Lucian was the first to speak. “The warmth of the climate here never fails to surprise me.”
“Yes,” Brynn replied grudgingly. “This stretch of Cornwall is one of the most temperate in all of England. Palm trees grow here, and roses bloom even in December.”
“I can testify that the most beautiful roses can be found here. I was fortunate to have discovered one.”
He was looking directly up at her, Brynn realized, slanting him a glance. “Flattery will have no effect on me, my lord. I have no intention of falling for your practiced seduction, or becoming another of your legendary conquests.”
“I don’t think of you as a conquest, siren.”
“No?”
“No. I think of you as my incredibly lovely bride.”
Brynn winced. “Must I remind you, we agreed to a marriage of convenience? There is no need for you to try to charm me. I am willing to uphold my end of the bargain. As long as you provide for my brother’s education, I am prepared to do my wifely duty.”
His mouth curved in a slight smile. “I trust you will find our marriage bed a great deal more pleasant than mere duty.”
Brynn pressed her own lips together, clamping down on the urge to retort, determined to hold herself aloof. When he offered a dish of strawberries, she declined.
Choosing one for himself, Lucian bit into the juicy fruit. “You seem willing to sacrifice a great deal for Theodore.”
Her beloved brother was a subject she couldn’t resist. “I would do anything for him,” Brynn said fervently.
“There appears to be quite a gap in your ages.”
She looked down at her glass. “My mother had difficulty after Reese was born. She was enceinte several times-” Brynn faltered, realizing the subject was too personal, and too immodest as well. “She died giving birth to Theo,” she finished quietly.
“And you raised him? You could not have been much more than a child yourself.”
“I was twelve. Old enough to care for him.”
“Theo is fortunate to have you.” When she didn’t answer, Lucian’s voice seemed to soften. “I always wanted a brother or sister. I was an only child.”
Brynn deliberately hardened her heart. She didn’t want to hear about her new husband’s childhood, or anything else that would increase their intimacy. She couldn’t allow her emotions to soften toward him. “You are laboring under the serious misapprehension, my lord, that I care to know anything about you.”
He only responded mildly to her ungracious reply. “I did not bring you here to fight, sweeting.”
“Why did you bring me here, then?”
“I thought you would feel more comfortable in your kingdom.”
“More comfortable?”
“You’ve been ill at ease with me all day. Perhaps here, in a familiar setting, you will be less nervous about consummating our union.”
Giving a start, Brynn turned her head to stare down at him. “You intend to consummate our marriage here?”
“Can you think of a better place?”
“Certainly I can! A bridal chamber is the usual setting for a consummation.”
“But then our marriage is not exactly usual, is it? In fact, I would call it rather unique.”
She drew a steadying breath, grasping for arguments to throw in his path. “Do you have any notion the scandal it would cause if we were seen? Or do you simply not care?”
“No one will see us. I intend to wait until it grows dark, of course.”
It was nearly dusk now. Brynn took a deep gulp of champagne, hoping the sparkling wine would quell her agitation. “It will still be scandalous,” she murmured.
“Not much more so than your swimming nearly nude in this very location.”
She shook her head, feeling a bit desperate. It was one thing to swim here in privacy. It was quite another to purposely hold one’s wedding night on a rocky beach. “Surely you do not expect me to undress here?”
“Why not? I’ve already seen a good deal of your body.”
“It will be much too cold,” she said lamely.
“I brought several blankets. And I will do my best to keep you warm.”
He set the dish of strawberries aside and sat up, making Brynn tense. “I thought you would be more adventuresome than this, my sweet.”
“I am not as adventuresome as all that.”
A faint smile curved his mouth at her indignation. “I am your husband now, Brynn. Married women are permitted more freedom than young misses.”
He paused. “Do you know what is supposed to happen between us?”
“I am not completely green. My closest friends are married, and one of them told me… generally what to expect.”
“Then you know that carnal relations are necessary to conceiving a child.”
She wondered why a child was so important to him, but she didn’t dare ask and give him an opening for even more intimate confessions. “I am well aware of it, my lord.”
“Lucian,” he murmured. “Say my name, love.”
“Lucian,” she repeated reluctantly.
“That’s better. Would you like more champagne?”
“Yes, please.”
She was drinking too much, she knew, but she was not about to stop; she needed the courage if Wycliff meant to go through with his plan.
He refilled her glass, then proceeded to untie his cravat. “You have no cause for worry,” he said, catching her look of dismay. “I have every intention of making your first experience pleasurable.”
“Certainly I have cause for worry. You may not believe in the curse, but I have no doubt your obsession will only grow worse once we…”
“Become lovers?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve always held the opinion that a curse has power only if you give it credence.”
“Well then, you might consider my feelings. You obviously have a vast deal of experience, so you cannot understand my anxiety.”
“Your virginal trepidation.”
She bit her lip, knowing she was blushing. “Yes.”
His compelling eyes held sympathy, tenderness, as did his low voice. “I don’t expect I could fully understand, since I’ve never been a woman. But I promise you, the consummation won’t be as disagreeable as you fear.”
Stiffening, Brynn deliberately looked away. She would have no protection against Lucian whatever if she allowed him to seduce her with tenderness. “I am not interested in your promises, my lord. I agreed to share your bed, nothing more.”
“Forgive me, love, but you agreed to be my wife.”
She had no reply for that, for she had indeed agreed to be his wife. And to bear him a son. Which entailed sexual intimacy…
When Lucian shrugged out of his jacket, Brynn stiffened. His shirt followed, giving her a warm jolt of disturbing awareness. In the fading half-light, his torso was unexpectedly muscular, and made her surprisingly breathless.
“Could we not… put off the consummation for the time being? I scarcely know you.”
His glance held disarming gentleness. “The sooner you put it behind you, the sooner you’ll realize there is nothing to fear.”
“I am not afraid, precisely. I simply don’t want to be intimate with you.”
“Why not? Is there something physical about me that you find disagreeable?”
“You know there is not. Not… physical.”
“What, then?”
You make me feel far too vulnerable, she thought to herself. “Your insufferable arrogance. You think all women should fall at your feet.”
“I assure you, I don’t think that at all.” His voice was low, vibrant, stroking her like rich velvet.
When she didn’t reply, he reached up to touch a curling tendril of hair that had escaped its severe knot. “Aren’t you the least bit curious about the pleasures to be found in lovemaking? What it means to be fully a woman?”
“No, not in the least,” she lied.
As if to disprove her claim, he shifted his hand to caress the shell of her ear with a fingertip. Brynn nearly flinched.
“Has your blood never turned hot at a man’s touch?”