Page 23 of Cora
The warmth in Cora’s eyes died instantly.
“She has a peculiar affection for grumpy men,” she said, and stabbed her spoon into her dessert cup. “Titi adores my brothers, too. God knows why.”
The spoon passed between her plump lips, and longing coiled around him. He had her, yet he felt more distant from her than ever before. At last, he had found a safe topic, though. Gideon made a mental note to get a book about dogs. “Were her feelings returned?”
“Eryx warmed up to her, whereas Lysander complains about everything and everyone. Always thinks he has the answer. He wanted her to live outdoors. In winter.”
Cora’s disgust at this proposition was evident, as was the fact that she was very attached to her pet. Perhaps by winning over Titania, he could win over her mistress as well.
Titi—what a ridiculous name for a ridiculous creature—finished her treat and returned to his side, pawing his leg when he didn’t offer more. He bent and stage whispered, “I am instructed not to feed you any further. You must ask the lady of the house.”
The Yorkie gave a plaintive whine. At the opposite end of the table, Cora smiled faintly. Then she stood, snapped her fingers, and swept out of the room.
Gideon finished his meal in silence, but they were not done.
Not by a long shot.
CHAPTERTWELVE
CORA
Cora seethed as she plucked pins from her mane of thick hair. Dark strands uncoiled down her back, still carrying the imprints of the curls that had been imposed upon them. Miss Marnie assisted her with the buttons on her gown—not the extravagant wedding gown that now hung in a cloth bag inside her expansive wardrobe, but a rather dull one from her personal collection—and selected a silk nightdress that was decidedly not one she recognized.
The creamy fabric glided over her body like a second skin. It felt glorious.
Gideon had only mentioned that he was supplying her with new clothing more suitable to a prominent banker’s wife. But the underthings she found couldn’t be meant for anyone else. The sight made her blush clear to her toes.
He wanted her to play a shy and virginal wife. Hardly a surprise, after the way he had insisted upon the color of her gown.
She set down her brush with athwack.
“He doesn’t know,” she told her reflection. “After tonight, it will be too late to request an annulment. You must tell him.”
She wasn’t ashamed of her actions. Shewasn’t. But they were private. Her secret to keep.
Weren’t they?
Or did her husband have a right to know? Cora wasn’t sure. She wished she could talk it over with someone, but who?
Not Honey. She wouldn’t intend to do it, but she would eventually let the secret slip. She simply did not think before speaking.
If he ever found out what she’d done, her brother Lysander would track down both men she’d slept with and deprive them of their manhood. It was a lucky thing that Markham had gone to America. Still, there was no reason to risk the duke’s wrath, and Eryx had enough problems without learning that his younger sister wasn’t the sweet little virgin he’d believed.
Gideon wasn’t barging into her room to regale her with the details of his exploits, either. Yet not telling him felt wrong.
“I hate being untruthful. Even to him,” Cora told her. She also hated Gideon. Mostly. After the way she had reacted to his presence today, she wasn’t so sure.
Titi wiggled her behind and took a running jump to launch herself onto the bed.
“You understand, don’t you?” She flopped beside her pet and stared at the hanging overhead while she stroked Titi’s soft fur. He’d bought her a piano. He claimed it was an apology, but what if he’d meant it as a reminder of how badly he could treat her if he so chose?
Almost certainly the latter.
Butterflies erupted in her stomach when the door between their rooms cracked open and Gideon entered without warning. He wore a jacquard dressing gown with a dark burgundy and navy botanical print. The pattern, combined with black satin edging, emphasized his broad shoulders and trim waist, the crossed lapels leading the eye upward to his sharp jawline.
Cora sat halfway up, keenly aware of her nipples tenting the fabric of her nightdress. Of her shape, inelegantly splayed on the bed, wide hips and plump thighs revealed to him to deride, should he wish to do so.
Yet that was not what she read in his eyes.
