Page 42 of Indecent Desires of a Proper Lady
“I do not think I will be able to achieve all of that, but I shall do my utmost, dear Margaret.” He walked to the door and turned back to her, his eyes a little sad. He wanted to look upon her face just a little bit longer before he left.
“Goodbye, Margaret. I shall think of you endlessly.”
“In what way? As a tempting vixen? Or an innocent woman?”
He smiled. “In any way that pleases me. You shall fill my thoughts from dawn to dusk.” His voice lowered. “And I will have that kiss, the feel of you, and the way your skin tastes to keep me company in the night. Keep writing.”
“My, my, it is not me who is the vixen, but you!” she whispered, laughing. “Goodbye, Philip. I shall write. You can depend upon that.”
She smiled at him, and he left the room and the house, even though he thought many times about running back to the drawing room to take her in his arms again. As he rode back home on his horse he worried very much that he would not be able to keep that image of Margaret in his mind as perfectly as she had looked then.
Chapter Eighteen
It seemed that Juliet had been waiting for the perfect moment, and she floated into the drawing room as soon as Philip had left it. Annoyingly, Margaret felt like crying, even though she knew he would only be gone for a few weeks, and even though she knew that they loved each other dearly.
That kiss. It had nearly broken her in half in a completely overcoming, blissful way. That kiss would be burned in her memory, and she too would be kept awake at night thinking of it, thinking of what more would happen once they were man and wife. She shuddered once again as she thought of the hardness she felt between them as he pressed his strong body against hers, holding her tightly so that she could not move. She had been a most willing captive, punished with kisses.
“Margaret, why do you look so? Was it not a good visit with your Mr. Winston?”
Margaret shook off her slowly growing despair. “Yes, Juliet. It was a good visit, very good in fact, but he has now said goodbye.” She sat down and moved her notebook in front of her.
“Goodbye? As he goes to the Navy?”
“Yes, he leaves in two days’ time but has some matters to attend to.”
Juliet sat down next to her. “And how goes it with you? Are you terribly heartbroken at his departure? I have noticed your growing kinship of late. I am certain you will miss him.”
“Miss him, I shall, but heartbroken, no. I think it is very exciting for him to have such an adventure. He promised that he would bring back as many stories for me as possible, and that we will make everything official when he returns.”
Juliet sat down, smiling. “That is something very much to look forward to then. I look forward to seeing the banns read at church, so that the whole world may know of your union. Until then,” Juliet took Margaret’s hand, “I shall keep quiet of what I know.”
“Thank you, Juliet. It is not that I am not proud of it, but I do wish to wait until all is made public. I am not sure how long I will be able to wait for the blessed day!”
Juliet smiled and stood up. “I understand your excitement very well, indeed. What do you say to us going to the music hall this evening? Why, we have done nothing of the sort in a long time. We can take tea and then listen to divine music wearing our best pearls.”
Margaret nodded. “I would be very grateful. That sounds wonderful. I do not wish to sit and think and wallow upon my beloved’s departure.”
“Beloved? My, my, I think that I should tell Leonard of how you speak about Philip. He will seethe with jealousy, for I am not certain I have ever used that word in reference to him.” They wandered out into the garden, arm in arm.
“You are always in jest, Juliet! I know you love my brother as much as I love Philip.”
“Yes, of course. But you must remember that matrimony has its difficult phases. A dose of laughter will be the best medicine. We cannot have our men thinking the world of themselves, now can we?”
“Let us to our boudoirs, and then we take ourselves to the music hall and focus only on what gives us pleasure.”
In a few hours, after dinner, Juliet and Margaret kissed Leonard and George goodbye, and were off in a carriage to the music hall. There was to be an opera that evening, and Margaret had worn her best gloves, happy to forget Philip’s impending departure.
As they arrived, they mingled outside of the hall’s doorways and took refreshments as they waited for the musicians. No one yet approached them, even though the area was nearly full of people, and Margaret heard trails of whispers as people passed.
“Juliet, you will have to forgive my appearance. I do believe people have not yet quite mastered the understanding of why I should have cut my hair off as I did. I fear the whispers are about me, and you are thus affected.”
Juliet waved her hand in the air. “Oh, Margaret, as you well know, I have had my share of the ton gossip. I was a popular subject among the wagging tongues for a long time. I simply learned to turn a blind ear to their whispers. They mean only to frighten and intimidate. Oh! There is Sarah speaking to her aunt. Let us wave.”
Juliet waved a cream-colored gloved hand in Sarah’s direction, and the young girl turned and with a bright smile rushed over.
“Hello, dear friends! What a surprise to see you out and about at such a function. It feels that the old days have come home to roost.” She reached out a hand for Margaret’s arm. “Looking bewitching as always, My Dear. I do love the hair.”
Juliet smiled. “We were just discussing it. How Margaret believes herself to be the subject of the latest gossip with the style of her hair.”
