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Eleanor and Grace both laughed, but Irene frowned, looking a bit indignant. "What do you do with the letters afterwards? He doesn't answer them, does he?"
"Oh no," Cynthia said, waving her hand carelessly. "We burn them. Although, being ignored doesn't seem to bother them. I actually met one of them, recently, and thanked her for all the wonderful ideas. She hasn't written him since, but she's the only one."
"It's a wonder Wesley hasn't spanked your bottom raw," Eleanor said, amused.
"He thought it was funny," Cynthia admitted. "I thought for certain I was done for when he overheard me, but he just laughed. Later, I cursed when I tripped getting into the carriage and he spanked me the whole way home! I never know what's going to set him off." The way she spoke, the women all knew that she wasn't upset about that, more amused than anything else.
"Edwin hasn't spanked me since I told him I was pregnant," Eleanor blurted out. Irene looked a bit envious, Grace surprised, and Cynthia a bit horrified. "And he hasn't... we haven't..." It was surprisingly hard to say out loud, despite the frank speech she often enjoyed with her friends. Tears sparked in her eyes, of frustration and a little bit of shame that her husband hadn't touched her intimately in so long. She didn't doubt his love for her, but right now that very love was making her feel unhappy because of the way he was expressing it! She clutched at Marcus a little bit tighter, and he started to fuss again, as if her upset was spreading to him.
"Oh dear..."
Grace and Cynthia leaned in on either side of her, comfortingly, as Irene reached out and plucked Baby Marcus from Eleanor's arms. She let go of him willingly, not wanting to distress him just because she was upset. He settled again in Irene's arms, and she brightened at holding him, so much so that Eleanor felt a little brighter herself just from looking at them.
"I keep telling him I've recovered, but he doesn't seem to believe me," Eleanor said, sighing. She looked at Irene. "Do you remember, in Bath, he told me that he was going to keep track of my infractions, tally them and hold me accountable later?" Irene nodded. "Well, he hasn't. When I mentioned it, he brushed me off, implying that all was forgiven. I'd rather he spank me than not touch me at all!"
"Did you tell him that?" Grace asked, sympathetically. "He may need you to come right out and say it."
"I haven't, but I practically threw myself at him the other night, before you all arrived," Eleanor replied, wringing her hands a bit as she remembered her embarrassment when he'd told her that she wasn't recovered yet, and tucked her into bed like she was a child, rather than treating her as his wife. "You know how he is, he thinks he knows better than me about everything. Even though he wanted me, he acted like I was being irresponsible by tempting him."
The rejection had smarted, and it was a damned good thing he made her feel loved in other ways, or she would have started to seriously doubt his love for her. It did help that he stayed by her side at the Manse the whole time, so that she didn't fall prey to her old insecurities about his faithfulness.
It was cathartic to finally talk about all of this. Even with her own mother in residence, she hadn't been able to talk to her or Edwin's mother about this. It was just too embarrassing. Now that her friends were here, she was finally able to unburden herself.
Cynthia's head turned towards the window. "Where are they now? Are they still at the stables?"
Standing, Grace moved quickly over to the window, peering out. "No, they're at the kennels, looking at the Earl's dogs."
Edwin's father's favorite bitch had a new litter, which he was almost as proud of as he was of his grandson. Eleanor's lips twitched. She wasn't at all surprised that he'd insisted on showing them off.
"Good," said Cynthia, sitting up straighter. The devilish look in her eye made Irene look at her warily, even as Eleanor straightened in anticipation. "I know exactly how we can show Edwin you're fully recovered... although it may mean sore bottoms for all of us."
"Of course it will," Irene muttered, but she listened just as intently as the others to Cynthia's plan, and she didn't even attempt to talk them out of it.
******
The cavorting pups didn't hold Edwin's attention as much as his friends, because he'd seen them quite a few times before. His father was in his element though, happily showing off the litter and exp
ounding on their bloodlines. Wesley wasn't nearly as interested as Hugh or Alex, but he'd always been more interested in horses than dogs.
"How was the honeymoon?" he asked, leaning back against the wall of the kennel, watching as one of the pups nipped at Alex's outstretched fingers.
"Edifying," Wesley said, flashing a quick grin.
"It must have been, considering you extended it," Edwin teased.
Gossipy letters had flown fast and furious when Wesley had sent word to his friends and family that he and Cynthia were visiting France and Spain, along with Italy. No one had expected him to be gone from business so long. Privately, Eleanor had told Edwin she'd heard there were many disappointed ladies in the ton.
"The pile of mail I returned to wasn't nearly as pleasant," Wesley said, shaking his head. "My partners did their best while I was away... but nothing beats the personal touch."
"You and your penchant for controlling even the smallest details," Edwin said, laughing. "I'm amazed Cynthia convinced you to stay away for so long."
"Well, she does have her ways." The smugly masculine smile on Wesley's face, made Edwin ache a bit. He'd been holding himself back from Eleanor for months now. The doctor had insisted she rest in bed the last two months of her pregnancy, and had warned him against claiming his marital rights - not that Edwin would have anyway, when she was so pale and weak.
The birth of his son had been joyous, but the time before that had been the worst hours of his life. Only the women and the midwife had been allowed in the room, while he'd been left to pace the library with his father and Hugh for company. Because it was such a hard birth, after the first few hours, the mothers had sent Irene out of the room as well, not wanting to alarm her. He'd felt so helpless. So useless. Even though he accused Wesley of being overly concerned with control, the truth was, Edwin was as well, and in those long hours he'd had absolutely none.
Eleanor could have died. The amount of blood on the sheets had been horrifying, and he could only be grateful that she hadn't succumbed to any of the illnesses that often plagued women after giving birth.
While his father reassured him that it was all a part of life, Edwin found himself reluctant to put her through such an event again. Especially so soon. She'd indicated her own willingness to return to lovemaking with him, but he worried that she was pushing herself too fast. After all, they'd talked over some of her insecurities, especially when she'd been confined to the bed, and he knew that she'd been watching him to see if abstinence would make him unfaithful. Of course it hadn't, but now that she was trying to seduce him, he worried that she was doing so before she was completely recovered. Possibly out of guilt or insecurity. He wasn't having any of that, but it did make life difficult for him.
