Althea stood and paced a path along the length of the low table, from the fireplace to the end of the area rug and back.
Beth sat back and sipped tea from the tray a servant had brought in, thankfully during a less prurient part of Althea’s summary of her situation. “Cuz, apart from the risk of rumors, what do you want? A month ago, you’d have told me you had no interest in sex. But that is not the case now, is it?”
Althea threw herself back into the chair. “Gah! No. Blasted man. And you!”
“Me? What did I do?”
“You told me about it all. And that pushed me into making claims he felt forced to disprove. ’Tis all your fault!”
Beth snorted.
Althea snorted.
Then the two of them burst into giggles and laughed until they were crying.
Finally, wiping the tears from under her eyes, Althea straightened in her chair again, reaching for her lukewarm cup of tea. “Here, I’ll give you the words I know you are slavering for. You. Were. Right.” She stuck her tongue out at her younger cousin.
“Oh my, I’ve been rubbing off on you. Or Evan has—literally.” Beth snorted, seeming on the verge of descending into giggles again. She took a deep breath and sent Althea a level gaze. “Look, you have the upper hand at the moment. He has come round twice, so even though you must go to him, ’tis clear he wants you and will flex on the terms. Use the negotiating tactics he would. If your biggest concern is rumors, trade sex for advice. Just make sure he agrees to keeping it secret.”
****
Evan arrived home from Althea’s shop, shampoo-less, with his hands still shaking.
’Twas the first time he’d spent his seed with another person in the room in months. No wonder ’twas a bit of a shock to the system.
But it was more. He desired more than an afternoon’s interlude. He’d wanted to scoop Althea up and take her home and make love to her all afternoon. Hell, he’d wanted to spear into her then and there, if only his conscience wasn’t so darned interfering.
Pouring a generous whisky, he slumped in his desk chair and stared at the fireplace in his library. When he raised his glass to sip, he caught a whiff of her arousal mixed with his seed. His cock twitched in his breeches, eager to continue its path out of this dry spell.
Did I push too far, too fast? I did not accept her offer of intercourse. Surely, that will count for something. So now what?
Did he continue purchasing items in her shop, hoping for another assignation? He’d gone there twice and to her house once. Should he give up and walk away? There had to be some other woman out there who could make his cock hard again. Or if there wasn’t, some other investment to pique his interest.
He sipped whisky, watching the firelight play over the tans and golds of the room’s upholstery.
If Ford told him he had pursued a woman this much, he’d likely laugh and tell his friend to move on, rather than keep at it. Although, given the modicum of success he’d had today, his advice might be to continue his efforts. She had given herself to him, despite his idiotic chivalry and terrible choice of time and place.
With that, he took one more sip and put the whisky aside to go through his correspondence. On the top were two letters that overrode his indulgent memories of the afternoon.
Nancy Lincoln, the woman he’d selected as a nurse for his mother, had written to accept his offer of employment. And a note from Lucy indicated she’d been struggling more the weeks after he’d left, as his mother’s memory was slipping more frequently and she became angry when she was confused.
He’d had letters like that one before, as his mother’s dementia progressed to a new stage. Each time, he returned home in the hope that his presence would soothe her and because each advancement reminded him that his time with her was limited. Whether she valued it or not, he did.
He called to the butler to ask his manservant to pack for a short trip back to Cheltenham, and he scribbled a note to be delivered to the new nurse, along with a small pouch of shillings. He indicated that if she could leave in two days, she could travel in the comfort of his coach with him. Otherwise, the money pouch should cover her fare and to please apprise him of her planned arrival date.
Two days later, Nancy arrived with a small trunk and she and the trunk were being loaded into the carriage. Evan stood on the stoop, pulling on his gloves as he waited.
A small carriage pulled up behind his, and the figure alighting caught his eye.Althea.
“My lord. Oh. You are leaving.”
“I must. Is Beth with you perchance? I should like to thank her for finding Nancy for me. I am going to get her settled and check on my mother. I’ve had a letter…” His shoulders tensed.
Althea laid a gloved hand on his arm, ignoring decorum. “Of course. I understand. Beth is in the carriage.” She gestured.
“Alfred, I shall be right back.” Evan called to his coachman.
The man saluted.
