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She could only assume that the two of them had at least as lusty a relationship as she and Hugh; she couldn't imagine being with him every night and not being able to climax. That was awful! Irene almost thought she'd prefer to be spanked! At least she was still allowed to find her pleasure after that particular discipline!
But Eleanor's primrose lips still firmed in rebellion. Her head tilted up as she gave her husband a saucy smile, the tension stretching between them as their wills collided. Irene bit down on her own lip, looking back and forth between them. Eleanor’s expression was almost taunting, while Edwin was looking at her with a mix of frustration and the same hunger that Irene often saw in her own husband’s eyes. Everyone in this room knew that Eleanor would never play this game if Cynthia and Grace were up to something truly dangerous, but now that the stakes had been laid down, she would follow it through to the bitter end.
"That's one," Edwin said, after glancing at the clock.
Eleanor's chin tilted up even further, her smile becoming taut, and Irene saw the other men exchanging glances, as if wondering what Edwin had threatened her with. As she looked up, Hugh caught her gaze, and Irene immediately dropped her eyes back to her lap again, squirming a bit as she felt his scrutiny boring into her.
“They’re perfectly safe,” Eleanor said, sound like a prim and proper matron at tea. Irene was in awe of her composure. “They didn’t go far.” Neither Alex nor Wesley looked very reassured by her words, if anything, they looked more anxious now.
"Two."
The fingers on Irene's arm tightened, and she knew that Hugh was considering removing her from the room to find out where the women were. The stalling tactics were doing nothing to help her or Eleanor. She couldn't stand the thought that Eleanor was going to be punished for trying to shield her; even if they had both been trying to give Grace the time she needed, it was different when Irene was sitting right there, knowing what Eleanor was going to have to live with (or, really, without) during the next few days.
"Three."
"Grace went to her and Alex’s house, and Cynthia went with her," Irene blurted out.
The look that Eleanor gave her contained almost as much exasperation as it did gratitude. Somehow, Irene didn't think that Eleanor's pride would have allowed her to give in at this point, so in some ways, Irene was protecting her now. Although she had given up Grace and Cynthia, but that was always a foregone conclusion. Either way, the men would get their hands on them, and it didn't make sense for her and Eleanor to suffer more than they had to, just to give the other women time to get back.
Hopefully by now they'd had enough time to go through Alex's correspondence.
"Let's go." Alex spun on his heel and stalked out of the room, Wesley right behind him.
"I believe we'll be leaving as well," Edwin said, holding out his hand for Eleanor to take. She didn't look like she wanted to, but she did anyway, with a small sigh, as if in acknowledgement that she'd gotten herself into enough trouble for tonight.
"Us as well," Hugh said, pulling Irene up. His voice sounded grimly determined and her insides quivered. It had been a while since Hugh had felt she needed discipline, but she hadn't forgotten how much a spanking hurt. Even though she'd eventually spoken up, she knew that would only gain her the slightest of reprieves, considering her prevarication. "Irene and I apparently need to have a very long... talk."
She gulped, meekly moving with her husband as he led her purposefully towards the door.
Oh she was in so much trouble.
Chapter 9
Grimly leading his suddenly submissive wife to their bedroom, Hugh could only wonder what she had been thinking. He'd been glad that she'd made friends with the others, especially Grace since there had been such friction there; now he was wondering if his approval had come too swiftly. Apparently none of them were a good influence on her.
Although at least she and Eleanor had stayed behind from whatever trouble Cynthia and Grace were getting into.
"Why did Grace and Cynthia go out?" he asked, leading Irene to the bed.
She looked quite soft and feminine, like a sweet paragon of virtues in her pale green dress. The look she gave him, however, was anything but. "For private reasons."
Hugh raised his eyebrow. It was obvious that Irene knew she was going to be punished, and yet she was still defying him? On the other hand, if she had been sworn to secrecy by her confederates, then he could understand her stubbornness a bit.
"Anything that will affect us?" he asked, mildly. As much as he wanted his wife to share everything with him, he also knew that he had to accept there would be occasions when she was the confidant of other people's secrets. It woul
d be unreasonable of him to expect her to disgorge another's confidence, as he certainly didn't tell her everything that he, Wesley, Edwin and Alex talked about.
To her credit, she thought it over for a brief moment before shaking her head. "No... It will only affect Grace and Alex."
His curiosity roused, but he wasn't going to punish Irene for being a true friend. Unless he planned on utterly controlling every aspect of her life, including her relationships, he couldn't. And he wasn't that kind of man.
With her hands twisting together in front of her, Irene glanced at him and then down at the ground, and then back at him, obviously nervous. As she should be. Even if he wasn't going to press for why Grace and Cynthia had left the house, as they weren't his responsibility, he was still going to discipline his wife for her part in their machinations. Not too harshly, because she had stayed where she had told him she would be.
So had Eleanor, but he doubted that it was for the same reasons as Irene. His wife preferred to be good, which was part of why he loved her. It was his duty to ensure she had reason to remain that way and not be tempted or corrupted by her friends and his sister.
"Very well." He had to suppress a smile as Irene relaxed slightly with a long sigh of relief. She so badly wanted to please him, to not disappoint him. No man could be unaffected by such sweet devotion. "But we still have to deal with your own transgressions. I understand that you wished to protect your friends, but you did them no favors by prevaricating. Have you heard from them since they left Wesley's house? How do you know they arrived safely at their location? How do you know they remain safe?"
The questions made Irene feel suddenly sick. She'd known from the beginning that Cynthia's idea was questionable, although her objections had mostly focused on how easily they could all be caught. It hadn't even occurred to her to worry about Grace and Cynthia's safety; after all, the house Alex had rented wasn't too far from the Countess'. Yet, it was nighttime and they had left unescorted by any male protection, and even if they did reach Alex's house unmolested, they wouldn't be able to send a servant with a message for Eleanor and Irene. Even if the entire mission had been successful, and the men hadn't found out they'd gone missing, that would have meant a second trip back through the streets in the darkness. Obviously Eleanor had been convinced that they were in no danger, but what if-
