A Proper Lord's Wife (Properly Spanked Legacy 2)

Perhaps when they moved back to town…

When they returned to London for the Season, there’d be an entirely new set of rules for Jane to follow, beginning at his mother’s grand ball. Any gathering of the ton’s best and brightest was sure to harbor a great many gossips, and Jane’s conversation still needed some work. Hmm, a spanking each time she brought up the many varieties of wood beetles, a strapping each time she expanded upon the colors of Midland squirrels, and a sound caning when she described the ins and outs of various animals’ mating habits…

She still did that far too often, and it wasn’t the thing to talk about at balls or during a dinner with acquaintances. Ladies really ought not to talk about animals at all, not at great length, but he let her go on while they were at Somerton, with nature all around. In London they’d only have the gardens and the small greenhouse he was having erected especially for her.

Well, she would adapt. His previous love, Ophelia, had been perfectly suited to city life, being a renowned opera singer. He tried not to think about Ophelia when he overheard Jane warbling some silly tune to her rabbit as she took him on walks about the woods, or humming off key as she yanked weeds from one of her winter gardens. They were not the same person, and that was that. Conversely, he imagined Ophelia knew nothing at all about animals’ mating habits…

Ophelia is married to Wescott now, his conscience chided. It’s time to let it all go.

It was past time, really, and he’d mostly let her go, but he still wasn’t sure he could forgive Wescott. When they returned to London, Marlow and August would wish for all of them to socialize together as they had done for so many years. They didn’t understand how difficult it would be to look at Wescott after his betrayal, much less accept him again as a friend.

These thoughts weighed on his mind until the last of March when they began to pack for London. Many servants would remain at Somerton, but many more would come to the city with them, for he’d not be keeping a bare-bones, bachelor household anymore. There were many decisions to make: what to bring, what to buy, what to leave in the country. Jane ordered new gowns, bonnets, gloves, and slippers and retired others which had suffered hard use in Somerton’s gardens and forests. She conferred with him on a special satin gown for Felicity and Carlo’s ball, and he looked over the fashion drawings because she wanted so badly to please him.

She is so in love with you…

Parcels arrived daily, and when he was able, he delivered them to his wife in person because her excited exclamations about his generosity made him feel appreciated. When the ball gown showed up, she modeled it for him with unmitigated glee. The pink and silver confection had a pearl neckline, an embroidered bodice, and stylish cascades of ruffles that suited her sweet personality perfectly. The day before they were to leave, the last two anticipated items were delivered—the ball gown’s matching embroidered slippers, and a delicate pearl and diamond tiara he’d ordered her as a surprise.

He went in search of her at once, starting in her rooms, since she often read in the mornings. When he arrived, however, he found both their sets of doors standing open, with the servants bustling about.

“Where is Lady Townsend?” he asked one of the footmen.

The servant indicated that his wife was in his rooms, and that was where he found her, kneeling to look under his bed. When she saw him she jumped to her feet.

“Goodness,” she said. “Why aren’t you out for your morning ride?”

“Why aren’t you in your bedroom?” He placed her parcels on his chest of drawers. “Why are you poking about under my bed?”

She blew out a breath. “It’s quite the story really.”

The servants stood poker-faced, their gazes darting about the floor. “I think you’d better begin telling it,” he said. “Does this have to do with an escaped pet?”

There she went, biting her lip again. “This was not meant to happen. The truth is, I’ve been bringing Mr. Cuddles upstairs the last few days as I’m reading, because they’ve been so busy in the kitchens preparing for the move. He usually wraps about my arm or shoulders and we look at books together, but today—”

“You’ve been reading books with your snake?” The question came out a little too loud.

She wrung her hands and took a step back. “I’ve always kept perfect control of him, until today.”

“It only takes one day, doesn’t it? I told you at the start, no pets in the house. That was our agreement. How did he end up in my room?”