Page 42 of Loving Mister Stratford
“Sounds lovely,” Simon replied and Mary jumped to prepare a plate for him, seeming thrilled to have more to do than watch the stew simmer for the next few hours. She began to chatter happily as she moved from the pantry to the cupboard, slicing from the block of cheese, laying out the grapes on the plate. In just those couple of minutes, he learned that the maid couldn’t eat grapes because they made her cheeks itch and her grandmother had kept an onerous cow who hated being milked, but happened to produce a cheese the quality of which was unmatched. She was also rather adept at ignoring Cook’s unsubtle glances. It wasn’t until she was halfway through a story about a spilled bucket caused by an indelicate sneeze that she seemed to catch herself and remember to whom she spoke. She had the good grace to blush.
“My apologies, Mr. Stratford. I’m sure you don’t wish to hear all of this—I quite forgot for a moment that I wasn’t speaking to Mrs. Stratford.”
“It’s no trouble,” Simon replied honestly. The one-sided conversation had been superfluous, but it was actually quite pleasant to learn something about the maid. It humanized her to him, gave him a connection to her as more than just an employee. He’d been born into privilege and, along with his tendency to dismiss anyone and anything not directly related to his interests in that moment, it was tragically easy to forget that servants were people too.“Although I’d believed my wife and I to be of somewhat differing appearances. I shall endeavor to stand up straighter.”
Mary giggled.“I beg your pardon; I meant only that I’m used to her visits here to the kitchen for meals. She gave me leave to speak freely and I’m afraid my mouth has taken that and run.”
The cook scoffed, not unkindly.
“My wife takes her meals here in the kitchens?”
“Mostly,” the maid replied with a lift of one shoulder. “I realize it’s highly irregular, but we both enjoy the company.”
“Do you,” Simon replied thoughtfully, not really expecting a response. His eyes focused on a dark knot in the scrubbed wood table in the center of the long, narrow room. How lonely must Odette have been if she’d sought out the company of the maid? How many meals had he forced her to dine alone? He didn’t need a brilliant head for numbers to realize it was far too many.
“Shall I bring this to the breakfast room for you, sir? Or your study?” the maid asked, holding his now full plate in her hands.
“Thank you, no.” Simon pulled out the simple wooden chair at the table.“I think I’ll eat here, if you don’t mind.” If Odette could spend her meals here, then he could do the same.
“Of course!” the maid leapt to serve him after half a second’s confusion.“I’ll just fetch you something to wash it all down.”
There in that warm kitchen of his home surrounded by the gentle sounds of cooking and cleaning, that meal wound up being one of the more pleasant ones Simon had ever experienced. It felt like home. The only thing missing had been Odette.
Simon’s wife returned a few hours later looking happy, but exhausted. His heart throbbed when she fairly glowed with joy as he stepped from his study to watch her unload her parcels. His mother, Lily, and Meredith had continued on their way once they safely delivered her and her purchases at their home. Observing Odette excitedly sift through her parcels and chatter delightedly made Simon feel buoyant and effervescent. When she caught his eye and her heart-shaped face split into an unabashed grin, when she glowed at him, his abdomen clenched and his knees actually felt weak.
“Simon!” she laughed joyfully.“I have something for you.” Odette proceeded to sort through a stack of wrapped parcels until she located the correct one. The butler gathered up a large stack of the other packages and set about delivering them to their proper rooms per Odette’s instructions. Alone in the entryway, Odette’s demeanor turned more bashful.“Here,” she whispered, holding out the parcel to him. He accepted the offering and carefully unwound the twine and found inside a thick packet of rich parchment, creamy in both color and texture.“I thought you might use it for the final draft of your paper.” She twisted her fingers together, so like a child looking for approval as she glanced up at him from beneath her gilded lashes.“It’s silly, I know, but—”
She was cut off when Simon wrapped an arm about the curve of her waist and tugged her close, immediately covering her mouth with his for a deep, claiming kiss.
This woman.
His wife.
She waseverything.
Chapter Sixteen
One week later, Simon stood before the full-length mirror in the dressing room he shared with Odette. There was the occasional murmur and rustle as she dressed in the bedchamber with the assistance of their maid.
It had been quite pleasant to not have to don his formal black-and-white evening wear for so many weeks, but that time appeared to have come to an end. Odette had, with his acquiescence, accepted their first formal invitation as a married couple. The ball was one of the first of the Season and was held by the Earl and Countess of Haverford, longtime acquaintances of Simon’s parents. Meredith and George had also accepted an invitation; Lily and Jem had declined, as expected—there were too many people for Lily’s comfort, and she didn’t have the best memories of the Haverford events. It would undoubtedly be quite the crush and, Simon hoped, this meant a great deal of the attention would be off of them. It would certainly be easier to disappear in a crowd of this size than, say, a quaint dinner party.
He exhaled a deep breath and rapped twice on the door to the bedchamber. There was one final rustle of skirts before Odette bid him to enter. He noticed a stray thread on the cuff of his coat just as he opened the door and he was preoccupied with it as he stepped through the doorway, not immediately noticing his wife standing in the center of the room. The soft click of the maid ducking from the room pulled his attention upward and he froze.
From one thudding heartbeat to the next, Simon came to the shocking realization that he very much wanted to stay home that evening…and not to work on his research.
Odette had mentioned that she’d be wearing a gown for which she’d been fitted on her shopping excursion a little more than one week prior. And Simon took great note, indeed.
The gown was mauve—at least, he believed that was the name for the color caught somewhere between dusty rose and purple—trimmed in subtle lace of a similar color and cinched just beneath her ample bosom with a dark pink satin sash. The swath of pale flesh at her collarbone and shoulders, the delectable amount of décolletage displayed was tantalizing and elegant with a hint of daring. This was a woman comfortable in her own skin. A woman who knew her worth. A woman who could drive a man mad with wanting.
Simon’s mouth watered with the need to taste the curve of her throat, to nibble the sensitive flesh just beneath her ear revealed by the upswept style of curls and small plaits piled at the back of her head. His fingers tingled with the overwhelming desire to strip her of the elbow-length ivory gloves, to remove piece after piece of her clothing until she wore only the amethyst necklace and matching earrings.
Odette offered him a shy smile.“Do I look presentable?”
It took Simon a moment to realize his mouth hung agape.“Yes. Quite.” He stood up straighter, prouder, and offered Odette his arm.
“I’m so thrilled you decided to attend!” Meredith laughed and handed Odette a cup of punch. The overcrowded room was sweltering, but even the lukewarm drink provided some relief. Odette tried not to cringe at the overly-sweetened concoction.
“I am, as well,” she replied before handing her empty cup to a passing footman. Though she missed Lily, Odette understood her sister-in-law’s desire to avoid a crowd of this size. She’d seen it happen before in the theater as well. Some actors were fine in rehearsals and small groups, but they froze and all words and sense left their bodies as soon as they saw a full house for the first time. It happened in varying degrees to some. She didn’t think less of Lily for it; in fact, she quite admired Lily’s willingness to forego Society in support of her own nerves and comfort, as well as Shefford’s obvious unwavering support of his wife’s sensibilities. Though she hadn’t known them all that long, she expected nothing less.
