Only a Lady Will Do by Tamara Gill
Chapter 25
"Why are we at the embankment, Your Grace?" Iris asked Josh as the carriage rolled to a halt some distance from where they were supposed to be heading. The Lowes ball.
Josh grinned, helping her alight and walking them down a small gravel path before they came to steps leading down to a stationary boat on the Thames. "We are not attending the ball this evening, my dear. I have something else planned for you."
"Really?" Iris smiled at the knowing look on the duke's visage. What on earth had he planned? "Was this the reason your mama cried off accompanying us, and I had to take my maid?"
"It is," he stated. They walked the short distance to the stairs before Josh helped her down the few stone steps. There was a boat moored at the small wooden dock. It was only a small vessel, occupied by a singular man at the rear of the boat, a seat that sat under a wooden awning, screening those from paddling them along. "Where will Miss Bridges sit?" she asked as Josh helped her onto the vessel.
"In the carriage." He threw her a mischievous wink before joining her. They settled on the many cushions and blankets before they were soon paddling out onto the Thames, the current pulling them out in the direction of the ocean.
Iris looked out at London that sparked with light on either side of the river. The sounds of the city met her ears, of shouts and laughter, music and industrial dins—the soothing lap of water against the side of the boat. "I've never been on a boat before," she admitted, wondering if this would be the time to tell Josh that she also could not swim.
The boat slowed but stayed a little out on the water, away from the water's edge. On this part of the river, grand London homes lined the banks, and then, unexpectedly, a high-pitched squeal sounded before light burst to life into the night sky above them.
"You brought me to the fireworks?" she gasped, looking at him quickly before the next firework burst into a million stars above them.
"I wanted you all to myself when we watched them. I could not hold you as I do now had we been in the gardens at Lowes ball."
Iris's heart did a little flip. No one had ever been so sweet, so adoring and accommodating to her in her life. She tore her gaze from the fireworks and met Josh's eyes. His burned with emotion, one she now hoped he was brave enough to admit to.
"I love your gift just as I love you," she said, praying she was not wrong in what she believed he felt for her too.
He pulled her closer still, cradling her face in his hands. "I'm so pleased you said those words, Iris, as I have utterly and completely fallen in love with you too."
Tears burned in her eyes, and she blinked, trying to stem the rioting emotions within her. "You do?" she queried, needing to hear his declaration again and again, so she knew it to be true.
"I've never felt with anyone the way I feel when I'm around you." He kissed the tip of her nose just as another burst of color scattered across the night sky. "You must know, you must have sensed that I am nonsensical when around you. You are my heart, and when we marry next week, I never wish to be parted from you."
There was no stopping the tears this time. Iris fumbled for her handkerchief, but always there for her, Josh held out his for her use. She dabbed at her cheeks.
He loved her, and she loved him. How lucky that he had kissed her that night and the duchess had caught them. To think of him courting another was unfathomable now. The duke was hers, and she would love him forever.
"A week seems too long to wait, but then we will have a lifetime together, so I suppose I shall be patient."
Josh chuckled, leaning down to reach into a small picnic basket that Iris had not noticed before. He pulled out two glass flutes, handing them to her before taking out the champagne.
Popping the bottle, he poured them both a glass. "After your fall today, and the pain that you suffered, I did not think a ball was in your best interest, but I also did not want you to miss the fireworks you've grown so fond of."
"And so you thought to hire a boat and take me out onto the Thames at night to view them together. A romantic cruise just the two of us."
His smile warmed her. "That is exactly what I thought. Have I succeeded?"
Iris tapped her glass against his, downing her champagne before reaching for him. "I think you have succeeded very well indeed, Your Grace. I am very well pleased."
Josh tipped his champagne out into the Thames before dropping the glass into the many cushions and blankets they lay upon. He took Iris into his arms, kissing her hard and long. He lost himself in the feel of her. Her sweetness and favorable response to his kisses.
He would never tire of having her so.
More fireworks crackled across the night sky. They glanced up, lost to the beauty of the entertainment for a moment. They cruised the river for a time after the fireworks had ended. The picnic basket held bread and cheese, a little ham, and chicken. They drank champagne and nibbled on the feast, talking of the wedding, of what they wished to do after being married.
"How soon would you like children?" she asked him before popping another slice of cheese between her lips.
"We're young, and I would like you all to myself for a time. A year or two," he answered, happy to allow her to decide when she was ready. Even in this decision, he mused, he would allow her to determine their fate.
His lips twitched at how different his life now was after meeting Iris. He no longer thought of other women, of who his mistress would be should he take one on. His club had lost some of its charms since women were not allowed. Had Josh thought that such a change could occur in his life, he would have scoffed at the notion only a month ago.
How odd and wonderful that life could change so quickly and for the better.
"I've always wanted children, so I think a year and no more." Iris sipped her champagne, wagging the glass flute before him when she emptied it. He chuckled, pouring her some more. "Thank you," she said, pausing. "I've never been to Dunsleigh. Is it beautiful?"
"Beautiful? The word is too innocuous to describe your future home. Dunsleigh is magnificent. Grand and opulent, welcoming and warm. The grounds are lovely and the staff too. Everyone there will love you, Iris. Just as their duke and master also does."
A blush stole over her cheeks. How utterly charming his future wife was.
"I know the estate is large, and I shall ensure I learn all there is to know so as not to disappoint anyone."
He reached out, picking up her gloved hand and kissing her fingers. "You will not disappoint anyone. You are an intelligent, capable woman. I have no reservations regarding your ability."
They rowed ever closer to the dock, and Josh could see one of his servants waiting for them. He sighed, not wanting to leave her so soon, but he would not visit her tonight. Not after her fall this afternoon. He may want her every hour of every day, but even he had restraint.
As if reading his mind, she clasped his jaw, pulling him to look at her. "Will you come to me this evening when everyone's abed?" she whispered.
He shook his head, reaching up to wipe away the little frown that appeared between her eyes at his gesture. "You must rest this evening, no matter how much I wish I were not so gallant."
She pouted in disappointment, and he laughed, kissing her before they came too close to the dock. "You are utterly adorable. Where have you been all my life?" he asked her in all seriousness.
"In Cornwall. Do you know," she added, a mischievous light in her eye, "the day I found out I was coming to London, I was trying to catch a pig for dinner. The little rascal would not heed to my will, and just before Mama came outdoors to tell me of the letter from your mama, I had fallen over in pig muck. It was fortunate that the many miles between London and Cornwall are so great, or I could have smelled terrible upon meeting you."
Josh laughed, unable to imagine Iris trying to catch a pig for dinner. "Did you not have servants to do such chores?"
She shrugged. "I had little else to do, so chores of such nature were common for me."
He dipped his head to the crevice of her neck, breathing deep. "You smell quite delicious now, my darling." He ran his tongue along the line of her throat before kissing the lobe of her ear, giving it a small, teasing bite.
Iris gasped, pulling him close. "I want you to visit me this evening. Do not deny me."
He groaned, torn between what was right and what he longed to do. "I should not."
She kissed him, her tongue tangling with his, and he was lost. Unable to deny her anything, or himself for that matter, when it came to her.
As promised, he joined her late that evening and did not leave her room until the early hours in the morning light.
