Chapter Nine
NINE
The seamstress is able to alter the travel dress for me immediately. She also promises to deliver a box of “underthings.” Bishop doesn’t question what’s in the box. He knows women require a great many undergarments.
“We can go to an early dinner,” he says. “Or check into our hotel and freshen up for dinner.”
“Freshen up for dinner?” I ask.
“It was a euphemism,” he says, his voice low as he smiles over at me. “Given that we are walking a public street.”
“Ah. Good. Because while I am in desperate need of freshening, I would be disappointed if that was the only thing on the pre-dinner menu.”
“It is not, and that option would be my preference. A snack bought along the way, time in our room and then dinner at the proper hour.”
“What about Julius and Kenric?”
“They will be keeping their own company.”
I glance over at him. “That seems rude. We could meet for dinner.”
“They will be finding their own entertainment this evening.”
“You could just say they’re going to a brothel.”
He chokes on a laugh. “In all honesty, I don’t know.
It will depend on Kenric. Julius hopes to spend some time alone with him, get a sense of Kenric’s thoughts and loyalties, possibly once he’s in his cups.
That may mean visiting such a house, but more likely, they’ll be going to a gentleman’s club.
Gambling or watching a fight or some such. ”
“And as a proper lady, I cannot attend.”
He leans toward me, voice lowering more. “You may attend anything you wish.”
“Including brothels?”
“Of course, in the capacity in which you previously attended them, providing care to the women there.”
“And you? Are you going to attend them and provide the care you previously offered?”
He chokes and wags a finger at me. “No, I am not attending anything where I provide such care or am provided it in return. I have said I do not share well, and you have agreed you do not either, and that is how I like things.”
“So when you said we could attend brothels, did you mean purely as observers?”
A sputtered laugh. “I meant that you could attend venues that provide gambling and fighting, if you so wish. As for tonight, I am hoping that the entertainment I provide will be superior to those in any gentleman’s club.”
“I’m sure it will be. As for brothels, though, would I be wrong to presume that would have been your primary source of female companionship?”
He groans and shakes his head.
I continue, “Not that you couldn’t have had women otherwise—that clearly wouldn’t have been a problem. But you chose brothels for the ease of the monetary transaction.”
“I don’t think this is the proper conversation for a city street.”
I arch a brow. “Is it a proper conversation for the bedroom?”
“You are incorrigible.”
“I take that as a yes. I may ask anything I like, once we are in the privacy of our bedchamber.”
Bishop has been to Leeds before, and so he’d asked Julius to reserve our room at a hotel he chose. When we reach it, my breath catches.
“This is where you usually stay?” I whisper as we enter the grand hotel with a huge entryway and crystal chandeliers.
“No, but I’ve passed this place, and I knew it was right for our honeymoon.”
My hand tightens on his arm as I try not to gape. I’ve been to sumptuous balls and soirees, and that’s what this hotel lobby reminds me of. There’s even someone playing a harpsichord in the corner.
“I am distinctly underdressed,” I whisper as I watch two couples pass, both heading out for the evening.
“You are perfectly dressed for a bride arriving from a day of travel.”
He’s right, but I still long for my new gown as I marvel at the marble floor and the polished wood paneling. In the past week, I’ve slept in a basement cell, a forest, and a barn, and under the circumstances, I’d only dared hope for a clean bed and a bathing tub.
With me on his arm, Bishop walks straight to the counter and presents himself with all the grace of a lord. He tells the clerk that someone reserved a room for us earlier, and even implies that it was done by a manservant, which Julius would love.
“Of course,” the elderly man behind the counter says. “Your suite has been prepared. You have bags?”
“They will be arriving shortly. It has been a very long day of travel, and we decided to come ahead. I believe my man also saw to our necessities?”
“He did.” The clerk hands over the key. “Would you like an escort?”
“No need. Point the way, and we shall find it.”
Our room is on the top floor, which means traveling up in the tiny lift. Once we’re out of it, Bishop sweeps me up in his arms, making me laugh.
“I missed this part,” he says. “I would have preferred to be carrying you over the threshold to my bedroom, but this will do.”
He carries me along the hall as he checks the numbers. The first one on the left is ours, with a plaque under it reading THE VICTORIA & ALBERT SUITE.
“Ooh,” I say. “Julius got us the fancy room.”
Bishop deftly manages to unlock the door without dropping me. Then he knees it open and carries me inside to a sitting area, complete with a desk, a chaise longue, and a fireplace. Baskets cover a marble-topped table, and my nose tells me they’re full of food.
Bishop carries me past the food and knees open the next door. Then he growls, his eyes narrowing, and I glance over to see a wonderfully large and luxurious bed … covered in boxes.
“Please tell me you aren’t grumbling because your cousin was thoughtful enough to buy provisions.”
“If he were truly thoughtful, they wouldn’t be on the bed.” Bishop glances at me. “Fine, yes, it is very thoughtful. But still, it quite defeats the point of carrying you into the bedroom.”
Balancing me, he clears a spot with one hand and then lays me down onto it. I tug him down with me, pulling him into a kiss—
A rap at the door has him backing off, his growl now unmistakably canine, and I sputter a laugh.
“You did say you wanted the hot water brought right away,” I say as I rise, straightening my bodice.
“Not this ‘right away,’” he says. “Everyone is far too considerate and efficient today.”
I rap his arm. “Answer the door, and be nice about it.”
He strides out, shutting the bedroom door behind him.
As he lets a boy in to fill the tub, I start opening packages.
While not all of them will be for me, it’s always thrilling to open pretty boxes.
And the boxes are all very pretty, with red bows and fancy store names stamped on the sides.
One in particular makes me sigh. It’s a women’s toiletry set, with everything from a silver brush to fine soap and a second box within that holds hairpins and several beautiful clips.
At a grunt behind me, I turn to see Bishop standing at the end of the bed, his eyes narrowed.
“My cousin has outdone himself,” he says, that growl still in his throat.
I arch my brows. “Please don’t tell me you’re jealous of Julius.”
“No, I am jealous of anyone who spoils you before I get the chance.” He sits on the edge of the bed and squeezes my knee through my skirts. “I am glad he’s been so thoughtful, even if I do wish I could have been the one covering your bedspread with presents.”
“He was being efficient, gathering what we need while we obtained clothing.” I hand him an opened box. “And it’s not all for me.”
He riffles through the men’s toiletries and nods. “This is acceptable.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s perfect. Admit it. He saw to everything, just as you would have if you had the time. You were both raised to be excellent husbands.”
“Don’t tell Julius that. He likes his women in quantity.”
I sputter a laugh. “Perhaps he’s like his cousin, and simply hasn’t met one to make him give up that bounteous buffet.”
“Bounteous buffets were never my style. Julius likes endless romantic entanglements. He never settles on one woman even in the short term, lest they mistakenly believe he wants more. It’s always struck me as a thoroughly exhausting way to go about it.”
My lips twitch. “You like your transactions transactional.”
He waves a finger. “None of that. At least, not now, while your bath is being filled. You may recall how much I like to bathe you.”
“I do. But in this case, I think we both need the washing.”
“And we shall both have it. Now, let me see how many more trips the boy needs to make and whether I can speed the process.”
“And then, afterward, I can ask you anything I like?”
He smiles over at me. “You may.”