Page 68 of Indecently Employed
“I love you.” He ran his thumb along her cheek, gazing into the warm brown of her eyes, the smooth perfection of her skin. “I intend to leave here in short order, with you as my bride. That is, if you’ll give your assent.”
She laughed, a short, joyful sound. And then she kissed him.
Ajax took that as a good enough answer. He kissed her back, holding her as tight as he dared, not wanting to lose sight of her ever again. They stayed there, lost in this moment of shared bliss, clinging to one another for the first time without worry or anxiety.
But then Susanna pulled back with a distressed look. “Oh! But supper…” She placed a hand at her brow as she surveyed the kitchen, where several dishes appeared to be in various states of completion, in addition to the bucket of murky water demarcating where the wet floor ended and the unwashed floor began.
“Leave it,” Ajax said with a laugh.
That only seemed to vex her more. “I cannot just leave! The cutlets, and the leeks, and… oh! I forgot the pudding.” Her hand slid down to her mouth, and she bit her knuckle in such an innocent manner of distress that he felt an immense wave of guilt for the lurid images it brought forth in his mind.
“Such integrity,” he said, without an ounce of jest. He meant it. She was better than him, and always would be. He loved her for it.
Ajax sighed and unbuttoned his gloves, which he hastily deposited, along with his hat, on a dilapidated ladderback chair near the long butcher block table. He then shucked off his overcoat, folded it neatly, and draped it over the chair back. Finally, he unbuttoned his cuffs and pocketed the heavy gold links.
“What are you about?” Susanna stepped forward and stared as he pushed up his sleeves, a puzzled look on her face, as if she’d never seen these elements of a gentleman’s dress before.
“If you truly cannot leave your family in the lurch—which, by the way, I have no compunctions with myself; I say let them starve, for all I care. Eating sandwiches never hurt anyone, in my estimation. And certainly not after they’ve had you mucking about like a servant. I say it’d be their just desserts. Or no desserts, as it were.”
Susanna gasped, the hurt evident in her eyes. But Ajax leaned forward, placed a kiss at her temple, and continued. “However, if it matters to you, my love, then it matters to me. I am at your command. Tell me where I might assist,” he said as he cast a roving glance across the kitchen, hoping there was a task his paltry skills might be able to accomplish, “and the sooner we may leave.”
Susanna smiled, and his heart was full.
“You might finish the floor, then,” she said. “I spilled a jug of milk and made an awful mess, I’m afraid. I believe I should then be able to finish the rest rather quickly.”
Ajax’s gaze fell on the bucket and scrub brush. He hesitated for a moment, unsure of himself, then responded with a confident “Right.”
As he lowered himself to the floor, he wondered what his family might make of him now. Both Harmonia and Marcus seemed in agreement on the idea that he could never deign to lower himself so much that he might consider entering into something as quotidian as marriage. Especially marriage to a governess. And not just any governess, but a parson’s daughter. Truly, Ajax would scarcely believe it himself, were he not the one breathing the same air as Susanna, watching her smile as she read her books and listening to her lecture Charlotte on mathematics and astronomy. After all, he had never sought a wife, never meant to bring another Sedley into the world.
But now? Now he’d effectively ruined his trousers and would soon earn the ire of Canham, his valet, for his efforts. He smiled at the thought, and he wished that more people might know of it. What would the club say? That he’d gone mad, just as his forebears had. Only in his case, he’d debased himself enough to scrub the kitchen of a parson, rather than be called out by the jealous husband of a paramour. What’s more, he already thought of himself as a husband. And maybe, just maybe, he might renege on that promise to never breed another Sedley. Perhaps he could be capable of being a father twice over.
It felt good.
Susanna glanced over at him from the stove, still flushed, a thin layer of perspiration on her perfect brow. She gave him a shy smile.
Never before had she looked so beautiful. His wife.
The time passed in a happy rush, with Susanna calmly finishing the meal preparation as Ajax regaled her with tales of Charlotte’s mischief in between splashes of water from the bucket. She felt as if she were in a daze, while her body somehow managed to recall the measurements and movements required to finish themeal. She left the leeks in a pot, ready to go, and the mutton cutlets in the oven. Her work completed, she untied her apron, suddenly unsure of what to do. She clutched at the fabric in her hands as her thoughts came to. He wanted to marry her. Ajax Sedley.
Suddenly she sensed his presence behind her. She closed her eyes and leaned back, trusting he would be there, that he would hold her. He did.
“What are you thinking?” he murmured against the back of her head, crowning it with a kiss.
“Only how I shall even begin to explain this,” she sighed, then fluttered her eyes open.
“We can wait until they’ve returned, and I can speak with your father, if you would prefer.”
The thought of Ajax in the parsonage library, his lanky, elegant form folded up in the chair across from her father, seemed ridiculous. And truth be told, so did a small country wedding, with her mother clutching her handkerchief to her breast as if Susanna were a scrubbed-face maid who’d barely come of age. It didn’t suit. No, she still loved her family, but she wanted to go forth as she had for the past ten years. On her own two feet.
She shook her head. “Mother and Maddy should be returning from Mrs. Gorse’s house soon. Madge went with them, while Father and Mr. Felstead are at the church. I do not wish to say goodbye, nor have you speak with Father; it’s just that…” She bit her lip, trying to work out the solution. Drawing a blank, she bit harder, and willed her mind to work harder as well.
“Hush,” he said, turning her to face him. He was so handsome. “Go upstairs, pack your things.” His mouth crept up to one side in a slight smirk. “But leave this dress behind. You shan’t need it anymore. Gallox Castle doesn’t need another scullery maid, thankfully.”
She laughed, and shook her head. “And what will I wear then, pray tell?”
His eyes darkened, and he pulled her closer, leaning down so his face was alongside hers, and whispered in her ear. “Who says you’ll need to wear anything?”
She gasped in mock indignation, unable to keep the eager smile from her face.
