And now, his brother could not stop prattling on about his wife’s finer qualities, as though they were any business of his. ‘…and a lot in common with Tim as well. Perhaps when you go home, she will have opportunity to see his research, for I think she would find it fascinating. He was a dab hand at languages when you were in school, was he not?’
‘Tim.’ Oh, dear God. Not him as well.
‘Yes. They went off together, just now, while we were speaking? Probably looking for a quiet corner where they can conjugate verbs together.’ Will laughed.
‘Not if I can help it.’ And Adam left his brother to search out his wife.
Chapter Fifteen
‘Fair Penelope.’ Lord Timothy was being most effusive in his praise, and she wondered if he were the worse for drink. ‘I have sent my wife home, and she will bother you no further.’
‘You wished to speak to me?’
He caught her hand, and slipped it through the crook of his arm, then led her away from the ballroom. ‘In your sitting room, if that is all right. Somewhere we can be alone.’
‘What do you wish to say that requires privacy?’
‘Things I do not wish others to hear.’ He led her past her husband, who was deep in conversation with his brother, and hardly aware of his surroundings. ‘Perhaps I wish to be the first man of the ton to attempt a flirtation with you. I expect there shall be many, and do not wish to lose my chance, for lack of courage.’
She tried a laugh, and failed. ‘If that was meant as a joke, I fear it was not very funny. I do not wish you to flirt with me, now or ever, if that is truly your intent.’
‘A pity.’ He sighed. ‘We would likely do well together, just as our spouses suit each other. For we are studious and bookish, and not at ease in society. Just as they are mercurial and charismatic.’
‘It was true what she said, then. You know about them.’ Then Penny stopped to look around, afraid that a guest might have heard her speak.
Tim hurried down the last flight of steps and pulled her down the hall and into her own room, shutting the door behind them. ‘I am many things, Penelope, but I am neither blind, nor foolish. I was well aware of what happened. Clarissa made certain of it.’
‘It does not bother you that your wife is so flagrant in her attentions to other men?’
He sighed. ‘Many of the couples in my set have such agreements. We married for reasons other than love. She was rich, as well as beautiful. I have been able to finance my studies.’ He grimaced. ‘Although she makes me pay dearly for them.’
‘And you all look politely the other way when there is something you do not wish to see?’
‘Precisely.’
‘But if I make the slightest social faux pas?’
‘Then you will be the talk of the town. You are already notorious for aspiring to a better class than you were born to. People like Clarissa wish to see you fail, to prove that you do not belong. Then they may continue to feel superior.’
‘Timothy, this is grossly unfair.’
He nodded. ‘But do not believe what she told you. You did well tonight.’
She ignored the compliment. ‘It is not particularly moral of you all to allow such chaos and infidelity in your midst.’
‘You must have a very limited understanding of society to think so, my dear.’
‘I never claimed to have one. Not your idea of society, at least. In the circles I moved in, people did not work so at playing false. My mother loved my father, and my father loved her. They were a most happy couple, until she died. And I would swear they were faithful; even after she was gone, my father did not seek the company of women, or wish to remarry. He threw himself wholeheartedly into his work.’
Timothy laughed. ‘Perhaps that is the problem, for we have no work to throw ourselves into. Idle hands, as they say, my dear. Clarissa is proof of that, for she has never done a moment’s real labour, but is the devil’s handmaiden if there is mischief to be made.’
Penny did not wish to speak ill of the man’s wife, and attempted, ‘I am sure that she has many qualities that I will consider admirable, once I know her better.’
‘And I came here to warn you not to bother. You will never get from her other than you got tonight. Backbiting, sly innuendoes, threats and tricks. If you show weakness, she will use it against you. Once she finds a chink in your armour, she will strike there, to bring you all the pain she can. That is the only reason that she wants Adam back, now that he has finally come to his senses. It amuses her to drive a wedge between me and my oldest friend.’
Penny seized on the only hopeful note in the speech. ‘So they are no longer together?’
‘Not for some time. But she is persistent, and I feared he would weaken. When he returned from Scotland with you, I was much relieved.’
Penny shook her head. ‘It is no love match. Do not expect him to choose me, should there be a choice to be made.’
‘And yet, he says he did not marry for money, and I believe him.’
She weighed the truth, and the burden of keeping the secret from one who could help her understand. At last she said, ‘We are married because I tricked him. I needed a husband to gain control of my fortune. When I found him, he was face down in a coach yard. It appeared he had tried to throw himself beneath the carriage and make an end of it. He said something about gambling and bad debts when he was sober enough to talk. But he was far too drunk to know what was happening at the time of the actual marriage.’
‘It was not binding, if he was too drunk to agree.’
‘That was what I thought. I offered to let him go. But he felt an obligation. I needed a husband, and he needed money. And since we were already married, we struck a bargain and came back to London.’ She looked sadly at Timothy. ‘I am sorry to disappoint you, if you were expecting a grand romantic tale. But that’s the truth of it.’
‘Nonsense. He is yours if you want him, and Clarissa has no hope. I know him better than I know myself. And I have seen the way he looks at you.’
She laughed. ‘What way is that?’
‘Like a man in love. You are good for him, Penelope. No matter how things appear, you must not lose heart, for Clarissa is no threat to you.’ Tim caught her hand and held it in his.
She laughed. ‘You are mad.’
‘Adam may be too big a fool to tell you, just yet. But not so big a fool as to pass you by for that harridan I am shackled to. What happened pains him greatly, and I am sick to death of seeing the guilt in his eyes when he looks at me. Make him forget, and you will help us both.’
‘But why do you bother, Tim? I am sure he would not blame you if you could not forgive him.’
Tim smiled. ‘I know how much of the blame lies with my wife. Clare angled after him for years before she finally trapped him. It was a wonder he held out as long as he did.’
‘But she was not the only one at fault,’ Penny said.
‘True enough. And try as I might, I cannot help but forgive him. I’m sure you have noticed by now that he is a most likeable fellow, especially when you wish to be angry with him. Very persuasive. Has he told you what happened, to get him sent down when we were at school together?’
‘No.’ She tried to hide her curiosity.
‘It was all my doing.’ Tim shook his head. ‘I was a heavy drinker in those days. And one night, while deep in my cups, we got to brawling with each other in a public house, like common ruffians. That was over a woman as well, for it is the only reason we ever argue. Missed curfew. And gave him the worst of it. Blacked his eye and nearly broke that handsome face of his. It was all around the school that I assaulted Bellston’s heir. Added to my lack of academic attention, I deserved a one-way ticket home. But somehow, Adam managed to convince the deans that it was all his fault. Took the whole blame. Issued the apologies, paid the bills, put some ice on his black eyes and allowed himself to be sent home in disgrace to face his father. Told me, if I loved science so much, I had best get about proving it, for with no ti
tle and no money, I would need an education to secure my future. But since he was to be duke, he could be as big a fool as he liked and no harm would come of it.’
Tim smiled and shook his head. ‘Couldn’t well be angry with him after that. You will see what he is like, if you haven’t already. When he tries, let him charm you. You will not regret it, I promise you.’
There was a rather loud sound of someone clearing his throat in the hallway, and then the door opened and her husband walked into the room.
Adam glanced at them, as though not noticing anything unusual, and said, ‘I was looking for a book, for the trip tomorrow.’ He looked at her. ‘Perhaps you could recommend something?’ And to his friend, ‘Or you, Tim. For I assume that is why you are secluded with my wife. So that you may talk books, without boring the rest of us.’ There was a touch of menace in her husband’s voice that she had never heard before.
‘Of course,’ Tim answered innocently. ‘For what other reason would one choose to be alone with such a lovely woman? Not making you jealous, am I?’
‘Do I have reason to be?’
‘I think I might have reason to be jealous of you. But that is between you and your wife. Good luck, old friend, as if you need any more. And goodnight.’ Tim let go of her hand, and rose to leave.
Adam watched him with suspicion. ‘Close the door behind you, please.’
He waited until his friend had gone down the hall and was out of earshot. And then he said without warning, ‘I will not let you cuckold me in my own home.’
‘Would you prefer that I do it elsewhere?’ She had almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it before she realised he was serious.
He did not raise his voice, but she could tell that his temper was barely contained. ‘You know what I meant. I would prefer not to have to kill a man over you. Especially not that one.’
‘Kill Tim? Adam, listen to yourself. Have you gone mad?’
She could hardly recognise the man before her, for his eyes were dark and his face more grim than she had ever seen it. ‘Do not be flip with me. If you do not set that young puppy straight, I will be forced to deal with him on the field of honour, the next time I wander in on the two of you.’
‘For holding my hand? That is rich, after what he has suffered from you.’
‘Which is another reason I do not wish to hurt him. He has not, as yet, done anything I cannot overlook. But I suspect it is only a matter of time before I will have reason to act. I beg you to stop it, to prevent me from having to do so.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘As if it would matter to you. From what I gather, in talking to your friends, the nobles of your acquaintance have the morals of cats in an alley. Not one wife amongst them is faithful, and all the husbands have mistresses.’
‘That is different,’ he answered.
‘I fail to see how. It is not as if we married for love, unless that is a mandatory precursor to the level of infidelity I have seen. Ours was a purely financial arrangement, and I thought we were of an understanding on the subject of sexual attachments. I told you it did not matter to me.’
‘And do you remember my saying, in response to you, that what you did would not matter to me? Because I did not. I was under the impression that while you intended for me to find a mistress to deal with my personal needs, you meant to stay home alone with a good book.’
‘So the situation is agreeable, so long as it benefits you and not me?’ she said.
‘I fail to see how it does, since I have not yet taken advantage of the liberties you seem so eager to allow me.’
She grew even more confused. ‘You have no mistress?’
‘Not at this time.’
‘Nor any other…’
‘No.’
‘Since we married, you have not—’
‘I said, no,’ he snapped.
‘I do not understand.’
‘Nor do I,’ he responded. ‘But that doesn’t mean I wish for you to take a lover after less than a month of marriage. You cannot expect me to sit idly by and do nothing about it.’
Her argument ran out of fuel, and her anger cooled. But his argument became no clearer. And so she said, ‘Your friends do not seem overly bothered by their wives’ conduct.’
‘My friends all have several children. Any inheritances or titles have been assured. Their wives have performed the duties, which you have expressed no interest in. They have earned latitude.’
‘And is that the only problem? You think that I encourage Timothy too soon?’
‘People will say that turnabout is fair play, and I am getting a taste of what I deserve. And they will question the legitimacy of my heir, should there be one, even if I do not.’
She smiled at the nonsense of it. ‘But I have no intention of getting myself with child.’
He shook his head. ‘You are wise in many things, but there is much you do not know. Let me try to explain. First, you understand that you do not get yourself with child, it is a collaborative effort.’
‘I do not plan to collaborate.’
He sighed. ‘If you have feelings for Timothy, or any one else, for that matter, these feelings could lead you to a place where collaboration is inevitable.’
‘I am not so easily led, Adam,’ she said.
He shook his head. ‘At one time, I thought I was as wise as you think you are now. A private conversation, a shared joke, the touch of a hand in friendship, or a waltz or two in public would lead to nothing. It was all innocent flirtation that I could stop before it got out of control. But considering our histories, you should sympathise with how easy it can be to respond poorly in the heat of the moment. And there is much heat in a forbidden kiss.’
He sank down on the couch, his head in his hands. ‘The next morning, I realised what I had done, and could not bring myself to look in the mirror. I was too ashamed. And that wasn’t the last time. I could not seem to stop it until I had driven myself near to ruin and hurt family and friends with the indiscretion.
‘And I am not as noble as my good friend Timothy, to be all understanding and forgiveness. Should he try to do to me what I did to him, I am more like to put a ball through him in the heat of anger than look quietly aside. I do not wish it to end thus.’ He looked up at her, in desperation. ‘If you truly prefer him to me, tell me now, and I will request the annulment that you once offered. Then you will be free to do as you like.’
‘I would make you pay back the money you have used,’ she countered.
‘You would have no right to do so. An annulment will make it as if you have never been married. Control of your estate would revert to your brother. I think he would consider the debts I incurred to be money well spent. The man would be more likely to kiss me than you would.’ He put his hand on hers. ‘I do not like Hector, and have no desire to aid him in controlling you, but neither will I allow you to shame me in public or destroy an already fragile friendship.’
She shook her head in amazement. She could not decide which was stranger: her husband’s jealous raving, or the twisted logic of the upper class. ‘So if any man speaks to me, you will be convinced that I am unfaithful, like all the other wives. And then you will corner me to rant, as you have tonight, although you have no reason.’
He gave her a sad smile, and nodded.
She continued. ‘And although in time you are likely to stray from me, I will be allowed no indiscretions at all, for you do not wish people to think that your heirs are illegitimate. You understand that there is no point in suspecting the legitimacy of your children until you have some?’
And now, he was looking at her with speculation. The silence drew out long between them.
‘But if you did, that would mean…’ Her pulse quickened in response. ‘Oh, no.’
‘We could remain unfortunately childless, I suppose. And celibate. And hope that my brother marries and produces. But that is a lot to assume. If there is any hint of infidelity on your part, annulment will continue to be an option.’
‘You mean to hold that over my head for the rest of our lives?’
‘If necessary.’ The intensity of his gaze grew. ‘Or we could try another way.’
Her pulse was racing now, as it began to occur to her that he was serious in what he was suggesting. ‘That was most definitely not part of the original bargain.’
‘When you planned to marry, you must have considered the possibility.’
Strangely, she had not. She had assumed it would be hard enough to get a man to the altar, and that any so doing would not be the least interested in sexual congress with her, if other opportunities presented themselves. But the need for succession had not been part of her plans. And now, Adam was looking at her in quite a different way than he did after political discussions in the study. He was looking at her as a woman, and she remembered what Tim had said to her.
She sat down beside him, afraid to meet his gaze lest he see how she felt about him. ‘I’d never have married a duke had I known it would become so complicated.’
‘I am sorry to have inconvenienced you,’ he said, not the least bit contrite. ‘But I will need an heir. Once one has married, it makes sense to look at the obvious solution to the problem.’
‘And you would…with me…and we…’
He nodded. ‘Two male children are preferable, but one might be sufficient. If it was a boy, and healthy. If the first is a daughter, then…’
‘But that would mean…we would…more than once…’
‘Most certainly. Repeatedly. For several years at least.’
Repeatedly. She sat there, eyes round, mouth open, mind boggled. Unable to speak at all.
He continued. ‘When you think of it, a sacrifice of a year or two, against the rest of your life, is not so long a time. You are rich enough to have nannies and governesses to care for any offspring. It would in no way interfere with your studies, for it must not be too hard to keep up on reading while in your months of confinement. What else would you have to do?’
‘And once you have an heir…’
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