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Richard shook his head. “I am not here to visit with the fashionable set. They come here to be seen, but today is for learning about my bride so that we may begin our life together. Have you had an ice before?”
“I have not. What do you recommend?”
“I despise the Gruyère cheese, so do not order that. Perhaps …” He thought for a moment. “… the chocolate cream ice?”
Her mouth watered. Feeling like a naïve young debutante rather than a woman who had navigated three Seasons and wed that morning, she nodded enthusiastically. “That sounds lovely.”
Richard turned away upon the waiter’s arrival and ordered a chocolate and a maple cream ice. When he settled back on his seat, he commented to her, “You may try my maple ice, if you like. It will cause quite the rumpus.” He gestured toward the other carriages and lords. She looked around and realized that the ladies and gentlemen were openly gawking in their direction and talking amongst themselves. Apparently the very eligible Earl of Saunton was the subject of much speculation, especially since his companion was a self-designated wallflower whom barely anyone had paid attention to since her come-out four years earlier.
“Pay no mind. Nothing useful is ever said.” Sophia looked back to find Richard gazing at her with slight concern in his vivid green eyes.
She shook her head. “It is a little daunting to be so closely scrutinized, but I do not usually concern myself with gossip. People should live their lives based on what they feel is right. I do not care what others’ thoughts might be about my decisions.”
His face relaxed. “I am glad to hear that. Your connection to me … it may expose you to a great deal of gossip.”
She put out a hand to cover his gloved one. “Do not concern yourself. I was well aware of your reputation when I first encountered you. Which reminds me, I must apologize.”
He frowned slightly, perplexed. “For what?”
“You overheard me mocking you about rumors that I paid attention to.”
His gaze shifted away, clearly troubled. “Your words were warranted. I am fortunate to have overheard them, or I would not have decided to change.”
“Richard?” She waited for him to look back at her. “I cannot have worked such a miracle. On some level, you must have been ready to shift your course. The reparations you are making … they were your decision.Youare the one doing the work.”
Richard stared at her for several moments. Eventually, he nodded in agreement, but Sophia perceived he was still directing criticism at himself. Her husband was going to require patience so that he might heal and rediscover his self-respect. She felt honored that he was involving her in his transformation. He was an important man who affected thousands through his estates and leadership. It was a terrifying responsibility to aid him in his endeavor.
Their ices arrived, and their discussion moved to their family histories while they spooned delicious, melting ice. As promised, Richard took up a portion of maple cream ice and brought it to her lips to sample. The chatter spiked as their observers witnessed the inappropriate sharing, but Sophia smiled up at him and accepted the offering with relish. Damn the gossips! She was sharing a wondrous afternoon with her new husband, and they could go to the devil.
Soon they left Berkeley Square, and he drove the curricle to Hyde Park. Once there, he disembarked and then reached up to lift her from the curricle and settle her onto her feet. They walked along the Serpentine, passing couples and families on the banks of the river as he showed her some of his favorite spots. The entire day was magical, and she regretted its end when they returned to the townhouse and he sent her up to her new chambers to prepare for dinner.
* * *
The day had beena great success. Richard’s bride was relaxed in his presence, and they had spent the day learning about each other. The ennui that had plagued him for years had been steadily dissipating since his initial encounter with her. With each apology he made, with each step he took toward Sophia, a little more life and energy loosened within him. His soul had been frozen in darkness, but now he was thawing out to feel more alive with each passing day.
He laughed to himself as he climbed the stairs after dinner. The flashes of discomfort and shame about his past still hit him unexpectedly, but they were lessening, and he was astounded to find he was optimistic about the future for the first time in many years.
Soon he would join Sophia in her bedchamber to enjoy a tender wedding night with his bride, an event which he had imagined endlessly since she flung herself into his arms and sparked the delightful passion between them.
He reached the hall leading to his bedroom, whistling while he walked the long path. Hard work was still ahead of him, but every step he took brought him closer to a peace of mind he had never expected to find. He was learning that true joy was only possible with a clear conscience, and he was eager to continue clearing his.
Opening the door into his bedchamber, he was engulfed in a shocking wave of cheap perfume. He stopped short, trying to make sense of the gagging scent. His rooms smelled like a bordello.
“Milord, we have been waiting for you,” said an unfamiliar, purring voice. Richard spun toward the bed and choked in horror when he found three scantily dressed lightskirts with dyed hair and rouged cheeks laying on his bed in numerous wanton poses.
“What is this? Who are you? What are you doing in my rooms?” His voice was urgent, for he was thinking about Sophia preparing for bed in the adjoining room. Panic raced through him. He stormed across the room and attempted to carefully but firmly haul one of the women from his bed. He shivered when a cloud of stale sweat, gin, and cheap perfume assailed his senses. “You must go! Now! My bride is in the other room!”
“But we were hired to take care of you, and we know how to do it.” The blonde doxy of advanced years trailed her fingers down his arm suggestively while Richard tried to think. He disliked the women of ill repute who were to be found in pleasure palaces and cheap bordellos around the city, and he never stepped foot in such places. They reminded him of his father and the stench of his rotting flesh when the old man had been wasting away from the pox. His father once magnanimously hired two such women when Richard turned fourteen, informing him he was a man now. Richard had spent the night hiding under a bed in one of the guest rooms to avoid them.Living hell, did something similar happen to Perry while I was away at Oxford?His brother refused to attend any clubs where he might encounter such creatures.
Choking, Richard grasped another woman by the arm and gently tugged her from his bed, hoping the other two would follow. Pasting on a charming grin, he attempted persuasion. “Ladies, I am afraid someone misinformed you regarding my need for you. It is time to depart! Immediately!” The woman he had drawn from the bed was shuffling along with him, but her hands were fondling him simultaneously. A vivid recollection of his father’s hedonism hit him. He could not expose Sophia to this. He needed to get them out of there.
Where was his valet?
Damnit!Sophia could arrive any—
He froze, squeezing his eyes shut when he heard the sound of the adjoining door opening. Slowly, he turned around to find Sophia staring grimly at the women still on his bed, with their nipples peeking up over the tight bodices of their gowns and at least one naked leg sprawled on display. Then her gaze settled on the doxy in his arms, who was trailing her hands over him like the tentacles of an octopus.
“Sophia, this is not what it looks like.” Her blue eyes met his to stare directly into his soul for what felt like an eternity. She tilted her head as if to ask a question.
