“Why ever not?”
Victoria looked up from the painting. “Because, to be blunt, he is not in love with me.”
“Good heavens, Vicky, are you certain? He seems inordinately fond of you.”
“He is fond of me. That is one of the reasons the marriage is working. But he feels he cannot allow-him-self to love me because if he does, I will use the knowledge to run roughshod over him. He thinks I am something of a shrew, you see. Too independent and headstrong by half. Give me an inch and I will surely take a mile.”
“Perhaps he is merely uncertain of you and cannot admit his love until he knows you love him,” Cleo suggested.
“Why should he be uncertain of me? The man is married to me.”
“What does that signify? How many married women of our acquaintance are head over heels in love with their husbands? More than one has resorted to a discreet affair, as you well know. And women such as Jessica Atherton, who would almost certainly never indulge in an affair, are testimonials to womanly duty, not womanly love. The thought of being married out of a sense of duty must give a man a few chills.”
“Why should it? Lucas certainly had no qualms about marrying me out of a sense of duty. His goal from the start was to save Stonevale, not find a deep and abiding love for himself.” Victoria dashed the brush fiercely across the paper and immediately had to blot up a long smear of green.
“Just because a man is forced to marry for the sake of his responsibilities does not mean he is not human enough to want to be loved. Lucas told me the morning of your marriage that he truly wished things had progressed in a far different fashion. He knows that because of that debacle at the inn, he never had a chance to finish the courtship properly.”
“He finished it, all right. He concluded the matter with a special license, if you will recall.” Another smear of green appeared on the paper.
“My point is that he is only too well aware of the fact that he did not have a chance to win your love. You did not marry him entirely of your own free will and he knows that. Later, when you found out he had begun his pursuit of you because you were an heiress, his position was further weakened. How can he possibly be all that certain of you unless you have assured him of your love?”
Victoria looked up, feeling pressed. “Just whose side are you on, Aunt Cleo?”
Cleo sighed. “I am not on anyone’s side. I just want to see you happy, Vicky.”
“You think I would be happy if I simply surrender completely to my husband?”
“Surrender? What an odd term.”
“’Tis the one he uses,” Victoria muttered. “Except when he’s trying to find euphemisms such as ‘negotiated truce.’”
“Does he really? I expect ’tis because he spent so much time in the military and then devoted himself to gaming. Military men and gamesters have a somewhat similar vocabulary, you know. They are always thinking in terms of strategy and winning and losing. There is very little middle ground for them.”
“Yes, I have discovered that for myself.”
“Women, on the other hand, are capable of more flexibility in their thinking,” Cleo continued.
“That is undoubtedly a weakness when it comes to dealing with men. It gives them a license to indulge their own inflexibility. No, I am married to a man who thinks like a soldier, and I must either break him of the habit or teach him to be content with the partnership we have managed to establish. The one thing I will not do is risk everything by giving him the surrender he wants.”
Cleo considered her thoughtfully for a long moment.
“What is it, precisely, that you would be risking?”
“My pride, for one thing.”
“Is that so very important?”
“Of course it is.”
“Well, he is your husband, my dear. You must do as you think best.”
Relieved to be through with that topic of conversation, Victoria hurriedly switched to another. “Perhaps you would care to go shopping today? I mean to purchase some books on gardening and horticulture to take back to Yorkshire.”
“I would be delighted. Are these for your library at Stonevale?”
“Some of them will go into the library but the rest are to serve as a gift to our local vicar and his wife. They have been most helpful. The vicar is writing a book on gardening.” Victoria hesitated and then added in a rush, “And I am to the plates.”
Cleo beamed. “Vicky, how marvelous. You are going to get your lovely botanical work published. I am so pleased. How did that arrangement come about?”
“Lucas arranged it,” Victoria admitted softly.
Cleo’s gaze sharpened. “How did he do that?”
Victoria flushed. “He showed one of my paintings to the vicar, who instantly asked to meet the artist to see if she would be interested in doing the plates for his book. Lucas swears he did not influence the vicar by telling him who the artist was until after Reverend Worth admired the picture. The vicar seems genuinely delighted to have me do the plates. I must confess, I am very excited about it.”
Cleo leaned forward and admired Victoria’s painting, musing thoughtfully. “Trust Stonevale to find a way to give his heiress the one gift she could not have bought for herself.”
The amber yellow silk gown was stunning in its elegant simplicity. Victoria was pleased with the effect. The skirt fell in a narrow, graceful column to her ankles. The high waistline, topped with a small, artfully draped bodice, displayed a wide expanse of white skin and emphasized the gentle curves of her breasts. Her slippers were embroidered in gold thread and matched her long, elegant gloves.
The amber pendant hung in solitary splendor around her throat. With a last glance in the mirror, Victoria decided she was as ready as she would ever be for Jessica Atherton’s reception. She picked up her gilded fan.
“I will take the black cloak, the one with the hood lined in gold satin, Nan.”
“Ye do look wonderful tonight, ma’am,” Nan breathed reverently as she carefully draped the long, flowing cloak around her mistress’s shoulders. “His lordship will be ever so proud.” She adjusted the hood so that the gold satin formed a deep, rich collar around Victoria’s throat. “Wonderful.”
“Thank you, Nan. I must be off. His lordship will be waiting in the hall. Pray do not wait up for me. I will wake you when I return if I need any help.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Lucas was pacing impatiently at the foot of the stairs, but when he saw Victoria draped in black velvet and gold, he halted abruptly. His eyes were full of gleaming, sensual admiration as he watched her come slowly down the staircase.
“Ready for battle, are we?” he murmured as he took her arm.
“Let’s just say I do not want Jessica Atherton feeling sorry for me.”
He laughed as Griggs opened the door. “She is far more likely to feel sorry for me.”
“Oh, really? And why is that, my lord?”
Lucas tightened his hold on Victoria’s arm. “She will know I must be helpless to resist my Amber Lady. She will undoubtedly worry that you are already in command of this marriage.”
Victoria slid a sidelong glance at him as he assisted her into the carriage. “And are you helpless to resist me?”
“What do you think?” He climbed in beside her.
“I think you are teasing me again.”
He reached for her hand and inclined his head gallantly over her gloved fingers. “Madam, I assure you that I find you utterly irresistible.”
“I shall bear that in mind.”
The streets near the large Atherton home were filled with carriages. Dozens of elegantly dressed people clogged the front steps. But Lucas and Victoria, as guests of honor, were quickly ushered past the crowds.
When Victoria handed over her cloak in the wide, brilliantly lit hall, the amber yellow gown was revealed in all its glory. Lucas took one look at the graceful expanse of his wife’s throat, shoulders, and bosom revealed by the small bodice and he set his teeth.
br /> “No wonder you kept that cloak wrapped around you until we got here,” he growled. “This will teach me to examine your attire far more carefully before I take you anywhere in the future.”
“Trust me, Lucas. This gown is in the height of fashion.”
“It reveals more than a tavern maid’s dress. You are practically falling out of it. If I had seen it before we left the house, I would have sent you straight upstairs to change.”
“Too late for that now,” she told him cheerfully. “Now do stop frowning so. We are about to be announced and you surely would not want Lady Atherton and her guests to think we are quarreling.”
“You have won for now, madam, but rest assured, this discussion will continue at a later time.” He led her toward the top of the stairs that descended into the glittering, crowded ballroom.
A hush fell over the throng of beautifully dressed people as the Earl of Stonevale and his lady were announced. And then a ringing cheer went up and glasses were raised in a salute as Lucas and Victoria went down the staircase to greet their host and hostess.
Lady Atherton’s gaze held a trace of wistfulness as she smiled at Lucas. Lord Atherton, an austere man who was active in politics, inclined his balding head over Victoria’s hand.
“So kind of you both to honor us with this reception tonight,” Victoria forced herself to say as sincerely as possible.
“You look lovely, my dear,” Jessica said to Victoria. “That gown is simply exquisite. And such an unusual style for a new bride. But, then, you have always been something of an Original, have you not?”
“I do my best,” Victoria assured her. “After all, I would not want to bore my husband.”
Lucas shot her a warning glance. His smile was full of menacing charm. “Boredom is not something I have suffered from much since the night I met you, my dear.”
Lord Atherton smiled briefly. “And as I understand it, that momentous occurrence took place right here in this ballroom, did it not?”
“Lady Atherton was kind enough to introduce us,” Victoria said politely.
“So I heard.” Lord Atherton extended his arm. “Would you be so gracious as to honor me with the first dance, madam?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
As she was led out onto the floor, Victoria glanced back over her shoulder in time to see a crowd of people close in around Lucas. He caught her eye over the heads of the throng and smiled faintly, a smile of possession, admiration, and sensual promise; a lover’s smile.
Warmed by that smile, Victoria turned to give her attention to Lord Atherton, who was already starting to talk about politics.
Lucas kept an eye on his Amber Lady as the evening passed, but he had very little opportunity to speak to her. Just as well, he told himself. If he did get close to her, he would probably be unable to avoid bringing up the topic of the dress again, and since the damage was already done, it would be pointless to continue the argument.
A husband had to learn which battles were worth fighting, and he could not deny that the military strategist in him could not help but sympathize with Victoria’s need to make a brilliant splash tonight in front of Jessica Atherton.
Nevertheless, he vowed as he caught sight of Victoria being led out onto the floor again, he would pay much closer attention to her clothes in the future.
“Your wife is cutting quite a swath through my male guests tonight,” Jessica Atherton murmured as she glided up to stand beside Lucas. “I am gratified that she is enjoying herself.”
“She deserves to enjoy herself.”
“Yes. It cannot have been easy for her to come here tonight.”
Lucas raised a brow at that bit of unexpected insight. “No, it was not.”
“I know she must have been feeling somewhat battered by all that happened at the time of her marriage to you. And I did not aid matters by calling on her that morning before you left for Yorkshire. I am sorry about that, Lucas. I have wanted to apologize for it. My only excuse is that I was desperately anxious to know if you were going to be happy with her,” Jessica said weakly.
“Forget it, Jessica. It is all in the past.”
“Yes, you are quite right. It is just that I know you were angry with me that day and I expect I am trying to find out if you have forgiven me.”
“As I said, it is over and done. Don’t fret about it. Victoria and I have arrived at an understanding and we are both content with the marriage.”
Jessica nodded. “I rather thought that is what would happen. She is, after all, an intelligent woman. She may be rather outrageous at times, but she is also a woman of honor and integrity. I would not have introduced you to her if I had thought otherwise. I was certain that when all was said and done, she would learn to accept her fate and fulfill her duty, just as you must.”
Lucas realized he was starting to grit his teeth. He reached for a glass of champagne and took a large swallow. “Tell me, Jessica, have you had much pleasure in your marriage?”
“Atherton is a tolerable husband. That is as much as a woman can hope for from her marriage. I take satisfaction in knowing I am a good wife to him. One does what one must.”
A tolerable husband. Victoria had called him that once or twice, Lucas reflected. He suddenly felt slightly savage. Was that all he was to her he wondered? A tolerable husband?
“Excuse me, Jessica. I think I just saw Potbury in the crowd by the window. I wanted to ask him a question.”
“Of course.”
Lucas escaped his hostess, but he knew he could not escape her words. As was frequently the case with Jessica Atherton, she might grate a bit, but she was not altogether wrong in her observations, She was right about Victoria being a woman of honor and integrity. But Lucas did not want to think she was also right when she claimed that Victoria had no doubt accepted the marriage because it was the reasonable thing to do. He did not want to be merely a tolerable husband.
He could not bring himself to believe that when Victoria shivered and cried out in his arms, she was merely performing her wifely duty. She cared for him, he told himself. He was almost positive she could learn to love him again if she would just stop erecting defenses to protect her pride. Her damned female pride was all that kept her from the final surrender.
Lord Potbury smiled in genial welcome when he saw Lucas coming toward him. “Good to see you again, Stonevale. Must say your bride is looking positively radiant this evening. How are things in Yorkshire?”
“Very well, thank you. But I miss our weekly meetings of the society. Wanted to ask how the electricity experiments were proceeding. Heard of any more interesting work in that area?”
Lord Potbury brightened. “Grimshaw had a bit of an accident last week. Gave himself a terrible jolt. Thought he was done for at the time, but he is quite recovered now.”
“I’m relieved to hear that. What was he working on?”
“Thinks he’s got an idea for creating a smaller, more compact system for storing electrical energy. Have to hope he doesn’t kill himself with the stuff before he finishes his work on the invention.”
“I read something recently about more work on reanimation of the dead,” Lucas said casually.
“Yes, yes, saw that bit myself. Quite interesting, but so far no one’s seen any reanimated corpses walking about.” Potbury chuckled.
“You don’t believe that line of experimentation will prove fruitful?”
“Who can say for certain? But personally I’m highly doubtful.”
“Yes,” said Lucas. “So am I. Which means that we must look to the living for answers.”
“Beg pardon?”
“Never mind, sir. Just making an observation to myself. If you will excuse me, I think I shall try and forge a path over to where my wife is standing.”
“Good luck. Quite a crush here tonight, ain’t there? And getting worse. More people arriving by the minute. Probably going to be the rout of the Season. There’s Lady Nettleship. Looks quite lovely tonight, doesn’t she?
Believe I’ll try to make my way over to her.”
Lucas nodded politely and started off through the crowd. Progress was difficult because nearly everyone he passed insisted on stopping him long enough to congratulate him.
He was midway in his journey across the ballroom when one of the liveried footmen stepped into his path. He held out a small silver tray on which lay a sealed note.
“A man appeared at the door and asked that this be given to you, my lord,” the footman said politely. “I am sorry for the delay. It took me a while to find you in the crowd.”
Lucas frowned and picked up the note, nodding abruptly in appreciation of the service. He put a few coins on the tray and the footman disappeared into the sea of guests.
Have information that should interest you concerning certain incidents. Very urgent. Am waiting outside in black carriage near corner.
Lucas crumpled the note and looked across the room to where Victoria was standing in a group of chattering, laughing people. He started toward her again, this time not pausing politely when he was greeted by well-wishers.
“I wonder if I might steal my wife for a moment or two,” he said as he moved through the small crowd around Victoria. It was a command, not a request, and everyone stepped back immediately.
Victoria looked up in surprise and then smiled knowingly at the women in the group. “Men go through such a change after marriage, do they not?” she murmured by way of apology. “Why is it they are always so accommodating and gallant before the wedding and so dreadfully dictatorial afterward?”
Lucas took her arm and led her a short distance away, aware of the laughter and giggles behind him. “I shall only keep you a minute, madam, and then you may return to your observations on husbands.”
“Lucas, I was only joking, for heaven’s sake. What is it? Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know. I just got this.” He showed her the note.
She read it with widening eyes. “Edgeworth?”
“It must be him. He probably does not have an invitation and could not get inside to talk to me. I am going outside to see what he wants. I came to warn you I would be missing for a while. I did not want you calling attention to the fact that I’m gone. I don’t know how long this will take.”