The Earl's Inconvenient Wife

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  She glanced at the paper in her hands and wondered what Lord Hedwrett could possibly be like. From the grim tone in Roderick’s voice, she wondered how worried she should be about her sister.

  Roderick picked up his cup and sipped it. “I don’t feel comfortable discussing certain things about Hedwrett, but suffice it to say your sister shouldn’t marry him. Try to talk her out of it if you can, but if she does marry him, I can’t let you visit her without me. There’s no telling what he’d do.”

  She swallowed the sweet tea and nodded. “You’ve told me enough to know he’s not the best gentleman for her. Mister Morris asked her to marry him, but,” she shrugged, “to be honest, she didn’t want him because he didn’t have a title or enough money. So yes, she values such things more than I do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love her. I’d like to see her again.”

  He finished drinking his tea and held onto the cup while studying her. “You will. I promise.”

  She took another sip of her tea. As long as he was willing to work with her, she figured she might as well ask other things that were troubling her. “When will I get to see you for more than minutes at a time?”

  “I’m surprised you want to see me at all.”

  “Even if our marriage isn’t ideal, it’d be nice if I knew my own husband.”

  “I’m sorry I’ve been neglecting you. We’ll set out for London tomorrow so you can see your family. While we’re there, we can also spend some time together. In fact, we should start spending time together today. Then we can get to know each other. What do you think?”

  “I’d like that,” she admitted. “And I won’t go shopping with my sister.”

  He gave a nod to indicate he understood before he drank more of his tea.

  A long moment passed as she debated to ask the thing that was nagging at her the most, but she had to know. Even if it was something she didn’t want to hear, she needed to know. “Are you seeing a mistress?”

  “Pardon me?”

  “I know it’s common for gentlemen in your position to do such things, and I wanted to know if you do as well.” Not that she wanted him to, but what could she do to stop him? She figured she was better off knowing if he did. That way she could keep enough distance from him so he didn’t end up hurting her.

  “No, I don’t have a mistress. I never have and I never will.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I assure you my time away from home was spent on making sure my steward’s debtors were adequately paid. I can’t say I enjoyed meeting them, but it was a necessary evil.”

  She nodded and drank the tea, enjoying its warmth.

  “While we’re in London, we can go to Hyde Park for a horse ride or a walk. Or if you’d prefer, we can visit a museum, see a balloon launch, or go to the theatre.”

  “You’ll do these things with me?” she asked.

  “Of course.” He sighed and touched her knee, surprising her. “I haven’t been fair to you. I need to take time to know you.”

  She smiled. “I’d like that.”

  He checked his pocket watch and stood up, holding his hand out to her. “I’m afraid I haven’t eaten yet. Would you keep me company while I do so, Lady Roderick?”

  Shocked that he referred to her as Lady Roderick, she stared at him, unable to determine what to say.

  “Is that a no?”

  Forcing aside her surprise, she put her cup on the tray and stood up. “No. Yes. I mean, yes. I’ll be happy to keep you company during the meal.”

  He smiled and extended his arm to her.

  Still surprised, but pleased, by his change of heart, she accepted his arm and went to the dining room with him.

  ***

  Nate glanced up from his baked eggs. Across from him, Claire ate some fruit. Both of them had changed after coming into the house, and he was relieved to see her wearing a dress again. Though he was tired from his lack of sleep the night before, he was also happy. Today seemed to be the turning point for him and his wife. He felt much better now that he’d taken the time to talk to her. Really talk to her. And though he’d never admit it, he should have taken Perry’s advice sooner.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “Would you like to take a walk after we eat?”

  “Yes. It’ll be nice to have some company for a change.”

  “If you want to take some paper along, you can draw the things you see during the walk.”

  She took a sip of her tea and offered a slight smile. “I could do that, but then you couldn’t guess what the drawings are supposed to be.”

  Surprised she had a sense of humor, he grinned. “I bet I could. There’s a gazebo where we can sit. Let’s go there, and when you draw something, I’ll guess what it is.”

  “That doesn’t sound very interesting.”

  “Then how would you make it interesting?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  He ate his last portion of eggs and swallowed the rest of his tea before he wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin and straightened his back. “I have an idea. If I’m correct about what you draw, you have to do whatever I want, and if I’m wrong, I have to do anything you want.”

  “I could lie. I could say I didn’t draw whatever you guess.”

  “When I made the suggestion, I assumed you’d act honorably, but if you prefer mischief, then I suggest you write down what you draw before I guess. That way I can be sure you aren’t trying to get me to do your bidding.”

  She bit her lower lip. “What kind of things would we have to do for each other?”

  Amused at her worried tone, he said, “Nothing embarrassing. Perhaps you could have me draw something. Then you can see how badly I can draw.”

  “You tried your hand at art?”

  “Not necessarily art, but I’ve scribbled on occasion when I was bored.”

  “Scribbled?”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t try to draw anything in particular.”

  “Oh.”

  He studied her as she finished the strawberries on the plate. “You’re disappointed?”

  She wiped her mouth with the napkin and set it on the table. “No. All right, a little. I thought Lord Clement was exaggerating when he said you were serious all the time.”

  “He told you I’m serious?”

  “All the time,” she emphasized.

  Though her tone was grim, he detected a twinkle in her eye. Intrigued, he motioned to the footman that they were done with breakfast. “I suppose we’ll see how accurate he is when we take that walk. Bring your drawing pad.”

  Once she collected her drawing pad and graphite pencil, they went outside. As they started down the path that would take them to the south side of the manor, he breathed in the fresh air, noting it was an ideal day for a walk. The sun was out, the clouds white and fluffy, and the air cool enough to enjoy the day.

  He caught sight of a rabbit hopping along the grounds and turned to his wife. “What about him?”

  She stopped walking. “Who?”

  “That rabbit. Have you ever tried to draw animals?”

  A slight grimace crossed her face. “Yes. Not successfully. I told you flowers are my best work.”

  “I remember you saying that, but truly, how bad can you be?” Considering how bad she was at drawing flowers, he didn’t think she could do much worse.

  “You don’t want to know,” she mumbled and continued her walk.

  Following her until he caught up to her, he said, “You can’t know what I want or don’t want to know. Maybe I really want to see you draw a rabbit.”

  “You’ll laugh at it.”

  He chuckled. “Why don’t you draw one when we get to the gazebo, and I’ll see if I can guess that’s what it is?”

  “But you already know what it is because you’re asking me to draw it.”

  “I didn’t say to make it your first drawing. Just draw it at some point. If you are as bad as you say, then I won’t be able to pick out which one it is.” She seemed to be
considering it, so he added, “I’ll try to draw one, too.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “You will?”

  “Yes, and I promise to do my best. I won’t be scribbling.”

  “All right.”

  They reached the flowers, and when she came to a stop, she bent to study them. Perhaps he should have suggested that she kneel instead since she was showing him, and anyone else who happened to be in the area, a nice view of her backside. He quickly looked around to make sure no one was in sight, and since no one was, he decided to keep quiet. She was his wife, after all, and there was no harm in him enjoying this view of her. It wasn’t like he hadn’t already seen her naked.

  His mind unwittingly went to their wedding night when she’d taken off her clothes in front of him. With all the running around he’d done to get the estate back in good standing, he hadn’t thought much of that night, but now that he was spending time with her, he could think about it. And really, it wasn’t as if thinking about it was painful. No, in fact it was very pleasant. His lips curled up into a smile. He might do well to think of it often.

  “What’s your favorite color?”

  It took him a moment to realize she was asking him a question. Forcing his eyes off of her bottom, he made eye contact with her. “Pardon?”

  “What’s your favorite color?”

  “Oh, let’s see.” At the moment, it was purple because that was the color of her dress, and the dress brought out her curves in a way that delighted him. But he couldn’t tell her that. Clearing his throat, he said, “Black.”

  She straightened up, a process that disappointed him since it meant he no longer had a good view of her backside. “Black?”

  “Sure. It’s a color.”

  “But none of these flowers are black.”

  “Did you mean what my favorite color for a flower is?”

  She nodded.

  And that right there showed just how little he was paying attention to what she’d been saying. Though embarrassed to be caught not listening to her, he shrugged. “I suppose red is doable for a flower, but to be honest, thinking of flowers isn’t something gentlemen do.”

  “I suppose not. Flowers are something ladies enjoy.”

  “Right.” However, since she was interested in them, he should probably take some interest in them as well. “Which color do you like best?”

  “I can’t decide between purple or yellow.”

  “Purple.”

  “Purple?”

  Glancing at her dress, he nodded. “Purple.”

  She smiled and shrugged. “All right. Purple it is.” She picked a purple wildflower.

  “Are you going to draw that?”

  “No. You are when you can’t guess what I draw.”

  “So sure of yourself, are you?” he asked, finding the challenge more delightful than he supposed it should be. This challenge, after all, had nothing to do with politics or the war, and it didn’t have a chessboard involved. But he caught a playfully competitive edge to her disposition and found it pleased him, so he was more than happy to go along with whatever she had planned.

  She shrugged in a coy way that excited him and said, “You couldn’t tell I had drawn flowers, so yes, I am sure of myself.”

  Further intrigued, he countered, “Perhaps I really knew you’d drawn flowers but wanted to amuse you.”

  “No, that wasn’t the case.”

  “But how can you be sure?”

  “Because I saw the look on your face when you saw those pictures. I’d never seen a gentleman who struggled more to control the urge to laugh. It was actually kind of you to regard my feelings the way you did.”

  It was funny she should term it that way. He hadn’t thought of it as being anything chivalrous, but he rather fancied the way she termed it. In a way, it made him feel like a hero.

  “Are you ready to go to the gazebo?” she asked.

  Sensing she looked forward to his ability to guess what she drew, he nodded, and they strolled to the white structure surrounded by bushes and trees. He couldn’t recall a time he’d ever been here, and it impressed him it was well maintained.

  “This is a beautiful place,” she commented and stood still for a moment.

  He stopped beside her so she could study it. She seemed to study almost everything she came across that she admired, but he supposed that was something ladies did. Spending time looking at flowers and gazebos wasn’t really that much of a waste, especially when he was seeing a side of his wife he enjoyed. It reminded him of that brief moment on their wedding night when she’d confided her fears to him. It was nice to know she could be that way when she wasn’t drunk.

  Once she headed toward the gazebo, he joined her. He went up the steps behind her and sat next to her, something that seemed to startle her since she gave a slight jerk.

  Chuckling, he teased, “You have no need to worry. I won’t watch as you draw. I’ll play this game honorably.”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s…”

  “It’s what?”

  She hesitated, a worried frown on her lips. Finally, she shook her head. “Nothing. Shall we get started?”

  He thought to press her, to find out what had disturbed her, but he figured she was entitled to keep her thoughts to herself and settled for nodding his agreement. She turned her attention to the drawing pad, the purple wildflower still in her hand. He wondered why she held onto it like she did. She couldn’t mean to draw it. That would be too obvious.

  With a shrug, he decided it was one of the quirky things ladies did and scanned their surroundings. He didn’t note anything of particular interest. A few birds, the breeze wafting through the tree branches, and the way the cloud caused a shadow to fall across a section of the lawn. Nothing exciting, but he noted how peaceful everything was. With the activity in London, it was easy to forget life could slow down. And even more surprising was the fact that he didn’t mind it.

  Beside him, Claire finished her drawing and held it up to him. “What do you think this is?”

  He bit his tongue so he wouldn’t say the first thing that came to mind because it couldn’t be right and he knew her delicate sensibilities would not permit her to draw such a thing. He blinked several times, willing the image of an erection between a pair of breasts from his mind. It wasn’t that. There was no way it was that. And this only proved that accepting a book from Lord Edon gave a gentleman mental images that would alarm a virginal wife.

  He scanned the grounds again, trying to find something—anything—that might resemble what he’d seen. All he needed was to find two round objects and a pole. Surely, that couldn’t be too hard. And yet, as he frantically tried to find anything similar to it, his luck failed him.

  Resigned, he lied and said, “It looks like two balls and a stick.” At that, he inwardly cringed. Likening a gentleman’s erection to a stick, indeed. Clearing his throat, he added, “I mean a branch. One that’s thick and long. Maybe even a tree. Yes, a big tree that dwarfs the bushes surrounding it.” Yes, that sounded much better.

  To his surprise, she let out a disappointed sigh. “How did you know?”

  “I’m right?”

  “Yes. I was drawing that tree over there, except I wouldn’t say the tree dwarfs the bushes. The bushes are a good height.”

  “I’m sure they seem that way from your vantage point, but that tree is very big.”

  “There are other trees on the property that are bigger.”

  He gasped. “I should think not!”

  “All right. I’ll let you believe what you will.”

  He was ready to argue with her but reminded himself that she had no idea what he’d really seen in her drawing.

  “What do you want me to do?” she asked.

  “Do?”

  “You guessed right about what I was drawing, so I have to do something you want.”

  Oh right. The interesting part of this morning’s venture, though he had to admit taking time to enjoy the grounds and talking to her were turnin
g out to be far more entertaining than he imagined they’d be. He thought for a moment on what he’d like her to do and then recalled how lovely she’d looked without her hair pinned up. “I’d like you to take those pins out of your hair.”

  She furrowed her eyebrows. “That’s an odd request.”

  “Is it?”

  “I don’t see why you’d want such a thing.”

  “And what would you rather have me ask you to do?”

  After a long moment, she shrugged and placed the pad on the bench. “You win.”

  Laughing as she started pulling the pins out, he asked, “I win?”

  “Yes. I don’t know what else you could have me do.”

  She was wrong about that. He could ask her to do plenty, but since they were in a public area where anyone could see them, he didn’t dare.

  She took out a few pins and held them to him. “Will you hold them for me? I don’t want any to fall to the ground. They were a gift from my sister, and I’d hate to lose them.”

  “Yes.” As she put them in his hand and picked out more from her hair, he studied the beaded pins which twinkled in the sunlight. “You miss your sister, don’t you?”

  “Terribly.”

  “Do you find any joy in being here?” he whispered, afraid of her answer but needing to know.

  “I enjoy being here with you today,” she softly admitted and then handed him the rest of the pins. “It was hard to be alone. I don’t like being around a lot of people, but I like spending the day with someone whose company I enjoy.”

  “Isn’t that true for everyone?”

  “No, not my sister. She loves being surrounded by people.”

  “But she also likes being around you, I’m sure.”

  “She does, but when she is with me, she wants to go where’s there’s a lot of activity. She has a hard time sitting still unless she’s watching a play. Something like what we’re doing today would bore her. She’d say there’s nothing to see out here.”

  Up until today, he would have agreed with her sister.

  “Another reason why I don’t like crowded areas is that I have a tendency to get faint. The ball was very uncomfortable for me. That’s why I went out on the veranda. I was lightheaded and felt as if the walls were closing in on me.”