Page 37 of Lord of Mischief
She assumed Cecily was the daughter of some local landed gentry or minor noble, and Thomas had chosen someone who would fit in well with the rural life at Rosemount Abbey.
Cecily shook her head.“Lord, no.Before I met Thomas, you would have had to hold a pistol to my head to get me into the countryside.I was very much a daughter of theton.I grew up at the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, amongst a veritable menagerie of children from various noble families.I ran absolutely wild until I came out, after which my parents began to pressure me to marry.”
“And so, you made them proud by marrying Thomas Rosemount, a future viscount,” replied Eve.
Cecily burst into a long and hearty laugh.“Oh, you have no idea.The first time I set eyes on him, I thought he was the most handsome devil I had ever seen.My mother and father were horrified when I told them I was considering marrying him.They thought he was this dull, country mouse who would bore me into an early grave.”
Thomas Rosemount wasn’t the most sparkling man Eve had ever met, but he appeared to be genuine.Nice would be the word to describe him if she was pressed for an answer.He most certainly was not Freddie with his penchant for hijinks.
“But you married him anyway.Why?”
Cecily turned to face the green lawn that ran down to the edge of the lake.“Because of this place.Well, at first anyway.Rosemount Abbey offered me the chance of the first real home I could call my own.A place where I could be settled in life.Thomas brought me here before he offered for my hand; he wanted me to understand what being his wife would entail.The life I was living in London would be a thing of the past.”
Eve followed Cecily’s gaze.At the bottom of the long stretch of lawn a flock of ducks were waddling their way toward the lake.The mother duck was in the lead, followed by five little ducklings.
“So, do you return to London very often?”asked Eve.She understood the appeal of living part of the year in the countryside but couldn’t imagine giving up the English capital.
“I can’t remember the last time I went to London—it holds little appeal for me now.The first time I saw this place, my heart told me my children would be born and raised here.I would gladly turn my back on all that London had to offer for the chance of being with the man I loved.”
The abbey was truly a beautiful place.Eve had seen enough stately homes during her life to know it would hold its own against all of them.But to completely sacrifice life among theton,and live in the country, was something she could never do.
Cecily turned to her and smiled.“Thomas gave me my own self.With him, I have been able to become the person I wanted to be, not the person London high society dictated.I see so many others of my acquaintance in miserable marriages and thank God every day that Thomas chose me.”
The look of happiness on Cecily’s face made Eve’s heart light.Her countenance was not full of the flush of new love, as Lucy’s had been; rather, it reflected a deep contentment.Eve wondered if she would ever feel that with Freddie.Theirs was a relationship based on something else.The heat which fueled the passion between them was more primal than simply love.
If she married Freddie, she knew it would not be a marriage based on contentment.She lusted for excitement, as did he.With the Bachelor Board games coming to an end, she would have to find other ways to keep the passion and interest alive in their union.
Walking back to the house, she pondered her situation.She had been invited here, the same as Cecily had been when Thomas had decided she was the one for him.If Freddie had also come to that same decision she had her part to play.They had been afforded few moments of privacy in the day or so since her arrival.It was up to her to find a way to be alone with him and help move things forward.
Reaching the house, she saw Freddie and Thomas coming down the long driveway of the estate.They were riding slowly, deep in conversation.When Thomas pointed her out to Freddie, she gave him a friendly wave.
Freddie bowed to her while still seated in the saddle.A flush of heat raced to her cheeks.He was perfect.
Tonight, she would ensure they were alone.
Their hunger for one another would finally be sated.
