“It is certainly a very big room, Thomas. There is an extraordinary amount of floor.”
“There is a dressing room in there with a nice big copper tub, then another bedchamber beyond, which would be your bedchamber, I suppose.”
The dressing room was small and dark and smelled of camphor balls. The bedchamber beyond surprised her. When she opened the door, she had to blink because the sun was flooding in so brightly. Where had the storm gone? She would have sworn it was still battering the area, given the darkness of every other room she’d seen in Pendragon, but not this room. It was white, pure white, no other color, and it made you want to fling your arms out and whirl about.
She walked to the middle of the room, standing on a thick white carpet that covered nearly all the floor in this airy room. “Oh my,” she said.
“You weren’t expecting this. It’s called, originally enough, the White Room.”
“No. I like it very much, Thomas.” She paused a moment, not knowing exactly how one spoke of this, and Thomas said, “Just spit it out, Meggie.”
“My father and Mary Rose share a bedchamber. So do my uncles and their wives. I’ve seen Uncle Colin carry Aunt Sinjun into his bedchamber over his shoulder. I’ve always believed that was the way things were done. Do you think we could do that as well?”
“You wish to share a bedchamber with me?” he asked slowly, and knew he was stupid to feel the leap of hope.
“Well, yes. How can I improve upon you if I don’t have you with me?”
“It would be well nigh impossible. I need improvement?”
“Oh yes, but I will say that I truly believe in ten years you will become the perfect man.”
“Only ten years?”
“I’ve always been an optimist.”
He walked to her and cupped her face in his palm. “Yes, I knew you were the moment I met you.”
Meggie went up on her tiptoes and looked right at his mouth.
“You want me to kiss you?”
“Yes,” she said, nuzzling his chin. “If you have to ask me that, then I’m afraid that it will constitute an additional improvement. We’re perhaps talking more than ten years here, Thomas.”
He ducked his head down and kissed her. Her mouth was so bloody warm and soft, just like the rest of her—both inside and out—and that included her loyal heart, damn her. He lifted his head and continued to cup her cheek. “Your face is very expressive, Meggie. You hate my bedchamber, don’t you?”
“It could be improved upon—”
“Just like me.”
“No, I expect you’ll be much easier. I propose that we use this lovely white bedchamber until I have managed to make the larger one more inhabitable.”
He said even more slowly, his fingers lightly stroking her jaw, “I have never heard of husbands and wives sharing a bedchamber unless they were forced to. Certainly it is difficult for me to imagine that my father and mother ever shared the same bed. I mean, certain husbands and wives share a bed long enough to, well, perform intimacies, but not the entire night. Are you certain that all your male relatives share with their wives?”
“Oh yes.”
He said slowly, “I think I need to think about this, Meggie.”
“I don’t think I snore,” she said. “You do, though, at least you did that first night. However, that first night was undoubtedly a strain on you, so I should not be too swift with a conclusion here.”
He dropped his hand from her face. “Perhaps snoring is one reason husbands and wives don’t sleep together the entire night.”
“I think Mary Rose just shoves my father over on his side when he snores. I heard her speaking of it once to him.”
“I will think about it, Meggie.”
Well, Thomas hadn’t mentioned love, but still, she thought, two people who were not only married but also enjoyed the other’s company, as she and Thomas did, except for their debacle of a wedding night, should surely wish to sleep together. She gave him a long thoughtful look, and said only, “Do that,” and walked to the huge white-painted armoire. When she opened the doors, she saw a row of gowns. Shoes of all sorts lined the bottom of the armoire. Slowly she pulled out one of the dresses. It was high-waisted and looked to be rather old. She turned, holding the dress, her head cocked to the side in question.