On a Wild Night

unsurprised when the carriage halted and he set her back on the seat, then flung open the door and she saw, beyond him, the dark, unlighted mass of his home.
This time, the carriage had halted before the front door; he descended, turned, swept her into his arms and carried her up the steps. The massive door swung open

repetition of the act?
What had changed?
Her mind lazily circled that point, buoyed on a swell of rapturous pleasure, then he murmured, “Wait.”
He balanced her, then stepped away, crossed to a nearby plant. Seconds later, he returned, three sumptuous white blooms in

To drive—or more correctly to be driven—around Richmond Park by moonlight. To go boating to see the stars reflected in the Thames. To attend Vauxhall in a private party organized by someone my parents don’t know. To attend one of the masquerades at Covent Garden.”

Mellors appeared, escorting Amanda Cynster and Reggie Carmarthen to the carriage.

A man of passion and family feeling—lover, protector, partner. Husband.

A gentleman who loved them, who would set them and the family they would raise above all other considerations. A protector, a helpmate, with a reliable, strong arm who would always be there to keep them safe. A man who valued their skills, intelligence and opinions, who would accept them as an equal however much he wished to be lord and master of his world. A gentleman of sufficient substance to render their not-inconsiderable dowries by-the-by; a man of their world