I laughed as I traced her mouth with my thumb. “I’m not sure anyone would describe desire as an itch, but if I’m understanding correctly, then yes.”
She moved her hand down the contours of my chest. “Do I touch you too?”
“If you’d like.” I closed my eyes as she flattened her hand against my stomach.
“Theo Barnes, I love you. With such a large love that it might eat me all up.” She giggled. “I don’t know what that means.”
Tears had gathered at the corners of my eyes. “It means you love me.”
“Yes, it does.”
She pulled me down to kiss her again. Marriage, I decided, was a very good thing.
I woke to light behind the drawn curtains. Next to me, Louisa slept curled into a ball with her back toward me. I crept out of bed and to the bathroom to use the toilet as well as bathe and shave. As I mixed the shaving soap with my brush, I thought about what had happened during the night. My wedding night had been everything I’d hoped for and more.
I hung my head over the sink and prayed, thanking God for granting me my deepest wish. I’ll do my best to love her and honor her all the days of my life.
A voice came to me then, a reply from God. For a thousand years.
I went back to the bedroom. Louisa was sitting up in bed sipping from a coffee cup. Her hair was neatly braided, and her skin looked dewy and fresh. “The maid brought breakfast.” She gestured toward the small table by the window where a breakfast tray and a silver pot of coffee waited. “The poor girl was blushing fiercely when she told me Mrs. Barnes had said newlyweds prefer to stay in bed rather than come downstairs with the family.”
I chuckled as I poured myself a cup of coffee. The table held Lizzie’s fresh scones, blackberries, and several slices of the ham left over from the reception. God bless Lizzie. I was ravenous. “Are you hungry?” I asked.
“Yes, very,” Louisa said as she hopped out of bed to join me at the table.
“Scone? Ham?”
“Everything,” Louisa said. “I don’t know why I’m so hungry.” Her cheeks flushed and she giggled. “We were busy last night.”
We grinned at each other. No one would ever know what it was to be us, to have experienced such joy in each other’s arms. I suspected we weren’t the only married couple to enjoy each other in the ways we had, but at that moment it felt as if we were the only lovebirds in the world. My Louisa loved me. I still couldn’t quite believe my good fortune.
The maid had opened the curtains, and thin morning light shone through the windows. Louisa’s hair looked almost white in the sun. Her eyes sparkled as she bit into a scone. “How does Lizzie do this?”
“I’ve no idea, but I’m glad she does.” I stabbed another piece of ham and brought it onto my plate.
“Look at us. Married. Having breakfast together,” Louisa said.
“It all feels right.”
She reached across the small table to squeeze my hand. “Yes, exactly that.”
“What should we do today?” I asked.
“Do we have to leave the room?” Her eyes twinkled flirtatiously at me.
“Not if you don’t want to.”
“Will the family talk if we don’t come out all day?” Louisa buttered another piece of her scone.
“They will. They’ll talk about everything all the time. No one ever stops talking in this house.”
“It’s lovely, though, isn’t it? To have such a loud, messy, wonderful family?”
I smiled back at her. “I hope you’ll think that by this time next year.”
She sobered. “How I wish Mother and Father could see how happy we are.”
I reached over to cup her face in my hands. “They do, my love.”