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“Back to your bride?” Anthony asked, amused. “I am impressed you were able to sneak away the day after your wedding.”
Elijah shrugged. “We do not have the usual kind of marriage.”
Nathan and Anthony exchanged glances, which Elijah chose to ignore. He was surrounded by know-it-alls, so he had plenty of practice. It was far more important to return home to Josie than argue with them.
Especially since he had the unsettling feeling, they were far more aware of his emotions toward his new bride than he was comfortable with.
Chapter 13
Josie
Although she had not planned to leave Stuart house on her first full day as its lady, when Elijah had not reappeared after she finished eating, she decided to visit Mary. She had a few questions for her friend about the marital act and the Society of Sin. Also, she liked the idea of Elijah returning home to findherabsent.
She was not the type to cool her heels, waiting for her husband to reappear. Even if whatever he was dealing with was a dire mission for the Crown, what was doing that could not have been done by his father or his brother? Sniffing derisively, she made her way up to the door of Hartford house, Debbie trailing behind her.
At least Elijah would not have to wonder where she had gone. Delicately questioning Uncle Oliver and Joseph about Elijah’s whereabouts had gotten her nowhere, whereas they both knew who she was visiting.
Cormack, Rex’s butler, opened the door and blinked in surprise. It was too early for Mary to be at-home, but he knew very well that Josie and Lily were welcome whenever and they often visited outside of Mary’s receiving hours.
“Good morning, my lady. Please come this way, and I will fetch the Marchioness for you.” Cormack had always been proper with Josie and Lily, but it did feel as though there was an extra touch of deference to his address this morning. Bemused, Josie followed him into the drawing room, where she sat on the couch while he hurried off to fetch Mary. Debbie sat on a bench in the hall since there was no reason for her to act as a chaperone.
It did not take long for Mary to arrive. Josie blinked in surprise at her friend’s appearance before grimacing in chagrin at the concern on Mary’s face. She was wearing a green silk robe rather than a dress, and her hair was undone, hanging in waves around her shoulders. Clearly, she had rushed through her toilette because she thought Josie had a dire need for her. Which, considering Josie had appeared on Mary’s doorstep the day after her wedding, instead of home with her new husband, was completely understandable. Josie had not thought about what assumption her friend might make.
“What is wrong?” Mary asked, her voice higher than usual, and at the same time, Josie jumped to her feet and spoke.
“Nothing is wrong!”
They stared at each other for a moment, then Mary threw her hands in the air with sheer exasperation.
“Then why are you here?!” Cheeks bright pink, she had a feverish flush to her face and eyes, and Josie had never heard her sound like that. Josie’s mouth dropped open in shock, and Mary shook her head, wringing her hands. “I am sorry, I am…” Her voice trailed off like she was searching for the words. Josie had the sudden realization why Mary was wearing a robe, and her hair wasdishabille.
“Oh, my… I am so sorry.” Josie’s hands flew to her cheeks. “I did not realize… I had not…”
“No, no, it is fine. Well, not fine, and Rex might hold a grudge for the interruption.” Mary’s sense of humor had reasserted itself, and her eyes sparkled in amusement as she moved toward Josie, gesturing for her to sit back down. “Clearly, somethingiswrong, or you would not be here right now. So, why are you here instead of home with your new husband?”
Despite her calmer tone, Mary gave Josie a look that said something had better be wrong for Josie to interrupt what she was fairly certain Rex and Mary had been doing. Feeling even more disgruntled—why had Elijah not wanted to do that with her this morning—Josie flopped down onto the couch, not caring how she rumpled her skirts.
“Because my new husband is not at home,” she said acerbically. Mary’s eyes widened. “He is ‘off doing business,’ according to Uncle Oliver.” Josie snorted.
“What business could they needhimto do specifically on the day after his wedding?” Mary scowled in indignation, echoing Josie’s feelings, making her feel marginally better. It had been infuriating both Uncle Oliver’s and Joseph’s attitudes had been sympathetic but ultimately unmoved.
“Your guess is as good as mine. Neither of them felt the need to tell me.” At Mary’s outraged sound, Josie felt a bit calmer now she had someone on her side. “So, I decided to come here as I had some questions for you, anyway.”
A little smile curved Mary’s lips.
“This way, when Elijah comes home, he will have to wait for you instead of the other way round.” Mary shook her head. With a little laugh, she settled back in her seat on the couch, adjusting her robe over her legs before running her hands through her hair and braiding it to keep it out of her face. “Well, what did you wanted to ask?”
“Does Hartford sleep in your bed?” That was not what she meant to ask. She had meant to ask about how to keep from having such a mess after the marital act and what she might expect from Elijah when it came to the perversities the Society practiced, but knowing she had interrupted Mary and Hartford engaging in the marital act in the morning had thrown her off.
“No, I sleep in his.” Mary cocked her head, reading Josie’s expression, and sudden sympathy filled her eyes. “But that is not the usual arrangement, among our set.”
“No, I suppose not.” Josie knew her parents had their own separate rooms, of course, but she did not know their sleeping arrangements. She had never thought to ask. Falling asleep in Elijah’s arms last night had been very nice. Despite the bird’s nest, her hair had been this morning, she thought she would have liked to have woken up, held by him.
Most couples among thetonwere not close, she knew. They did not wed for love. She had not wed for it either, of course, but… She averted her thoughts from the uncomfortable notion.
She would like her marriage to have love in it—when for so long she had been in love with Joseph… Josie shook her head. She was just making the best of her future. Of course, she wanted a happy, loving marriage. She wanted to be happy, regardless of which man she had married.
What did Elijah want?
