Chapter Six
“You see before you a changed man. One who will genuinely open his eyes and open up his heart to the possibility of love. That’s what you assured me, Milbury!
” Gwendolyn said while standing in her parlor, hands on her hips, and scowling at the difficult marquess in utter frustration the morning following Lady Fielding’s soiree. “I trusted you to keep to your word.”
He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck.
“I tried, Gwendolyn. I surely did. You know I did. But be serious…two of those ladies on your list propositioned me within five minutes of being introduced to me. They offered me their bodies before they even knew my given name, which is James, by the way. I wish you would use it instead of calling me Milbury.”
“You are evading,” she grumbled, taking a seat on the settee.
Good grief, had they really propositioned him? It must have happened during the brief moments she had left his side. Or had they done it in front of her and she was oblivious?
“I am not evading, merely explaining why they are unsuitable.” He plunked himself down in a chair beside her and stretched his legs before him.
“I had barely escaped from the clutches of those first two when I was tackled by another of your eager prospects, who attempted to drag me into the library for a quick…tumble.”
“A tumble?”
“Yes, Gwen. You know my meaning. Need I be more explicit?”
She cleared her throat. “No. When was this? I was by your side almost the entire evening and did not notice anything.”
“Well, they weren’t going to send up flares, were they?”
“What did you do in response?”
“Nothing. I ignored her overtures, of course. Which, by the way, started while you were first introducing her to me. In fact, all three of these ladies were sending subtle signals right in front of you. Were you a little less oblivious, you would have caught on to them quickly.”
She ground her teeth. This was not going quite as she had planned.
“I dismissed all three from consideration, of course. Do you seriously believe women like these are going to be loyal to me beyond a week after we are married?”
“Well, it would have been up to you to keep your chosen bride…um, satisfied in the bedroom.”
He snorted. “It isn’t a question of my manly prowess. I know how to satisfy a lady in bed.”
“Oh, do you?” she responded with an air of dismissal, although she was not irritated with him but more with herself for once again failing to find him a suitable match. And being so stupidly ignorant of all the sexual interplay going on right in front of her.
He leaned forward and growled softly. “Yes, I do know how to pleasure a lady. It is not a skill one ever forgets.”
Dear heaven.
Her stomach fluttered and her mind began to scandalously wander to the bedchamber with…him.
He looked awfully attractive right now. Rugged and confident. He’d lost some of his gentlemanly veneer.
Frankly, this suited him.
“That I choose to spend my time looking after my sons instead of tearing through the boudoirs of London does not make me any less proficient. I have simply made a choice not to stick my head under every skirt offered to me.”
“Why would you stick your head—”
“Gad! Gwen, must I explain it to you?”
She tipped her chin up. “No. The implication is obvious. Um…I think.”
“Oh, glory! Do you really have no clue what I am talking about?”
No. When would she ever have learned such things?
Well, she ought to have done with Andrew, since they were betrothed. But they never had.
And now she had made a na?ve fool of herself, although she was determined to finesse her ignorance. “Um, as you were saying. They offered their skirts, and—”
“No, Gwen. I am not going to give you any details about what they asked me to do. Suffice it to say, their suggestions were often quite imaginative.” He groaned and sat back. “Sorry, that was uncalled for on my part.”
“No,” she said with a sigh. “I should not have harangued you. It is I who owe you the apology for trying to blame you when it is my failing.”
“It isn’t your fault,” he insisted. “Why would you ever blame yourself? However, you are surprisingly innocent in many ways and oblivious to how manipulative some of these ladies can be. Men are no prizes either. All I am saying is that marriage is a high-stakes game. Most who play will scheme, cheat, and look for every advantage to get them what they want. They will sabotage their competition. They will lie to my face about how brilliant I am and how much they desire me. I know what they are doing, and I do not like to be played.”
“Was there anyone on my list you did find worthy?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Do you want an honest answer?”
She sighed again. “Yes, of course.”
“Then no.”
Her eyes rounded in surprise. “Nobody? Not a one? What about the remaining four who did not proposition you? What did you find wrong with them? Or did they proposition you, too? Am I the only spinster in London who does not go around throwing herself at eligible marquesses?”
“You very well may be,” he said with a nod. “I am not purposely trying to disappoint you, but the issue of loyalty is important. There was not one among the seven on your list I felt would work honestly toward a good marriage. It is also a question of control.”
Gwendolyn frowned. “You expect to control your wife?”
“No, not at all. My point is that if the lady is using her body to entice me now, she will certainly use it as a weapon against me after we are married. She is the one who will think to control me by granting or withholding sex.”
She eeped.
Good grief!
She was a spinster over the age of thirty. A virgin still, but she was no dullard about what went on in the bedchamber. Well, she thought she knew because she had read some books that were surprisingly explicit.
The thought of Milbury doing those things to her body…
She coughed.
“Gad, you look genuinely shocked.”
“I am,” she said with an emphatic nod. “Who would do such a thing?”
“Gwen, are you that na?ve?”
She blushed. “No.”
He eyed her speculatively. “Yes, you are.” But his tone gentled.
“That is not a bad thing. It just proves you have a good heart and will always be forthright when dealing with your husband. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing with one’s spouse.
That is bound to happen. But to put conditions or exact punishment for those disagreements, well, that is not a healthy marriage. ”
She let out a breath. “All right, I see your point. This is what you thought of the other four, too?”
“Well, they did not proposition me, but two treated the servants badly. This also indicates they would treat me badly were I to get on the wrong side of them. One’s character should not shift according to whom they are addressing.
As I said, it is a matter of punishment and control.
Retribution instead of an honest engagement and working through any disagreement with respect for the other’s feelings.
I refuse to involve myself with a wife I cannot trust to do this. ”
“I see. Got it. Your bride prospect must not be controlling or shifty. And the other two ladies?”
“One had a sour expression on her face, except when talking to me. Then her smile was overly bright.”
Gwendolyn groaned. Why was Milbury making things so difficult?
“I frown from time to time,” she countered. “Everyone frowns. Even you do, Milbury. See, you are frowning at me right now.”
“Never at you, Gwen. And the name is James.” He leaned forward once more, making her body tingle because his polished veneer was slipping again, and she sensed the power flowing from him as he regarded her with a hawk’s keen gaze.
“She frowns when her face is at rest, which indicates her natural temperament is irritation. You, on the other hand, cannot hold your frown for more than ten seconds before your face reverts to a smiling pout.”
“That is nonsense. How can I be smiling and pouting at the same time?”
“It is in the shape of your lips.”
“You noticed my lips?”
“I do look at your face,” he said. “There is a small dip at each corner of your mouth that gives you a… Ah, do not take this the wrong way, but you have a sensual pout that does not put men off at all. In fact, it is quite appealing. It is different from a frown. And anyway, most of the time you are smiling, which is also an attractive quality to a man.”
Good grief, she was tingling again.
“And what about the last lady? Number seven. My final hope.”
He chuckled. “Her nose was too pointy.”
Gwendolyn shook her head. “You are dismissing her because she has a pointy nose?”
“She’ll poke my eye out whenever I try to kiss her. Must it be a Euclidean calculation every time I try to cover her mouth with mine?”
She gaped at him for a full minute, certain he had to be in jest.
But it appeared he wasn’t.
“That is the most unbelievably ridiculous excuse I have ever heard in all my years of making successful matches. You are just coming up with any outrageous reason that pops into your head in order to strike these perfectly suitable ladies off the list.”
“I am being completely sensible.”
“How?” She shook her head in dismay. “Millions of people with pointy noses manage to kiss each other without problem every day. I have never read of a man’s eye being gouged out by kissing a young lady.
Never. Not once in the annals of history.
And if Miss Pointy Nose wore spectacles, would you complain about those, too? ”
“No, it isn’t at all the same. It is the rapier-sharp nose that is the issue, not the spectacles. Although those might be a problem if we both wore spectacles.”
“More Euclidean calculations?”
“Possibly,” he said with the hint of grin.
“I have a pointy nose.” Gwendolyn touched the tip of it for emphasis. “See? Does this make me undesirable?”
“You have an adorable nose.” He gave it a light tweak. “Any man would be happy to kiss you. If I leaned in like this… See? Your nose would not get in the way.”
Their mouths were so close together, she could feel his warm breath against her lips.