A/N- This chapter picks up right where A Regency Domination Pt 2 left off and will not make sense without having read that first. This is Rawls' and Millicent's story and is the more fitting ending for lovers of romance.
***
The past week had blazed by in a blur. After she had hesitantly accepted Mr Rawls' proposal, Lord Applefield had banished his son to his most distant estate, and then written to her uncle, while Sir Phillip was dispatched to procure a special license so they could be married quickly.
Her family had descended upon Harfold in confusion and (in her cousin Minerva's case) excitement. She did not know how much Lord Applefield had shared with them upon their arrival, but it was enough to send Aunt Poppy scurrying back to London with a reluctant Minerva in tow. Her uncle had stayed until the wedding, stoically handing her over before departing hastily as well.
She knew he had been pained by what happened, but she had not expected to be so hurt by his belief that
she
had equally been to blame, that she had somehow... invited George's cruel advances.
Maybe I did
, she thought.
Maybe I am a wicked woman like my mother who seduced her better and then took advantage of a kind offer by a gentleman who took pity on me.
She looked at Mr Rawls, seated across her in the Applefields' carriage. The entire journey back to his - and now
her
, too - home, he had studiously avoided her gaze, even though she knew he was cognisant of her every move.
Alone together, for the first time, and she had no notion of what to say to her husband.
In that moment, as if aware her eyes were upon him, he looked at her, letting her see the raw hunger on his face.
Just like George.
The walls started to close in on her again and her chest tightened. She opened and closed her mouth but somehow could not breathe. She started to shake. It was happening again. And this time, she would surely die, away from all her loved ones, trapped in a cramped space with this stranger.
And then his hand reached out to cover hers, the warmth seeping through her and pushing away the darkness that threatened to engulf her.
His expression brimming with kindness and sympathy, he murmured, "Regardless of what barriers confront you, it is in your power to free yourself; you have only to want to."
The unexpected Olympe de Gouges' quote gave her pause. The air rushed back into her lungs as she peered at him quizzically.
"I know you are a huge fan of Mrs Wollstonecraft, but I believe
The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen
to be a very illuminating read," he offered, with a tender smile.
In spite of herself, her own lips quirked upwards. "If you had told me sooner, I would have asked the priest to include her marriage contract in our vows."
"Of course you would have." He twinkled at her approvingly. "I am glad my faith in you was not misplaced."
His disarmingly playful expression lit up dark corners of her heart that she did not know existed. Being here with him made her feel like she was safe and protected, like she could finally let her guard down.
Giving in, she yawned widely, before clamping her mouth shut in horror.
He started to chuckle wryly at her expression. "Couldn't sleep last night?"
She looked at him ruefully. "All week, in fact, but that does not excuse my behaviour. Please accept my apologies, Mr Rawls."
"James," he said earnestly. "I am your husband. Surely you can use my Christian name, Millie. I may call you Millie, may I not?"
She blushed again and nodded.
He sat back, satisfied. "It will be hours before we reach the parish. I think it best that you catch up on some sleep."
"But what will you do?" she asked blankly.
He pulled out some papers from his pocket. "Go over my notes for the next sermon, I suppose. They are still not quite polished."
"Will you read them out loud?" she blurted without thinking. "I find them to be the best sleeping aid."
The look of dismay on his face made her giggle.
"Need I remind you that you are the wife of a parson, Mrs Rawls?"
She sighed, feeling light-hearted after ages. "You can just apologise to the Lord for me every time I act with impiety."
He shook his head and laughed, a deep, rumbling sound emerging from his chest and warming her. And then he cleared his throat and affected a look of sombreness. "In that case, let us begin..."
Smiling, she closed her eyes, allowing his soothing words to wash over her, and drifted to sleep.
***
It was a strange thing, being married, James thought, as he beheld his new wife in the unmoving carriage. The woman in front of him was the oddest mixture of sweet and impertinent. After thoroughly charming him with her artless smiles, she now slept with her mouth slightly open, a bit of drool pooling at the corner of her lips.
