"Can I assume that you are a researcher and not a hunter then?" Sophronia asked Mr. Baltz.
"Very much so. I am actually here because I would like Marquess Wolstenholme to fund an expedition to Antarctica strictly for researching purposes," Mr. Baltz said.
"More so to satisfy your own curiosity I would wager," Eldon said.
"I am truly a scientist at heart. I won't deny that," Mr. Baltz agreed.
"Or perhaps you are hoping that somewhere in Antarctica there are some riches to be found," Nathaniel said.
"One can always hope for that as well," Mr. Baltz conceded.
"Even so there is something to be said for knowledge for the sake of knowledge," Sophronia said.
"Naturally, I believe that knowledge is a fine thing. I just am not sure if pursuing it is the way I want to spend my funds," the Marquess said.
"One never knows what return such an investment might have," Mr. Baltz said.
"My father would be better off sending you to find seals. At least then there would be some likelihood of profits," Eldon said.
"One can only guess what could be found in unexplored land. Perhaps another discovery such as Megalosaurus," Mr. Baltz suggested.
"I am still not sure I believe that the bones he found were anything but a hoax," the Marquess said.
"If William Buckland was not a clergyman I might have doubts too but I see no reason for a man of God to benefit from such a lie," Mr. Baltz said.
"Fame and fortune has turned many men from God," Nathaniel said.
"Perhaps there is some proof in Antarctica or other places we have yet to explore that proves the existence of God," Sophronia added. The idea of exploration excited her. Perhaps if she was not in her current predicament she could have joined a ship crew and gone to explore the land herself. She wondered what Antarctica would be like. She also wondered what wonders were to be found in the snow and ice there. Were there treasures that might unlock keys to the secrets of the world hidden in the ice? What remnants of the worlds beginning might God have hidden there for the brave and adventurous to find?
"It is unusual to meet a woman with such a curious mind," Mr. Baltz confessed. He looked her over slowly as if really taking her in for the first time.
"My wife is an unusual woman," Nathaniel said.
The way Sophronia was talking made Nathaniel wonder if he should worry about his wife running away to explore the frozen wasteland herself. Baltz was not a werewolf and so could not possibly have known that a werewolf scouting team had been sent to see what Antarctica had to offer nearly a generation ago when they came upon it. It was a time when tensions had been running high in some were-communities. There had been a question of whether Antarctica could be inhabitable by were-kind should they need to flee currently populous areas. The explorers had decided that the land was useless for their purposes. It might hold old bones or relics of history but there was nothing valuable to the were-world.
Of course Sophronia could not know that either. She also was likely too naive to imagine what a ships crew would do to a woman on board. She might imagine herself some kind of adventurer but Baltz and the others of his crew would see her as little more than fresh meat to quench their lusts with.
He was none to fond of the look Baltz was giving his wife at the moment. She might think his attentions were merely because of her interested mind but he could smell the lust from Baltz. It was not something that their occasional guest had ever directed at Mercy or Claire. He was not sure exactly why Sophronia was eliciting that reaction from Baltz but he could feel the anger rising in him. His wolf growled and it was all he could do to contain himself.
"It seems to me that the other expeditions of yours that my father has funded have resulted in next to nothing of value, monetary or otherwise," Nathaniel said.
The servants entered and cleared away the soup dishes before bringing out a course of lobster.
"We can not all discover the Basilica unfortunately," Baltz said.
"No, I suppose not. On the other hand there are many explorers bringing back valuable artifacts. It seems the artifacts you have found are few and far between," Nathaniel said.
"As I stated before, I find the knowledge we glean much more valuable than any spoon used by Caesar," Baltz said.
"Did you ever find such a spoon?" Eldon asked.
"Of course not. If I had you would own it now," Baltz said.
"Have you made any earth shattering discoveries about the history of the world or the creation of mankind?" Nathaniel asked. Baltz's face was turning red. It gave Nathaniel a deep sense of satisfaction.
"Not yet," Baltz admitted "That does not mean I will not. The journey to Antarctica might be my big break."
"Or it might be just another fruitless investment," Eldon said.
Nathaniel noticed the women around the table were looking horrified. He and Eldon were displaying poor manners to their guest. He had felt unable to help himself after the smells of lust coming off Baltz as he looked at Sophronia. He was not the heir. He did not give a bloody damn how his father spent his fortunes. Baltz could explore whatever blocks of ice he liked with Wolstenholme money and it would not make a difference to Nathaniel. He was not sure why the attention Baltz had been paying Sophronia had been enough to rid him of his proper manners. If it had been Vivian the answer would have been obvious. The problem was that it was not Vivian. It was Sophronia. He was married to her. At the command of his Alpha he had even bedded the chit. Neither of those were reasons that Baltz's lusting should have bothered him.
"Baltz, leave me a list of what you need and what you expect it will cost me and I will look over the proposal and let you know. For now, I suggest we move on to more pleasant topics," his father said.
"Indeed," Baltz said with a slight grumble that was probably inaudible to anyone but Nathaniel.
Treacle pudding was being served before anyone seemed ready to speak more than a few words.
"Were you aware that the circus is in town?" Baltz asked. It did not escape Nathaniel's attention that the words were directed at Sophronia though Claire was the one who affirmed.
"How delightful," Mercy said. "I went many years ago and loved the trick riders." Nathaniel was less impressed by the circus than his sister but he guessed part of that was her purely human nature. Things like the tight rope walkers and trick riders just seemed less mystical when one became a werewolf once a month.
"Will you be in attendance?" Baltz asked.
"Perhaps we could go while Vivian is visiting," Mercy suggested.
"She does enjoy the pantomime," Claire said cautiously. Nathaniel wondered if it was being a werewolf or just his practical nature that made the circus a bore to him. Apparently it was something Claire was not opposed to attending and something Vivian had at one point enjoyed. Perhaps he should try harder to be captivated by the less than super human feats of the entertainers. They would need to sit in the middle or back of the show if they went so as not to upset the horses. The last thing he needed was to be the cause of some poor trick rider falling to his death because of a horse startled by the smell of a predator.
"I have a connected friend who can get you tickets at an excellent rate," Baltz said.
Sophronia had enjoyed the company of Mr. Baltz but she was more than ready to return to her room.
"Shall I escort you?" Nathaniel asked. He had not offered to do that the night before and she wondered what had prompted it now.
"Thank you," she said. She did not really need the escort but she decided that it would be rude to refuse. Secretly, she hoped that Nathaniel was escorting her in hopes of another intimate encounter. She had thought about the night before several times that day and was sure he had enjoyed it almost as much as she had. How could he not want to bed her again?
"I have not had the chance to properly apologize for your neck," Nathaniel said.
"It is nothing," she assured quickly. It had not hurt and she knew her husband had been swept away by passion just as she
had been. She rather thought she would not mind if he did it again though perhaps somewhere on her body where she would not need a scarf to hide it. Mercy and Claire seemed upset about it much more than she was. Their concern had bothered her more than the mark itself.
"Are you looking forward to the circus?" Nathaniel asked.
"I am. Are you?" Sophronia asked.
"Not particularly. I do not see the point of them," Nathaniel said. She was not sure why the words cut her but they did. Did he think her a silly girl for wanting to see acrobats and trick riders?
"No one will object if you do not attend," Sophronia said. The harshness of her tone surprised her.
"It would not be proper for you to go unescorted. I am not even sure how proper it is for you to be seen at such a place in your condition," Nathaniel said. She could feel the heat of anger flood through her body. He was ashamed to be seen with her. He was ashamed to pretend that she was carrying his baby. If he had his way he would probably keep her under lock and key to prevent her from embarrassing him.
"Your brother will be escorting us so there is no need to worry about propriety," Sophronia said.
She could see the muscle in his jaw twitch with anger. She had not meant to be cruel but Nathaniel had made her angry. She knew a lesser man would have slapped her across the face.
Nathaniel however simply bowed to her and then retreated.
Sophronia walked the rest of the way to her room alone. She opened the door and threw herself on the bed. She did not even try to suppress the tears that flowed freely down her face. She usually was not the type of girl to carry on so but it seemed that the babe inside of her along with a life that was so suddenly out of control was making it difficult to control her emotions.
Her chances at a happy marriage were hopeless. There was no way she and Nathaniel would ever find to be civil to each other let alone friendly. Love was certainly out of the question.
Nathaniel slammed the door which made Snow and Winter startle. The dogs jumped up to sniff at him and a moment later cowered on the floor by his side. They must have been able to smell the stench of his anger. He did not know why Sophronia's words got to him. She was nothing to him. Why did it matter if Baltz looked at her with lust? Why did it matter if she went unescorted to the circus in the company of his brother? None of that should matter to him.
He tried to pull it together in his mind. The only reason he could imagine for his ridiculous emotions to be so treacherous was the fact that he bedded her. Did bedding a woman really cause such ridiculous proprietary feelings? How could men lay with whores and be well aware that the man in the hallway would bed her the second he left her room? How could Eldon seem uncaring that Nathaniel was married to her and bedding her?
It was ridiculous. He loved Vivian. He should be married to and bedding Vivian. Sophronia should be nothing to him.
Chapter 9
Sophronia could tell as she sat down at the breakfast table that both Claire and Nathaniel had taken extra time on their appearances that morning. She had a pretty good idea why Claire was wearing her hair a bit more stylishly than usual and why she was in her second best dress though she was not sure what had possessed her husband to make sure his clothes were completely wrinkle free and his face shaved smooth as a baby mouse.
No one else at the table looked any different than they had at the breakfast table on the other mornings she had shared with them.
Mercy was at the table with a book which she was paying more attention to than her food. Eldon had a glass of ale in his hands and no plate. The Marquess was absent from the table but likely in his study already working on business.
She tried to ignore the tension in the air as she filled her plate. Her appetite was especially hearty that morning. The child within her must be growing large and strong. She hoped the babe did not grow too large. She had tried to put thoughts of birthing the babe out of her mind because the idea of childbirth was terrifying. The babe inside her was a punishment for her night with Eldon. She hoped that would be adequate penance. That, and marriage to a man she did not love and barely knew.
"Are you unwell?" Mercy asked looking up at her. Apparently, her thoughts were showing on her face.
"Just fatigued," Sophronia said. Mercy did not say anything more but she did not look quite convinced.
"Perhaps you should plan to skip the circus," Eldon said. She was pretty sure it was the first word of concern he had given for either her or his child. His words made her angry but she tried not to let it show. She would much rather have had the concern coming from Nathaniel but he merely glanced at her then returned his eyes to his plate.
"It is not for a few more days. I am sure I will feel better by then," Sophronia said.
The room was deafeningly silent for what seemed like forever. Sophronia had almost finished her food and was debating returning to her room to rest when Owen appeared to announce the arrival of Vivian.
The woman swept into the room and Sophronia instantly understood why Claire had outdone herself on her appearance. Even at her best Claire was plain next to Vivian. Her sister had not only been born prettier and with more feminine attributes but there was also a mischievous sparkle to her eyes. It was a sparkle that she had seen before in female friends who boasted about clandestine meetings with rakes behinds the backs of their fathers and husbands.
Vivian did not have the sweetness that Claire had.
"We have not been introduced," she said looking at Sophronia and then Claire who blushed.
"Of course. I am sorry. This is my new sister-in-law, Sophronia." Claire gestured and Sophronia curtsied. "Sophronia, this is my sister, Vivian."
"Charmed," Sophronia said even though she was not feeling at all charmed.
"An American wife. Nathaniel, this is a surprise," Vivian said. Sophronia did not care for the tone that the woman was using on her husband. Nor the coquettish look she gave him.
She wondered if the little pleasure tricks Nathaniel had used on her to consummate the marriage had been taught to him by this woman. She looked at Nathaniel carefully trying to divine what relationship he and Vivian had.
His worshipful look made her fairly confident that he had not actually bedded this woman. He looked at her like a fantasy not like a man remembering a pleasant bedding. At least, she hoped she was reading his look correctly. Vivian was not the type of woman one tried to compete with. She could have any man she wanted, married or not. Sophronia had no doubts in her mind about that.
"It was unexpected," Nathaniel said.
"I suppose once I grow accustomed to her American manners I will find that I love her like a sister," Vivian said. Sophronia was sure there was no chance that they would grow to love each other like sisters unless perhaps she meant the step-sisters from Cendrillon.
"We have plans to go to the circus later this week. Would you care to join us?" Mercy asked.
"I do not hold circuses in particularly high regard. However, I suppose that if the rest of you are going I will accompany you," Vivian said.
"I expect it will be fun," Sophronia said.
"I suppose you would be amused by a Punch and Judy show as well," Vivian said with a laugh that seemed haughty to Sophronia though she could not be sure. She did not know Vivian well enough to read her.
"I thought we could stay inside today and read. It looks like rain is coming," Mercy said.
"It does indeed," Vivian said.
"I just finished reading this lovely book about a family that is stranded on an island-" Mercy started but Vivian cut her off.
"Mercy, dearest, you know I love you like my own sister. But like her, I find your taste in books lacking a certain refinement. I have no interest in the adventure stories you read as if the publishers would quit them. I almost wish they would. Really, how many people end up stranded on deserted islands fending off savages and such nonsense."
"Dearest sister, you know that the Wolstenholme library is vast. I am sure we can find a book suited to your taste
," Claire said.
Claire took Vivian's arm and led her out of the room.
"I suppose I shall check to see if you have a copy of The History of Maria Kittle. It is just the kind of book that Mercy would love," Sophronia said. It was also exactly the kind of book Vivian would hate. It was a story about savage Indians taking a family captive.
Nathaniel was glad when he and Eldon were the only ones remaining in the room. He was sure the library was erupting in sparks but that was not his concern so long as those sparks did not turn to flames.
"You will want to watch yourself," Eldon said softly.
"How do you mean?"
"Vivian. She is not to be trusted," Eldon said. He was looking down into his drink and Nathaniel was not entirely sure that his brother was actually talking to him at all.
Still, what right did Eldon have to give advice on women?
"I am sure she will avoid thieving any books from the library. I would wager a woman like her would prefer to steal jewels if she was to be a thief at all," Nathaniel said.
"The books are safe. Jewels too. Hearts are another story," Eldon said.
"I am married now so I think it unlikely that my heart is at any risk. It would be of no benefit to her. I can not marry her any more easily than you could," Nathaniel said.
"I have made many mistakes over the years but Vivian was never one of those no matter how much she wanted to be," Eldon said.
Did his brother really think he was God's gift to women? Just because he had a drunken night with Sophronia did Eldon assume all women wanted to fall helplessly into his bed?
Nathaniel bit his tongue. Nothing he said would make a difference. Not to his brother or to himself.
Instead he stood up from the table and walked out of the room. Hercules needed more training and he was sure Jonah had already cleaned their kennels, fed them, and taken them for their morning exercise. He might be able to train through all the meals of the day. It would be a nice excuse to avoid both Vivian and Sophronia. The more he could avoid the two of them the happier his life would be.
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