Page 53 of A Gentleman's Wife

Chapter Twenty-Three

No matter how many times Marianne touched her lips, it always brought a flush to her cheeks as she thought about Thomas’s kiss. She had to fight off a smile every time, whether in private or in company. Even now, as she dressed for her visitors, Marianne stared at her reflection, wondering what any other woman in her situation would do. Surely, most wives would have already consummated their marriages on their wedding nights, and Marianne was still innocent of that. But didn’t most wives kiss their husbands? She didn’t know the way of courting and had never had the opportunity in her father’s home.

As Eliza worked at pinning her hair into a pretty twist, Marianne wondered if she could ask her maid. They’d always shared a close relationship, and had even discussed things of this nature before, but now that Marianne was married, was it too delicate a topic?

“Eliza, would you suffer me to ask an impertinent question?” Marianne asked quietly.

“Of course, madam.”

Marianne took a deep breath. “Have you ever been kissed by a man?”

When she caught Eliza’s face in the reflection, her maid turned bright red and went back to diligently working Marianne’s hair. “Yes.”

“When?”

Again Eliza took her time responding. “Last week.”

Marianne whirled around in pleasant shock. “Last week? Here at Primrose? Who was it?”

Eliza pressed her lips together. “I can’t tell you.”

“Can’t tell me? Whyever not?”

“Because I… it can never be. And I don’t want you to try and convince me otherwise.”

Marianne’s mind was filled with confusion, and as Eliza returned to working on her hair, Marianne shook her head. “No. No more hairpins until I’ve heard the truth. Such a secret…” She moved to sit on her bed and pulled Eliza with her. “Please tell me. I shan’t be cross with you.

“But you will.” Eliza’s lip quivered. “For what it will mean.”

“What can it mean?”

“That I might leave you.”

Marianne blinked, a familiar dread filling her stomach. “Leave?”

Eliza huffed, wiping her eyes and unable to keep from smiling. “It was the good doctor.”

“Mr. Sanders!” Marianne gasped. Had the two fallen in love right under her very nose just as she’d hoped?

“Yes. I’d always thought him a very respectable man, though I could never say so under your father’s roof. And I never thought to see him again after you married, but when he arrived here, he made it very clear he felt the same.” Eliza brushed a hand over her red cheek. “I may be a poor gentleman’s daughter cast off by circumstance, but Mr. Sanders does not see me as a maid. When he expressed his feelings for me, I thought I would faint clean away.”

Marianne’s own heart pounded hearing the story. It was the most delightful news, but still she hesitated.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked quietly. “I would have rejoiced with you.”

“He… he said he would talk with Mr. Ramsbury about obtaining a house in this part of the country and asking for my hand, since my own father has long passed. But I… I could never leave you alone, not if it meant your happiness.”

Marianne cringed. Of course she was worried, for there would not be another lady’s maid like Eliza. She had been perfectly placed for her strength and kindness and tender friendship. But there was nothing for it. “How selfish could I be, keeping my dear friend from living a dream with her beloved?” She clasped Eliza’s hand in hers. “I will be sad to lose you, but you will accept the doctor, if that is your wish, and you will be very happy with him. We’ll simply find another maid, and you’ll train her in all my particularities.”

Eliza squeezed her hand in return. “I was thinking you might say something like that, and I wondered… what if you didn’t need as attentive a maid? Surely one who can assist and help when needed, with your arm and your fits, but you might not need as much attention anymore.”

“I won’t be cured, Eliza. You know this.”

“I do. I only meant, now that you have a husband.”

The words sent her heart into a tumble, and Marianne had no immediate response.

“It’s clear he cares for you a great deal, with the amount of attention he gives your needs. He knows about your salve, and encourages you in the best ways, and now that he knows the epilepsy in depth, I know he’ll be the most attentive husband. Especially if he’s making you blush like you have been.”

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