Page 42 of Sir Hugo Seeks a Wife
“I’ve seen the courtesans in the park and in Sylvie’s shop buying bonbons.It seems…”
“Not for you?”
“It’s silly to worry about my good name when I have no virtue to protect.”
“Stop saying that.”The glint in his eyes changed to temper.“It’s not true anyway.”
“It will be when I become your mistress.”
He sighed and swung away.“Then call yourself my lover, if you balk at being a mistress.”
When he kissed her, desire seemed uncomplicated.Now that they worked out how to deal with the outside world, it presented a maze of difficulties.“Yes, I’ll call myself your lover.But that doesn’t solve our dilemma.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“How have you tackled your past liaisons?”
Another grunt of amusement.“With considerably less trouble.”
Distracted, she studied him.“How many mistresses have you had?”
He looked uncomfortable.“A gentleman never tells.”
“But it might help us.”
Hugo ran one hand through his hair, leaving him beguilingly ruffled.She bit back the impulse to tell him to kiss her again and forget all this pestilential negotiation.“When I was a lad, a widowed neighbor was kind to me.For the last five years, I’ve visited a friend’s widow in York.”
Something that felt like jealousy festered in her stomach.“Are you still…”
He looked even more ill at ease.“No, she married a grain merchant from Halifax last June.”
Athene wanted to ask whether he’d loved either of those women.Which was an unacceptable question, when love wasn’t part of their arrangement.
Good Lord, if she fell in love with him, this would be a complete disaster.“Do you miss her?”
“I did at first.We were friends.I wish her all the best.The affair was comfortable.”
Comfortable?Poor woman.Athene hoped he chose a more significant adjective than that after he parted from her.Although she didn’t want him telling anyone about her, did she?
Those steady blue eyes held far too much understanding.“Don’t fret about competition.You have no rivals.In the past or now.I’ve never been as avid for a woman as I am for you.I didn’t know I was capable of wanting anyone the way I want you.”
She made a helpless gesture, even as his confession soothed the jagged turmoil inside her.“You’re starting to know me too well.”
His gaze warmed her.“The daunting shell was never very convincing.The first time I saw you, I thought of a flame under glass.All that heat and life flaring close to the surface, striving to be free.”
More lovely compliments, but she couldn’t help thinking about his previous affairs.“What about your other lovers?”
Hugo’s stare turned purposeful.He was back to being the force of nature.“Give it up, Athene.I’m not providing you with a list of everyone who has shared my bed.What you need to know is that when I make a commitment, I’m faithful.I’m not any sort of rake.While we’re together, you will be my only lover.”
Until their arrangement ended.Too grim a prospect to dwell on.“So how did you manage your last mistress?”
“York is far enough from Hampden Crags to offer a little anonymity.The lady had a home of her own in substantial grounds.”
Clearly her predecessor was more solvent than Athene.She reminded herself that Hugo was here with her now, while the unnamed lady was enjoying life in Halifax.
“We could go to an inn outside London,” she said, sounding unsure.She’d written poems for gentlemen requesting assignations and that seemed a popular choice.“Your friends might recommend a place where the staff are discreet and the sheets are clean.”
“We could do that, but that doesn’t solve the issue of our long-term arrangements.I hope you’re not toying with my affections and that you mean to give me more than a day or two of your company.”
