Chewing on her lower lip, she peeked out the window into the streets of London. They didn’t hold half the beauty of the countryside, but it was where she had to be to see Alex and that made it worth the sacrifice. Out in the country there was nothing but Hugh and his dismissal of her chilly demeanor, his demanding lips, his practiced caresses... she had succumbed to his passion, telling herself that a good wife would submit to her husband’s desires, but the truth was that she’d enjoyed herself as much as she ever had. It didn’t seem to matter that her mind didn’t want to be engaged, at some point her passion and her primed senses had overcome her mind and left her aching and gasping in Hugh’s arms.
He’d seemed almost amused by her coldness after that.
With a sigh, Irene quit the bedroom and went downstairs to check their correspondence. She was sorting through invitations by level of importance, desperately trying to remember all of the instruction her mother had given her, when Hugh appe
ared in the drawing room. He was quiet enough that Irene didn’t hear him approach at first and he was able to admire how the beauty of the room framed the glorious appearance of his wife. The deep evergreen of the trim and the velvet drapes with their golden cord and the gold, cream and deep mint of the walls suited her admirably. She was like a flame in a forest, the sunlight coming in through the windows sinking into her hair and turning it into a fiery mass of copper and light.
When he actually entered the room she caught a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye and immediately sat up straight. Considering how tall he was, it didn’t matter how straight she sat on the elegant couch, it was never going to be enough to make her feel anything other than vulnerable.
“Good afternoon, darling,” he said amiably as he strode forward, settling himself on the couch next to her with an air of lazy self-assurance.
Irene eyed him warily. There was something different about him. Ever since he’d spanked her he’d been rather solicitous of her, he’d watched her as if expecting that she might spark up and flare at him all over again. Now he seemed relaxed again. Supremely confident in that way that made her insides tingle. As if it didn’t matter that he’d put her over a hay bale and beaten her!
Although that sparked her temper, Irene was a past master at reigning herself in. Especially when she had no idea of the consequences.
“Good afternoon,” she said coolly, although it was hard to keep her voice even when he was sitting so close to her. She couldn’t move to the side either, not without it seeming like a retreat and she already knew how much Hugh enjoyed the chase. Heat flamed in her cheeks as she determinedly pretended to ignore his nearness, affecting that she didn’t remember his fondness for passion in the middle of the day on inappropriate pieces of furniture. Like the spindly couch they were currently seated upon.
Fingers stroked her shoulder and her breath caught. Deciding that the best defense was a good offense, she shoved two elegantly scripted invitations at him. “Next Wednesday we’ve been invited to two major balls, Lady Felsingham’s and Lady Durgess’. Which do you think we should attend?”
Inwardly Hugh sighed, social niceties were not what he wished to discuss with his wife, but he also realized that such events were important and their presence at one or the other would make a statement. Especially as they were newly arrived back to the Season. Irene was not experienced at the social whirl, before he’d begun his courtship of her she hadn’t received many coveted invitations, and without her mother or his to guide her, it was his responsibility to help.
Hm. He made a mental note to ask Eleanor to go over these things with her as soon as possible. Much better his sister than forcing Irene to go to her mother for help, especially as the Baroness’ social agenda might not be the same as his family’s.
Studying the two invitations he smiled. At least he knew what to do with this one. “Lord Felsingham is a particular intimate of my father’s. We’ll start the evening at Lady Durgess’, stay long enough to pay our respects and show you off before finishing the evening at the Felsinghams.”
“We can do both?” Irene asked, a little startled. Her family had never had to deal with the issue of deciding between two important events.
“Most of the ton will,” said Hugh, tossing the invitations back onto the table as he leaned back against the sofa, spreading his arms out and stretching his legs forward. He took up so much space that it was impossible to ignore him physically, although Irene was still doing her best to. “The only thing that will differ will be where they start and where they end.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll see if my sister is up for a visit from you tomorrow, if you like,” Hugh said casually. “If we could attend as many events with her and Edwin as possible I’d enjoy that.”
As much as she wanted to show that she was capable, Irene could recognize when she was being tossed a much-needed favor. Hugh was allowing her to maintain her pride by making the request to spend time with his friend, rather than outright saying his sister would have a better idea of how to maneuver the social whirl and could advise Irene on how to handle it. She felt a rather grudging gratitude towards him for both his tact and the offer.
“That sounds lovely,” she said, setting the invitations down. She couldn’t quite hide her relief. “I’ve already responded to Eleanor for the dinner she’s having tomorrow night and we have Lady Cowper’s ball on Saturday. There isn’t anything else being held that evening.”
“There wouldn’t be,” Hugh murmured. Lady Cowper was one of the grande dames of the ton. If anyone else had dared to plan an event at the same time as one of her ladyship’s balls they would have already changed the date once her invitations went out. Even the men most assiduously avoiding the marriage mart would make an appearance at Lady Cowper’s before retreating to their more usual haunts later in the evening. He coughed and then raised his voice again. “I’ll send a note to Eleanor tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you,” Irene murmured. Her voice had gone cool again, as if she’d remembered that she was angry at him.
Deciding to follow Edwin’s advice, Hugh ignored it. While his instinct was to stay and try and placate her, instead he stood and looked down into her startled eyes. Obviously she’d expected him to continue his attempts to return to her good graces. Cupping her chin with one hand he swiftly stole a kiss before she could react.
“I’ll be in my study,” he said, ignoring the confusion and hint of outrage in her eyes over the stolen kiss which she hadn’t even had the chance to thwart. “Dinner is at seven?”
“Yes,” she said, her tone rather clipped, but confusion swam in her eyes. Before she could jerk her head away he dropped his hand, gave her a slight bow and quit the room, feeling – for the first time in the past few days – as if he’d scored a victory.
Chapter 13
Striding through the house in search of his wife, Edwin couldn’t wipe the frown from his face. Wesley had pulled him aside before leaving for a quick word in private, intimating that he’d had a conversation with Eleanor where she’d indicated that there was a real possibility he might have a mistress. The very idea had shocked him. How on earth could she think that? Even if hadn’t cared what Hugh’s reaction might be upon hearing such a thing, he was in her bed every night, most mornings, and often hunting her down at other odd times during the day! While he might have been considered one of the wolves of the ton before his marriage, even he didn’t have the stamina to be at her night and day as well as indulging with another woman! Then again considering how often he did avail himself of her, and her level of inexperience, perhaps she didn’t realize that men weren’t readily recharged for such activities.
Around her it didn’t seem to be much of a problem, but she might not realize that she was a unique case for him.
Well he’d be more than happy to show her. His hand slid into his pocket, fingering the little trinkets that he’d taken with him from his study. Another part of his wedding gift from Wesley, one which he was eager to share with Eleanor. While he hadn’t fantasized about such things before, he’d found that his fantasies had become increasingly dark and decadent now that he had Eleanor in his bed every night and occasionally across his lap. The urge to imprint himself on her body, until she was assured of his passionate desire for her and only her, was almost overwhelming.
He didn’t at all like the idea of his beautiful, rebellious Eleanor thinking that he had a piece on the side, especially not when she already had such bad influences in her life as Lady Grace. The last thing he needed was Nell deciding to take a page out of her friend’s book. Not something he’d worried about before now, considering how passionate their marriage was, but if she was worrying over his constancy…
Edwin was more than happy to reassure her.