While Christiana had been ignorant of what exactly the consummation was, she was smart enough to figure out this was it. And she wasn’t at all sure she liked it. However, while his tongue withdrew from her mouth, he stayed planted firmly inside her and merely lifted his head to get out in a choked gasp,

“You’re a virgin.”

Christiana peered up at him blankly, wondering at his surprise since they definitely hadn’t done this on their wedding night. But then she recalled that he’d had a good deal to drink at the wedding celebrations and it suddenly occurred to her that he might not even be aware that he had never properly consummated the marriage.

Clearing her throat, she pointed out gently, “I was a virgin.”

Richard groaned and dropped his face into her neck.

Thinking he was feeling unmanned by the news that he had not consummated the wedding as he’d apparently thought, she patted his back soothingly.

“You were quite drunk on our wedding night. I am sure you would have consummated it otherwise.”

“I’m sorry,” he muttered into her throat. “Had I known I would have gone more slowly, taken more time to better prepare you.”

Christiana wasn’t sure what he meant by better prepare her, but didn’t say so. She simply lay there and patted him again. However, now that the excitement that had possessed her for the past several minutes was fading, she was having second thoughts about what she’d done. And what she was doing. Dear God, she was soothing the man who had made her life so miserable for the last year. Worse than that, she’d actually consummated the marriage. It could not be annulled. What had she been thinking? Unfortunately, she suspected she hadn’t really been thinking at all , at least not clearly. She wanted to blame it on the spirits she’d had to drink, but Christiana had felt pretty clearheaded when debating what to do while he was removing his breeches and suspected she hadn’t been as affected by the drinks as she’d thought. She’d been more affected by his kisses and caresses. Of course, she hadn’t known then that the end would be so disappointing. Really the first part had been lovely, but this last bit rather spoiled the rest.

Sighing, she stopped patting his back, and tried to decide what to do now. Surely it was over? Should he not get off her and leave her to sleep? If she was able to sleep, Christiana thought with a grimace. Rather than sleep she would probably lie here fretting about what she was to say to Robert when next she saw him. Perhaps she could just leave out the bit about the marriage no longer being annullable, and simply say she had decided to uphold her vow, and yes, he has the birthmark. She had seen it. Well, at least she’d managed a glimpse of a somewhat red spot on his behind anyway. It was probably the birthmark.