Page 57 of In Compromise with the Earl
“Visiting a few friends I believe,” Leo replied kindly. “You have a few hours before her return. The main suite is ready for you so you may rest for a while.”
“I think we shall,” Oswald nodded to the stairs in the room beyond. “Thank you for being here, Leo, it means a lot to me.”
“I’m happy to be here,” he replied.
Aphrodite cleared her throat, “Mister Bristol, later this evening, may I speak with you?”
Leo’s brows lifted and he shot Oswald a look before going back to her, “Yes, and no Mister business, you are family now, it’s Leo to you as well.”
Relieved to find a welcoming presence in what could be a hostile Hall, Aphrodite smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”
She turned to Oswald. “Please, lead the way.” They took the left flight of a sweeping imperial staircase and the corridor leading to the East Wing. His bedchamber was the third on the left. At one glance, Aphrodite let her lips slip open. She had once thought her bedchamber back at Kingsley Manor was large and exquisite, but Oswald’s was massive and had a clear masculine taste in its minimal décor.
“I am aware it is a bit austere,” Oswald said. “I just do not care for frippery.”
A large marble fireplace took possession of another wall. Before it sat two couches, a wingback chair, a coffee table and a large plush rug. On the floor was a round rug with splashes of orange and rust mixed with the brown. Aphrodite spotted a large window and set of double doors.
“A balcony?” she asked in delight.
“Yes,” he said with a permissive nod. “I rarely use it though.” She strode to it, opened it and stepped onto it. The space was about twelve-feet long and seven-feet wide and Aphrodite could see where they could have some seats and even a table there, but that was for a future date. Stepping back into the chamber she saw that Oswald had divested his jacket and waistcoat.
“You’re free to change whatever you’d like,” he said. “I realize the harsh edges around here can be smoothed out with a woman’s touch.”
“Hm,” Aphrodite mused while looking around. “I don’t think I will change a thing. I rather like it.”
His brow quirked while he took the wingback chair. “No lace curtains or paintings?
“I don’t have much of that in my former home, so I don’t see why I should change now,” she took the couch. “The only thing I do need is to have my horse brought here and housed with yours.”
“What else do you enjoy?” he asked.
“Chess with the right opponent, I play the pianoforte when the mood strikes and well, you know, riding,” she said. “A good book when I have it, and a card game or two. Hm…it’s strange. I don’t have that much in common with other ladies. Can’t say I’ve looked forward to having tea and gossip or attending balls if I didn’t have to.”
“Speaking of tea,” he murmured. “Shall I call for some?”
“Yes, that would be wonderful, thank you,” Aphrodite replied and waited until he rang, spoke to the maid and came back. “I suppose I always had strain of difference that made other ladies avoid me.”
“You didn’t dream of finding your husband during schooldays?” he asked, cocking his jaw on a fist.
“No, I dreamed of traveling and meeting people, and when it was clear I might not, I took those dreams to paper.” she shook her head. “A Maharaja of India, a Scot Warrior, or even a Pirate Lord. I wrote a lot of stories but—” she shrugged, “I let it drop. A lady writing fantasy stories to be read by others, what a lark.”
“On the contrary, I think its admirable,” Oswald said while rubbing his jaw. “As far as I know, women have a great hold on creating concepts and transitioning emotions into words.”
The maid came with the tea service and after thanking her, Aphrodite poured a cup. “There was always a stopping point in them through…” she looked up a bit shyly, “I never could make the lovemaking scenes right. Dreaming could only go so far.”
Laughing wryly, he said, “I think you have some experience to base those scenes on now.”
Her brows lifted. “Do you mean you want me to start writing again?”
“I want you to do what makes you happy,” he waved. “If it is writing or riding, I want you to do it. There are no bars here, Aphrodite.”
“Oh, thank you,” she said then rested her cup on a saucer. “I wonder if Father sent my books with my trunks. And you’re right, I do have some basis for those scenes now.” Standing, she went to his chair and lifted her dress to brace a knee on the arm. “But I might need more tutelage in the days to come. You wouldn’t want an unsound story, would you?”
Smirking, Oswald ran and hand up her shin and cupped the back of her knee. Tugging her down, he smiled. “No, one would certainly not want that.”
Looping her arms around his neck she smiled. “I’m your apt pupil, dear husband. Teach away.”
His hand slipped to her nape and angled her head away so he could kiss her pulse point and trail his lips up her neck to kiss her jaw and ear. The teasing moments ramped up her desire. When his mouth finally met hers, the kiss surged with ravenous hunger.
