Page 22 of Desire and Discipline
“I will speak to him this morning.” He looked up at her a bit hesitantly. “Ah… what are your plans for the day?”
“Tea with Lady Cross, of course.” She was bursting with questions, and she had been invited. Hopefully, the lady would be at-home, but if not, Priscilla would leave her card.
Consternation flickered in Joseph’s eyes.
“Are you sure…” He stumbled over his words, hesitating.
“I want to speak with her,” Priscilla said firmly. “I have questions that I believe only a woman of her caliber can answer.”
Questions. Doubts. Concerns. Last night had gone swimmingly, but what about next time? Catherine had hinted at punishments that went beyond the physical, and Priscilla had figured some out on her own, but there must be more. There was so much she did not know.
She did not want to accidentally harm Joseph. Nor did she want to leave him unfulfilled. Or herself unsatisfied. Lady Greywood’s demonstration had shown her quite a bit, including things she was not personally interested in, but it had become very clear that there were many pleasures—and punishments—one could indulge in that she would never have imagined on her own. What else was there that she might not know? That she might miss without some sort of guide?
Despite her conflicted feelings about Catherine, the lady had been very helpful last night, as well as reassuring. Yes, there were still some small feelings of jealousy niggling at Priscilla, but she could overcome those for the sake of knowledge. Also, hopefully, the more she knew about what they had done together, the less jealous she would feel.
What Catherine had revealed last night had eased most of that particular emotion. Perhaps knowing more would clear out the last of it.
“I see. I certainly will not stop you. I just want you to know that she never meant anything to me beyond a friendly acquaintance I could rely on to help me through… things.” Joseph faltered again at the end, but Priscilla understood. Especially as she’d already been reassured that their relationship had never included bedding.
Joseph, despite everything, had done his best to remain faithful to his marriage, which quite a few of the members of the Society clearly did not. Not just within the Society of Sin, either. For too many in their social set, keeping a faithful marriage was rare.
It was their friends and family who had been the exceptions. Priscilla had thought they were part of that—and in the main, they were. Now, they would fully be. Once she learned what she needed to in order to fulfill Joseph’s desires… and her own.
12
Joseph
Unfortunately, when Priscilla left for the day to make her calls, Joseph had nothing to do. On any other day, he might have accompanied her, but she did not want him to because her first call was to Lady Cross. Considering the lady had specifically told her to stop by, even if she was not officially at-home, Joseph thought it likely Priscilla would still be admitted to the house for tea.
After taking his morning ride, he found himself back at home, pacing and waiting for Priscilla’s return. Of course, she would likely not be back until the evening when it would be time to get ready for the Haversham ball, yet he could not stay away. Just in case she returned early.
Unfortunately, rather than Priscilla, he found Josie and Evie having tea in the drawing room. Two of the last people he wanted to see. He tried to stride quickly by the doorway, but his cousin called after him, obviously having spotted him passing.
Taking a deep breath, he stood up straight, tugged on his jacket, and went to face her. While it had turned out right in the end, he was still furious with her. They might as well have it out now.
“Joseph.” Evie smiled at him from the couch, but the smile did not reach her green eyes. Those were hard as emeralds, which piqued his temper even more. “How do you fare today?”
“Fine, no thanks to you.” He scowled at her, leaning on the door frame rather than fully entering the room.
She and Josie were seated across from each other, one on the couch, the other on a chair, with the tea tray between them. Wearing a green and ivory striped day gown, her hair pulled back into an elaborate coiffure, his cousin looked every inch the lady. No one seeing her would ever guess that she could outbox, outshoot, and outride nearly every man of her acquaintance or that she and her husband were currently the acting Spymasters to the Crown. A position they’d recently taken over from Joseph’s father.
No, she looked like a delicate, proper lady of the ton, just like Josie. Josie was also a hellion, nearly a match for Evie, and her smile was just as viperish.
Though he appreciated how protective they were of Priscilla, he did not forgive them for meddling in his affairs. Especially with how they’d circumvented the rules of the Society.
“I would say you are fine, thanks to her,” Josie replied tartly. “Otherwise, Priscilla would still be going about none the wiser, and the eventuality of her discovery would have been that much more painful. The longer this nonsense went on, the worse it would be.”
“And I did warn you.” Evie did not look the least bit sorry as she lifted her teacup to her lips, blowing on it before taking a small sip. “You had the opportunity to tell Priscilla yourself. Instead, you chose to do nothing of the sort and pretend the problem would go away. Indeed, if you had not chosen to go to the Society last night, I would not have invited her to join us.” She pinned him with a hard look. “Do not blame the consequences of your own actions on others. It is not becoming.”
“It is also not becoming to betray your cousin and push him into admitting something before he is ready. It was my life and my wife. My mistake to make.”
“Priscilla is my friend, and you involved us in your lies by participating at the Society,” Evie retorted, glaring back at him just as hard as he was at her. “You might have had no problem lying to her, but I did.”
“Of course, I had a problem with it.” He threw his hands up in the air as he straightened, too frustrated to continue leaning, no longer able to keep up an air of nonchalance. “But it was stillmydecision that you took away from me.”
“It was notmydecision to have to lie to my friend. My cousin, now that you’ve married her. You attempted to take away my choice when you demanded that of me. And itwasyour decision to go back to the Society, even after you’d been caught and after I told you to tell her.” Evie sniffed disdainfully. “If you had not done so, you would have never been caught. I still do not understand why you could not justtellher what you wanted.”
“You do not understand because you are a woman. It is all well and good for you and the others to say I should have told her. No one would blink an eye at a wife submitting to her husband, but the other way round…” He shook his head, pressing his lips together. “There is a reason men like myself are drawn to the Society.”
