The Lovers by Irina Shapiro
Author:Irina Shapiro [Shapiro, Irina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance
Goodreads: 36041248
Publisher: Kindle Press
Published: 2017-09-12T00:00:00+00:00
Chapter 33
June 1665
London, England
Elise was surprised when Edward decided to join her for supper one night in June. She hadn’t laid eyes on him in days, and even then it was only in passing. Any other woman might have thought that her husband kept a mistress at court, but Elise knew better. It wasn’t the women that drew Edward to the palace—it was the men. He enjoyed the liveliness and intrigue of the court, and he seemed to feel most himself when distracted from his own troubling thoughts. Edward didn’t share much with her, but from the little she knew of him, she deduced that Edward Asher was not a happy man.
Despite the ever-present loneliness, Elise preferred her own company to Edward’s and felt more at ease when he stayed away. She didn’t know what brought him home this evening, but she simply asked for another place to be set at the table and waited for him to join her. Edward was tired and ill-tempered, having just returned from the palace. He hadn’t changed out of his finery, but he removed his wig and cleaned his face with a moist towel, wiping away any traces of the powder and rouge favored by some courtiers. It was almost as if Edward had removed a mask, allowing his wife a glimpse of what lay beneath.
“What news?” Elise asked as the first course was served. Elise had long since scaled down the evening meal to two courses, a broth and roasted poultry or baked fish. She didn’t care for meat, and Edward was so rarely at home that it seemed wasteful to keep preparing dishes that no one ate. Once a week, Mistress Oliphant made Elise a sweet of some sort, claiming that if she stopped cooking puddings she might lose her knack for baking. Elise had never been one for sweets in the past, but now that she was pregnant, she found herself craving sugary treats. She also liked tea. Edward introduced it into the household a few months ago, saying it was the fashion at Whitehall Palace, brought from Portugal by Catherine of Braganza. Elise disliked the strange drink at first, but sometimes, especially in the mornings, she found it more palatable than ale, which left a sour taste in her mouth and made her belch. Tea had a bitterness to it, but when taken with a bit of sugar, it was quite refreshing.
Edward frowned as he stared at his bowl of broth. He was accustomed to eating rich, multicourse meals at the palace, and the broth displeased him.
“This is peasant food,” he said scornfully and pushed the bowl aside. “Is there nothing else?”
“There’s some roast fowl with root vegetables.”
“Very well. I’ll have that.” He was surly, but beneath his gruff exterior Elise saw a man who felt frightened and helpless. “The news from the city isn’t good,” Edward said, finally responding to her question. “The death toll is rising. Some measures have been taken by the Lord Mayor, but they are too late.
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