‘You are still not convincing me that this marriage is what you want. It sounds to me like you are sacrificing yourself again.’
‘I kissed him.’
Eloisa’s grip tightened. ‘You mean he kissed you?’
‘No. It was very much me. I threw myself at him.’ She had thought about that afternoon in the garden a lot, could remember every detail. She had been the one to move first. It was she who had pressed her mouth to his. It was he who was being forced into this marriage, not her.
‘Emily, you cannot leave it at that. You must tell me everything.’
There was no way that Emily was going to tell her friend about Freddie’s bare chest; there were limits even in the very best of friendships. ‘He was… it was…’ She couldn’t really describe how it felt; she only knew that what had happened in the garden was why she was not completely dreading her marriage. She was very much looking forward to kissing Freddie Dashworth again.
‘Ah,’ murmured Eloisa. ‘That is the look I was hoping to see on your face. Now you look like a woman looking forward to her marriage.’
Heat crept up her neck, but even so, she could not help remarking, ‘It was rather delicious.’
Emily and Eloisa giggled.
‘Do you know what happens between a man and a woman on their wedding night?’ Eloisa asked.
Emily’s heart flipped, her humour leaving her immediately. ‘Not exactly.’
‘We do not have long. Do you know or not?’ They peered down the long corridor towards the ballroom door. Nobody was coming out of the room, but that would not last. Emily pressed a hand to her stomach as nausea swelled. ‘What do you know about it?’
‘I bribed Frannie, one of our maids, to tell me.’ Emily laughed, for a moment distracted from all her other worries at the idea of her friend being so resourceful. It had never occurred to Emily to do such a thing. ‘I think,’ continued Eloisa, ‘there should be someone who passes the information along. I do not think it will be your mother because…’ Eloisa wrinkled her nose ‘…it all sounds rather disgusting and I am having a hard time believing your parents had three children.’
‘I know what happens between a stallion and a mare,’ Emily said.
Eloisa’s mouth swung open. Emily’s skin burned at the naivety of her statement. ‘I read about it in a book; it was all very vague but I think I have the general gist.’ A very hazy, somewhat confusing gist.
‘I see.’ Eloisa giggled nervously. ‘Well, I know nothing about horses, but I imagine some of the anatomy is the same.’
Emily made a noise that came from deep within and sounded a little like a dying cat.
‘Quite,’ agreed Eloisa. ‘Let me tell you what I know and then you can confirm how similar or not the two things are.’
For the next few minutes, Emily only listened in growing horror. ‘Are you sure?’ she asked when Eloisa had finished.
‘I am afraid so.’
‘And women enjoy this?’
‘Not as much as men apparently.’
‘Oh dear me.’ Emily went hot and cold simultaneously as she tried to imagine Freddie and her doing the acts as Eloisa had described them.
‘Well, is it?’ Eloisa prompted.
‘Is it what?’ Emily asked weakly.
‘Like horses?’
‘Unfortunately, in some respects, yes.’ They sat for a moment digesting this. ‘I just don’t see how it is going to fit.’
‘No,’ agreed Eloisa.
‘Do you think they go as big as a stallion?’ Freddie would likely rip her in half if that were true. Maybe she would have to call off the engagement after all. There was no way she could go through with this.
‘No!’ said Eloisa and then less confidently. ‘Surely not.’
