Page 38 of Romanced By the Orc

“You do not strike me as a cautious fellow, husband.”

“That is a quality I hope we share.”

“I would not be here were it not so.”

Daisy used the small ladle provided to drizzle her salmon filet with a cream dressing. She sampled a bite and closed her eyes, clearly enjoying the play of white wine with lemon in the rich sauce. He watched the pleasure pass over her delicate features. It brought to mind imaginings of her lovely face under the spell of other types of gratification.

He took another long swallow of wine, trying to keep his claws from retracting—the tell-tale sign of his lust. He hoped that this particular detail of Orcan anatomy was not one she was familiar with at present.

“You have a talented chef at your disposal. Izzie shall be happy enough to learn how to prepare these decadent dishes. Still, I want to try Orcan food. And to know more about your homeland. What is the weather like? Are people friendly when you first meet them? What do you do in your spare time?”

“Is this the game of Twenty Questions the English enjoy? I was asked to take part in such an amusement after a supper party not long ago.”

“None such. In that game, one is restricted from any answer other than yes or no. I ask that you expand on your answers to my inquiries.”

“Hmm.” He tapped his fingers together. Her questions were reasonable enough, but The Hidden Realm was his past. Daisy was his future—or, at minimum, his enjoyable present.

“Mostly rainy. A touch stand-offish until you get to know them, at which point they are the warmest people on the face of the planet, I’d wager. As for our spare time… we partake in the same pastimes: horse riding, gambling, and reading. Though I daresay most orcs lack a taste for parlor tricks or multiple courses of rich food like the English.”

Daisy picked up her pewter fork to slice off another bite of salmon. As she chewed thoughtfully, Albion remained preoccupied with her sensual lips and dainty hands, wondering how they would feel pressed into his flesh.

“What of the political landscape in your land?” she asked. “Women have a larger role? Tell me more about that.”

Albion leaned forward and smiled. He’d hoped she would ask.

“My Daisy,” he told her. “Prepare yourself. I think you will very much enjoy what I am about to say.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Her husband reached for his wine glass with the extra-long stem to accommodate his sturdy yet elegant fingers. Albion then spent the succeeding quarter hour describing the organization of voting and deciding on matters in the Hidden Realm, which struck her as more equitable than what had been described for her over her aunt’s supper table in Philadelphia, not least of the reasons being the participation of women in such affairs. The Orcan world seemed to have been able to institute direct democracy in a way even her cousins in America had been unable to do.

She listened attentively to everything he said but imagined her hands running through his raven hair and how his chest might look underneath his fine waistcoat. But childhood lessons still drummed in her mind, forming an unwelcome rhythm. Ladies were demure. Ladies were modest.

So when Albie had finished, she took another sip of the dry white wine and said: “I would like to see your homeland for myself one day.”

His smile narrowed. “You would be one of the first humans to do so. I understand Prinny’s father visited us secretly when his mind could still comprehend the import of such an occasion. Since then, the ambassadors from your land have been few.”

Diana liked that the Hidden Realm remained as genial but as secretive as the Orcan leadership apparently wished it to be. “That your world is unknown among the general populace makes it all the more appealing.”

Albie gripped his glass tighter, such that she feared it might break and injure his hand. “Wouldn’t you prefer a voyage to the Mediterranean? Or the Near East?”

“Let the gents of thetonhave their tours of Italy and Greece. I would much rather see your homeland. Would you be willing to make the arrangements for such a trip?”

He set the glass down gently, but a faraway look in his amber eyes, combined with what came as close to a scowl as Albion’s agreeable features allowed, concerned her.

“Are you so keen to go when we have only just embarked on our lives together?”

“All the more reason to share an adventure, wouldn’t you say?”

“What about America? I’ve read much about the Revolution there.”

“Why don’t you want to go to the Hidden Realm?”

Albie sighed. “It was not the most pleasant experience for me. Growing up there.”

Her comment must have triggered memories that saddened him. Diana felt terrible, but she remained quiet, hoping he would elaborate. He cleared his throat.

“I should have expected you would want to see the Hidden Realm. I shall talk to Duncan about granting you the required documentation.”

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