by Golden Angel
Debbie seemed to be of the same mind. Bustling around the room, she opened the curtains, ignoring the bed for the moment. When she filled Josie’s washbasin, Josie used the cloth to clean herself of the sticky, flaky stuff between her legs, making a face as she did so. Really, why had no one told her about this part? She was a bit sore there as well, making the entire process rather uncomfortable.
Her mother had wanted to go into detail about pleasure but not mention this? To be fair, maybe her mother would have gotten around to it, but Josie had not been able to bear listening to her. Mary and Evie, though! They should have said something. Or Mary’s cousin, Arabella and her friend, the Countess of Spencer, when they had been advising Mary.
But no, they had talked about spankings, passion, and how pain could become pleasure—which had all been very fascinating but not practical.
Except… Josie frowned. It should be practical for her, should it not? Elijah was a member of the Society of Sin, and while much of last night’s physical revelations had felt sinful, he had not done many of the things the others had talked about. No spankings, certainly no whippings. Nothing to cause her discomfort or the painful pleasure that Mary had lauded.
Of course, she was not disappointed in the great pleasure she had felt, the things he had done to her, but what did it mean that he had not done the more perverse things?
Perhaps because it was your first night doing anything, you little tart.
“My lady? Did you want a different dress?” Debbie asked worriedly. Josie gave herself a shake, realizing she was frowning at the pretty apple-green day dress Debbie had picked out for her, one of Josie’s favorites. No wonder Debbie was concerned.
“No, no, I am sorry, Debbie, my mind was on other things.”
“Oh.” Debbie gave a little laugh, her cheeks pinking again. “Yes, I daresay it was.”
Blushing, Josie dressed, with Debbie’s help, then sat in front of the mirror, blinking and making a shocked noise when she realized a mess her hair was. She had forgotten to take it down last night, and the resulting bird’s nest was startling. Perhaps she should be glad Elijah had not been present this morning to see her like this.
Debbie did the delicate work of finding all the pins and brushing Josie’s hair into soft waves before plaiting it and pinning it in a much simpler style. Josie’s mind wandered, still wondering about Elijah’s absence and the lack of wickedness on their wedding night. Perhaps he had refrained because she was a virgin? Josie did not like the idea of him denying himself. And Elijah was certainly the type to sacrifice his own needs if he thought it necessary. Admittedly, she was nervous about engaging in such activities, but she was also very, very curious. With her newfound experience, that curiosity had doubled, becoming like an itch she could not scratch.
She needed Elijah to scratch it.
When Debbie finished, Josie made her way down to the dining room to break her fast, hoping she would find her husband there, but the only people in the room were Uncle Oliver and Joseph.
She had not thought of Joseph once all morning.
The revelation made her stomach swoop, and she was decidedly uncomfortable. Was her heart truly so fickle? Was she so inconstant? She did not have time to ponder the thought. Both men got to their feet with welcoming smiles. If Joseph’s was a trifle strained, she decided to ignore it.
“Good morning,” she said, smiling widely, her expression a bit strained as well. “Is Elijah about?” Perhaps it was only her imagination, but she thought Joseph might have relaxed at her words, making her feel a bit miffed. And hurt.
She would not have been such a bad prospect for marriage, would she? Except he was in love with Miss Bliss. It hurt less than it had, although she was not sure she liked that knowledge. Were her emotions so capricious, they could easily switch between brothers? She did not like that, even though it would make everything easier. More than one person in London had called her flighty, and this seemed to prove it. Josie did not like that at all. She did not consider herself a faithless person, yet that was exactly what this felt like.
“No, he had some things he had to do this morning,” Uncle Oliver said apologetically, though he did not sound particularly censorious toward Elijah, which meant he thought it was important. Josie pressed her lips together to keep from asking what could be so important the day after his wedding. She already knew the answer. He was off doing something about the traitor they were all hunting, the one responsible for said wedding.
Sitting, she hid her conflicted emotions and smiled graciously at the two men as they took their seats.
“He did leave a note for you.” Joseph half-turned to signal one of the footmen who left the room. Returning as another footman scooped eggs onto Josie’s plate, he handed her a piece of paper. A flutter went through her stomach as she opened it, even though she knew it would hardly be a love note. There went her emotions again, wishing it would be.
Josie,
I am sorry I was unable to break your fast with you, but there are serious matters I must attend to. Hopefully, after the Season is over, we will be able to take some sort of honeymoon.
Yours,
Elijah
Yes, hardly a love note. She should not feel so let down, but she could not help inwardly sighing. They were married. Last night had been wildly passionate, and this morning, she had gone so far as to forget her feelings for Joseph—the only man she had wanted to see was Elijah. Was it too much to ask that he felt a bit of the same for her?
Elijah
The house on Jermyn Street Nathan and Anthony shared was a comfortable bachelor pad. Former military, both of them were tidy, and unlike some of the residences along the infamous street, there were hardly any signs of debauchery or licentiousness. As the houses on the street were entirely filled with single men, often that was not the case.
Settled into one of the large, leather wingback chairs in their study, Elijah gritted his teeth in frustration. He was hoping they would have better news for him. Though he had not expected to be able to hunt down the boy who delivered the note yesterday, he had hoped they would be further along in finding out who had set Josie up at the Sterlings’ ball.
“Every member of the French delegation’s whereabouts is confirmed,” Nathan said tiredly, rubbing his hand through his hair and ruffling it almost comically. “They were all at Richmond House the entire evening. Not one of them attended the Sterlings’ engagement.”
“That is not possible unless we have a random French lord wandering in and out of ballrooms.” Elijah banged his fist on the arm of his chair.
“Perhaps someone affecting a French accent?” Anthony suggested.
“They would still have had to gain entry to the ball or if they snuck in, manage to blend into the crowd.” Elijah shook his head. Despite the crush, an interloper would not have an easy time of it. The ton was large, but it was also full of busybodies and gossips, who knew every single person’s name, titles, and likely, their measurements as well.
“It is a puzzle,” Nathan allowed. He grimaced, shooting a glance at Elijah. There was an odd look in his dark eyes, and his hair was becoming increasingly rumpled from the number of times he had run his hands through it, emphasizing his disquiet. Normally he was the most ordered out of the three of them. “How much do you know of your new wife’s friends?”
That was certainly not the tack Elijah had expected Nathan to take. Tilting his head in question, he let curiosity trickle into his voice.
“I grew up with all of them as neighbors. Why?”
Nathan pressed his lips together, and Anthony averted his gaze when Elijah looked at him. Whatever was troubling Nathan, Anthony already knew and felt it would upset Elijah. As Anthony tended to be the more brash and outspoken of his two friends, that was particularly troubling.
“I do not wish to cast aspersions—” Nathan started to say carefully, and Elijah made a cutting motion with his hand.
“Out with it, man. I do not have the patience for this toda
y.” With everything they had reported, he was not eager to get back to his father and relay the lack of new information, but he did want to check on Josie. See how she was this morning. How she felt about him after last night. If she had seen Joseph and how she felt about him this morning, though he could not actually ask her. Hopefully, she was not thinking of his brother at all. Elijah feared that might not be the case, but he could hardly question her without making her think of Joseph.
Yes, he needed to get home, which meant Nathan needed to stop prevaricating. He pinned his friend with a hard glance, one that he had learned from his father. To his pleasure, it had a similar effect.
“Remember you asked me to organize an effort to monitor the correspondence going to and from the delegations?” Nathan’s voice was still wary, but at least he was speaking. Elijah nodded. Nathan had a vast number of acquaintances from all walks of life and was particularly good at winning people over to helping him. “One of the members of the French delegation, the Vicomte de Gaul, received a letter about Miss Davies earlier this Season. A member of their Parliament wrote to him and requested he make her acquaintance and deliver a gift to her.”
Elijah frowned, torn by conflicting emotions. On the one hand, he wanted to defend Lily. She had been the easiest of his neighbors and Evie’s friends, a bookish bluestocking, the quietest of the four young ladies, and the least likely to be involved in any sort of trouble. On the other hand, because of her reticence, she was also the one he knew the least. If someone were to target those close to the Stuart household, she would be an ideal candidate…
No. He shook his head. He would not believe it. Unfortunately, he knew very well ‘would not’ and ‘could not’ were two entirely different things.
“Do we know what the gift is and if it has been delivered?” he asked, fixing on the one physical point he could.
“No. It was being sent soon, though the letter did not say what it is or why its delivery was delayed.” Nathan’s jaw clenched and unclenched. In the third chair, Anthony quietly sighed and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. He did not enjoy the behind-the-scenes machinations and scheming. They often joked Elijah was the commander, Nathan the advisor, and Anthony the gun they pointed once they knew where to aim.
“Keep an eye out. I do not believe Lily would knowingly be involved in anything nefarious, but I cannot discount she might be used unwittingly.” Elijah gave Nathan a stern look when he stirred as though he wanted to say something, and Nathan looked away first. Elijah truly did believe Lily would ever purposefully betray her country. Nathan clearly did not, but Nathan had not grown up next to her. “If that is all, I must be going.”
“Back to your bride?” Anthony asked, amused. “I am impressed you were able to sneak away the day after your wedding.”
Elijah shrugged. “We do not have the usual kind of marriage.”
Nathan and Anthony exchanged glances, which Elijah chose to ignore. He was surrounded by know-it-alls, so he had plenty of practice. It was far more important to return home to Josie than argue with them.
Especially since he had the unsettling feeling, they were far more aware of his emotions toward his new bride than he was comfortable with.
Chapter 13
Josie
Although she had not planned to leave Stuart house on her first full day as its lady, when Elijah had not reappeared after she finished eating, she decided to visit Mary. She had a few questions for her friend about the marital act and the Society of Sin. Also, she liked the idea of Elijah returning home to find her absent.
She was not the type to cool her heels, waiting for her husband to reappear. Even if whatever he was dealing with was a dire mission for the Crown, what was doing that could not have been done by his father or his brother? Sniffing derisively, she made her way up to the door of Hartford house, Debbie trailing behind her.
At least Elijah would not have to wonder where she had gone. Delicately questioning Uncle Oliver and Joseph about Elijah’s whereabouts had gotten her nowhere, whereas they both knew who she was visiting.
Cormack, Rex’s butler, opened the door and blinked in surprise. It was too early for Mary to be at-home, but he knew very well that Josie and Lily were welcome whenever and they often visited outside of Mary’s receiving hours.
“Good morning, my lady. Please come this way, and I will fetch the Marchioness for you.” Cormack had always been proper with Josie and Lily, but it did feel as though there was an extra touch of deference to his address this morning. Bemused, Josie followed him into the drawing room, where she sat on the couch while he hurried off to fetch Mary. Debbie sat on a bench in the hall since there was no reason for her to act as a chaperone.
It did not take long for Mary to arrive. Josie blinked in surprise at her friend’s appearance before grimacing in chagrin at the concern on Mary’s face. She was wearing a green silk robe rather than a dress, and her hair was undone, hanging in waves around her shoulders. Clearly, she had rushed through her toilette because she thought Josie had a dire need for her. Which, considering Josie had appeared on Mary’s doorstep the day after her wedding, instead of home with her new husband, was completely understandable. Josie had not thought about what assumption her friend might make.
“What is wrong?” Mary asked, her voice higher than usual, and at the same time, Josie jumped to her feet and spoke.
“Nothing is wrong!”
They stared at each other for a moment, then Mary threw her hands in the air with sheer exasperation.
“Then why are you here?!” Cheeks bright pink, she had a feverish flush to her face and eyes, and Josie had never heard her sound like that. Josie’s mouth dropped open in shock, and Mary shook her head, wringing her hands. “I am sorry, I am…” Her voice trailed off like she was searching for the words. Josie had the sudden realization why Mary was wearing a robe, and her hair was dishabille.
“Oh, my… I am so sorry.” Josie’s hands flew to her cheeks. “I did not realize… I had not…”
“No, no, it is fine. Well, not fine, and Rex might hold a grudge for the interruption.” Mary’s sense of humor had reasserted itself, and her eyes sparkled in amusement as she moved toward Josie, gesturing for her to sit back down. “Clearly, something is wrong, or you would not be here right now. So, why are you here instead of home with your new husband?”
Despite her calmer tone, Mary gave Josie a look that said something had better be wrong for Josie to interrupt what she was fairly certain Rex and Mary had been doing. Feeling even more disgruntled—why had Elijah not wanted to do that with her this morning—Josie flopped down onto the couch, not caring how she rumpled her skirts.
“Because my new husband is not at home,” she said acerbically. Mary’s eyes widened. “He is ‘off doing business,’ according to Uncle Oliver.” Josie snorted.
“What business could they need him to do specifically on the day after his wedding?” Mary scowled in indignation, echoing Josie’s feelings, making her feel marginally better. It had been infuriating both Uncle Oliver’s and Joseph’s attitudes had been sympathetic but ultimately unmoved.
“Your guess is as good as mine. Neither of them felt the need to tell me.” At Mary’s outraged sound, Josie felt a bit calmer now she had someone on her side. “So, I decided to come here as I had some questions for you, anyway.”
A little smile curved Mary’s lips.
“This way, when Elijah comes home, he will have to wait for you instead of the other way round.” Mary shook her head. With a little laugh, she settled back in her seat on the couch, adjusting her robe over her legs before running her hands through her hair and braiding it to keep it out of her face. “Well, what did you wanted to ask?”
“Does Hartford sleep in your bed?” That was not what she meant to ask. She had meant to ask about how to keep from having such a mess after the marital act and what she might expect from Elijah when it came to the perversities the Society practiced, but knowing she had interrupted Mary and Hartford engagin
g in the marital act in the morning had thrown her off.
“No, I sleep in his.” Mary cocked her head, reading Josie’s expression, and sudden sympathy filled her eyes. “But that is not the usual arrangement, among our set.”
“No, I suppose not.” Josie knew her parents had their own separate rooms, of course, but she did not know their sleeping arrangements. She had never thought to ask. Falling asleep in Elijah’s arms last night had been very nice. Despite the bird’s nest, her hair had been this morning, she thought she would have liked to have woken up, held by him.
Most couples among the ton were not close, she knew. They did not wed for love. She had not wed for it either, of course, but… She averted her thoughts from the uncomfortable notion.
She would like her marriage to have love in it—when for so long she had been in love with Joseph… Josie shook her head. She was just making the best of her future. Of course, she wanted a happy, loving marriage. She wanted to be happy, regardless of which man she had married.
What did Elijah want?
She had no idea.
“Good morning, Josie.” Rex came striding into the room. Unlike Mary, he had taken the time to dress, but Josie still blushed when she looked at him. There was a grumble to his greeting, despite his effort to sound cheery.
“Good morning. I am so sorry to be an inconvenience.” Josie grimaced. “Perhaps I should have gone to Lily’s, but…”
“No, no, it was best you came here,” Mary reassured her. By his expression, her husband did not agree, but he did not dispute her statement. “Lily’s parents and godparents would have been about, and it is not as if Lily can answer questions about lovemaking, even if they were not present.”