Their night together, Claire’s first intimate night with anyone, left her exhausted with a sense of peace and happiness she hadn’t known in a long, long time. No, it was not between the sheets in a bed at home, or even France. Their relationship was not perfect, and she knew he was not in love with her, but she still could not have asked for anything more perfect than what he gave her.

The first time he laid eyes on her naked form she laid very still, praying she met every one of his expectations. He was, of course, the perfect gentleman. Every whisper was a kind compliment, every touch giving her shivers. Once comfortable in his presence she made a point of finding what gave him chills, made him happy. It actually gave her more pleasure to see his pleased reaction than to receive anything herself. That was the first time Claire Abbot realized she was actually falling in love with her husband.

When Nicholas finally claimed her she noticed how surprised he was, despite dealing with a prick of pain that hadn’t quite been expected. Without a mother to explain before her wedding day, [i]and[/i] everyone thinking she’d already experienced this no one had gone out of their way to tell her things were a little unpleasant at first. She didn’t care, though- it gave him the proof needed to trust her at last.

[i]“I’m sorry.”[/i]

Claire shook her head with a smile, just happy she felt so close, so connected to him. To her, things could only get better from that moment forward.

*****

Looking back, her favorite moment would be falling asleep against him, fingers tracing invisible lines and circles on his stomach until she fell asleep. No words were spoken, as she had nothing to say that their actions hadn’t already expressed.

Even the next morning worries of her contact, who apparently went by the name Professor White, and the information she was to obtain at the masquerade did not gain her attention for a moment. Claire woke with a small groan, still feeling a hint of pain. “Nick?” she murmured, slowly sitting up and running her fingers through her hair that was by now completely down in frizzy waves. The blanket fell to her hips, and it took her mentally stopping herself to not immediately cover up. “Nicholas, we should be going. Your father will be worried sick, and you need to see the doctor as soon as possible. The ferry will be running this early in the morning, won’t it?” she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Truth was, even as she spoke of going home Claire really wanted to stay. What if things went back to normal as soon as they walked out that door?

No. They couldn't, Claire wouldn't let them. They were married and she wanted to stay at his side. All she had to do was prove things could be this comfortable, this wonderful all the time.