“Wait.” He did a double take. “Are you saying... ?”
“I have just come into possession of a research guide to intimate relations.”
“What? Like a sex book?”
She smashed her finger to his lips. “Do not discuss here, thank you. We will return to this topic tonight at the inn in Birmingham.”
The stagecoach was even more full than before, and Lizzy barely registered the bored faces. When they arrived at the evening’s destination, the Queen’s Goat, it felt as if everything moved more quickly. Washing. Eating. And it was almost as if time had skipped from the previous night to now. Except she had her book.
“Are you ready to unveil the big surprise?” Tuck sat in a chair by the table, his long legs extended and crossed at the ankles. “You’re as jumpy as a bean.”
Lizzy removed the book from her satchel and handed it to him before crawling onto the bed, tucking her bare feet under her nightgown.
“Breeding for horses? Okay. Unexpected?” He opened the cover and froze. “Hold up.” He flicked through the pages. “Jesus.” Finally, he glanced at her. “You found this in a bookshop?”
“I was as surprised as you.”
“And you bought it.”
“I want to learn. We are to be married. I understand it’s not in the traditional sense, but am I still to remain ignorant of all that goes on between a man and a woman? You, I imagine, are familiar with the activities in those pages, are you not?”
He handed the book back. “No comment.”
She clicked her tongue. “Omission is admission. I want tolearn, and with a book and your experience, I can understand, at least.”
“You want to know about all of that?”
“Imagine if I’m having a social call and a married friend begins to ask me about our intimacies. It will raise suspicions if I have not a clue as to what is being asked.”
“Do women talk about these things here?”
“Whyever not? Do women not speak to each other in your time?”
“Of course, but it feels like you are all more formal. I thought maybe it was more proper to not.”
Lizzy laughed at that. “If I had to make a wager, I’d imagine women have always, and will always, discuss such matters.”
“But you don’t want to actually do any of these illustrations in real life.”
She coughed.
“I’m serious. I’m trying to get clear on what you mean by lessons.”
The temperature of the room had increased in a matter of seconds. Her nightgown, which covered as much skin as a normal dress, felt far more sheer.
Because the thought hadn’t occurred to her the way it clearly had to Tuck. She hadn’t imagined actually being the person to experience such things. She hadn’t even allowed her mind to process that idea. And now she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to stop. The idea of Tuck with his head between her legs—what would that even begin to be like, and would it be enjoyable?
“Don’t look so worried,” he said soothingly. “I’m never going to do anything you don’t want to do. But you are handing over a sex book saying that you want to learn. I want to be on the same page with our team goals.”
She mouthedteam goalsas a silent question.
“You are on my team, remember?”
“And you’ll answer questions if I have them?”
“To the best of my ability.”
She reached for the book and opened it to the first page.
