“Zee, I can’t stay here,” Rowena said. “What would my father say?”
“Oh, I sent him a note informing him that you were not feeling well, and the doctor insisted you not be moved tonight. He won’t argue, and I doubt he relishes any further disagreement with Teddy today.” She winked at them and backed out of the room before poking her head in again. “Unless you’d rather have dinner on a tray in here?”
Rowena smiled and nodded. Zylphia grinned and backed out again, closing the door behind her.
“You have wonderful friends,” he whispered, peppering kisses down her neck.
“So do you. They consider you a friend, or they never would have readied a room for you or encouraged me to spend more time with you.”
He gave a small growl of discontent. “I hate that we are expected to be in two rooms.” He looked at her quizzically as she giggled.
“If I know Zee, they connect somehow or are next door to each other. She’d never expect me to sleep alone tonight if I didn’t want to.” She kissed him, arching into his touch. “She was disappointed we didn’t have more of an interlude in Newport.”
“And do you?” He met her confused look. “Want to be alone tonight?”
“No, God, no,” she murmured as he kissed his way down her neck, relishing their time together until dinner arrived.
After a hastily devoured dinner where she and Perry tasted little but ate an appropriate amount to prevent gossip in the kitchen, Rowena and Perry were shown to their rooms. Although not connecting, they were side by side. Zylphia blithely remarked that they were their only guests in the house and the only ones on that floor for the evening. Rowena shared a hidden smile with Perry as she entered her room to prepare for bed.
She answered the soft knock at her door, opening it a crack. She found Perry standing there in a robe and pants and let him slip inside. She heard the door click and then the lock turn. Her cotton nightdress hung on her as it was on loan from Zylphia who was much taller than she was. “I look a fool,” she whispered, flushing.
“No,” he rasped. “You look gorgeous.” He reached forward and snagged a strand of her auburn hair, running it through his fingers. “Like silk.” He took a step forward, pausing when her breath caught. “We don’t have to do anything more than we’ve done. Kiss and hold each other.”
She shook her head. “No, Perry. I want more.” She took a deep breath and stepped forward until her cotton-clad chest brushed against his robe. “I want you.”
He shuddered and lashed his arms around her, pulling her closer. He watched her with a quizzical expression but didn’t speak as he stuttered out a breath.
Standing on her toes, she kissed the underside of his jaw, whispering in his ear. “I love that my words affect you.”
“God, Ro.” He lowered his mouth, capturing her lips in a deep kiss. His hands moved over her shoulders, her back, and he broke their kiss, chuckling as she squealed when he picked her up and placed her on the bed. He leaned over her, soft fingers tracing a path from her temple to her collarbone and back again. “I want to go slow and to be gentle and to show you how much you are treasured.”
She smiled tremulously. “I know I am treasured because I am here with you.” She kissed him and then followed his muttered command to lift her bottom. Soon her nightgown had been tossed to the floor. She closed her eyes as he stilled over her. “I’m sorry.” His breath at her shoulder made her shiver, and she turned her head away, battling tears.
“No, my love, don’t turn away from me. Don’t shut me out,” he coaxed. He eased from her, resting beside her rather than braced over her on his elbows. “Why are you sorry?”
She kept her eyes closed as a tear trickled out. “I know you are accustomed to beautiful women in your bed. I’m … I’m just me.”
“Look at me, Rowena.” His voice harsh, he frowned as his tone caused her to jolt.
After a moment, she opened her eyes and met his intense gaze.
He grasped her hand and held it to his cheek. “You are more beautiful, and more precious, than any woman I have ever known.”
“Perry,” she croaked out, “you promised never to lie.”
He nodded and met her gaze. “Exactly.” He waited for her to nod. He then rolled over, onto his back, his robe open to his waist. He still wore his black pants. “Show me what you want. I will not rush you.”
“I don’t know what to do.” Her whispered words were plaintive.
“You do, my love, if only you followed your instincts.” He tapped her forehead. “Stop thinking. Feel. Touch me. Whatever you like, I will like. I promise you.”
“You want me to touch you?” Her brows furrowed as she watched his chest rise and fall more rapidly than it should if he were simply lying on a bed.
“God, yes.” His brown eyes were filled with desire as he looked at her. He smiled as she bit her lip and then scooted over, her small hands tracing a pattern over his chest. He gasped at her touch, soft as gossamer. He arched up when she kissed his chest.
She leaned closer, kissing his lips as her hands continued to form patterns over him, at times soft, other times firmer.
He tugged at her until she straddled him, and he lost the battle with himself to keep his hands at his sides as they roved over her as well. When she leaned forward, pressing her naked chest to his, he yanked his mouth from hers and growled. “God, I want you, Ro.”
She smiled down at him, tracing the small lines around his eyes and then his mouth. “Good, because I want you too.” She swallowed a shriek as he rolled her over.
He rose up, tugging off his pants until he was as naked as she was. He paused, searching for any doubt in her gaze, but was soon lost to their kisses and her novice touch.
* * *
He stirred at the sound of Rowena moving beside him and reached out for her as she slipped from bed. A soft lamp lent a gentle glow to the room. “Where are you going? It’s the middle of the night.”
She searched the floor, finding and tugging on the voluminous nightgown over her head. “I … I thought I should go to the other room. It wouldn’t be seemly for us to be found together in the morning.”
He groaned and sat up, scratching at his head and sending his blond hair on edge. “Ro, what are you doing? This is your room. It would be even more remarked upon if you were suddenly in my bed and bedroom.” He saw her standing with stooped shoulders, swaying as though with indecision. Holding out a hand to her, he murmured, “Come here, darling.”
“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. “I hate this!” She swiped at her cheek and then took his hand, climbing back into bed to lie beside him. “After … afterward, I thought one of us snuck out.”
He sighed and rubbed her nose with his. “That’s only when there is no affection between the two people.” He cupped her cheek. “I want to hold you in my arms all night long. I doubt we will scandalize Teddy or Zee if I am seen scurrying to my room around dawn.”
She lowered her head, breaking eye contact. “I don’t want you to feel trapped.”
He stiffened. “Or is it that you don’t want to feel trapped?” He waited as she raised confused eyes to meet his frustrated gaze. “What do you believe just happened between us?” When she remained quiet, her eyes luminous, he whispered, “What do you think it meant?”
She shook her head. “That’s the problem. I don’t know what it meant to you!”
“What did it mean to you, Ro, my love?” he asked, scooting down so he could see her eyes.
“Everything.” She flushed. “But I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
He frowned. “Obligated. Trapped. Odd choice of words you have after glorious lovemaking.”
“Oh, Perry, please,” she breathed. “My father was forced to marry my mother due to an indiscretion, and they were miserable.”
“You mean, he made her miserable.” He saw the truth in Rowena’s eyes. “Have you ever considered that your father is a miserable man and that anything or anyone around
him naturally suffers?” He dug his hand into her hair, massaging her scalp. “I would never feel as though you trapped me. As though you were an obligation. You are the greatest treasure I could ever be fortunate enough to have.”
“What happens when the novelty wears off?” She flushed. “You’d still be stuck with plain, old, boring me.”
His jaw tightened as he fought anger. “You are beautiful, young and brilliant. You are far from boring. It’s just that few have the ability to see beyond your facade, darling.” He closed his eyes. “I fear you want me to speak plainly, and that terrifies me.”
He looked into her eyes and took a deep breath. “I never thought I’d feel like this, Rowena. I never thought I could love again. But somehow I do. I love you more, with a greater passion, than I have loved anyone or anything in my entire life.” His eyes glowed with sincerity. “I never dreamed you would be receptive to a man like me. I thought I would have to make do with the crumbs of your affection.” He smiled as she frowned at that remark. “But I want you. I want children with you. I want a life and home with you, even if that is in hotel rooms across the country and world as I sing. I want you by my side, always.”
“Perry,” she whispered, her hands rising to cup his face. She leaned forward to rest her forehead against his as tears leaked out. “I never dreamed.”
“Will you, Rowena? Will you take a chance on me?” He waited as she watched him wide-eyed.
“Yes, I will.” She backed away a moment to prevent him from kissing her, her soft touch easing the sting of what he interpreted as a rebuke. “I love you too, Perry.”
He groaned, kissing her deeply. “God, Rowena, I never thought to have a woman like you love me,” he said between kisses. He tugged on the borrowed cotton gown, earning a gasp and a laugh as he tore it in his haste to free her from it. “Let me love you again.”
“Yes, Perry. Please,” she moaned as she arched into his touch.
* * *
Sophronia stood in the doorway to the Russell living room and gave a small harrumph to herald her arrival. Although a bright day, lamps were lit in the sitting room as the elevated train running down Washington Street blocked much of the room’s natural light. Every few minutes, the room rumbled and shook from the trains that passed. Savannah looked up from reading the afternoon newspaper and rose with as much haste as was possible for a woman approaching the birth of her baby. “Sophie!”
“I had thought to invite you to my house for tea but then thought it might be wiser to visit you,” Sophie said as she moved into the room. “I hope you don’t mind, but I informed the maid loitering in the hall that we wanted refreshments.”
Savannah smiled and nodded. “That’s fine. She doesn’t have enough to do and spends her time near the doorway in hopes that I’ll play the gramophone.” She motioned for Sophie to sit. “How did you arrive?”
“I came in my automobile, and your husband pointed me in the direction of the sitting room. He is a joy, although rather informal.” She raised an eyebrow as Savannah laughed.
“I’m surprised he was here to tell you where to find me. He has been spending most of his time with Richard.” She smiled at the thought of her husband catching up on lost time with his brother.
“How are you, my dear?” Sophie asked.
“I am well, although I am a bit more nervous as each day passes.” She bit her lip. “I know that there will be pain with childbirth, but I don’t know what to expect with a surgery. I worry I will be a terrible ninny.”
Sophie thumped her cane down. “None of that talk. You will do wonderfully well and will hold your baby in your arms. We will have another generation to raise in favor of our causes.” She smiled with delight as Savannah laughed.
“Your own daughters don’t support your cause, Sophie. Why should you think mine will?” Savannah smiled at the maid and motioned for her to leave the tea tray on the table.
“I am an optimist. I have to be to believe what I do.” Sophie poured the tea as it was difficult for Savannah with her protruding belly. “Now, where is that darling daughter of yours?”
“She has been spending time with Delia and Aidan. They are showing her universities around the region, although she should be home today or tomorrow.”
“Would you want her to study so far away from you?”
“No, but, if that is what she desired, I would not want to deny her.” Savannah sighed as she linked her hands over her abdomen. “I want her near me, but that is selfish. When I think of what my father has sacrificed, with Lucas and me living so far away from him, I realize I must be as generous of spirit as he has been.”
Sophie nodded. “Very noble of you. Few would be as brave.”
Savannah gave a wry smile. “I speak bravely now, but, if Melinda were to leave Montana, I’d cry like a blubbering baby.” She took a sip of tea and rested the cup on her belly. “Tell me. What news of Washington? The cause?”
Sophronia cleared her throat and glowered. “I’m afraid it is not going as well as we had hoped. The House passed the Anthony Amendment in January, but the Senate is slow to see to their duty. I believe there will be a vote soon, but I fear that it will not go as it should. Too many senators are unconvinced that a female electorate will be to their benefit.”
Savannah snorted. “One way or another, the tide is changing, and they will rue the day they tried to thwart us.” She smiled at Sophie. “Do you remember when I lived with you after I … left my home? How unwilling I was to believe in universal suffrage?” Her smile grew. “It’s astounding how time changes a person.”
Sophie’s gaze filled with deep love as she beheld Savannah. “You learned to think and to feel for yourself. You learned that a good man would still want and love you, even if you were perceived as radical. And you knew, after you had been in jail for protecting yourself, what a precarious position you were in simply because you were a woman.”
Savannah shivered. “If I’d had to go to trial, I would have been tried by a jury made up of men. They aren’t my peers.” She shared a glower with Sophie and then smiled. “I hope that Melinda lives in a more just and equal world.”
Sophie sobered. “It will be more just than what you or I experienced. But it will still have its injustices and struggles. I would count on that.”
Chapter 15
Zylphia joined Sophronia for tea in Sophie’s redecorated front sitting room. Light yellow paint had replaced the dour gray-blue hues, giving the room an airy, bright feel. Three front windows overlooked Beacon Street and the Common, letting in plenty of sunlight. A new painting by Zylphia of the dawn’s light over the Charles River hung over the fireplace.
“Teddy did not want me to come here today,” Zylphia said. She took a bite of cake and then a sip of tea. “I think, if he could, he’d lock me in my studio.”
Sophie looked at her young friend. “I am glad you are here, although I can understand his concern. The reports in the paper of the number of people who are sick and dying from this dreaded influenza are shocking.”
“I agreed to take the automobile,” Zylphia said. “It was the only way Teddy would allow me to visit. Although I think it is hypocritical, as he still meets with his associates for business concerns.”
Sophronia harrumphed. “I should think you’d appreciate your husband worrying about your welfare. I know I should have waited for this influenza to ease, but it feels like it never will. The city has suffered from this epidemic for nearly a month.”
Zylphia sighed. “They’ve closed schools, theaters and bars. Now we are discouraged from attending church on Sundays.” She shook her head in dismay.
“No one should be encouraged to congregate with others en masse at this time,” Sophie said. “Although, if that were the case, they should shut down the subway and the elevated railroad. Too many are in close contact while riding public transportation.”
“People have to get to work in order to make a living.” Zylphia raised an eyebrow as she watched her friend.
“They also need to be alive to arrive at work,” Sophie said with a tap of her cane on the floor. “Did you know over two hundred died yesterday in Boston alone?” She saw Zylphia pale. “I hope that our small get-together will not jeopardize your health.”
“Why did you want to meet today?” Zylphia asked.
Sophie held up a yellow piece of paper. “I presume you heard the news yesterday from Washington?” When Zylphia nodded, Sophie tapped her cane down with more force. “Rowena was good enough to send me a telegram last night as I had requested.”
“I can’t believe, after all their hard work, that the measure still failed,” Zylphia whispered. “And Parthena traveled there to be with Rowena to celebrate with her. How can the senators be so shortsighted?”
“I’m still surprised Rowena returned to Washington. I had thought she had a reason to remain here,” Sophie said with a raised eyebrow.
Zylphia met her friend’s curious and challenging look. “That reason might have traveled south too.”
“Hmmph,” Sophie said and then grinned. “Good for her. As for her being in Washington, I am thankful she returned, as I enjoy her reporting. I look forward to her criticism of the senators who voted no.”
“I can’t believe we were only two votes short!” Zylphia said as she slapped her hands on the arms of her chair in frustration. “What more could we have done?”
Sophie shook her head. “Nothing. If the president had spoken up and encouraged the members of his party to follow his lead, this would have been very different. We could have passed this months ago.” She shared an exasperated look with her friend. “However, you know as well as I that the president likes to make grand speeches and then do very little except golf.”
Zylphia choked on a laugh. “I’m not sure that is true, Soph.”
“In the case of universal suffrage, I believe it is.” Sophronia once more tapped her cane down with added force.
“Have you heard what Alice is planning now that the amendment has failed?” Zylphia asked.
Abiding Love: Banished Saga, Book Eight Page 28