“I was visiting her for you.” He smiled widely at her and lifted his eyebrows expectantly.
As though those words fixed everything. He was practicing sex with his mistress…so that he could do those things with Georgiana. That was supposed to make herfeel better. She gaped at him. Gawked. Gurgled, even. She had no idea how to respond to that. She was too busy watching her heart bleed out into the grains of wood on the floor.
She wasn’t sure what hurt worse. The fact that her husband had slept with another woman. The fact that he was fool enough to think she wouldappreciatethe fact. Or the fact that she had been dim-witted enough to have hoped their marriage would be one of fidelity and love.
Which only sent something searing and sharp shooting through her. Because she hadn’t hoped for those things. Not until her stupid bloody husband had made it seem like it was what he wanted to. Not until her stupid bloody husband made her feel all these stupid bloody feelings for him.
“I thought you had dismissed her. I do not understand why you would go to her—” She swallowed and inhaled a shuddering breath. “Why couldn’t you have come to me?”
“Because I realized on Christmas that—”
“On Christmas?” She cut him off, her voice sharp. “Shewas your urgent business? You left me on Christmas. To run to your mistress.”
His smile dropped. “W-well.” He shuffled his hands like he was balancing weights in front of himself. “It wasn’tonChristmas. I didn’t visit her until two days after.”
She blinked at him. Well, that was much better. A couple of days after Christmas was clearlymuch bloody better. Wait. That was where he had been when she’d arrived at an empty town house? Instead of being home to greet his new wife. He had been in bed with his mistress. Her pathetic heart gave a pathetic flop on the floor. Pathetic, pathetic,pathetic.
“Gigi… please say something. Are you still upset—”
“Mr. Jennings, your family has arrived and is waiting out front for you,” Pemberton’s droll voice cut into the study.
Georgiana smoothed her skirts. “We should go. We do not want to keep the rest of the party waiting.” She fell into step behind the butler, not glancing back at her husband. Dear Lord, how was she to hide the impact of this—thisbombher grenadier of a husband had just dropped—while attending their first supper party as husband and wife? This was going to be torture.
He hurried to catch up to her, falling into stride. “You still do not seem well, Gigi.”
She looked straight ahead. “Let us not discuss in front of the servants,” she said softly, tightly. “After the supper party.”
But there was only one thing she wanted to do after the supper party. And that was to curl up in her bed and cry.
Her husband had slept with someone else.
And as effective as a grenade, it destroyed her.
40
Georgiana
Georgianahadsomehowmadeit through the carriage ride without raising any suspicions, even despite the fact that she hadn’t spoken a word. If she opened her mouth, all that would come out was a sob. She had to hold herself together until this supper party was over.
Fortunately, they had been ushered inside and quickly led to the drawing room to greet their hosts, so Georgiana was able to avoid the questioning glances Felicity was sending her way. Apparently, it had been the shadows of the conveyance that had hidden the pain she’d thought she’d masked. She wasn’t fooling her sister-in-law.
They paused before their hosts and Lady Rutledge, radiant in a vibrant berry-red gown, raven-black hair adorned with matching red-berries, greeted them all, Georgiana included, like old friends. Lady Bentley excused herself, murmuring she had seen the dowager Duchess of Ironcrest, and the men wandered off to the sideboard. Fitz gave her a last searching glance and accidentally walked into a gentleman, as he wasn’t watching where he was walking. Georgiana hated that he was so bloody endearing. Stupid, stupid man.
Lady Rutledge gripped Georgiana’s hands, tearing Georgiana’s gaze from her husband’s stumbling form.
The woman’s friendly green eyes sparkled. “It is so lovely to meet you, Mrs. Jennings. Lady Felicity has told me so much about you. Your sister-in-law sings your praises.”
Georgiana’s cheeks heated, and she shot a glance at her grinning sister-in-law.
“I may have included in our acceptance that you were the perfect addition to our family. That you fit right in with the Jennings chaos.”
Lady Rutledge’s grin turned wicked. “Ilovechaos.”
Georgiana glanced between the two women, a bemused smile tilting her lips. “Goodness, there are two of you?” This was perfect. She could use two Felicitys to distract herself tonight.
Lady Rutledge and Felicity broke out in chuckles.
“Unfortunately, I was never able to master the art of a proper young miss like Lady Felicity. I am pure chaos, out-loud and proud. Bless my husband for putting up with me.” She glanced at the sideboard, smiling fondly at her perfectly starched husband—well, perfectly starched but for his wayward brown curls. Goodness, they gave Fitz’s a run for their money.
