Ophelia sensed Marcy and Lewis would start inquiring about her since she was the new one in the group, so she opted to beat them to it by asking, “How did you two meet?”
“It’s actually a romantic story,” Julian told her then motioned for them to share it. “I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.”
Lewis and Marcy glanced at each other as if to decide which one should answer it, and after a moment, Marcy began to speak. As soon as Ophelia realized it was going to be a long story, the knots in her stomach loosened.
She knew she couldn’t put off telling Julian the truth forever, but she certainly didn’t want to give anything away right now. She’d rather put that part of her past behind her for a little while longer. Maybe once she could feel the shadow of Lord Wolfe’s presence depart, she could stomach the idea of reliving her brief time with him. For now, she was more than happy to focus on what her marriage with Julian was going to be like.
***
Julian sat in the chair in Lewis’ den, worn out from the afternoon full of shopping. He used to go from store to store in the past and not notice the passage of time, but having gotten out of the habit, he’d found himself constantly checking his pocket watch. Perhaps if he’d gotten to do something interesting, like watch Ophelia try on the clothes, then he would have been enthusiastic about the task. At least then, he’d get a chance to see her bare flesh. But he’d been forced to wait in a chair by the window while the others picked out clothing suitable for a vicar’s wife.
Now, he was relieved the afternoon was over. He threw his head back on the chair and closed his eyes. He hadn’t realized how peaceful it was at the cottage. Not that he hated London. He didn’t. But he did appreciate the quiet simplicity of living away from all the activity in this town.
“You look like you could use something to drink,” Lewis said as he came into the room.
Julian opened his eyes and straightened up in the chair. “I don’t drink alcohol. I used to, but I don’t anymore.”
“I said you looked like you could use something to drink. I didn’t say it had to be brandy.” Lewis picked up the decanter. “Believe it or not, this is water. I rarely drink alcohol, and if I do, I make sure I’m not in a position to make a stupid financial decision.”
“That’s a smart decision.”
Alcohol had a way of making a gentleman do many stupid things, but Julian didn’t want to share this. He was a vicar. People had a tendency to think vicars didn’t share the same weaknesses every other human being did. He was just glad that Ophelia hadn’t been repulsed to learn his past wasn’t as spotless as people expected it to be. It was why he didn’t make it a habit of telling anyone the sins of his youth. Most, like his brothers, wouldn’t understand.
He wasn’t sure what had prompted him to confess everything to Ophelia except that there was a sweetness about her that made him feel safe in telling her. And he’d been right. There’d been no look of condemnation or disappointment on her face. She’d accepted it without any effort on her part. And that made him wonder about her. Just how much exposure had she had to people during the course of her life?
Lewis approached him and gave him a glass of water. “It’s nice that someone doesn’t mind drinking something as plain as water,” Lewis said as he sat across from him. “Stephen would never commit himself to water.”
Julian thought of their mutual friend and smiled. “Stephen would probably snicker at us for drinking like two young lads.”
“Yes, he probably would.” Lewis took a sip of the water. “Which is why we won’t mention this to him.”
Julian put his hand over his heart. “He won’t hear a word of it from me.” He took a good, long swallow of the cool water and let out a satisfied sigh. “You have the finest water I’ve ever tasted.”
Lewis chuckled. “Whew! I worried you might not find it adequate.”
“In that case, I’m happy I could offer the reassurance.”
After a moment, Lewis asked, “Do you mind if I ask how you decided to get married? The last time we talked, you didn’t mention looking for a wife.”
“I wasn’t looking for one. She just happened to show up at my front door, and…” And what? And she had seemed so helpless and pretty that he couldn’t say no when she asked him to marry her? Was that really something he wanted to admit aloud, even to a friend? He cleared his throat. “It seemed like marriage was a good arrangement since she had nowhere else to go.”
Lewis frowned. “She had nowhere else to go? Is her family dead?”
That was a good question. Was her family dead? Julian shifted in the chair, hoping Lewis didn’t sense his uncertainty. “Her family isn’t around.” At least, he didn’t know of anyone in her family who might be nearby, if any of them were living.
“What a shame. I have no one in my family who’s still alive and neither does Marcy. I suppose not everyone is blessed with a family like Stephen’s. When his brother and sister go out to visit him with their families, it’s hard to find a vacant chair in the drawing room.” He paused then asked, “What about the two brothers you have? Are they married?”
“Surprisingly, they’re not.” Julian had expected both of his brothers to be married. Jonah, especially, should have been married since the family title was in his possession. But it wasn’t up to him to tell his brothers what to do. He was the youngest, and besides, he’d betrayed them both. “I imagine it’s only a matter of time before they do. They’re still under forty. They have time.”
Lewis nodded. “I hope so. No one can take the fact that they’ll live to a ripe old age for granted. Even young people die.”
Julian couldn’t argue that. Last year, he’d presided over the funeral of a newborn child. That had been the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. He prayed he’d never have to do that again.
“I didn’t mean to depress you,” Lewis said. “I’m sure your brothers will be fine. It’s not like there’s a vengeful gypsy and son who are going to kill them because of an old rivalry.”
Julian recalled how Lewis’ brother died. At the time, Lewis thought his brother had choked while eating his dinner. It was only later that the truth came out. Strangulation would be a terrible way to go. Julian grimaced.
“No, thankfully, my brothers have no reason to fear for their lives,” Julian said. “I’m sure my oldest will go on to have an heir.”
“An heir is what having a title is all about,” Lewis said after he drank more water. “I, for one, am just glad I got to have a love match. I didn’t relish the idea of being stuck in a loveless marriage. That’s why I held off on marrying for as long as I did. I got lucky with Marcy. I hope you get lucky with Ophelia.”
Before Julian could respond, there was a knock at the door.
Lewis checked his pocket watch then rose to his feet. “I bet that’s the butler letting us know dinner is ready.”
Julian finished the rest of his water and set it on the desk as Lewis answered the door.
After a moment, Lewis turned back to Julian. “It’s just as I thought. Dinner is ready. I hope you have a good appetite. The cook we recently hired does a marvelous job with goose and white soup. We’re having both tonight.”
It’d been a long time since Julian had either one of those menu items. “It sounds like a treat.”
“It is with the way he cooks them.”
Lewis set down his glass, and the two went to the drawing room to escort their wives to dinner. As soon as Julian saw Ophelia in her new pink gown, he realized all of the anxiety he’d gone through earlier that day in facing Jonah had been worth it. She was much better off with the new wardrobe than she’d been with his old clothes.
Her blonde hair was pulled up into a fashionable style, allowing only a few waves of her hair to touch her shoulders.
He got the impression this was how she appeared every day before he met her. If she had been in London, she would have been snagged up by now. There was no way a lady this beautiful would have gone without a handful of suitor
s for long. She would have to be holed up in the country somewhere in order to remain unmarried until she was twenty-one.
“You did a magnificent job helping Ophelia buy clothes today,” Marcy told Julian. “She’s so lovely in that gown.”
Ophelia’s cheeks matched the color of her gown. “It’s a lovely gown. It would make anyone look attractive.”
“You don’t have to be so modest,” Marcy playfully scolded her. “You’re more beautiful than most ladies. It’s a good thing you already have a husband so they won’t feel threatened by you. At least this way, if you go to the theatre or some other activity, they’ll be happy to talk to you.”
“That’s silly,” Lewis said. “Ladies wouldn’t refuse to speak with Ophelia because of how she looks.”
“You’d be surprised what jealousy can do to people,” Marcy told him. “It can bring out the worst in us if we’re not careful.”
“Well, you have nothing to be jealous of.” Lewis took her hand in his and squeezed it. “In my eyes, there is no one more beautiful.” Glancing at Ophelia, he added, “Not that I wish to upset you.”
“I’m not upset,” Ophelia assured him. “I think it’s wonderful you said that.”
“I could tell they were in love with each other when I married them,” Julian told Ophelia. It was always refreshing when a couple loved each other. It made the union that much easier to bless.
Lewis cleared his throat. “We should eat before the meal gets cold.” He glanced at Marcy. “I told Julian how good the cook is.”
“He is,” Marcy agreed. “My cousin suggested we hire him. We’re glad you’re here to share this meal with us.”
Turning his attention back to Ophelia, Julian encouraged her to lean on him. Ophelia wasn’t only pleasing to look at, but she felt pleasing as well. The gown had a way of making him more aware of the more feminine aspects of her figure. Hoping no one noticed how attracted he was to her, he helped her to the dining room.
Chapter Nine
Julian stood at the threshold of the door to the guest bedchamber. He knew there were a couple of guest bedchambers in this townhouse. He had assumed he’d be getting one while Ophelia would be getting another. The maid, however, had led both him and Ophelia to the same bedchamber when it came time to retire for the evening.
Ophelia went in first. She sat in the chair and starting unpinning her hair.
“Will you need assistance this evening, Mrs. Roskin?” the maid asked her.
Ophelia shook her head. “No, I can do this myself.”
The maid nodded, set the candelabra on the dresser, and went over to Julian. “Is there anything you require, Vicar? I can summon the valet.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.” He hadn’t had a valet in years, and even if he did, he wouldn’t feel comfortable using one now that he was used to taking care of himself.
The maid nodded and walked past him.
That left him with only one thing left to do. He was going to have to enter the bedchamber. Lewis and Marcy were still downstairs. He could go to the drawing room and ask if Lewis would get another bedchamber ready for him, but that would be a bit on the embarrassing side. No gentleman wanted to admit that he felt uncertain about sharing the same bed with his wife.
After a moment, he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. There. He was done with the first step. Now all he had to do was get undressed, as if he did this all the time in front of Ophelia, then get into bed.
He glanced over at her to make sure she wasn’t looking at him. But she was. Only, she was watching his reflection in the mirror. He grew still and waited to see what she’d do.
She turned around in the chair. “I thought it would be easier if the maid wasn’t in the room. Do you mind that I had her leave?”
He swallowed. “No, I don’t mind.”
She seemed relieved. “Good. It’s just that when we’re in the cottage, we had no one to help us undress in the evening.”
Yes, but they also undressed in different rooms. He wondered if he should point this out to her, but she started brushing her hair.
“It’s nice of Marcy and Lewis to let us stay here for a couple of days,” she continued. “London has so many interesting things. Marcy mentioned a park. Would you take me there?”
“You’re not in any position to take a walk through the park.” When he noticed the disappointment on her face, he added, “We could take a carriage, so you can see it. We might even be able to find a bench so you can get out and enjoy the sun.”
Her expression lightened, and he was glad he’d thought of it.
“There’s some things you can do that don’t require walking,” he added. “We could go to the theatre.”
“The theatre? What happens there?”
“We could watch people on the stage act out a story.”
“You mean, instead of reading a story?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.” An idea came to him. “If you want, we could get started on your reading. That is to say, I can start teaching you. Lewis has a lot of books in his den, and there might be one that interests you.”
“I’d like to learn to read. It’d be nice to return to the cottage and be able to pass the time with a book while you work.”
“Oh, well, you won’t learn to read in a couple of days. It’ll take time.”
She frowned. “How much time?”
“I don’t know. It depends on how quickly you pick things up.”
“You mean it could take me a week?”
“I’m pretty sure it’ll take longer than a week. I figure it will be a couple of months to read a simple story. To read one of my books, I’m guessing will take a year or so.”
Her frown deepened, and he immediately regretted disappointing her.
Forgetting his shyness, he went over to her and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “It’ll be all right. Just because something takes time, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth learning. I think you’ll enjoy reading books. The nice thing about them is that you can go anywhere and do anything. There’s no limit to what you can experience. I have an idea; I’ll read a book to you while we’re here. Then you’ll know what’s inside one.”
Her frown disappeared. “That sounds like fun.”
“It will be. All we have to do is find a book you’re interested in. Reading is only pleasurable if you’re enjoying the story.”
“I’m not sure what book I’ll be interested in.”
“Tomorrow morning, we’ll search through Lewis’ books, and I’ll tell you what each one is about. You can decide which one you like from there.”
Realizing he was still touching her shoulder, he released it and started looking for a place where he could safely change into his nightshirt. He saw a room off to the side of the bedchamber. He picked up his valise and went to open the closed door, but it was locked.
That was odd. Why would it need to be locked? No one else was in the bedchamber.
Was there?
He knocked on it. “Hello?”
Ophelia put her brush down and looked over at him. “Is someone in there?”
Since Julian didn’t hear anything from the other side, he shook his head. “No. It’s empty.”
But it was locked, and that was strange. He would have to ask Lewis about that tomorrow. He glanced around the room and found a dressing screen. Thank heavens! He hurried to take it from the wall and unfolded it. Now he didn’t have to worry about seeing her as she undressed, and she wouldn’t have to worry about seeing him as he undressed.
He was in his nightshirt within a few minutes, but he spent a long time behind the screen as he waited for her to get into the bed. He was determined to stay put until she was under the covers. Even though he was tempted to peek around the screen, he refused to do so. He would be good.
He kept waiting for the sound of her walking across the floor, but it didn’t come. Instead, she ended up calling out to him.
Eyebrows furrowed, he peered around
the screen, surprised to see that she was still sitting at the vanity. Yes, she had changed into a nightshirt she’d gotten earlier that day, but she hadn’t moved to the bed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“The bed is higher than the one you have,” she replied. “I don’t think I can make it there without help.”
He hadn’t thought about how the height of the bed might impact her ability to get into it, but when he looked at it, he realized she was right. The thing was so high that she would have to practically jump into it.
Well, at least she was already in her nightclothes. At least he didn’t have to undress her. He went over to her, and slipped his arm around her waist, as had become his habit. She put her arms around his neck. She hadn’t done that before, but then, she was used to using the cane. He supposed the easiest way to get this over with was to carry her.
In one swift motion, he bent down and put his other arm under her legs. It was easier to carry her when she was fully clothed. The clothing she had on right now was much too thin, and he was acutely aware of the way her body, specifically her breasts, felt against him.
Doing his best to ignore the pleasant sensation, he took her to the nearest side of the bed.
“It’ll be nice when my ankle heals,” she commented.
She was telling him! He placed her on the bed and then realized he hadn’t bothered pulling down the covers. He picked her back up and sat her on the end of the bed. Then he lowered the covers.
“I think I can do it from here,” she said.
He stepped back and watched as she crawled over to the headboard. All right. So maybe he should have picked her up again and placed her under the covers himself because there was no way he was getting this image out of his mind. Her cute little rear end was up in the air, and that gave him ideas he didn’t need to be entertaining.
He quickly averted his gaze and went to the other side of the bed. He would sleep on a daybed if there was one, but there wasn’t any other bed except this one. Now that he took a good look around, he realized there was only one chair in the room, and that was the small one at the vanity.
The Wedding Pact (Marriage by Fairytale Book 3) Page 9
