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If only he could save her from her mother.
“Do not embarrass us.” The fingers dug in and Irene bit her lip. There would be bruises tomorrow. Despite her pale skin she actually didn’t bruise very easily, but her mother’s digging nails and bony fingers would surely leave a mark. The fabric of her dress wasn’t nearly strong enough to guard her skin against the sharp pinch. “Stay away from Lord Brooke. When you have
given Hugh his heir and spare, then you can act the whore for Brooke, but not before.”
The words stung and Irene gasped at being called a whore by her own mother, but there was nothing she could do. She knew from past experience that trying to deny her mother’s accusations or defend herself would only result in further unpleasantness. Practically dragging her, her mother sat her down in a chair next to Eleanor who was looking rather sulky and glaring across the room at her husband. Unsurprisingly, he was now standing with Hugh and their friend the Earl of Spencer enjoying their conversation, but she could see his eyes continuously roaming over to land on his wife. Who glared all the harder every time he did so.
“La, my daughter is feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the excitement,” her mother trilled with false cheeriness. “Would you mind if she joined you, Lady Hyde?” Without waiting for an answer she deposited Irene in the chair beside Eleanor, turned and floated off to find her friends again. Eleanor and Irene looked at each other.
“I’m sorry,” said Irene, rubbing her forehead as she fought down the tears that were burning at the backs of her eyes. Sometimes she wondered if her mother meant to be cruel or if she was ignorant of how damaging her words could be. “If you don’t wish for company I can sit elsewhere.”
“No, join me,” Eleanor said, her eyes returning to her husband for a moment. They couldn’t keep their eyes off of each other apparently, although Eleanor didn’t look entirely pleased at the moment. Actually she looked rather wary. “Was that Lord Brooke I saw you talking to?”
“Yes,” said Irene absently, rubbing her arm where her mother had pinched the skin. “We grew up together.” She found her gaze following Eleanor’s to the three men across the room. They really were quite breathtaking as a group. Hugh looked up and their eyes met, a tingle went down her skin and she shivered and looked away.
He was looking at her that way again. That way that made her feel hot and strange, that way that made it hard for her to breathe. She much preferred the way Alex looked at her, warm and comforting. Never setting her nerves on edge or disorienting her. Alex made her feel safe and secure. Hugh, for all his gentleness with her, always scared her a little even though he wasn’t very scary in and of himself; but sometimes the way he looked at her made her feel almost itchy inside of her own skin. Of course she hadn’t known him as long as she’d known Alex. She’d also known almost from the moment she’d met Hugh that he was going to be her husband and she’d unfairly resented him a bit for that, so it wasn’t truly his fault, but she couldn’t help it if she preferred Alex’s settled company to Hugh’s unnerving presence.
“What did Lady March have to say to him?” Although Eleanor wasn’t looking at Irene and her attention seemed to be entirely on the men across the room, Irene couldn’t help but remember that Eleanor was friends with Lady Grace. Good friends. Was she asking to make conversation, because she was truly curious or because she wanted information to tell Grace?
Unfortunately Irene wasn’t sure what Alex would want her to say so she just spoke the truth. He’d seemed quite intent on cutting Lady March, and if anyone else had been watching they’d know that much at least.
“She was flirting. He wasn’t interested. He reminded her that he’d given her, her conge.” Suddenly her breath caught in her throat and her eyes jerked away from Hugh’s laughing face (why had she been watching him anyway?) and sought out Alex’s familiar head of auburn hair as the significance of that remark finally dawned on her.
Of course she’d known that Alex had mistresses. How could he not, what with the way things were with his wife? It had always made Irene’s heart ache with jealousy, to know that other women were having a part of him, a piece of him. But if he’d given Lady March her conge, it must have been recently; he was too angry about being approached and she was too eager to speak to him for there to have been any real time. How long would it take him to find another mistress?
Would she return from her honeymoon, finally knowing what passed between a man and a woman, only to have to watch him indulge in that with yet another woman?
Or would it take him longer to replace Lady March?
Perhaps she could use her honeymoon to learn… to learn everything that a man might want. Everything that pleased a man. Surely her husband would enjoy having a wife who knew what he desired, and when he tired of her and she’d given him his heir they could go their separate ways and she could show Alex how well she could please him. Of course, she wasn’t entirely sure what being a mistress to a man entailed, but she knew it had something to do with the activities of the marriage bed. Whatever it was she was sure she could learn to do it for Alex. Learn to do it better than any woman he’d ever done it with before.
“My dear?”
Her heart seemed to leap into her throat as she looked up into Hugh’s glowing blue eyes. Guilt swamped her as she realized that she was yet again thinking adulterous thoughts on her wedding day. The way he was looking at her was almost tender, although there was still a hint of that strange hunger as well. Barely married for three hours and already she was thinking about the day when she would betray those vows. She was truly an awful person.
“Yes my lord?”
“I think you can call me Hugh now, sweetheart,” he said, laughing a little as he reached out for her hand. Instinctively Irene placed her fingers in his, allowing him to help her to her feet as she blushed, feeling rather silly.
“Of course. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he murmured, stepping close enough to her that she could feel his body heat, his hand searing her as he placed it against the small of her back. His other hand still gripped her fingers and she found herself staring up at him, feeling like a trapped bird, her heart pounding inside of her chest. The smile that spread across his face was rather wicked and her face heated as his eyes traveled back down to sweep across her bosom. Beneath her dress her breasts seemed to tighten in the strangest manner. “You can call me whatever you wish, sweetheart, but I prefer Hugh.”
“Hugh.” She repeated, and then nearly gasped as his eyes actually seemed to darken, like the sky when it was going to storm. The strangest expression ran across his face and suddenly it was almost as if they were the only two people in the world. Her breath caught in her throat and she found that she couldn’t speak another word, not that she could think of one to say.
Someone cleared their throat, loudly and closely, and she and Hugh both jumped and then turned their heads to stare at Edwin. Who was staring back at them, grinning. He shook his head and turned to his wife.
“Nell, can you help Miss – uh, Lady Petersham to her room.”
“Right, yes.” Hugh suddenly came to life again, as debonair and smooth as always as he looked down at her. The intensity of his gaze had lessened again; the moment, whatever it was, had passed. “My dear, as soon as you’re ready to travel we may leave.”
“Oh...” Irene said in sudden understanding as she looked down at her dress. Of course. She’d had her maid set aside a dress this morning for her to wear when it was time to go. The dress she’d been married in was far too fine to travel a long distance in a carriage, not to mention not as comfortable as the dress that she’d set aside. A feeling of almost panic sparked inside of her. It was time to go so soon?
But there was nothing to be done. At least Eleanor would be with her and hopefully her mother would stay downstairs to entertain the guests. She was currently across the room and not even looking Irene’s way so perhaps it was time to make good an escape. Turning to her sister-in-law she smiled tremulously.
“You don’t mind going with me?”
“No, I’d be happy to go upstairs with you and spend some time with some worthwhile company,” Eleanor said with a sniff and a pointed look at her husband. Irene bit her lip as Edwin raised his brow at his wife. She had always found Edwin a little frightening, with his dark good looks he managed to look rather dangerous, the way she’d always pictured a fallen angel to look (and she’d heard she wasn’t the only lady of the ton to make that comparison). Although Hugh looked just like a true angel and yet she still found his presence disturbing, but she didn’t truly find him frightening. Just her reaction to him.
