Chapter Six
Gregory grinned while Constance relayed the antics of what her cat had done that afternoon. They had moved to the drawing room after a well-prepared dinner, and now he sipped a measure of brandy while a gentle rain tapped at the window glass.
A sense of supreme satisfaction came over him, for this was what had been missing in his existence these past months, this companionship, this easy camaraderie with someone after a long day buried in paperwork and the minutiae of his current case.
“Now I’m quite eager to meet this fabulous feline,” he said with a chuckle as he set his brandy glass on a small, round table at his elbow.
“Next time you are over I’ll see if I can’t coax her out.
” Her posture was far too prim and proper from where she sat on a low sofa near his chair.
Was she not comfortable in his presence, or was she anxious about what else was to come this evening?
“Did you enjoy dinner?” The desire to keep her talking was selfish, for he liked the sound of her voice.
“Oh, dinner was lovely. Please pass on my compliments to your cook. That cream of chicken soup was the best I’ve ever tasted, second only to her raspberry trifle.” When her kissable lips curved into a smile, a hunger for something far more decadent than dessert cycled through his belly.
“I will, indeed.” The feeling of connection and contentment in her company persisted.
Wanting to be more comfortable, he stood up from his chair and removed his tailcoat.
Once he’d tossed it over the back of a different chair, he rolled his shirtsleeves up to his elbows.
“Somehow, Mrs. Calhoun has a knack for knowing what I will enjoy on any given day. She comes in every other day, and she is also the best housekeeper I’ve ever seen. ”
Constance’s eyebrows rose with surprise. “Do you have staff that lives in?”
“I do.” Deciding to perch on the opposite end of the sofa she occupied, Gregory tugged at the knot of his cravat.
“The butler has a room belowstairs off the kitchen. There are also a footman and a maid who lives in. I’m afraid my budget only allows the four of them.
It’s rather small, I know, but with the trajectory I am following with my position, it can only improve. ”
“That’s marvelous, and from what I have seen of your townhouse, you are doing quite well for yourself.” As she spoke, she glanced around the candlelit room, and from her expression, she was clearly impressed. “You should be proud of that.”
“I am, of course, though some days, the long hours take a toll.” Daring much, he scooted onto the cushion of the sofa that separated them.
“I’ve thought often about getting a dog or a cat, and since you have admitted that Isabella helps to reduce your anxious thoughts, it might prove beneficial for me as well. ”
“But then you would need to set aside the time to care for a dog or a cat.” Her expression was inscrutable. “Isabella is independent, but there are days when she senses my mood and is therefore clingy.”
“Fair enough. Did you suffer episodes when Samuel courted you?” There was a wealth of history behind her eyes, and oddly, he was interested in delving deeper into it. This having a mistress was proving more satisfying than he’d first thought.
“Every now and again. We’d met when he was on leave from his regiment. It was at a ball Lydia dragged me to, and our gazes met from across a crowded ballroom.”
“Ah, the age-old tale,” he said on the heels of a chuckle.
“It’s a classic story for a reason, but we both knew immediately that we were meant for each other.
There was an instant connection, an intense attraction there neither of us could ignore.
” When she shrugged, her gown rustled. The beads on the bodice encouraged his gaze to her décolletage.
“After dancing two sets, he secured my promise to marry him. A couple of days later, he left London to return to his regiment. Since the war was promising to end, we knew we’d see each other soon enough, so the parting wasn’t as horrid as it could have been. ”
An odd stab of jealousy went through his chest for a man he’d never met, and a dead one at that. Get hold of yourself, Gregory. She is your mistress, not a matrimonial prospect. “How long was he away?”
“Nearly half a year. We faithfully wrote letters during that time. I kept busy by planning the wedding as well as my trousseau with my mother.” Shadows reflected in her eyes.
“It proved bittersweet, for my mother died not long after I married Samuel.” The delicate tendons of her throat worked with a hard swallow.
“During that time, my episodes grew worse. I had Isabella to keep me company, which was fortuitous. The months were long and lonely, and they were also fraught with worry.”
“I can understand that. Much was at play while the war ran its course.” Unable to imagine how she must have felt during such a transition, he laid a hand on her knee. When she didn’t shy away, he gave it an experimental squeeze. “I assume you married shortly after he returned?”
“We did. The episodes dramatically quelled while he was with me. I suppose it makes a difference when there is someone around I trust implicitly.”
“It is my hope you always have that in your life.” Would she trust him in that way the longer their relationship progressed? Only time would tell, but he rather wished she might. “Yet your attacks continued?”
“They did.” She nodded, and as he continued to lightly caress her knee and thigh, her eyes darkened with need.
Was she even aware she felt that? “And they exacerbated when I received the letter saying Samuel had been killed in service. I don’t know if the episodes will ever stop,” she finished in a breathless voice.
Gregory took in that admission with a nod while he smoothed his fingers along her thigh, pleased when her limb trembled. “Do you know what the attacks stem from? Why you keep having them? Perhaps then you can better manage them.”
“I can only assume it’s a fear of being abandoned, and by that I include death as well.
” A long-suffering sigh sailed from her throat.
“My mother died shortly after I married. She was a seamstress, and I think she overtaxed herself with work, straining her eyesight and stabbing her fingertips until they were numb. Additionally, taking on extra sewing to prepare for my wedding.” Guilt flitted through her expression.
It tugged at his chest. “All to help supplement my father’s banking income.
” She shook her head. “My grandparents passed when I was a young child, so I wasn’t able to spend much time with them.
” When she raised her gaze to his, he wanted to tumble into those dark depths.
“One grows weary of death, I think, when it happens often.”
“It is difficult when loved ones leave. My grandfather is no longer with us, but my grandmother is still here. On my father’s side. She lives at the country estate, but doesn’t get out much these days.” Which reminded him that he probably needed to visit her soon.
“Thank goodness for my cousin. You met Lydia.”
“I did. Briefly the other day. She confronted us at the rout.”
“There is that.”
“Which set off… everything.” When Lydia had interrupted an embrace, he’d been forced to flee her home with a raging cockstand. “I’m sure she wished to know why I was visiting you. Did you tell her?”
“No.” A faint blush colored her cheeks, and he wanted to see more of that, in a scandalous capacity. “That is my secret alone for the time being.”
“Good.”
“Lydia is married to a baron’s son, so that allows me minimal access to the ton and high society, but only just.” When she widened her legs the veriest amount, pleasure shot through his chest, and he took advantage by dancing his fingertips along her inner thigh.
“She’s been there for me through everything, and I consider her like a sister.
” When her breathing accelerated, he couldn’t hide his grin.
“Her parents sponsored my Come Out year and my second Season as well. Without them, I would never have been a Diamond that year or met my husband.”
“I’m glad you had them.” The faint floral scent of her dared him—begged him—to take her into his arms, but he delayed, for a bit. “I think you need that.”
“I do.” As she moistened her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue, awareness of her snaked through his blood to concentrate in his shaft.
“My poor father is nearly a recluse these days, and that’s worrying me as well.
The bank is what he lives for, but I know he’s missing my mother even if he doesn’t admit to it. ”
That was the first time she’d spoken about him. Needing more of her, he scooted closer and put an arm about her waist, pulling her to him. “If you’d like, we can call on him for a visit.”
“Oh…” She shook her head and rested a hand on his chest. Damn, but he wanted her, needed to feel her hands on his body. “He wouldn’t condone what I’m doing with you, and he would show that disappointment, I’m sure.” An unexpected giggle escaped her, and it was enchanting . “Or call you out.”
“I can’t say that I blame him, but your life is your own.” When he nuzzled her neck with his nose, the shiver that went through her transferred to him and he grinned. “However, I hope for his sake, he’ll rejoin society just as you are doing.”
The hint of a hitch in her breathing betrayed how his proximity and touch affected her. “I’m sure when he’s ready, he’ll join his friends at the local tavern or go back to the Reading Room at the British Museum.”
Gregory lifted his head to meet her gaze. “Damn, I haven’t been there in ages.”
Interest lit her eyes. “You should go. A man who enjoys reading is quite attractive.”
Just when he thought she couldn’t be more fascinating, he saw another facet of her personality. “I must remember that. Is that why you wish to marry again? Because you’re also lonely?”