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“Wouldn’t that deal with the pesky problem of your innocence?”
In this moment she almost regretted telling her dearest friends the truth of her marriage. “I am not an innocent.”
“But you remain untouched.”
“It is not a pesky problem that needs the solution of a lover,” she retorted.
A faraway look entered Prue’s eyes. “And don’t you want to know the touch of a gentleman? What it is like to be someone’s lover?”
“I am not about to embark on an affair, especially with a man as powerful as the duke. That is akin to placing my head in a lion’s mouth.”
Charity touched her shoulder. “I’ve never known you to be so flustered. That means youaretempted by him.”
“I am also tempted to eat ice cream every day. You do not see me badgering Mrs. Dwyer to follow Mr. Nutt’s recipes and make me all the ice cream I can devour.”
Prue scoffed, and it embarrassed Theo her friend might think her to be a coward. “Even as a woman of some means and independence, I still linger under the scrutiny of society.”
“You were never afraid of society before,” Charity pointed out with a meaningful glance about the room.
“Thenyougo and have a bloody affair with the Duke of Hartford,” Theo snapped, thoroughly vexed.
Abashed by her rebuke Prue hurried over to her. “Forgive us, Theo, for being so pushy. It is…I have never seen your eyes so bright with interest.”
And Theo suspected her friend was delicate with her choice of words. Had she really been so transparent with her desires?
“I know you both mean well, and I love you for it, but I must be careful in my dealings with the duke. They shall remain businesslike at all times. He has warned me more than once that I should not like him for an enemy. I believe him. I risk too much, our club, the life we enjoy now, to entangle with him. I am not interested in a dalliance of any kind, and if I were, it would not be with a gentleman like Hartford.”
She felt quite out of good humor with her friends because with their teasing they provoked thoughts and erotic images best left in the dark of one’s chamber. The loneliness which often came unbidden swept through her then, and she blew out a soft sigh. She had felt no desire for marriage and had eschewed all thoughts of romance or an affair. Theo had directed her purse and efforts into building another life, one that was meaningful for her. The idea for the club had been born from the close friendship she shared with Charity and Lucinda.
They had been such a comfort during the many lonely days of her marriage. Many would not comprehend that her husband had never once kissed her, or even attempted to consummate their marriage. In the early months it had been a blessing to Theo who had been a frightened and shy seventeen-year-old girl. In the later months, it had been the beginning of solitude and a longing for something she hardly understood. Despite the many rumors of mistresses, the viscount had been impotent. Marrying someone as pretty and youthful as her had been a recommendation from a doctor. The viscount had still died without issue and a distant cousin, a very amiable gentleman, had inherited the viscounty. Shrugging aside those old memories, she stood. “I am trying to pack as lightly as possible. A few day dresses, my specially made riding habits, a pelisse or two, and perhaps an evening gown or two.” Theo was deceiving herself; she would need a lot more than that.
Prue held up a newly made evening gown thoughtfully. “You should have your lady’s maid accompany you.”
“You forget I am past the age of need for a chaperone and I am a widow.” Though her hair would be very hard to manage by herself. “I believe I shall indeed take Molly along with me. I have no notion how arduous travelling with the duke will be, but surely he will provide a comfortable carriage.”
“Theo?”
She turned, facing Charity absentmindedly. “Yes?”
“Idareyou,” Charity said softly.
Theo faltered, truly shocked that it was Charity daring her and not Prue. “Charity!”
“Idareyou to be wicked with the duke. I dare you to allow him kisses and liberties and to just live for yourself. I dare you if you are tempted by him, to steal a slice of happiness and comfort that you often deny yourself while you care for others. I dare you when he least expects it, to kiss the duke.”
Chapter Nine
The large conveyance in which Theo had been travelling for the better part of a day rolled to a stop along a gravel lined driveway. She parted the carriage curtain to see the duke dismounting from his impressive stallion to issue orders to a stable lad, and the innkeeper who had hurried out of his establishment to greet him. It seemed the duke was a frequent and well-respected patron of this inn.
“Have we reached our destination, milady?” Molly asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.
“I believe so,” Theo replied, looking about the courtyard of a large and well-built inn constructed in the Tudor style with its half-timbered walls, sweeping entrance and casement windows made up of small, mulled panes.
Sebastian walked over to the carriage, and she rose from the seat as the door opened, allowing him to assist her down the steps. A warmth feeling blossomed through her when he extended the same considerations to a blushing Molly.
“Thank you,” Theo said glancing around the well-presented inn. “Where are we headed, Your Grace?”
He hadn’t provided much information earlier when they departed town, and she had been content with avoiding him for the first few hours, the memory of their torrid kiss too fresh in her mind and in the very air around them whenever their gazes collided.
