Page 46 of Sir Hugo Seeks a Wife
Hugo did, too.He didn’t want this liaison to cause her trouble.Hell, he didn’t want her troubled at all.He couldn’t help thinking that if they were on their wedding trip, as they would have been if she’d accepted his proposal, they’d be able to march openly into any hostelry in the land with nobody blinking an eye.
He had to stop thinking like that or he’d go mad.
The carriage rolled to a stop.A groom opened the door to a bustling scene.Hugo stepped out and extended his hand to help Athene.She kept her head down, and the tight grip of her gloved hand betrayed her nerves.
“So many people,” she murmured, as they started toward the inn’s doors.
“We’ll get lost in the crowd,” Hugo said.“Nobody’s paying us any attention.”
They mounted a short flight of stairs and entered a foyer alive with light and activity.A rotund man approached and bowed.“Sir Hugo, is it?”
“Yes.”Beside him, Athene didn’t speak.The cape that he’d complained about did an excellent job of concealing her identity.
“It’s a nasty night.We’ve got the fires lit upstairs ready for you.”The groom appeared beside them, carrying their luggage.“The top floor, Toby.And be quick about it.”
“Aye, Mr.Treddle.”The groom proceeded up the wide staircase, past a noisy family of six.“Let me show you the way, Sir Hugo, my lady.”
Hugo hooked Athene’s hand over his arm.“Thank you.”
She remained quiet as they climbed the stairs.With a flourish, Treddle opened the door onto a luxurious apartment lit with beeswax candles and a roaring fire in the grate.
“I’ll send hot water straightaway, or would you like me to arrange baths for you both, Sir Hugo?”
“No, hot water will be fine.”
“When would you like us to serve dinner?We can manage the next half hour, if you like.My wife’s roasted a saddle of mutton that will bring tears to your eyes, and there’s a syllabub that the Regent himself wouldn’t scorn to eat.”
“That sounds marvelous.Give us an hour.Can you also send up a bottle of champagne, two bottles of your best claret, and a bottle of brandy?”
“Very good, Sir Hugo.”He bowed again and left, shutting the door behind him.It was clear that he was used to dealing with rich clients.And the tact with which he’d avoided glancing at Athene indicated that he could be discreet.
As soon as they were alone, Athene removed her gloves and pushed her hood back, revealing dark eyes alight with laughter.“You know, you don’t have to ply me with liquor to get me into bed.”
Hugo crossed to lift the heavy cape from her shoulders.Beneath it, she wore a severe gray gown, the same one she’d had on earlier.He’d love to set off her spectacular beauty with silks and satins in every color of the rainbow.He suspected that she might resist the idea.“I’d like us set for the next little while.I want as few interruptions as possible.Do you want a bath?I can change the order.”
“Perhaps tomorrow.”She looked around with interest.“This is a very elegant bower of sin.”
Hugo flung her cape over a heavy oak chair and took off his hat and gloves and greatcoat.He came forward to take her hand.“Isn’t it just?”He kissed her briefly.“Shall we explore?”
“Yes, let’s.”
The main room was large and opulent, furnished with padded armchairs and a small dining table under a window.There were dressing rooms for a valet and maid, if they’d brought servants, which they hadn’t.The suite was high enough in the building that the hubbub downstairs became a distant hum.
Through a doorway, an even larger room contained a huge four-poster.The fire in here was lit, too, and the covers were folded down in readiness.Heat that had nothing to do with firewood roared through Hugo, as he thought about what he intended to do with Athene in that impressive bed.
“Do you approve?”he asked when Athene’s silence continued.
She released his hand and stepped closer to the bed, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles from the lace-trimmed pillowcases.“Yes.”
“But?”
She raised eyes shadowed with doubt.“It’s suddenly become very real.”
“If you’ve changed your mind, I’ll take you back to London.Or you can have this room and I’ll sleep in a dressing room.You’re under no obligation to share this bed with me.”Saying that damn near killed him, but what else could a man of honor do?
A smile lifted her lips.“Thank you for that.”
Disappointment settled heavy as lead in his gut.“The decision is yours, Athene.It’s always been yours.”It was true, even if speaking the words felt like crawling over broken glass.
