“Are you nervous?” Edmund asked his brother. “You are soon to be a married man.” 

Phillip pulled at his cravat, and Edmund suppressed a smirk at the sight. “Finally,” Phillip muttered. “I am glad that this date has finally arrived. Catherine’s mother made us wait nearly five months to get on with it because she wanted a lavish affair.” 

“I caught sight of the inside of the church. I must say that she made good on her promise. I do not think that I have ever seen so many roses. One would think that the Prince and Princess of Wales are getting married today.” 

Phillip scowled, and Edmund nearly cackled in laughter. “Do not jest,” he muttered. “I love Catherine, but her mother makes me insane. You are fortunate that your mother-in-law stays out of your affairs.” 

Edmund would not argue against that. He had spent a week with Susan’s parents, and that was more than enough time for him to fully believe that the further he and Susan lived from the two of them, the better. 

“Everything is going to be well,” Edmund said, clasping Phillip on the shoulder. “When Catherine walks down that aisle and becomes your wife, treasure that moment. It is one that you will look back on for many years.” 

Edmund was thinking of his own wedding. It had been a very different time for him and Susan than it was for Catherine and Phillip, and Edmund was grateful for that. He wanted his brother to be happy, and during his own wedding, he had not been. 

“I know that I fought you about returning to London, but I am glad that you pressed the issue,” Phillip told him. “If you had not, I would not have proposed to Catherine, or even worse, she would have accepted the offer of another man.” 

Edmund smiled at his brother. “Everything had worked out as it was meant to.” Edmund believed just that. It was a difficult road to get where they all were. It was fraught with trials, tribulations, and sometimes pain, but now, they were all happy and settled as they were meant to be. 

Before Phillip could say anything else, the door to the room opened, and Susan’s face peeked out around the corner. “Good, you’re ready,” she commented. 

“And what were you going to do if we were not?” 

Susan rolled her eyes at Phillip’s question. “You should begin making your way to the front of the church.” 

“Finally,” Phillip muttered under his breath. Susan smiled. 

“Try not to catch the vapours when you see Catherine. It would not do well for you to pass out before you can say your vows.” 

“You have nothing to worry about,” Phillip told her, though Edmund noticed two spots of red on Phillip’s cheeks. 

“Ten to one that he is going to cry,” Susan said as Phillip walked out of the room. 

Edmund reached down to kiss Susan. It was a swift press of his lips to her own, but he constantly craved her touch, and his desire for her was unmatched. 

“I did not think that it was appropriate for ladies to gamble,” he teased. Susan rolled her eyes. 

“There are plenty of things ladies are not allowed to do. Luckily for me, my husband is not a stickler for propriety, and he allows me to bend the rules every now and again.” 

Edmund smiled at her. 

Though he wanted to leave London and take Susan to Greece, for the last five months, she had insisted on staying by Catherine’s side as she planned her wedding. Unable to deny her anything, Edmund allowed it as long as she agreed to spend the remainder of the winter at their home in the country and hopefully go to Greece in the spring. It would be horrendously hot, and they would miss the London Season, but Edmund thought that that might have been a good thing. 

“You look lovely,” he told her. 

She truly did. Susan was dressed in a light green gown that complimented the red in her hair. It was simple with no further adornment than a few yellow rosettes on the shoulders and neckline, but Edmund thought she looked stunningly beautiful all the same. 

“You flatter me,” she told him. 

He held out his arm to her, allowing her to loop hers through it. “Catherine still has several moments before the ceremony begins, but I needed a reprieve from her mother.” 

Edmund chuckled. “Is she truly that bad?” He had not spent much time in the woman’s presence, but the stories he heard from his brother made him shudder. 

Susan shrugged. “All mothers are terribly demanding of their daughters, especially on their wedding day. My mother and father practically dragged me out of the house by my skirts the day we got married.” 

Edmund frowned slightly. Though he did not want to forget their marriage ceremony, he hated that theirs was not a perfect love story. If there was one thing that he felt that Susan deserved, it was that. 

“Do not look so glum,” she scolded him. “This is a happy occasion. Catherine and Phillip will be married. They’ll retire to their own home, and you and I can finally be alone together. I know how eager you are to go to the countryside, and I must admit that I am excited to see your home.” 

“Our home,” he corrected her. “And I am happy for my brother. Truly. I simply wish that we had been married under circumstances such as these. You deserved a wedding like this one. Not one where you were miserable.” 

Susan shook her head. “I love you,” she told him. She said those words often, and Edmund wondered if it was because she wanted him to know that she truly did care for her. “Our beginning might not have been perfect, but we have a lifetime together, and you can make it up to me.” 

This made Edmund laugh loudly as they walked into the church. Several people turned to look at them, and he bit his lip. 

He led Susan to her seat before taking his place at his brother’s side. As he looked out at the church, he tried not to laugh. There were more flowers than people, and personally, he found the entire thing ridiculous. 

But as Catherine Leeson walked out and his brother caught sight of her, Edmund was grateful that Phillip would know true love and happiness, even if his mother-in-law made him wait a ridiculous several months so that he might be able to achieve it. 

 

***

“This is delicious,” Catherine said as she speared a sausage on her fork. “Thank you for hosting us, and you must give my compliments to your chef.” 

Susan’s brow quirked at her friend, and now sister’s, formality. As the Viscountess, it was Susan’s job to host her brother-in-law’s wedding reception. 

“You are my best friend,” Susan reminded Catherine. “Even if you were not marrying into my family, I would have found a way to host you. You know that I adore a good luncheon.” 

Susan had not entertained as much as she once had, not that she regretted it much. The Season had come to a close, and she was glad to be spending all of her time with Edmund. Her cheeks nearly flamed as she considered what the two of them had been doing during that time. 

Luckily, today, no one was focused on Susan. All attention was on the bride and groom, who radiated love and happiness as they munched on the various dishes Susan had prepared for the day. 

“I did not eat a thing at my wedding,” Susan reminisced. 

“Really?” Phillip asked. “I recall the food being spectacular.” 

“It was,” Catherine agreed, nodding her head. “Some of the best Cornish hen I have tasted to this day.” 

Susan rolled her eyes at her friend. “I was much too anxious to eat,” Susan said by way of explanation. “Clearly, the two of you have no such issue.” She mumbled that last part under her breath. 

Though the luncheon had been underway for nearly thirty minutes, Edmund had yet to make an appearance, which meant that Susan was left hosting by herself. It was no trouble since Edmund would be the first to admit that he was not much for socializing, but Susan missed her husband. 

His presence somehow calmed and excited her, and as everyone chatted around her, she felt as though a part of her was missing. 

“Excuse me for a moment,” Susan said, addressing the guests. “I want to be sure that everything is going well in the kitchen.” 

It was a ridiculous excuse, but no one said anything. They were all too wrapped up in their meal and the merriment surrounding them to notice the missing Viscount of Nicholson or that his wife was going to check on a meal that ran to the clock. 

As Susan walked through their home, she was surprised at how different things looked from when she first married Edmund almost two years ago. There were touches of her taste here and there, and the sight of them made her smile. 

“Are you going to hide in here all afternoon?” Susan asked, sticking her head around Edmund’s study door. It was far away from where their guests were enjoying their meal, but even still, Susan was surprised that the clinking of glasses and the giggles of the newlyweds could not be heard. 

“I received a letter.” Edmund held up the letter that allowed him to escape his hosting duties in the first place. 

Susan’s lips thinned at the sight of the paper, and she walked further into her husband’s sanctuary. Though she desired nothing more than to be cross with him, the sight of her books on the edge of her desk and an errant piece of parchment where she wrote her notes made her smile. 

Even this space was not solely Edmund’s any longer. 

“And this letter was so important that it required your immediate attention on the day of your brother’s wedding?” 

“Phillip and Catherine are married, and I’m sure blissfully happy. I do not think that they noticed my absence.” 

Susan pouted. “I noticed, and I can say that your absence was greatly felt.” 

Edmund had the good sense to look at her sheepishly. “I would not have left if it was not important.” 

Susan looked down at Edmund’s desk. “What is this letter, and why did it require your immediate attention?” 

Edmund looked reluctant to share, but Susan stared him down. She would not leave until she knew what dragged him away from her. 

“I had an investigator follow Oliver Fairfax.” 

Susan was stunned. She had not thought of Oliver in months. After she slapped him across the face, she had seen him only once. From afar in Hyde Park, promenading with Eloise Hyatt. Susan had ignored the two of them and continued about her day. She had never imagined that her husband had not done the same. 

“Before you get angry, I wanted to know where he was out of concern for you.” 

“For me?” Susan asked. “What do I have to be concerned about?” 

“You embarrassed Oliver, and I know him well enough to know that he would not let such a thing go. I wanted us to be prepared should he make some attempt toward you.” 

Susan thought that Edmund was being silly, but she said nothing. It was clear that he was truly concerned for her well-being. 

“And what did you discover?” she asked. 

“Nothing.” Edmund almost sounded disappointed. “Nothing of note anyway.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Edmund shrugged. “Oliver has retired to the countryside, and he’s not done much since.”

“Well then, why are you so concerned?” she asked. 

Edmund released a heavy sigh. “I simply like to know where my enemies are, so that I am never surprised by their presence.” 

This made Susan laugh. She walked behind Edmund’s desk and ran her hands across his shoulder. They were tense. “Let’s put all this talk of Oliver away,” she told him, pressing a kiss to his neck, unable to help herself. “We have better things to occupy ourselves with.” 

Edmund turned slightly, his brow raising at her words. “Oh?” 

Susan lifted herself. Her cheeks reddened at his tone. “We have a house filled with guests,” she reminded him. She felt her heart beat a little faster as he got up from his seat and turned towards her. 

“Catherine and Phillip are the focus of today’s festivities. No one will notice if we are gone.” 

Edmund did not give her much time to think as he took her into his arms. Immediately, he began pressing kisses down the side of her neck, reaching all of the spots that made Susan moan in delight. 

“We cannot,” she told him once more, though her voice lacked conviction. 

Edmund’s hands were already under her skirts, and Susan released a heavy gasp as she felt his fingers brush against her centre. Her husband knew how to make her mad with lust, and as he smiled against her skin, she knew that he was more than aware of the effect he had on her. 

“Are you certain?” Edmund asked. His voice was deep and husky with lust as he caressed the outer shell of her ear with his tongue. 

He had manoeuvred Susan so that she was pressed against the wall, and she leaned her head back slightly, hitting its surface. 

“What if someone hears?” she asked, panting as Edmund’s ministrations became surer. He slipped one of his fingers inside her body, causing her to quake with desire. 

He pulled away from her slightly. His dark eyes were looking at her in the way that always made her stomach quiver. Then, he gave her a wolfish smile. “I suppose that you will have to be quiet.” 

Before Susan could speak, Edmund pressed his lips to her own. Susan moaned at the feeling of his tongue invading her mouth. Her arms reached up and wrapped themselves around Edmund’s neck as she tried to press her body closer to his. 

Edmund took his hand from between Susan’s thighs, and she ripped her mouth away in a groan of protest. 

He chuckled as he looked down at her, and if Susan’s mind had not been filled with lust, she would have scolded him for teasing her, but as it was, she could not think of anything other than having Edmund ease the ache he created inside of her. 

“Do not worry, my love,” he whispered. “I have you.” 

Susan released a small yelp of surprise as he hoisted her up into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist on instinct. Her actions caused her core to come in contact with his hardness, and Susan released a small moan at the friction. 

Edmund reached down, releasing himself from the confines of his pants. “Are you ready for me?” he asked, as he always did. 

Susan nodded eagerly. He had never taken her in this manner before, and she was eager for the new experience. 

Her nod was all Edmund needed before he thrust himself inside of her body. Susan released a small yelp of pleasure. This new angle caused Edmund to rub spots inside of her that caused her eyes to cross. 

“Careful,” he murmured. “You do not want anyone to know what we are up to.”

Susan bit her lip at his words and to stop the moans of pleasure that escaped her as Edmund thrust inside of her. At first, his pace was slow and languid, as though they had all the time in the world to enjoy one another. 

But that was not going to satisfy Susan. She was just on the edge of her explosion, and she needed more. She tightened her legs around his waist, urging him to go faster. Edmund heard her silent request, and it was not long before his hips slammed into her at a bruising pace. 

As her pleasure mounted, Susan did not care that the wedding party might be missing the two of them, nor did she care that someone might hear their activities. The only thing she was focused on was Edmund and the pleasure that he brought to her. 

“Oh, Edmund,” she cried out as her vision went white. 

He grunted as he released inside of her, much better at being quiet than she had been. 

Susan felt like dead weight, and she wondered how Edmund was still managing to hold her trembling body against his. Not that she minded. She could smell the sage scent of him, and as she pressed a soft kiss to his neck, she could taste his sweat. 

“I love you,” she breathed out. It was true. Susan loved Edmund more than anything. 

“I love you.” 

He spoke those words to her often, but Susan particularly loved hearing them in moments like this when they were connected the way a husband and wife should be, and she could bask in her enjoyment of the physical manifestation of their love. 

“We should get back,” she said, her body still curled around his. 

“In a moment.” 

Edmund made no effort to put her down. Instead, the two of them enjoyed a moment together, each one basking in the glow of their other’s love. This was what marriage was like for them, and Susan hoped it would never be any different. 

THE END

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