Page 45 of Crying Wolfe
Lesson #2: The pitch and the volume of a woman’s greeting to another woman was directly proportionate to how long they’d been apart and how much they’d liked and missed each other. This had been most evident when Rosaline’s twin sisters, Mercy and Felicity, arrived back in town not two days prior, and he was surprised the resulting noise from each Goode girl hadn’t set off all the dogs in Mayfair.
Lesson #3: Tears were not always a bad thing, and silence not always good. In fact, silence could be very dangerous and sometimes a prelude to tears.
Lesson #3.5: Tears required some amalgamation of apology, sympathy, diplomacy, and physical affection. In one case with a leering, disrespectful gardener, he was certain it also required retribution, but ultimately Rosaline had talked him down from a lethal edge, saving her bully’s life. It was explained to him she appreciated and preferred hiswillingnessto murder for the sake of hurt feelings but would much rather that he didn’t follow through.
He’d underlined this for further discussion.
Lesson #4: The man who’d dubbed the women’s mind inferior was a fucking imbecile. When faced with a problem, ladies picked it apart until a solution was found and enacted. When unable to come up with one on their own, they convened conferences wherein every little damned outcome was discussed and analyzed before the intensely opinionated gathering came to a conclusion.
After said conclusion, many women broke into smaller groups to discuss their feelings and opinions about the conclusion, much of which was not expressed during the conference, in order to avoid conflict. It was, however, expressed at length tohimthat his opinions at these conferences were about as welcome as a woman in a voting booth.
Eli’d never had much of a strong opinion on politics either way, but after a week of marriage, he’d become convinced that if women ran the world, a lot more would be accomplished and agreed upon.
And with a great deal more humanity.
Lesson #5: There were certain excursions to which he was not and never would be welcome. These included but were not limited to: the seamstress, the haberdashers, the milliners, and particular afternoon society calls where it was explained to him thathewas most often the topic of conversation. Consequently, his physical presence would ruin the entire affair.
This, Eli didn’t mind so much, as he only allowed his wife out of the bedroom under extreme duress.
Unless it was to fuck somewhere else in the house. So far, his wife had been such an enthusiastic initiate to the marriage bed, he was fairly sure she didn’t attend these events to complain.
Granted, she could castigate him for a myriad of his flaws, this he knew. So, to be safe, he sent her out of the house with her eyes half-lidded and her knees wobbly from a recent come. He’d go about his business as usual, confident he’d pleasured her into forgetting any unkind thoughts she might be harboring.
Life with a woman confused, amused, pleasured and suited him so much more than he’d ever imagined. Often, when pouring over accounts of his most recent acquisitions, he’d catch an unfamiliar reflection in a mirror, taking a moment to recognize himself, grinning like the town idiot.
Much like he was doing now, reclined in the observatory at some ungodly hour, wishing his wife would bend further over the telescope.
If she did, the shirt of his she wore might just lift enough to give him a naughty view.
One would think he’d enjoyed enough of a scintillating eyeful as she’d climbed astride him for the first time. He’d harassed and goaded her into riding his face, and after that, she’d needed some help riding his cock, as her legs had nearly given out after the first couple of climaxes.
Thatview had been sublime. Rosaline above him, arched with pleasure, hair flung back, the long ends tickling his thighs as she bounced and bucked with sobs and cries that echoed in his mind as clearly as they’d done from the glass ceiling.
The stars weren’t out tonight, but the sky reflected layers of light from the city with strange, swirling clouds that made her appear as if their passion had summoned some otherworldly storm.
Eli still wasn’t convinced she was of this world.
Unable to stifle a yawn, he indulged in a full-body stretch over the cushions they’d scattered over the floor in order to enjoy an indoor winter picnic. They’d consumed all the custard and dried fruit, and put a dent in the block of hard cheese and fresh loaf of bread the maid had arranged for him in a basket, along with a lovely bottle of red.
Eli hadn’t minded so much that their honeymoon was delayed, as he’d not wanted to waste time traveling that could be spent fornicating. And yet, he’d noted a shadow cross her features when her brother and his intended discussed their honeymoon at dinner the other night.
For the first week of their marriage, the Goode family had left them largely alone, allowing the couple to cosset themselves in the cocoon of their bedroom, discovering the delight and desire they’d never shared with another soul.
Eventually, Morley had called around under the guise of discussing business, which they’d not been able to do between the barrage of questions regarding the well-being of his wife.
It occurred to Eli to be insulted, but as his wife had greeted her brother-in-law glowing with a luminous smile he’d not noted before their wedding, he’d been happy to sit in smug satisfaction as she shared her conviction of their suitability.
Tonight, he’d decided to seduce her in her favorite room in the house, which had most definitely been one of his more genius ideas. Over a sensual meal, he’d allowed her to decide the destination of their honeymoon, and she’d finally landed on Norway, of all places, so she could see the northern lights.
Figured she would choose one of the coldest places on earth…
But in the afterglow of what they’d just done, he’d have offered to pull her on a dogsled around the arctic circle if that’s what she wanted.
He suggested they take a small trip through Italy on their way back, and she’d enthusiastically agreed.
“We should turn in,” he said over a second more merciful yawn. “If we’re going to catch the early train to Devon, we’ll hate ourselves if we don’t get a little sleep. I’m eager to inspect my new holdings.”
“I am keen to do so, as well, but I think I see a bit of sky over there.” She pointed to the west, not looking up from the telescope. “What if it comes this way and there’s a break in the clouds?”
