Page 37 of A Gentleman Never Surrenders
“Thank you.” Milly put one hand up to cover the spreading blush on her cheeks.
“I thought you might like to join me and Jack for luncheon before we go into town.”
“You and Jack were planning to go to town?” It wasn’t that she was jealous of Jack, but…he’d sworn last night to stay with her, to spend time with her after the last ten days apart. The last thing she wanted was to feel alone when her husband only lay beside her at night and spent no time with her during the day. Did that mean his only interest lay in her between the sheets? As pleasing as that was…she couldn’t survive in a marriage based only on sex. She’d always wanted love and equality, not just physical intimacy, and she’d hoped that Owen was the same.
“I planned to only take you into town, but I realized we ought to force Jack to go with us. Fresh air being good for his constitution and all that. I was merely uncertain whether luncheon would interest you or not.”
His reply made her heart flutter, but she tried to stay calm, not wanting him to know just how much that meant to her. She picked up a piece of toast and spread liberal amounts of marmalade over it. “What do you need to do in town?”
“Books. I’m afraid I read through most of the stack Hampton bought me while I was with Jack in London. My library here is quite lacking in decent novels. It’s all political essays and historical treatises on various governments of France, Italy, and Spain. Not in the least bit interesting to me.”
A giggle escaped her. “You’re quite serious?”
He laughed and walked over to his dresser, where he opened the top drawer and pulled out a book. Her book. The copy of She that she’d been reading on their ride to Wesden Heath that first night.
“I finished this and need to return it to you.” He held the book out to her, but when she reached for it, he leaned down to whisper against her lips a quote she had underlined with a pen.
“Yea, all things live forever, though at times they sleep and are forgotten.”
Milly laughed and kissed him back before quoting from Allan Quatermain. “Passion is like the lightning, it is beautiful and it links the earth to heaven, but alas it also blinds.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled with faint lines as he grinned.
“Hmmm…shall we spark a bit of lightning, wife?” He nibbled her lips as he rested one hand against the bed frame behind her. She curled her fingers into his shirt, holding him prisoner for more of those deep, all-consuming kisses of his. After several long moments, she let him go and their mouths parted with reluctance.
“Maybe later this evening we could continue this?” she asked hopefully.
He ran a thumb over her well-kissed lips. “There is no maybe; we shall continue this,” he assured her.
“Good. Let me break my fast, then I’ll join you and Jack in an hour.”
Owen nodded. “Excellent. I’ll be waiting.” He kissed her forehead and left her alone to eat. She was famished and had no problem tucking away her meal before she rang for Constance.
After a bath and her usual morning ablutions, her maid helped her dress in a warm walking suit that had a long coat with military braiding.
“You look very smart, milady,” Constance said, her eyes sharp with approval.
Milly smiled. She’d given up trying to remind Constance she was merely a gentleman’s wife and no longer the daughter of a peer. She touched up her hair before Constance settled a large hat on her head with a navy-blue bow that matched the dark blue fabric of her walking suit. The skirt’s train was a little fuller than the current style of hobble skirts, but she despised when fashion made a woman’s mobility nearly impossible. Her skirt also enhanced her figure, taking the curves she possessed and displaying them leaner in places and fuller in others.
“Are the men ready for luncheon?” she asked, temporarily removing the hat now that she’d been assured it looked well with her suit.
“Yes, milady. They are waiting in the dining room.”
“Thank you.” She rose from her vanity and lifted her skirts with one hand while she headed for the door.
It would be her first time meeting Mr. Watson and she wished to make a good impression. He was one of Owen’s closest friends, after all. She wanted to care about the people he cared about and for them to like her in return. In the past, she wouldn’t have cared about making a good impression on a fortune hunter’s best friend, but now that she really knew Owen and had seen into his heart, it mattered. Her nerves were a little frayed and she tried to quell the restless fleet of butterflies in her stomach. Would Jack like her? Would she like him? Surely they would get along; they both cared about Owen after all.
When she descended the stairs and walked toward the drawing room, she paused just outside the door at the sound of male voices. Her husband was laughing. The sound, heavens, the sound made her weak-kneed with desire and yet excited enough that if she spread her arms they might turn to wings so she could fly.
“She’s convinced you to take up reading? Good God, Owen, I ought to shake her hand or kiss the lady. I’m so glad someone finally forced you to enjoy the finer things in life. I used to love reading before…” He trailed off a little. The man’s voice was low and rich, a bit like Owen’s yet different.
That had to be Jack Watson speaking. The man liked to read. What else did she need to know that spoke well of his character? Nothing. A man who read was a man she could converse with.
“Milly has a way of making me see things differently,” Owen said.
“I can see that.” This time Jack laughed, the sound no less pleasant, even though it didn’t affect her the way Owen’s had.
She chose that moment to enter the room, lest she be discovered eavesdropping on them.
