25. Chapter 25
twenty-five
I n the ensuing days, David embarked on an arrangement that was foreign to him—dancing around the object of his desire without giving in to that desire.
Jenny’s motive was self-preservation. David’s was more like that of a zoologer stalking a rare animal, never getting too close for fear of causing her to run.
He found this especially trying considering he’d never played the role of pursuer.
He hadn’t the faintest notion of how to woo a woman.
He had conceived of their living together as a sort of compromise between having her as a wife in all ways and having her close.
But it wasn’t enough. He wanted all of her.
With the aim of making her his wife, he proceeded to clumsily woo her.
His first step was making certain Mme Tremblay kept Jenny’s room supplied with fresh flowers and fruit bought from the markets.
The weather was getting colder, so it was not an easy feat, but there were hothouses and orangeries in the city.
Unfortunately, and perhaps predictably, this didn’t work as he wanted because he’d come upon Jenny pausing on her way out to the theater to thank Mme Tremblay profusely for her thoughtfulness.
To her credit, the housekeeper gave him his due as the orchestrator, but it wasn’t enough. The housekeeper had done the work.
The next stage of his plan involved slowly filling her wardrobe with clothing he’d ordered from the modiste.
He’d personally selected the rich fabrics and the designs were all taken from current fashion plates.
While he had noticed Jenny wearing her new coat, she seemed to forgo the other costumes.
David resolved to take a more active hand in the matter of courting.
His first chance came when, a week into their housemate arrangement, Jenny came to him because she needed an escort for a soiree.
The event was for the patrons of the opera.
They would be given hors d’oeuvres followed by a brief preview of the performance followed by dancing.
He readily agreed, embracing the opportunity to be seen by others as a genuine couple.
However, the evening did not go as he planned.
Not only did he not actually escort her to the event.
What point is there in coming home when I’ll already be there?
she’d said. But he arrived at the theater only to be greeted by Delcroix and Winpenny, who took him between them and began showing him around the gathering.
He did see his wife in passing and she was in a flattering gown, being fawned over by a herd of admirers.
She greeted him but then went right back to receiving their gracious and enthusiastic praise for a performance they had yet to see.
He couldn’t blame her for that. She deserved the accolades, but the beast inside him wanted to be there with her, standing beside her as those men gushed admiration.
He decided to rectify the situation and when she arrived home for dinner the very next night, he had another group of admirers waiting.
This group was made up of scores of performers and regular patrons from En Soirée, the nightclub his friend from London, Jacob Thorne, had recently opened in Paris.
His new wife Camille, who was also an American and the widowed Duchess of Hereford, had helped launch Jenny and her sisters into Society when they’d arrived in London.
He knew that she’d be happy to see them .
Jenny was happy to see the couple, if not the larger crowd.
When she arrived home, she very graciously welcomed everyone and partook in the refreshments servers were passing around.
He even escorted her around on his arm. But an hour later, she pulled him into a private corner in the hall. “What is this, David?”
He grinned. “You were such a success last night, I thought you might like another gathering tonight.”
She gave a weary sigh. For the first time, he noted that smudges of exhaustion marked the delicate skin beneath her eyes. “That’s very…thoughtful of you, but I am tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night and rehearsals are going much later now in the lead up to opening night.”
It was true. She hadn’t got home until after ten o’clock the past few days.
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, and I enjoy do seeing Camille and Mr. Thorne, but I need my rest, David. The show opens very soon, and I must preserve my voice. One night after the other is too much.”
He frowned. He hadn’t considered any of that when he’d planned the evening. His only concern had been how badly he’d wanted to be with her and be seen with her. He’d botched this very badly.
“Yes. All right. That sounds reasonable. Why don’t you go up to bed?”
She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “I can’t leave now. It would be rude.”
“No, you’re right.” He took her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Go back to everyone and I’ll handle things.”
“How? They’ve all been kind to come here. We can’t offend them.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. They won’t suspect a thing. ”
He nudged her back toward the drawing room.
She went but gave him a curious look over her shoulder as she did.
When she was gone, he glanced around the entryway and stairs as if the answer would present itself.
He could start a contained fire, but that would be dangerous and the smoke might cause them all to have to leave rather than their guests.
He could toss himself down the stairs but that option was full of obvious flaws.
What to do?
His gaze caught on the sconce, specifically the steady, gas-powered flame.
If it were dark, everyone would have to leave.
They kept candles on hand but it’d be no trouble at all to pretend they had run out.
He didn’t dare do this without warning Mme Tremblay, so he hurried down to the kitchen to relay his plan.
He was only gone for five minutes, so when he strolled back into the drawing room to find his wife seated and in conversation with Camille, he gave her a wink that he hoped conveyed things were underway.
He was talking to an Italian tenor a few minutes later when the room went dark.
A brief cry of surprise went up, followed by a roar of laughter.
“Apologies,” he said to the gathering. “I feared this might happen. Our gas piping has been unreliable of late.”
The servers he’d hired were already at the ready with a few candles so they weren’t in complete darkness for long, though the few candlesticks were not adequate replacements for the gas lamps.
“Perhaps I should go see to the problem,” Jenny said with a gentle squeeze of thanks to his arm as she passed.
“I’m certain Mme Tremblay has it well in hand,” he murmured to her back.
Thorne rose and addressed the group. “The nightclub is closed tonight but perhaps we can take this gathering there. We at least have gas and drinks. ”
A cheer went up through the crowd and the next few minutes were spent stumbling in the semi-darkness for coats and gloves and hats.
David ushered the crowd out the door and saw them to their carriages and made an excuse about going to check with the housekeeper and Jenny before joining them at En Soirée.
Once everyone was gone, he made his way upstairs to Jenny’s room.
Knocking softly, he waited for an answer and when one wasn’t forthcoming, he quietly opened the door.
He told himself he wanted to make certain she was all right, but really he wanted to see her again and tell her he was sorry for the whole debacle.
A single candle flickered at her bedside and she breathed heavily, lying on her back beneath the covers.
He smiled at how serene she appeared and stepped farther into the space, drawn by her presence.
She really was exhausted, because she didn’t even stir when he reached out and lifted a lock of hair from her cheek.
He longed to climb into bed beside her and pull her into his arms. He wanted nothing more than to be welcome there.
Dropping to his haunches, he studied her sleeping profile.
He wanted to stare at the beautiful sight every night for the rest of his life.
It was startling how quickly he’d gone from not being able to fathom a future with only one woman to a lifetime with her.
She shifted and rolled to face him. His heart lodged in his throat because he thought he’d been caught and lurking in her bedroom was not how he would gain her trust. But when she drew a hand up to lie so near to him that he could feel its warmth, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss on the porcelain back.
“David,” she whispered without opening her eyes. “’S everyone gone?”
“Yes, love. They’ ve left.”
“Thank you.”
He kissed her hand again and his heart clenched when she wrapped her fingers around his before she fell back to sleep. He stayed there until his legs ached, and he made a silent vow to win her trust.
***
Several evenings later, he was handing his hat and gloves off to the footman when a round of laughter emerged from the drawing room. “Is her ladyship entertaining?” he asked.
The man nodded. “Yes, my lord, her family is visiting and they’ve brought a guest.”
David thanked him and hurried to school his features so his disappointment didn’t show. It’s not that he disliked visiting with Jenny’s family, it was that he had hoped to have more time alone with her. But his time was nearly up. The opera opened in a few days, which is why her family was here.