AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Prudence, I would like to introduce you to my companion, Cleopatra. Only I can call her Cleo.”
Prue grinned. “Is that so?”
“Yes, try it. She will ignore you.”
Pure leaned forward, took one of the cat’s paws and shook it. “Nice to meet you, Cleo.”
The feline acted as if Prue was not there. The blasted thing even pulled its paw away. She canted her head. “Cleopatra?”
The cat glanced at her and swished its tail.
“I told you,” he said with a roguish smile. “It’s a bond. If you want the same thing, get your own cat.”
She laughed and leaned in to meet his kiss. Lifting his head, he stared into her eyes for a long time. His expression was serious…considering.
“The oddest thing happened to me while you were sleeping. I am still mystified by it.”
“What?” she whispered.
Oscar used the back of his fingers to rub against her cheek. The tender ministrations made her shiver and filled her with an inexplicable longing.
“I missed you,” he said with a frown. “I have never missed you before…but today I did.”
Her heart stuttered. “Is that a bad thing?”
“More curious as all things new to me are.”
That right there hinted that their future might not be miserable at all but an exceedingly pleasant one. As if she was annoyed to be in the middle of their conversation, Cleopatra made a sound and leaped from Oscar’s arm and padded over to sprawl by the fire, and swished her majestic tail.
“That cat is spoilt,” she said fondly.
“Distressingly so. I have to set a place for her at the table; she will not eat her kippers from a plate on the ground. Our housekeeper tries to pretend she is not appalled by it, rightly suspecting she might be fired if she offends Cleo.”
Prue smiled at his outrageousness. “And to think, my dear husband, there was a time I worried that you might not have a sense of humor.”
“The devil you say!”
“Yes, I even called you a stiff prig to a friend.”
“Ah, my sweet, how much you still have to learn about me.”
Prue slipped her arms around his neck and tugged him down to her. “Let’s revisit the part where you missed me today.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “I did. Our servants must have thought me a madman the amount of times I ran up the stairs checking to see if you were awake. I missed your company enough I thought about tickling the bottoms of your feet to rouse you.”
Prue didn’t understand why he amused her so. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and soft plunks of rain started to fall again from the sky.
“Never fear,” he murmured. “We can play chess and read together by the fire.”
Ordinary, wonderful things husbands and wives did. She took a deep breath to calm her suddenly pounding heart. “I would like that, Oscar, very much.”
Almost thirty minutes later,dressed in a high waist gown of emerald, Prue ventured into the library to meet with her husband. A steady downpour fell outside, and the sky was overcast and rumbling with occasional thunder. Despite the suddenly dreary afternoon, she felt buoyant and excited.
Oscar waited for her on the floor, a picture of stunning masculinity in his indolent sprawl on the lush carpet. Even his shirt was unbuttoned, and she could see the skin of his throat. He was bare foot and his hair tousled as if he had raked his fingers through it several times. On a low table there was a scrumptious feast laid out. Prue spied two roasted quail, slices of roast pork, delicate chicken-filled pastries, paprika prawns, lobster patties, assorted cakes, and a decanter of spiced wine.
Predictably her stomach rumbled its hunger. Oscar glanced up. His gaze landed on her bare toes. Prue sauntered over and lowered herself onto the blankets and rugs. She loved that he sensed this is how she would prefer to spend the day instead of pretending formality in their own home.
The chess set was laid out between them, and three books were stacked one on top of the other. She ran a finger off the spine of the first book. “You read gothic romances, my lord?”
