Page 30 of To Tempt a Scandalous Lord
Chapter Eleven
Life as Lady Inverray was not much different than her life as Lady Lindsay had been. Of course her new home was far grander than her old one, with a larger household staff to oversee, but Alicia still maintained her own schedule and correspondence. She continued to write, although she had yet to turn in a new essay to Effia.
Except now she had a handsome lord to escort her to social events.
Niall was a cordial husband to her, but he had not made any overtures that hinted he was ready to consummate their marriage. Or that he even intended to expand their interactions past friendly regard.
Alicia found it quite vexing.
After their wedding breakfast, he’d escorted her to his home on Grosvenor Square and introduced her to the staff at Campbell House. The housekeeper took her on a tour of the house while Niall tended to business, but then joined her for a pleasant dinner, where they discussed foreign affairs and laughed over the antics of common acquaintances. He walked with her back to her new chamber, and when he paused at the door, Alicia had held her breath, hoping he would provide some sign, some indication, he wished to join her for the night.
Instead, he had kissed her cheek and walked into his chamber, leaving her gaping like an idiot.
A week later, the memory of how foolish she’d been to think Niall would want to spend their wedding night together still made her purse her lips. Just because he married her, and treated her with courtesy and respect, did not mean he wanted to engage in physical pleasures. But he had indicated he needed an heir…
Maybe Niall didn’t want to make her uncomfortable in their marriage of convenience? Alicia had no qualms about consummating their marriage…but guilt tempered her desire for him. It seemed unfair to crave the attentions of a man she had skewered in her essays for months and who remained unaware of her identity as the author. Niall had been all that was gracious to her while her words had been anything but.
Alicia greeted the new day with a dull headache. Her sleep had been restless and when the sky outside her window turned from purple to light pink, she climbed from bed and dressed without Jane’s help. It was still early, but she was ready to start her day.
Stifling a yawn, Alicia made her way to the breakfast parlor. She had a routine she intended to keep, whether or not her husband joined her. So when she walked into the room, she stumbled to a halt when Niall’s imposing figure met her eye. He glanced up from the newspaper he was reading, his brows raised in surprise, before he offered her a brief nod.
After loading a plate with items from the sideboard, Alicia slid onto a chair and smiled her thanks when a footman poured her a cup of tea.
“Good morning,” Niall murmured, not looking up from the paper. “I trust you slept well.”
“I did, thank you,” she lied, lifting her cup to her a mouth for a sip.
The room was silent aside from the steady tick of the clock on the mantel and the occasional clink of bone china. Alicia lathered cream on a scone until a bold headline on Niall’s newspaper snagged her attention, and without thinking, she extended her hand.
“May I please have that section, if you’re done?”
Her husband looked up, his long black lashes fluttering in confusion. “I beg your pardon?”
“I would like to read the article about President Jackson, if you’re quite done with that section?” she said, her hand still outstretched.
Blinking at her for a long moment, Niall huffed. “If I had known you were a reader of the morning paper, I would have requested a second copy for you.”
“Well, you didn’t ask, now did you?” Before he could respond, Alicia waved away his response. “I enjoy knowing what is happening in the world. England may be an island, but there are plenty of important events happening across the waters and I want to know about them.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised.” Although there was a slight sting to his words, Alicia chose to believe Niall had not uttered them out of strife.
“If I am to be your hostess, I need to be abreast of all manner of topics, including foreign political topics. I cannot host salons and dinners for you if I am unable to converse about the issues you wrestle with every day. The very issues affecting our country.” She dropped her hands to her lap—quite dramatically, she’d admit—and sighed. “I also enjoy learning about what issues concern our allies. It reminds me that England’s trials are not aberrations. But if you do not approve, I can always read the papers when you are away.”
Because she was still going to read them.
From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the marquess grab his napkin and swipe at his mouth in a rush. He was not as stoic and unmoved as he liked to appear.Good.Alicia wanted him to be just as unnerved with her sitting at his breakfast table as she was to sit there.
“Stewart, please ensure her ladyship has her own paper in the mornings.” Grabbing the front section, Niall slid it across the table to her. “Until then, here you go. Try not to wrinkle the edges.”
“Of course,” she declared, offering a polite smile. While holding his gaze, she grasped the section in her hands and folded the sides over each other until only the article about President Jackson was in view.
Niall’s lips twitched just so, and she couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or amused. The part of her that desired to keep him on his toes hoped it was both.
The room was silent for a time, as each ate and read.
Alicia resisted the urge to look at him to see what he was reading, and feigned an intense interest in the article. Even so, trying to attend to news about the presidential election in the States was next to impossible when seated across from her distracting husband.
Awareness of his every move, his every breath, pulsed along her skin. Alicia knew when he took a sip of coffee, when he bit into a slice of bacon, when he patted his mouth with a napkin. The way in which he licked his finger before turning a page had her shifting in her seat.
