Six

Edward crept into his own house. He felt more like an errant teenager that was returning home too late from a night out with friends than the lord of a manor and a member of the king's parliament.

All this because he didn't want to risk Emily to see him when he was least prepared. He knew that she'd be angry. And for a good reason because he was basically traumatizing the poor girl with a rushed marriage and he didn't show up for what would have been their first meal together as a married couple. He only hoped she wasn't the type of person that would destroy everything in her path when she got angry.

He was about to start climbing the stairs when Mr. Brown appeared like an apparition on the top of the stairs, startling Edward.

"Blast it, Albert!" Edward said, his eyes slightly widened in surprise.

"Welcome, Your Grace," he said quietly, seeming to realize that his master wouldn't care much for loudness. He also chose to ignore the fact that his Lord had called him by his Christian name, something he hardly did.

 Edward met him halfway on the stairs and the butler took his coat and hat from him, silently moving down the stairs to keep the items of clothing.

"Where is she?" Edward asked, and of course, the butler didn't need any prompting to know who his master was referring to.

"According to the maids, she has been asleep for about half an hour now."

Edward breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded to the older man before continuing on his way upstairs, contemplating his options.

If the situation was different, he wouldn't head into her chambers tonight. She was spent and would appreciate the sleep that came with the night.

On the other hand, postponing things only made it worse. He had to go through with it tonight so she could be free of his presence. She may not understand why he is in a rush, but with time she would understand why he had to do what he had to do.

With these thoughts in mind, he washed up with water Mr. Brown had left for him and got dressed in night clothes. He proceeded to the door that joined their rooms and waited for several seconds before cranking open the door and breathing another sigh of relief when he saw that the maids had kept to instructions.

He had instructed them in clear terms to ensure that once Emily got under the covers, every single source of light in the room must be extinguished. He couldn't risk her seeing his face and running out of the manor at this time of night. The maids did just that as the room was pitch black and he began to rely on his hands to lead him deeper into the room.

He had made slow but significant progress and was expecting to hit the bed at any time.

Blast it all! Edward stubbed his toe on the bedpost. He was used to moving around in the

darkness, but not as complete as this.

He heard the exact moment she shot awake with a horrified gasp.

"Who's there?" She cried out, her voice catching in fear.

"It's me," Edward replied, continuing his advance.

"Edward?" She said confusedly, and he felt the sheets move as she presumably sat up straighter.

"Yes, it's Edward," he replied, finally hitting the bed.

He found the edge of her bed and walked along with it until he was certain he was close to her and sat down on the edge.

"What are you doing? Light a candle so you can see."

Edward could hear her voice clearing and he knew that she was fully awake now.

"I don't need to light a candle, I'm okay."

"Well, I'm not," she quipped and he felt her move.

"Where are you going to?" He asked.

"To search for a candle," she replied, still dragging herself down the bed.

Edward's hand crept on the bed and he took hold of what appeared to be her thigh, halting her movement.

Her breath caught in her throat and he couldn't help but notice that her skin was the softest he had ever touched. He couldn't resist flexing his hand.

"Don't do that." He finally said. "We don't need light for what we're about to do."

He felt her still in his arm and he sat himself more firmly on the bed, his thumb rubbing circles on the skin of her thigh.

"What are we about to do?" She asked lowly and Edward chuckled.

"Do you know what happens between a husband and wife?" Edward asked teasingly and she dragged her thigh out from under hand, making his lips stretch out into a smile that he was only lucky she couldn't see.

"Yes, Your Grace," Emily seethed, her voice dragging out angrily, "I know enough about what happens between a husband and wife. I'm simply affronted that you are demanding for your conjugal rights without giving me any opportunity to see your face. You wouldn't even give me the decency to have a fair wedding ceremony. How low can you go Your Grace?"

Well, Edward had the answer to his question. It seemed she was a woman who lashed out verbally when angry. He would take that over one who destroyed things when angry.

"How low can I go?" He asked, annoyance coating his tongue.

"I demand basic respect, Your Grace." She spit out the last part.

"I'm respecting you by doing this," Edward argued. "You will understand if you just give it time."

"Why won't you let me see you?" She pressed. "How do I know that my husband is the man I'm speaking to right now? I don't even know how you look."

"I'm doing this for your good," Edward reiterated.

She gave a short, sad laugh. "Do you have a disease? Perhaps something that uhm.. bothers you physically. I promise that I won't be bothered. We're already married, after all."

Edward sat there for a few minutes, wishing that he had a type of disease condition that she wouldn't faint when she caught sight of it. He had looked at a mirror more times than he could count and the sight of the gruesome scars and empty hole where his eye should have been never ceased to result in a full body shiver.

He dreaded showing that to her. He probably never would.

"Good night, Miss Dewhurst."

Slowly, Edward stood up and made his way out of Emily's room, closing the door firmly behind himself.