The afternoon light was waning as Marcus walked out into the back garden in search of his wife. She was outside more often than in, as long as the weather allowed. He nearly collided with another man as he turned around a row of rose bushes.

"Winterbourne!" His brother, Dash, nodded curtly towards him.

Their relationship had—understandably—been frosty since the wedding. Dash resented him for marrying Rain for all the wrong reasons, especially since he had shown some interest in her before Marcus even joined the Season. While Marcus wasn't sure if he could ever forgive him for sleeping with his wife. On their wedding night.

"Dash." He glanced in the direction his brother had come, but could not see Rain. "I did not realise you were here."

"I only stopped by to share some news with Rain." Dash sketched a bow. "I won't take up any of your time."

Marcus stared after his brother as he disappeared into the house. He knew Dash still saw Rain from time to time, but usually, it was in the company of their other friends. To have him see her alone was not something he had realised they did, and it didn't sit well with him. He walked further down the garden and froze as Rain suddenly stood from behind a bush. Her cheeks were rosy and two leaves had stuck to her dark hair. His stomach plummeted. Had she and Dash...?

"Oh, Marcus!" she said as she saw him. Her hand flew to her hair, attempting to adjust the strands that had escaped her bun and were now caressing her neck.

His eyes narrowed, but he refused to show jealousy. "What was Dash doing here?"

Mission unsuccessful.

"He was giving me an update on what my sister has been up to during the party at Kilkenny's. I am not surprised in the least." She giggled and shook her head. "Nick was never one for propriety."

"I see." He wasn't sure he did, and it didn't mean she had not been kissing his brother a moment ago.

There was a rustling in the bush next to her. He frowned. Did she have more men hiding out here with her? Frustrated, he muttered, "What is going on here?"

She had the grace to look guilty as she looked down. "I beg your pardon. It's only Malvern. I hope you won't mind."

Won't mind what? If she was seeing other men, he bloody well did mind.

"The city isn't good for him. I would like to bring him to Winterbourne Hall when I return after the Season," she continued, confusing him further.

Finally, he understood. She was talking about some animal. He should have known. It was always animals. For a moment, his blinding jealousy had disabled his logical thinking. Coming around the bush to stand next to his wife, he looked at the animal shuffling around in the grass, working its way towards a plate of fruit and vegetables.

"A hedgehog?"

"Isn't he cute?" Rain gushed. "I believe he would be much happier in the countryside. But for now, he will remain here in our garden."

She was adorable when she got excited about the strays and other animals she cared for. Her cornflower-blue eyes glittered with joy and her cheeks were warm from excitement.

"How many animals are in your care now?" he asked as he glanced at the hedgehog again. It was now happily munching on a slice of apple.

"I honestly wouldn't know," she admitted with a sheepish grin. "I release as many as possible as I can into the wild once they have healed if they were hurt. And I try to convince my friends and their families to adopt my cats and dogs."

"What would you say is the oddest animal you've tended to?"

She put her hand on his arm. "Come, let us give Malvern some space to eat in peace."

He watched her hand on his sleeve, amazed at how the simple touch was enough to feel as if it was burning through the fabric of his coat. When she moved ahead, he followed, watching her swaying hips as she walked towards the house.

"I once had a squirrel," she admitted with a smile over her shoulder. "Nathaniel wasn't particularly happy about that one. Claimed he drew the line at rodents."

"That sounds like a reasonable line to me," he muttered. He wasn't sure he wanted any rodents in their house, either.

"Oh. There was a fawn once. A hunter had killed its mother before he realised there was a fawn. He was a local in the village near our estate, so he brought the fawn to me and I hand-fed it until it was strong enough to eat by itself. We still offer it food at times, as it lives in the woods behind my brother's estate. I don't think it ever fully learned to live by itself."

Marcus felt a little guilty, as he was only half-listening to her story. The way she moved in front of him had him spellbound, and before he could consider his actions, his arm reached out and grabbed onto her arm, pulling her back towards him. Unprepared, she lost her footing and fell into his chest with a gasp. Putting his hands on her waist, he steadied her, and she stared up at him, her breathing changing slightly as her mouth opened.

Not sure what he wanted—no, that wasn't true, he knew exactly what he wanted, but that was off the table—he lifted a hand to cup her cheek and used his thumb to caress her lower lip. Her breath hitched.

"M... Marcus?"

"Did you kiss Dash before I came outside?" he asked, making sure his voice did not betray his emotions.

A line appeared between her brows and a spark of anger ignited in her eyes. "No."

Relief rushed through him. His gaze dropped to her mouth and his hand moved behind her ear to bury in the dark silk of her hair.

"May I kiss you now?" he asked, his voice low.

For a moment, she looked as if she might say no, but then she nodded. Not wanting to give her the chance to change her mind, he bent down to capture her mouth in a searing kiss. If she had been kissing his brother, he would make sure Dash was the furthest thing from her mind when she was kissing him. As his tongue slipped across her lips, she let out a small moan that nearly undid him. He was keeping a tight hold on his passion, unwilling to give it free rein, but when she melted into his arms, his control wavered.

His hands cupped her bottom and pulled her closer as he angled his head to deepen the kiss. He had to fight the overwhelming urge to pick her up and bring her straight to his bedchamber. Her hands gripped the lapels of his coat, and her body felt amazing against his. Warm and soft. He wanted to explore every inch of it. Hear every sound she could make.

With a groan, he forced himself to straighten, but he couldn't quite bring himself to move his hands away from her bottom. Her eyelashes fluttered open, and she stared up at him. For a moment, he feared he might have frightened her, but she didn't make any move to leave him. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, and he had to restrain himself from kissing her again.

"That's three," he said hoarsely. If the kisses continued to escalate at this rate, he honestly did not know how he would keep his promise to her for another seven. Not when all he wanted to do was exactly what she had asked him not to.

"Three," she repeated slowly before taking a shuddering breath.

She released her hold on his coat, her cheeks flushed. He let her go as she stepped back. Had he pulled her any closer than he had, she would have known without a doubt that they would never be granted the annulment she sought. One had to prove impotency by examination, and he was very obviously not impotent.

If he stayed near her any longer, he couldn't be sure he would not pull her back into his arms, so he sketched a bow before he walked back into the house. Fled.

Rain sipped on her punch as she watched the other guests at the ball. After having spent the previous day locked in his office, Marcus had agreed to join her and he only left her side for a few moments at a time. Sometimes, it felt like he was watching over her like a hawk, which was ridiculous, but she couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was keeping an eye on her. At home, even when he avoided her, she could sometimes see him in the window to his office when she was out in the garden.

It made her frown a little as she had some more of her drink. Was he making sure she wasn't entertaining gentlemen in his absence? What did he think of her? Obviously nothing complimentary. His question in the garden the other night had made that quite clear.

Did you kiss Dash before I came outside?

She scoffed, awarding her a look from her husband, who probably wondered why she was seemingly randomly scoffing at nothing. As offending as the question was, it made her wonder if her husband was jealous. It seemed unlikely, considering he felt nothing for her. No more than he felt for any of his other... investments.

"Did you notice that my sister and Mr Winter disappeared out into the garden?" she asked him as she took another sip of her drink. It was fruity and sweet, making her feel slightly lightheaded. She had eaten little during the day as one of her kittens had been poorly, and she'd spent most of the afternoon making sure it was not getting worse. Slowing down on the alcoholic punch might be a good idea.

Marcus looked at her. "I did," he said. "It is not our concern."

She raised an eyebrow. "She's my sister. I think that makes it very much my concern."

"Are you planning to go after them?" He looked mildly entertained by the idea.

"No." She shook her head, then regretted it as it made her feel slightly dizzy. Definitely no more punch tonight. "But if they take too long out there, I might alert Nathaniel."

Her brother would certainly ensure that nothing untoward was happening between their sister and Winter. As much as Rain wanted her sister to find happiness, she didn't trust her impulsive sister not to get herself into trouble. Though Gabriel Winter seemed like an honourable fellow. Maybe he would be good for Nick.

"I would ask you to dance," she told Marcus, who watched her with a faint line between his brows. "But I noticed it's not something you're very comfortable with, so I won't."

"I would dance with you," he muttered.

She giggled. "You could not sound any less enthused."

"I cannot promise I would enjoy it," he admitted, then leaned a little closer, his hot breath teasing her ear. "Though if I was to enjoy dancing with anyone, it would be with you."

Surprised, she pulled back. Was he trying to pay her a compliment? The idea seemed so ludicrous she didn't know how to react.

As he straightened, he raised a dark eyebrow. "You need not look so surprised."

"Other than saying you were attracted to me, that's possibly the nicest thing you've said to me since we married."

He frowned. "I am certain that is not true."

"It should not surprise you. Before you moved back into Winterbourne House, we rarely spoke." She lifted one shoulder in a shrug and took another sip of her drink before remembering that she'd decided not to have anymore. Putting it away on a table, she looked up at her husband. His handsome face was as unmoved as ever, but there was the hint of something in his eyes, something she couldn't quite define.

"Are you well?" he asked. His hand reached out to touch her, but hesitated and he let it fall back to his side.

"Yes, thank you. Just a little lightheaded. I only had tea and a couple of biscuits today, and—" Her eyes flew open as she tried to take a step and her legs buckled beneath her.

Marcus's strong arms captured her, holding her up against him. Even through the layers of his clothing, she felt his heat against her palm resting on his chest. A hint of sandalwood soap tickled her nose, and she closed her eyes as it did nothing to help with her lightheadedness.

"I beg your pardon," she breathed. "That punch must have been stronger than I realised."

"Let us return home." Not waiting for her answer, he guided her through the throng of guests to the front of the house.

They had to wait as their carriage was pulled around, and she hung onto his arm, her legs still strangely wobbly. She'd over imbibed occasionally before, but she'd never felt like this. The way Marcus kept giving her odd looks sparked her temper, but she held onto it until they were alone in their carriage. As it lurched into motion, she glared at him.

"Please spare the judgement," she snapped. "I had a little too much punch on an empty stomach. Surely you have drunk too much once or twice in your life?"

"I have," he replied calmly, surprising her by reaching across to place a hand on her forehead. "But this doesn't look like a regular overindulgence to me."

She frowned, then groaned. Her world was spinning. What had they put in that punch?

"Have you had anything else today? Eaten or drunk?" Marcus's voice sounded as if it came from the other side of a long tunnel.

"No. As I told you, I only had tea and biscuits... I—" She winced as a sharp pain in her head shocked her body. "Oh, this is rubbish!"

She opened her eyes to stare at her husband, but he was nothing but a dark blur on the other side of the carriage. "Marcus... I—I don't feel too well."

The carriage spun around her and her head pounded like there was a tiny blacksmith inside with a hammer. Nausea made her stomach churn.

"Rain!" Her name on his lips was the last thing she heard as the carriage floor came rushing up towards her and she plunged into darkness.

~~~~~~