The Earl and His Lady by Sally Britton

Author:Sally Britton
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: 0
Published: 2018-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

With the initial explanations out of the way, Lucas had done the other thing proper with unexpected house guests and issued his mother, brother, and sister-in-law an invitation to stay for a fortnight. But playing host meant changing his schedule. The picnic with the boys was indefinitely postponed.

Phillip and Edward took it in stride, especially when their new step-grandmother took it upon herself to start spoiling them immediately. Even her pernicious little dog, a creature of dubious descent, regarded the children as new playmates.

Lucas’s mother started receiving and making calls with Virginia immediately. She could hardly believe Virginia had not begun those functions of society yet, excepting the vicar’s wife and her relations. And Virginia’s excuse that she was in the awkward position of mourning and being a newlywed had not been enough for Lucas’s mother.

“Nonsense, my dear,” she had said at the dinner table the same night of her arrival. “People will only think untoward thoughts about such things if you do not contradict them with perfectly normal behavior.”

Ellen was necessarily taken along, despite being a guest herself, but Lucas was grateful for her quiet strength. Virginia would appreciate someone whose words were measured before being spoken.

Nearly a week passed before Lucas found himself alone with his wife for more than five minutes. He was working on his correspondence when a knock came at the door.

“Enter,” he called without looking up.

The door opened and clicked shut quickly. “Lucas, have you a moment?”

The sound of her voice had the same effect on him as a gentle breeze on a hot summer day. He stood immediately, his eyes taking in her business-like expression and sweeping across her form. Today she wore a dress of soft, purplish-gray. He didn’t know the name of it, though he guessed there would be one, and it nearly surprised him to see even a hint of color on her person other than the gold of her hair and the soft shades of pink in her cheeks and lips.

The vibrancy of her green eyes rarely dimmed.

“Virginia, come in. You may have as many moments as you wish.” He bit his tongue after speaking. Had he sounded too eager for her company? He’d missed her since the arrival of his family. He still spent nearly the same time in her company, seeing her at meals and to discuss household matters once or twice a day, but it was different. They weren’t ever really alone anymore.

Her expression softened with a smile. She came to the desk, a piece of folded paper in her hands. He walked around it and gestured to one of two chairs, taking the other for himself.

“Thank you,” she said after sitting. “I know how busy you are.” She laid the paper down in her lap and smoothed its edges.

Had he been too busy? He really ought to engage a secretary, if only to be more accessible to her needs. Not that he thought she needed him too often, but he didn’t want her to hesitate to come to him for something as trifling as being busy.

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