Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
84 brOOK STREET, LONDON - DECEMBER 18, 1816
CHARLOTTE
“That is tight enough, Imogen. Thank you.”
She nodded and looped off the corset strings before gathering the gown for tonight’s soiree.
Leo was comfortably settled in his bassinet under the window, chewing on his own foot. He’d discovered them a week or so ago and they were his favorite things.
Imogen helped me into the gown, a new one for the occasion. It was a delicate, spun gold with a split skirt that revealed a white silk underskirt, embroidered with matching gold stars along the hem and lines of the skirt. The waist was fuller than fashionable but nothing compared to my masquerade dress.
After Imogen fretted for a few minutes, adjusting the skirts, it laid properly.
“I won’t need you tonight,” I said when she stepped away.
She gave me a knowing smirk and a wink.
Leo made an irritated sound, and I went to him, kneeling beside the bassinet. It seemed he had gummed a bit too hard on his toe but hadn’t figured out how to let the appendage go.
“Now you know how it feels,” I told him, pulling his foot free.
My efforts lasted all of a few seconds before he merely switched to the other.
“Serves you right then.”
“What’s that?” A masculine voice called from the doorway, the scent of peppermint enveloping me.
“Chewing on his feet again.”
“Tasty,” Lee replied with a grin in his voice. “You know, I know he’s the most perfect child in the entire world, but?—”
“Hush,” I scolded. When I straightened and turned around, my husband was fussing in the mirror with whatever ridiculous knot Brigsby had used for his cravat. He tossed a distracted glance my way and returned instantly to the mirror before his hand froze on the fabric. Slowly, he turned and dropped his hand from his neck to my waist, eyes raking my form.
“Charlotte…”
“Good?”
He chuckled, his lips finding my bare shoulder. “We could always… not attend. Begin the more enjoyable parts of the evening early.” His finger traced the neckline of my gown with interest.
That was more tempting than I was willing to admit. But I rather thought he ought to attend tonight. And besides, the anticipation that had been humming for weeks, growing steadily since Mrs. Griffith finished her examination that morning with a wink—was its own kind of enjoyment.
This massive, powerful, intimidating man was all but on his knees before me. Metaphorically, of course. Though I had little doubt it would be literally as well before night’s end.
“Just an hour or two?” I asked, my eyes wide and hopeful.
“Fine,” he muttered into my collarbone. Pulling away, he added, “Except in the very likely event that a lady requires smelling salts at the sight of me.”
My eye roll had him biting back a grin. “I highly doubt that.”
“And you’re sure it’s not a masquerade?”
“No masks allowed,” I added with false contrition.
“One hour? Please?”
“One hour. I’ll even agree to leave early and take the blame if you need to escape. We’ll need some sort of signal.”
“I adore you…” His smile was bright and full of easy affection as he dropped a kiss to my forehead. “I could hand you a peppermint?”
“I suppose that will do,” I said with a laugh.
He grabbed my wrap from the nearby table while I bent down to drop a kiss on Leo’s forehead. Lee rubbed the boy’s hair fondly.
We stepped into the hall and knocked on the nursery door. Jack popped his head out. “Off to the ball?” he asked, stepping into the hall.
“Yes, you’ll mind him?”
“Of course! Leo, Adrina, and I shall play peek-a-boo until one of us falls asleep. And then we’ll bother Crawford while he complains about how much work he has than he does actual work.”
Adrina herself rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, her own boy on her hip. Imogen’s sister had been willing to come serve as wet nurse. Much to my disappointment, I wasn’t always able to produce enough to satisfy the little foot gnawer in the other room.
She was quietly understanding about the fact that she was never, ever left alone with Leo. In fact, she even refrained from comment when she was often accompanied by a footman barely out of leading strings himself. Of course, she was also paid handsomely for her tact.
“We’ll be at Cadieux House on Grosvenor’s Street. Brigs has the address.”
“I’ve been there, remember?” Jack was less quiet in his understanding, though he seemed to enjoy his new role watching Leo more than he had his footman duties.
I trailed Lee down the stairs and out into the night. In front of the steps was a horsed phaeton. Lee froze, comically glancing up and down the street searching for his carriage.
“I borrowed it from Cee,” I said from behind him. “I thought we could try it.”
The open top was entirely impractical. It would be freezing. We would certainly attract attention. But… I rather hoped it would make the trip a tiny bit easier on my husband.
“Char—Thank you.” His voice was thick with sentiments I couldn’t name for certain.
He considered me and the phaeton in equal measure, his head bouncing between us. Abruptly, he stripped his great coat off and wrapped it around me before guiding me to the conveyance. Beside it, he grabbed me by the waist and lifted me straight in, ignoring the step entirely. He clambered in after me.
The pocket of his coat was filled with peppermints, and I snagged two as we set off. One for him and one for myself.
“Is this a signal that you no longer wish to attend?” he asked teasingly.
I rolled my eyes and bit into my own mint, nodding toward the reigns. Reluctantly, my husband grabbed them and urged the horses into action.
“I do not know if I mentioned it, but Mrs. Griffith examined me this morning.”
“Are you well?” There was real worry in his tone and eyes, darker than their usual navy in the dim streetlight, as he turned my way.
“Quite. In fact, she has no concerns about any activities I may wish to partake in going forward.”
He blinked slowly, parsing my meaning. “Truly?” he choked out.
“Truly.”
“ Any? ”
“Any.”
“Then what the devil are we going to this ball for?”
“Because I wish to go, and you love me. Besides, anticipation is a good thing.”
“Anticipation! I’ve barely been able to touch you for weeks.” Our touches had been limited by my recovery, slower for my early overexertion. But he’d found more than a few loopholes in Mrs. Griffith’s rules.
“Oh, you’ve touched me plenty.”
“How am I meant to dance knowing that?” he whined.
I glanced at his lap before meeting his gaze with a raised brow. He wasn’t wrong, dancing in that state might be a challenge. “Think of Lyra.” I suggested, nodding back at the road.
As expected, he began his usual litany of complaints. “It looks nothing like a harp. It’s poorly named.”
“I know.”
“I just—I would’ve made a better choice.”
“Of course, darling. Left here,” I directed.
My distraction worked and he was still offering better suggestions between my quiet directions when we pulled up outside Cadieux House. The phaeton slowed to a stop, and my husband looked around us, confused.
His gaze found me again, settling with an indulgent smile. “Clever minx.”
“Precisely. Glad you recognize that. Come now, time to go inside before we freeze.”
Lee sighed and allowed me to drag him up the steps and inside.
LEE
Charlotte pulled me up the steps and into the house, eager and sweet-smelling with little yellow flowers in her hair.
The halls weren’t filled with the usual bustle of hiding wallflowers, tipsy chaperones, and couples looking for a quiet corner. In fact, we found only the butler at the door. He blanched at the sight of my wife before wordlessly pointing toward the hall.
Instead of the usual dull roar I remembered from these fêtes, the orchestra was held at a tasteful volume. Charlotte’s tiny hand guided me along and into the ballroom.
At the entrance, Will and Celine greeted us. We hadn’t seen them since they called—nearly a week after the events at the warehouse—to let us know that Wesley Parker had died from an infection in the gaol the day before.
She wore her usual shade of purple, and there was a lightness to her that hadn’t been present even before Gabriel. When she turned to Will, she looked at him as though he hung the stars and the moon.
After the usual greeting, Charlotte pulled me deeper into the ballroom. The moment I’d been dreading. Far from a crush, there were but a few couples. Wayland and Lady Juliet, not much longer from the birthing bed than us, waltzed—though the tune was a cotillion. Ainsley and his wife chatted easily with Lord and Lady Grayson. A few other couples I could not name laughed or danced gaily. It was no more than seven, perhaps eight in total, and a few single stragglers.
Ainsley caught sight of us and waved us over.
And not a single person so much as blinked at the sight of me.
Charlotte tugged on my hand, moving toward them. When she met with no success, she turned to me with wide, concerned eyes.
“Lee?”
“Did you…”
She smiled, soft and adoring. “I thought this might be an easier first step. And Celine was pleased when I suggested it. She was desperate to host, but she was worried about how Will would be received. I hope it is all right?”
“All right? Charlotte, I… This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“I birthed you a child.”
“Second nicest,” I corrected quickly.
She gave a gentle jerk on my hand where it was clasped in hers. “Shall we?”
This time, I allowed her to guide me to the group. Once there, Ainsley performed the necessary introductions.
Lord Grayson was familiar. With our estates so near each other, we had more than a few connections and challenges in common.
At my side, Charlotte leaned toward Lady Grayson. “May I have a moment?” she asked, gesturing toward a private corner. “No beverages,” she added, displaying empty palms.
I wasn’t entirely certain what that meant, but her countenance was easy as they wandered the short distance toward the wall.
Lord Grayson trailed off midsentence, watching with concern.
The two ladies spoke easily, hand gestures tentative, before returning to us. Lord Grayson inspected his wife thoroughly. Upon finding her in precisely the same condition as when she left mere moments ago, he tucked her diminutive form tight into his side.
I caught my favorite soft brown eyes with a raised brow. She merely shook her head.
Convinced of his wife’s safety, Lord Grayson turned back to chat at me about various improvements he was making to his estate.
Finished with their improvised waltz, Wayland and his wife made their way over. Reunited, the ladies wandered off to discuss whatever it was ladies discussed while one of the gentlemen pulled a scotch from lord only knew where. We passed the bottle around in the corner of the ballroom like schoolboys before Will trotted over with a disapproving furrow.
And every time I sought Charlotte, her eyes were on mine. Warm and affectionate sometimes, low and lustful others.
When the actual waltz began, I wandered over to claim my wife.
“You seemed to be enjoying yourself?” she asked, settling into my arms with an ease that certainly hadn’t been there the night we met.
“Yes, thank you. I-I’d forgotten how to be a person, I think. Stars do not judge. But they do not care either.”
“I think they care a little. I read a theory in one of your books. We are all made of little bits and pieces of stardust. I do not know if it’s true, but it is a rather romantic notion.”
“It is, isn’t it.”
Her hand slipped from its proper place on my shoulder to curl in the ends of my hair. Permission granted to be improper, I dipped my hand scandalously low on her waist and pulled her closer.
There was something about her smile, about the spark of her gaze, the sensual way she carded her fingers through my hair. Tonight was different. There was something in the air.
I didn’t even feel it, her other hand sliding into my pocket. But when her outstretched hand appeared between us, two peppermints in her palm, it was all I could do to laugh—laugh and let her lead us out to the phaeton and the starry night.