Julian Fellowes's Belgravia by Julian Fellowes

Author:Julian Fellowes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Historical, General, Family Life, Sagas, Romance, Media Tie-In
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2016-07-05T05:20:10+00:00

As it happened, John Bellasis really had made other plans. He’d arranged to meet Susan Trenchard later that day at Morley’s Hotel in Trafalgar Square. In the final analysis, he had to admit there was nothing that staved off humiliation and irritation more effectively than sleeping with someone else’s wife.

He had reserved the room in a woman’s name, albeit a false one, and he found Susan waiting when he pushed open the door of number twenty-seven on the first floor. He’d seen her maid, Speer, waiting patiently in the hall downstairs, so he knew she was there. She’d said she didn’t have the time to travel to Isleworth, and they both knew he would not invite her to Albany. Not yet. His set of rooms was not quite right for the lazy, luxurious aristocratic image he liked to project. Comfort in Isleworth was achievable on his budget, comfort in Piccadilly was not. Or barely. He would mention his address as often as he could, reminding the listener that Lord Byron used to inhabit Set A2, but he never entertained there, not even fellows. So instead, this time, he had paid for a room in the Morley. The expense was an annoyance, but he was forced to conclude that Susan was worth it as he lay on the bed later that afternoon, naked and content. Rarely had he come across a more enthusiastic lover. Most of the women he slept with were boringly concerned about the dangers of conception and the inevitable scandal that would engulf them, but Susan Trenchard did not appear to be troubled by any such thoughts. She was compliant and completely obliging, and John liked that, and her, very much.

“Susan, my dear,” he murmured as he rolled over in the bed toward her, edging himself closer and beginning to kiss her arm.

“This is very nice.” Susan could feel a request was on its way, a favor, perhaps a command. She knew him by now. She knew his selfishness. She knew his greed. And yet, with all that, when she was on her way to see him, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was love or lust, but it was more than she had ever felt with Oliver. So she waited for her orders. She would oblige him if she could.

He was watching her. “I must be careful. I’m getting quite fond of you.”

It wasn’t overwhelming as a compliment, but Susan took it as such. “I’m glad.”

“I need you to do something for me,” said John.

“Of course. If I can.”

“I need you to find out more about Charles Pope.”

“What?” She sat up, the mood broken. “Not you as well? Everyone seems to be obsessed with that wretched man! It’s driving Oliver mad.”

“I hesitate to agree with your husband on anything, but that is exactly the point,” said John, sitting up alongside her. “I don’t know what it is, but there is something about him I don’t trust. He seems to

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