Page 48 of Wicked Is the Duke
Chapter Sixteen
Anna sat at a smallwriting desk in front of a set of windows overlooking the gardens. As she waited for tea to be brought, she went through the stack of invitations one more time. These were the ones she had decided they needed to attend while in London. She recognized several of the names and felt she and Blackmont couldn’t not attend them. The other stack were ones she felt inclined to decline. She would let Henry go through them in case there were other social functions he thought they needed to attend.
Henry. Just the thought of him brought a smile to her face and a feeling of need course through her body. He was a considerate lover, though he could be bossy and demanding. For the most part, he was patient to the fact she was not as skilled in the marriage bed as some of his former lovers may have been.
She turned at the sound of the door being opened just in time to see a tea cart being brought in with Henry in the lead. Anna smiled at him and rose from her chair to greet him.
"You're finished with business?" she asked as she prepared to pour two cups of tea.
"I am. I thought I'd have tea with my wife and see what balls she's interested in attending."
She smiled. "There were many to choose from. The ones I decided we should attend are on my desk to the left. The others are in a separate stack, and I'm afraid I need your help with choosing."
"Excellent. I'll sort through them in a moment."
He shared with her his unexpected meeting with Radstock and the news he'd shared with Henry about Carlisle and Lady Caroline. Anna sat in stunned silence as she listened. Though the news meant neither would bother her further, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Lady Caroline, certain the young woman would be miserable in her marriage. The earl was a prig in her eyes, with no respect for women.
"I'm glad it's over, but I always wondered how her family allowed her to run about the countryside with Carlisle."
Henry sipped his tea. "I'm not sure they knew. Not to the full extent. I believe she thought she could get away with it and not be caught. Unfortunately, gossip always seems to outweigh the truth."
"Radstock told you this?" She looked at him through her lashes as she delicately took a sip of tea.
"He did. I'm afraid the gossip papers have gotten wind of it as well."
She smiled. "It seems men gossip as much as women," she said demurely.
"Ridiculous."
"Is it? I find men's behavior to be quite fascinating," she replied. "Let me get the invitations, and we can go through them together."
"As you wish, my duchess. When we finish, there is another matter I should like to discuss with you."
Anna stood and walked over to the desk without another word. Picking up both stacks of invitations, she again joined Blackmont.
"These are the ones I thought we should attend," she said, passing him four invitations.
He carefully read each one, returning only three to the stack. "The marquis's ball is the same evening as the earl of Cornwall's. Ergo, we need to attend the earl's. He's on a committee I chair in Parliament, and it would be a disservice not to attend his affair."
"You rarely attend Parliament."
"I do on important matters, and I get briefings all the time. I'm well informed as to what goes on when I'm not in attendance."
