Page 46 of An Accidental Elopement

“And the reason you could not tell me this in a letter is what exactly?” he asked without even trying to hide his annoyance with her.

Lavinia rolled her eyes. She was sitting in a chair by the window. Her light purple dress with a low neckline and wide sleeves made her look exactly like the flirt that she was. Looking at her, Archie could not fathom that he had ever desired her. He wished he could say that he had been young and foolish, but it had been mere months since Lavinia had been all that he craved in a woman.

“I thought you wanted to know,” she told him with a small smile. “This is your baby too after all and I will make sure that you do your part. That it is well taken care of.”

“Or else?” Archie asked because the threat was clearly there.

“Or else I tell your new wife, of course.” Lavinia smirked. She was a good enough actress that he had no idea whether it was a hollow threat or not. And he certainly could not take any chances.

“I have done my part so far, have I not?” he grumbled and wanted to leave but also did not want to bother her.

“You have. And I am grateful for it.” She bent her head, and for a moment, she looked very young and vulnerable. But when she looked up at him again, there was a hard line around her mouth. “I’ll need money for the trip back to London. Plus, money to buy new clothes. I have to have something that will hide my condition for as long as possible. And I expect you to take care of the bill for my room here of course.”

If Archie had not known her better, he would have thought that the lines around her mouth indicated that she did not like asking him for money. But since his experience told him that she had no qualms regarding that, the lines had to be there for another reason.

He slowly retrieved his coin purse from his coat and handed her money for the stagecoach as well as money for new dresses.

“I will pay the innkeeper,” he told her as he handed her the money.

“You don’t trust me to do it,” she stated in a high-pitched mock-defended voice. She rose from the chair and placed the money in her reticule. “You’ll be in touch.” He nodded at this. “Or I swear to God, you will leave me with no other choice but to tell your wife.”

Archie did not respond to this but only scowled at her back as she strode towards the door.

“Whoops, excuse me,” Lavinia told someone in the hall. Several degrees more friendly than her tone had been with Archie. “Madam, if you would kindly move.” Annoyance had crept into her tone now.

Archie turned fully towards the door, baffled by what was going on. The door itself along with Lavinia’s body however prevented him from seeing the person outside.

“No, I will not move,” a voice that was usually sweet as honey but was now dripping with ice said. “You, madam, will kindly go back inside and tell me exactly what you have been doing with my husband.”

Archie’s throat constricted and he felt rooted to the spot as if Cecilia’s voice had been enough to freeze him instantly. All he was able to do was turn his head slightly and watch as Lavinia stepped inside the room again and a scowling Cecilia followed. She sent him only the briefest of glances before she focused on his former mistress again.

“Tell me,” she demanded.

“Exactly what we have been doing seems rather a lot to ask, but if you are certain that you wish to know, Lady Archibald,” Lavinia drawled. Her face and tone showed amusement, but the rigid posture of her shoulders told another story.

Her crass statement was however enough to wake Archie from his reverie.

“Cecilia,” he breathed as he rushed towards her. “Nothing has happened.”

She turned to him with a dead expression in her eyes as if she did not see him.

“Nothing? Really, Archie?” she asked in a tired voice.

“Nothing, Cecilia, I swear.” He could not help but reach out and take her gloved hand despite being certain that she would not appreciate it. She did not withdraw her hand as he had thought, but merely let him hold her completely still and limp hand. It seemed an omen of what their marriage would become from now on and Archie had to swallow hard several times to be able to speak. “I would never betray you, Cecilia. What you and I have...”

“What we have? What exactly do we have?” She snatched her hand from him. There was anger in her voice now, and her eyes were focused on him. Deadly sharp as if they could wound him severely.

“We are married,” Archie answered because he had no words that were able to encompass exactly what she was to him: his best friend and his lover brought together in one person. The one that he most wanted to spend his time with and who he thought about when she was not there.

“Married,” Cecilia hmphed on a breath of air. “I know exactly how you view marriage...”

“We haven't fucked,” Lavinia interrupted, managing to sound both amused and bored at the same time.

Cecilia turned towards her as if she had forgotten the other woman was in the room. Which she very well could have.

“Fucked?” she repeated and the word sounded unbelievably crass coming from her.

“Yes, well, coupled or slept together or whatever you fancy people call it,” Lavinia told her and adjusted her shoulders.