle temptingly between them, “if I can call you Zeus Jupiter in private.”
He growled. He groaned. He grinned full-out. “For blind obedience, I’ll suffer through it.”
“You’re such a dear!” She watched him tug on his Hessians, forgoing his woolen stockings in his haste. A glance toward her discarded pale pink one had her cheeks heating all over again. “Now where did my slipper get off to?”
She required that and her crutch in order to retrieve her undergarments strewn between here and yonder and the corner where she’d hid—and first glimpsed heaven: Zeus’ chest. Pity he’d had to cover it up. But the tingly, tender sensations between her nude thighs reminded her she still had much to cover up as well.
“You won’t need your slipper,” he informed her, and proceeded to gather her in his arms, ignoring her shriek as he advanced straight toward the door.
“Zeus! We can’t go down like this!”
“Why ever not?”
“You skipped your waistcoat and tailcoat and I’m still…still in my altogether under my dresmpfth!”
His kiss muffled the protest and made away with her breath. “It matters not,” he said when he raised his head. “Because directly upon completion of our abbreviated nuptials, you’ll be acquainting me with your bedchamber—and before you remind me, I know it leaks. I’ll shove the bed into a dry patch tonight and climb on the roof tomorrow for an inspection, after I dispatch someone to the village with a handful of coins to procure us some real and hearty food.”
Gracious, he was already taking charge. How wondrous!
Balancing her against his chest, he unlocked the door and opened it a few inches for Henry who mewed a quick thanks and flew through the crack, fluffy tail held high. “Now you”—Zeus hefted her in his arms, such a delightful, protected feeling—“you behave. Or else.”
Kicking her bare feet in a show of pure unconcern, Juliet wrapped one arm behind his neck and placed her lips to his ear. “Or else what?”
Zeus eased the door completely open with one elbow, sliding her carefully through before imparting, “Or else I’ll tell the vicar exactly what you aren’t wearing under that pretty dress.”
“Zeus!”
Epilogue ~ Juliet. Memories. Home.
“What’s that you’re concentrating on? More modifications to the building plans?”
Zeus had wondered how long it would take his bride of two months to ask. He’d made a great show of preparing the nib, uncapping the ink and sighing in audible satisfaction upon the completion of each word.
He tugged her onto one leg and leaned back. “Your first official reading lesson, which just happens to coincide with my lesson in Revised Values.” Though
