Page 72 of A Contracted Spouse for the Prizefighter

From his bleak expression, Theo could tell it was Henrietta he would be brooding over. Impulsively, she reached for his large hand and squeezed his fingers. “I will let you know as soon as we hear anything, Vincent, I promise.”

He swallowed and made a gruff sound in his throat. The front door opened, and Theo turned her head to see Clem’s silhouette in the doorway. She turned back to Vincent. “Thank you so much for today,” she said releasing his hand and suppressing the sudden surprising instinct to stand on her tiptoes and kiss his cheek.

She could have reached it, thanks to her height, but Vincent was a stickler for propriety and would likely be very shocked. Indeed, he looked a little red around the ears from her just taking his hand. “I will see you soon, Vincent,” she promised.

“Good night, miss.” Without acknowledging Clem, he took off into the encroaching darkness and Theo watched after him a moment, listening to the sound of his retreating footsteps. She hoped Vincent had friends or family he could talk frankly to about his broken heart. Being so closed off must make such feelings a terrible burden to bear.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned to find Clem advancing toward her down the path. “It’s getting dark,” he observed.

“Yes,” Theo agreed. “I had no idea a second fitting would take so long. My suits are coming along nicely.” When he said nothing, Theo took a second look at his face. “Has something happened?” she asked.

“No,” he answered coolly, “not that I’m aware.”

She relaxed. Perhaps it was not surprising that her sister was uppermost on her mind, but her thoughts had immediately leaped to possible news of Henrietta.

It was only halfway through dinner that she noticed Clem’s small talk was somewhat sparse. He was also sporting a rather foreboding frown. Wondering if something was amiss at the concert rooms, she decided to be an understanding spouse and not demand too much of him by way of conversation.

Instead, she turned to Harold and asked him how his latest composition was coming along. He seemed grateful for a listening ear and poured out the difficulties he was having with his current piece as Theo made sympathetic noises.

After dinner was done, Clem once again declined to join the others in the parlor and instead followed Theo up to their sitting room. “I think you need to introduce me to this Vincent of yours,” he said as soon as the door was shut behind them.

Theo turned to look at him, for though his tone was entirely neutral, every instinct within her tingled a warning. It was the oddest thing, and she frowned as he crossed the room to the cabinet and began pouring them drinks. He sounded relaxed, but somehow, she was not deceived. She needed to proceed with caution here. “He is not really my Vincent,” she said carefully. “He is an old friend of the family.”

“Funny, your brother does not speak of him as a friend,” was his rather clipped response as he set the bottle back on the shelf.

His back was to her, but Theo took in the line of his tense shoulders with alarm. “Perhaps not, I suppose his relationship to Felix is more business-like. Whereas with my sister and I …” she started, then tried a different approach when Clem did not immediately turn to face her but stood still with his back to her.

“In truth,” she said with perfect frankness, “he belongs to Hetty, in both body and soul. I am concerned about him,” she continued. “I think he is torn up inside about her disappearance.”

Clem breathed out and turned with their glasses, moving toward her. This time he was carrying finely-etched brandy glasses. “Your sister made her choice,” he pointed out, placing their glasses on the table and sitting down beside her. “There is precious little you can do about that.”

“I know,” she sighed, “but I vastly prefer Vincent to Sir Matthew Hillingdon.”

Clem gave a short laugh. “Vincent was never in the running with your sister, and you know it. She’s a proud, haughty piece. I doubt she ever saw him as anything but her lackey.”

Theo regarded him with surprise. “You made a quick appraisal of my sister’s character from one brief meeting,” she said with a brief frown.

Clem leaned forward to pick up his drink and took a swig before answering her. “I usually weigh people up pretty quickly.”

“You must do,” she said slowly, still scanning his face. Was it merely her imagination or did he look a little evasive?

Clem turned to face her. For a minute he said nothing, just regarded her so seriously that she started to feel alarmed. Then he leaned toward her. “I need you to introduce me as your husband to your friend Vincent, Dora,” he said silkily. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“Of course not!” she responded swiftly. “I told him about you. I’m sorry; I should have introduced you just now, but—well, he was not at his best and it did not feel right to—”

“Next time, then,” Clem said, cutting through her excuses.

“Yes,” she agreed. “Yes, next time I will.” He gave a nod and then drained his glass. “Clem,” she said, shifting closer to him on the sofa. “Please don’t be angry with me.”

“I’m not angry.”

She did not entirely believe him. Or if it was not anger, then it was something else not entirely dissimilar in nature. Her chest ached with the strangest pang. Suddenly, it was imperative for her to put an end to this strange gulf dividing them.

Theo could not have said why, but letting her tingling instincts guide her, she reached up to place her hand at the back of his neck. He nearly jumped out of his skin. He was sensitive there. “Clem?” she whispered.

When he would not turn his head to look at her, she tugged him there, lightly at first and then with increasing urgency, leaning right into him until he followed her promptings and turned his head so she could press her lips to his.

It was the first time she had initiated anything physical between them, and feeling his resistance weaken, Theo swept her tongue across his bottom lip. After a moment, Clem parted his lips in silent invitation and Theo claimed his mouth with a boldness that shocked even her.