--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This was not the way Ian intended his…" description: "\"“This was not the way Ian intended his wedding night should be, and as he removed his clothes by the light of the single candle burning across the room..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/judith-mcnaught-687_gaze_this-was-not-the-way-ian-intended-his-we_1850118.jpg" --- # This was not the way Ian intended his wedding night should… ![“This was not the way Ian intended his wedding night should be, and as he removed his clothes by the light of the single candle burning across the room, he was determined that it would at least end as he intended. Elizabeth felt the bed sink beneath his weight and drew her whole body into the…” quote by Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/judith-mcnaught-687_gaze_this-was-not-the-way-ian-intended-his-we_1850118.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/judith-mcnaught-687_gaze_this-was-not-the-way-ian-intended-his-we_1850118.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/judith-mcnaught-687_gaze_this-was-not-the-way-ian-intended-his-we_1850118.jpg) > ““This was not the way Ian intended his wedding night should be, and as he removed his clothes by the light of the single candle burning across the room, he was determined that it would at least end as he intended. Elizabeth felt the bed sink beneath his weight and drew her whole body into the smallest possible space. He moved onto one side, leaning up on an elbow, and his hand touched her cheek. When he said nothing Elizabeth opened her eyes, staring straight ahead, and in her agitated state, lying naked next to a man who she knew was undoubtedly naked as well, she was amass of disjointed emotions: Wordsworth’s warnings tolled in one part of her mind while another part warned her that her own ignorance of the marital act didn’t relieve her of keeping their bargain; she felt tricked somehow, as well. Lying beside her, Ian put his hand on her arm, his thumb stroking soothingly across her arm, listening to her rapid breathing. She swallowed audibly and said, “I realize now what you expect from your part of the betrothal bargain and what rights I granted you this morning. You must think I am the most ignorant, uninformed female alive not to have known what-“ “Don’t do this, darling!” he said, and Elizabeth heard the urgency in his voice; she felt it as he bent his head and seized her lips in a hard, insistent kiss and did not stop until he drew a response from her. Only then did he speak again, and his voice was low and forceful. “This has nothing to do with rights-not the ones you granted me at our betrothal nor the ones this morning in church. Had we been wed in Scotland, we could have spoken the old vows. Do you know what words, what promises we would have spoken had we been there, not here, this morning?” His hand slid up to her cheek, cupping it as if to soften the effect of his tone, and as Elizabeth gazed at his hard, beloved face in the candlelight her shyness and fears slid away. “No,” she whispered. “I would have said to you,” he told her quietly and without shame, “’With my body, I thee worship.”” [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A couple confronts cultural and personal expectations during intimacy, navigating power, consent, and misunderstood vows. **In simple terms:** They struggle with expectations and consent in a wedding night. Key Takeaway Communicate openly about expectations. Themes intimacy consent culture expectations Mood empathetic thoughtful Type romantic cautionary When to use this quote - wedding night - relationship counseling - cultural traditions - personal boundaries Key Concepts marriage vows power dynamics emotional honesty Questions to Reflect On - What unspoken expectations influence your intimacy? - How can partners ensure mutual consent? A Different Perspective Romantic idealism may overlook practical consent issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Vows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vows/) [Wedding night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wedding-night/) ## Related quotes > [“Elizabeth glanced up as Ian handed her a glass of champagne. “Thank you,” she said, smiling up at him and gesturing to Duncan, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/elizabeth-glanced-up-as-ian-handed-her-a-glass-of-champagne-thank-you/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“Haven’t I tired you out yet, darling?” Ian whispered several hours later. “Yes,” she said with an exhausted laugh, her cheek nestled against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/haven-t-i-tired-you-out-yet-darling-ian-whispered-several-hours-later/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“Had we been wed in Scotland, we could have spoken the old vows. 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Pure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-kelly/how-do-we-want-our-air-pure-how-do-we-want-our-water-pure-how-do-we/) Molly Kelly > [“As she took her father’s arm and prepared to march down the aisle, Margaret called, “Do not forget what I told you about tonight.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooklyn-ann/as-she-took-her-father-s-arm-and-prepared-to-march-down-the-aisle/) Brooklyn Ann > [“Only one word describes a woman widowed for the second time on her wedding night – cursed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-grant/only-one-word-describes-a-woman-widowed-for-the-second-time-on-her/) [Jean M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-grant/) > [“It was the most beautiful night of their lives – their wedding night. 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I have always wanted you, and you know that.” “I hate that word,” she burst out, trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/the-truth-is-that-i-want-you-i-have-always-wanted-you-and-you-know/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“In some ways it seemed wrong that he lived here now, in this solitary place. At least part of the time he ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/in-some-ways-it-seemed-wrong-that-he-lived-here-now-in-this-solitary/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“We need to straighten out some personal matters between us. Why don't we do it over dinner tonight?" he suggested. Lauren courteously refused with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/we-need-to-straighten-out-some-personal-matters-between-us-why-don-t/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [she kissed him with all the aching longing that being this close to him evoked; she kissed him in all the ways he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/she-kissed-him-with-all-the-aching-longing-that-being-this-close-to/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) [Explore all 405 Judith McNaught quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) ## More Gaze quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. 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What the devil was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/this-explains-so-much-she-said-clucking-her-tongue-in-mother-hen/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) Browse all 15,087 Gaze quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This was not the way Ian intended his wedding night should be, and as he removed his clothes by the light of the single candle burning across the room, he was determined that it would at least end as he intended. Elizabeth felt the bed sink beneath his weight and drew her whole body into the smallest possible space. He moved onto one side, leaning up on an elbow, and his hand touched her cheek. When he said nothing Elizabeth opened her eyes, staring straight ahead, and in her agitated state, lying naked next to a man who she knew was undoubtedly naked as well, she was amass of disjointed emotions: Wordsworth’s warnings tolled in one part of her mind while another part warned her that her own ignorance of the marital act didn’t relieve her of keeping their bargain; she felt tricked somehow, as well. Lying beside her, Ian put his hand on her arm, his thumb stroking soothingly across her arm, listening to her rapid breathing. She swallowed audibly and said, “I realize now what you expect from your part of the betrothal bargain and what rights I granted you this morning. You must think I am the most ignorant, uninformed female alive not to have known what-“ “Don’t do this, darling!” he said, and Elizabeth heard the urgency in his voice; she felt it as he bent his head and seized her lips in a hard, insistent kiss and did not stop until he drew a response from her. Only then did he speak again, and his voice was low and forceful. “This has nothing to do with rights-not the ones you granted me at our betrothal nor the ones this morning in church. Had we been wed in Scotland, we could have spoken the old vows. Do you know what words, what promises we would have spoken had we been there, not here, this morning?” His hand slid up to her cheek, cupping it as if to soften the effect of his tone, and as Elizabeth gazed at his hard, beloved face in the candlelight her shyness and fears slid away. “No,” she whispered. “I would have said to you,” he told her quietly and without shame, “’With my body, I thee worship.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Judith McNaught" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/this-was-not-the-way-ian-intended-his-wedding-night-should-be-and-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gaze" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/this-was-not-the-way-ian-intended-his-wedding-night-should-be-and-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/judith-mcnaught-687_gaze_this-was-not-the-way-ian-intended-his-we_1850118.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/judith-mcnaught-687_gaze_this-was-not-the-way-ian-intended-his-we_1850118.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/judith-mcnaught-687_gaze_this-was-not-the-way-ian-intended-his-we_1850118.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This was not the way Ian intended his wedding night should be, and as he removed his clothes by the light of…” — Judith McNaught", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Judith McNaught", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“This was not the way Ian...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/this-was-not-the-way-ian-intended-his-wedding-night-should-be-and-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/this-was-not-the-way-ian-intended-his-wedding-night-should-be-and-as/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```