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Which was why he forced himself to unwrap his arms from around her, replacing the one under her head with a pillow. She grumbled softly in her sleep but did no more than sigh as he tucked the sheets around her to keep her warm.
Josie would sleep in her bed, and he would sleep in his. He did not like to think any of the servants might be working against his family, but in this case, even idle gossip could be precarious. To everyone else, he would need to appear to be a dutiful husband, but not one who demonstrated any deep emotions toward his wife. If the traitor thought Josie could be used against him…
No. That would not do at all.
Brushing a golden curl that had escaped her coiffure away from her cheek, Elijah bent down to brush his lips over the spot the curl had laid, feeling oddly tender. With one last look, he blew out the candles and returned to his lonely bed, where he stared up at the ceiling, wondering how he was going to complete his mission and keep everyone safe.
Chapter 12
Josie
Waking up to an otherwise empty bed was an unpleasant surprise.
Even more unpleasant was discovering the mess she had made. Making a face at the sticky, flaky residue from last night’s passion, she scooted across the mattress, away from the still damp spot.
“No one warned me about that,” she muttered balefully, blinking her eyes in the morning light just as there was a knock on her door.
Elijah?Her heart leapt with excitement and anticipation before falling back down.
No, the knock had come from the hall door.
“Yes?” Her voice sounded a bit croaky, so she cleared her throat as the door opened to reveal her lady’s maid, Debbie’s sweet, happy face. It was odd to see Debbie here, in this house rather than her parents, but Josie was relieved to be faced with someone familiar first thing in the morning.
Truthfully, she had been expecting to see someone else familiar in her bed with her… Perhaps it was for the best. She had no idea what to say to him when she next saw him. A faint frown furrowed her brow. Perhaps a scolding for leaving such a mess for her to sleep in. Had he slept on the soiled sheets as well? She had no idea when he had left her bed. They had fallen asleep together, which had been rather lovely. The entire evening had been lovely. Unexpectedly so.
“G’morning, miss, I mean, my lady.” Debbie’s apple cheeks turned pinker as she stumbled over Josie’s new honorific. She blushed even harder when she looked past Josie and saw the bed.
“Good morning,” Josie said, pretending she did not see the pink-tinged evidence of her defloration in the middle of the sheet for all to see. It would be far less embarrassing for both of them if they ignored it completely. Josie tucked the top sheet in more tightly around her body. Debbie had seen her nude before, but she was feeling particularly vulnerable at the moment.
Debbie seemed to be of the same mind. Bustling around the room, she opened the curtains, ignoring the bed for the moment. When she filled Josie’s washbasin, Josie used the cloth to clean herself of the sticky, flaky stuff between her legs, making a face as she did so. Really, why had no one told her about this part? She was a bit sore there as well, making the entire process rather uncomfortable.
Her mother had wanted to go into detail about pleasure but not mentionthis? To be fair, maybe her mother would have gotten around to it, but Josie had not been able to bear listening to her. Mary and Evie, though! They should have said something. Or Mary’s cousin, Arabella and her friend, the Countess of Spencer, when they had been advising Mary.
But no, they had talked about spankings, passion, and how pain could become pleasure—which had all been very fascinating but not practical.
Except… Josie frowned. It should be practical for her, should it not? Elijah was a member of the Society of Sin, and while much of last night’s physical revelations had felt sinful, he had not done many of the things the others had talked about. No spankings, certainly no whippings. Nothing to cause her discomfort or the painful pleasure that Mary had lauded.
Of course, she was not disappointed in the great pleasure she had felt, the things he had done to her, but what did it mean that he had not done the more perverse things?
Perhaps because it was your first night doing anything, you little tart.
“My lady? Did you want a different dress?” Debbie asked worriedly. Josie gave herself a shake, realizing she was frowning at the pretty apple-green day dress Debbie had picked out for her, one of Josie’s favorites. No wonder Debbie was concerned.
“No, no, I am sorry, Debbie, my mind was on other things.”
“Oh.” Debbie gave a little laugh, her cheeks pinking again. “Yes, I daresay it was.”
Blushing, Josie dressed, with Debbie’s help, then sat in front of the mirror, blinking and making a shocked noise when she realized a mess her hair was. She had forgotten to take it down last night, and the resulting bird’s nest was startling. Perhaps she should be glad Elijah hadnotbeen present this morning to see her like this.
Debbie did the delicate work of finding all the pins and brushing Josie’s hair into soft waves before plaiting it and pinning it in a much simpler style. Josie’s mind wandered, still wondering about Elijah’s absence and the lack of wickedness on their wedding night. Perhaps he had refrained because she was a virgin? Josie did not like the idea of him denying himself. And Elijah was certainly the type to sacrifice his own needs if he thought it necessary. Admittedly, she was nervous about engaging in such activities, but she was also very, very curious. With her newfound experience, that curiosity had doubled, becoming like an itch she could not scratch.
She needed Elijah to scratch it.
When Debbie finished, Josie made her way down to the dining room to break her fast, hoping she would find her husband there, but the only people in the room were Uncle Oliver and Joseph.
She had not thought of Joseph once all morning.
The revelation made her stomach swoop, and she was decidedly uncomfortable. Was her heart truly so fickle? Was she so inconstant? She did not have time to ponder the thought. Both men got to their feet with welcoming smiles. If Joseph’s was a trifle strained, she decided to ignore it.
