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“The poor man is quite naked.”

“Fancy him in a nice lace shift, do you?” Darby said.

“He’s a man of battle, for God’s sake, woman. Besides, I don’t fashion clothing.”

“Better lace than nothing,” Henrietta pointed out.

“I’ve had a note from Rees asking me if we’d like to attend the opening of his new opera. That’s a compliment for you. He’s never once asked me to attend an opening night.”

“How marvelous! When is it?”

“Tonight,” he said with a grin. “I have the feeling we’re an afterthought.”

Henrietta’s face fell. “Tonight? I’m not certain that I can attend.”

Darby raised an eyebrow. “Surely Madame Humphries delivered at least one evening gown amongst all those garments?”

“Henrietta’s leg hurts today,” Josie put in matter-of-factly.

“She couldn’t come on our walk. The oil is boiling now.”

Which was an unsubtle call to come-and-be-boiled. Henrietta obediently began moving her soldiers into range of flaming liquids from above. A large hand helped the last of her sacrificial lambs into place. “I’m sorry that you’re in pain,” Darby said, under cover of Josie’s war shrieks. Boiling oil was being delivered with howls of outrage.

“It’s quite all right,” Henrietta said, helping Josie knock over the last few of her men. “Josie, don’t shriek too loudly. We don’t want to wake Anabel from her nap.”

Henrietta got to her feet with some help from Darby. Fool for Love

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“Shall I ask Fanning to move dinner forward so that you can be there on time?”

“Do you think that I would go without you?” There was a curious testing in his voice.

She gave him a frown. “You must. An opening night is a very important occasion for Rees, especially if it is the very first to which you were invited.”

“Do you believe that I wish to go anywhere without my wife?” He began kissing her fingertips.

“That is not the point,” Henrietta said, trying to inject severity into her voice. “You must attend Rees’s opening night, because otherwise I would feel even more invalidish than I already am.”

It was Darby’s turn to frown.

“You must,” she said firmly. “I shall wait up until you return home to hear whether the opera is a success.”

He leaned closer. “Not to worry if you fall asleep. I quite like to wake a sleeping woman.” The smile in his eyes! Henrietta turned away quickly lest Josie see. A few hours later Henrietta joined her husband in the drawing room. His only greeting was a profanity. Henrietta looked down at herself with a tinge of anxiety. It was a formidable project to live up to her husband’s magnificence, but in the safety of her chamber, she had quite thought that she had. “Don’t you like the gown?” she asked. His eyes moved from her head to her slippers. “I gather that is the fete dress we ordered from Madame Humphries?”

“Yes,” she said. And then, because she saw something in his eyes that gave her courage, she turned in a circle. Her gown was quite short, over a white satin petticoat, and it showed her ankles beautifully when it moved. But unquestionably the best part of the gown was its bodice of pale blossom-colored crape. It laced tightly up the front, and was extremely low both before and behind.

“Damn,” he said again.

304 Eloisa

James

“When I met you, I had no idea that your speech was so expressive.” She readjusted her white kid gloves so they clung just so to her elbow. “What do you think of my veil?

Madame Humphries assures me that it is made from your lace.” Madame Humphries had used Darby’s lace in each and every gown she designed for Henrietta. This particular gown had no lace trim, so she created a little veil that fell from the back of the head and was carried over the arm as drapery. He walked toward her and there was something pantherlike in his stride.

“Very nice. I like the pearl beads.”