Laura Matthews by A Baronets Wife

Author:A Baronets Wife [Wife, A Baronets]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

After dinner in their room at the Swan and Castle, Noah asked Olivia if she would like him to read to her a while and when she agreed he had her sit beside him so that he could put his arm around her shoulders. At first she listened to the story, but after a while she found herself studying his profile and wishing that he would stop.

He turned to regard her, a slight smile on his lips. “Would you like to change into your night clothes now?” When she nodded, he rose and set the book aside. “I’ll have Marie come to you.”

Olivia allowed Marie to undress her and assist her into her nightdress and dressing gown, but when the maid had left she hurriedly changed into the silver and black negligee, covering it with the dressing gown once more, and seated herself by the fire to await Noah. He was not long in coming and extinguished the candles in the room before joining her near the fire.

“It’s been another long day for you, Olivia. You must tell me if you wish to go to bed now.”

“No, I... I would like to sit up with you for a while, Noah.”

“Good.”

“I’ve been thinking about some of the things you told me this morning.”

“And?”

“Well, I wondered if what you said about men, and how they think of women, I wondered if maybe you thought that because it was true of you, and you merely assumed that other men felt the same way.”

“I see. It’s conceivable, but I would venture from the discussions I’ve had with men on the topic of women to believe that it is true of a vast number, and probably the majority of men.”

“It doesn’t bother you to feel that way?”

“No, how should it? It’s not an obsessive thing, Olivia, but merely one of the first things to strike a man. We continue to play by the rules society has set down for us, so it can do no harm to think what we wish.”

“Did you ... think of me that way when we first met?”

He grinned. “Well, when we first met you fell into the class of young girls, my dear, and it took me a while to rid myself of that idea. Later, yes, I did. Perhaps I should explain that these are daydreams, fantasies, for the most part never acted on. But women dress attractively to gain a man’s attention, and, like it or not, they get just that. I believe that is how our discussion of the matter started. Come and sit on my lap, Olivia. I was merely pointing out this morning that it is unjust for women to attract that attention, hold it through a period of time leading to marriage, and then expect that a man will not wish to act on it.” She was seated on his lap and he proceeded to unfasten her dressing gown. When he saw that she was wearing the negligee he hugged her and said, “Thank you, my dear.

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