Page 5 of Desire and Discipline
Priscilla frowned, looking at her sister-in-law with suspicion. There had been many times when she’d thought her friends were keeping things from her, and they had been. Eventually, they’d involved her in their hunt for a traitor, and she’d helped to bring him down, but she didn’t doubt they still had their secrets.
“Yes. Is that… bad?”
Before Josie could answer, the door to the drawing room opened, and Stims, the butler, entered and stepped to the side.
“The Marchioness of Hartford and the Countess of Talbot,” he announced in sonorous tones as the two ladies came through the door.
Completely ignoring propriety, as she often did, the Countess of Talbot stepped through the door before the Marchioness of Hartford. Lady Mary, the marchioness, did not appear insulted by having a countess precede her into the room, following in behind her friend with an absentminded expression. Although he should be used to it by now, Stims’ eyes bulged, and he pressed his lips together in stringent disapproval. He was a newer butler to the home and still struggled with the lack of ‘proper decorum’ from its residents and their guests.
Lily, the countess, and Mary were as opposite in looks as Josie and Evie were. Mary’s blonde hair was similar to Josie’s, though with a distinct reddish tint, while Lily’s hair was nearly as dark as Evie’s and her eyes were nearly black. Dressed in a stylish blue and green day gown to set off her looks, Mary smiled as she found a seat beside Josie on one of the chairs while Lily, wearing her signature purple, joined Evie and Priscilla on the couch.
The four of them had been friends since childhood, but they had opened their circle to Priscilla and welcomed her in after she’d married Joseph, for which she was grateful. Though she had many acquaintances among the ladies of theton, she’d never had true-blue friends like them. These ladies would literally die for each other, and they’d proven it.
“Tea?” Evie asked, leaning forward to pick up the pot and some cups.
In the doorway, Stims made a strangled noise.
As the highest-ranking lady in the room who actually lived in the house, it should be Josie’s position to serve tea, but with their closest friends, they were hardly going to stand on ceremony.
As if he couldn’t bear to see any more, the butler made an abrupt about-face and shut the door firmly behind him, the solid sound a pronouncement of judgment. Grinning widely, they all waited a long moment before bursting into giggles.
“You need to stop tormenting that poor man,” Mary said, although she was laughing as much as any of them.
“If he could give up the poker he has rammed up his?—”
“Evie!” Lily scolded, cutting her off before she could finish the vulgarity.
Priscilla had learned a great deal about Evie’s past since she’d returned to the family fold, including the fact that she’d been on the streets for some time between her parents’ death and Joseph’s father finding her again. Though she could play the part of a proper lady, she was far more relaxed around her friends.
Too relaxed sometimes. It both delighted and appalled Priscilla in equal measure—and often Lily, too.
“She has a point. You do not have to live with him.” Josie snorted. “Mrs. Murdoch is sick of him as well.” It was true. The housekeeper and the butler had been at odds almost since the first day of his employment. Something was going to have to give, eventually, but the Marquess was trying to give the man a chance to settle in and become accustomed to the way their household operated.
“You could try to make it a little easier for him,” Lily replied, exasperated.
“Says the woman who walked ahead of a marchioness,” Josie retorted, snickering as she popped another biscuit in her mouth.
“I forgot.” Lily appeared sheepish, shrugging.
“Because we should be comfortable in our own homes and in each other’s.” Josie nodded her head with relish, clearly feeling she’d proven her point. “We shouldn’t have to stand on ceremony or walk in the proper order among friends, and we certainly shouldn’t have to put up with a judgmental butler if we decide not to.”
“He will either adjust or he will not,” Evie said. Finished pouring the tea for Mary and Lily, she lifted the cups and saucers and passed them over. “Mary, you and Rex are having an… event tonight, are you not?” The diffident tone of her voice made it seem as though she did not care about the answer, but an awareness prickled along Priscilla’s skin. Evie never did anything without reason, and she was hardly the type to make idle conversation—especially about an event Mary and her husband were hosting that the household had not received an invitation to.
Rex, the Marquis of Hartford, led a secret group known as the Society of Sin. Thanks to her friends, Priscilla had heard about some of their activities, but she had not gone on her own, though they’d seemed willing to take her. She couldn’t think of how to bring up such a subject to Joseph, and she felt as though it would be rather odd to go without him. The ladies did say he’d been a member in the past, but he certainly had never said anything about doing the kinds of activities the Society indulged in with her.
She could only conclude that he was past such debauchery and no longer had an interest in partaking.
“We are,” Mary said, tilting her head curiously at her friend. “Did you and Anthony want to attend? I believe Elijah and Josie are going to be there.”
“We are,” Josie said immediately. She scowled at Evie. “It is our turn.”
“We would stay out of your way. I was thinking this might be a good opportunity to introduce Priscilla to the Society, to see if it’s something she might enjoy.” Evie turned her head to meet Priscilla’s gaze steadily. There was something in her expression, as though this was important to her for some reason. Maybe because their group of friends were all involved, and she did not want Priscilla to feel on the outside, or perhaps because she wanted Priscilla to be able to understand better when they talked of such things. “If Joseph is going to be at his club tonight, this would be a good opportunity for you to see what the Society has to offer on your own.”
“Oh…oh.” Josie blinked, sitting up straight. “Yes. I think that’s a capital idea.”
“I do not know…” Priscilla’s voice trailed off. The myriad of stories she’d heard about the Society flittered through her mind—the spankings, the whippings, the nudity, the unlocked doors as people cavorted behind them. “It seems like something I should attendwithhim if I were going to go. I would not want to do such things with anyone else.”
“Yes, it does seem that way, does it not?” Josie muttered.
