Pleasures of the Night by Heather Boyd
Chapter 27
Eugenia laughed in delight. “I’m so happy to hear you say that, my lord.”
Lord Sullivan offered a wry grin from his chair in the library in Albemarle Street. “You were right all along. All I needed was more time.”
She topped up his teacup, pleased with all she’d heard in the last quarter hour since his unexpected arrival. “Now, if you’re determined upon making a good marriage this season, I suggest you waste no time surveying the marriage mart candidates. There is no time to waste in the season, as marriage announcements are on the rise. I think there are but three heiresses left to be swept off their feet.”
“I won’t need to venture to the marriage mart to make my choice, nor do I need an heiress, though my family might not agree,” he told her with a blush.
Eugenia beamed at the change in Lord Sullivan. Gone was the man wracked by guilt as he contemplated remarriage after losing a wife he’d loved deeply and the son he’d longed for. In that place was a man ready for a challenge and excited by the promise of a new future with someone else. “Don’t tell me you’ve already chosen?”
He took a sip of tea. “I have, but I still have some preparations to make before I put myself forward.”
“I’ve always said marriage should never be rushed into, and I’m glad you feel the same. Do you still fear whoever you choose will not be good enough to please your family? You’ve mentioned before that they’ve been impossible.”
“I’ve decided to please myself, not them.”
Eugenia sipped her tea, smiling in approval at his determined attitude. Too many men try to please their families when they took a wife. They considered the greatness of the match first rather than remembering that they are the ones who have to live with the woman. “Then what do you fear? Does your lady not return your regard?”
Sullivan peered at her before shrugging. “She may not, in fact, like me enough right now, but I hope to convince her of my suitability for her hand when we are better acquainted.”
Eugenia did not ask who it was, but it did not sound very promising. It was not her place to play matchmaker with academy clients. She was here to wave Lord Sullivan off on his journey, not hold his hand for the duration. “Your family name is well regarded in society, and you are much admired yourself. You can be sure that is in your favor. She could find no fault with you, and if she does, she must need spectacles. Be firm that you wish to win her hand in marriage, but also make it plain what you want from the match, too. Respect, honesty, and affection are paramount, in my opinion. Women always know what we want and when. But sometimes, we hesitate to ask for it.”
“I shall make my interest quite clear and hope to hear from her what more I can do to win her favor,” Lord Sullivan said, just as they heard the front door open and close, and the heavy footfalls of another caller being directed into the drawing room to wait. “I see I’m not the only gentleman keen to know if your door is open again to clients. I had best not monopolize your time today, so I might call again another. I do hope we might have occasion to see each other very soon, Mrs. Bagshaw.”
Eugenia had decided to resume her business immediately. Her part in the matter of Regis Bagshaw had been more or less resolved yesterday, but two clients in one day were more than she dreamed possible starting out on her own. She would be the sole tutor for gentlemen who needed to practice courtship. Sylvia was much too busy now with the marchioness and Lord Wharton. And Aurora had decided it best she remains near their cousin for propriety’s sake.
“Well, then. My door is always open to you, my lord. Do drop by and let me know how your pursuit is coming along from time to time.”
“You’ll be one of the first to learn of my good fortune, I’m sure,” he promised with a wide smile.
As was the custom here, he dropped a small pouch of coins as payment on the corner of her desk on his way out the door. She didn’t bother to count the coins before locking them in her desk drawer because Lord Sullivan had always paid fairly before. The academy never asked for a particular sum from any man as payment, only asked to be paid the fee the client thought they deserved. But that was when Sylvia and Aurora had worked alongside her in this room. Now it was just her, and she ought to have far fewer expenses each month.
She saw Lord Sullivan out and then turned to Mr. Bloom, her new butler in training, who was patiently waiting for her attention. “Did I hear another client arrive?”
He handed over a card. “I put him in the drawing room, as you requested, Mrs. Bagshaw.”
Eugenia glanced at the card, and a flood of excitement swept over her. Thaddeus had come. She’d been desperate to see him since the happy moment yesterday when Regis Bagshaw had been unveiled as an imposter and taken away to be charged.
With all that had happened yesterday, including the private celebrations with the ladies of the house in the marchioness’ room, she’d missed sending him a note of thanks last night.
She’d not been able to send word to Thaddeus about her change of residence yet today, either. Her mother-in-law was keen to talk and bridge the gulf of years and experience of the world between them.
Eugenia slipped into her drawing room, eager to be in Thaddeus’ arms once more.
He was standing facing the doorway, hands on his hips and looking cross. “Who was that?”
“Never you mind, sir.” She rushed to him and pressed her body against his and raised her face for a kiss that never came.
Thaddeus studied her instead, through narrowed eyes. “Have you had offers of protection from other men already?”
“Gracious no!” She pointed to the door behind her. “That was a client. Where did you get such an absurd idea that I would even consider having a protector?”
His cheeks started to redden.
She shook her head at him, sorely disappointed. “Have you been speaking with my cousins?”
“Aurora,” he admitted sheepishly, scrubbing at his head. “Clearly, I won’t ever again. I apologize that I jumped to the wrong conclusion, but when I heard you say you looked forward to seeing the other man, I feared I was too late to stake my claim.”
She clucked her tongue, but she was also secretly pleased by his reaction. It was good that Thaddeus did not take her affections for granted. Part of her wanted him to be a little possessive about her, but only every now and then. She patted his chest soothingly. He had nothing to fear from other men. None could ever replace him in her affections anytime soon. “I have a mother-in-law to support, sir,” she reminded him. “I’ll not take another penny from Wharton if I can avoid it, either, so I must earn a living.”
He looked around the newly dusted chamber. “So, you did reopen the academy?”
“Just today. Do you disapprove?”
“I have no opinion yet.” He smiled quickly and stole a kiss from her lips. “Tell me, where is Mrs. Bagshaw now? What does she think of all this?”
“My mama-in-law is resting in Sylvia’s old bedchamber upstairs—which have become hers now, since Sylvia will not be back. And my mama believes it a sensible scheme that we ladies support ourselves however we can.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Thaddeus bent to steal another kiss, a long and searing one that eased her loneliness and brought forth cravings for pleasures only he could satisfy. He drew back eventually and pulled her to sit on a chaise beside him. He toyed with her fingers and brought them to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “Are you sure about this? Moving here?”
“Indeed I am. This is where I belong,” she promised. “A simple life is all I require for my happiness.”
He squeezed her fingers and kissed them again. “What if you’re meant to live somewhere else? Later in your life, I mean.”
She frowned. “I have no looking glass into the future.”
“What if you must already know one path you might take, but it scares you witless to contemplate? What if it’s not a simple life you could have, but as complicated as it gets?” He smiled sheepishly. “What if I did ask you to marry me?”
She snorted. “You’re not ready for matrimony yet, sir. Neither am I.”
He smoothed her hair back from her face and smiled softly. “I cannot think of another woman I’d consider undertaking it with, if not you.”
“In time, you would have other choices available to you,” Eugenia said with a heavy sigh. “As I was just telling my client, there are three heiresses left on the marriage mart. More are sure to appear next year and beyond.”
“What if we reached an agreement? Say, to enjoy a long and secret engagement first? Would that change your answer? An engagement while we decide if marriage to each other is what you want.”
She stared at him. “You suggest we become engaged and not tell our families?”
“Until we have to or want to, yes. I know it might seem a sudden proposal and quite foolish to keep it a secret, but I am committing myself to you here and now. There will be no misunderstandings, no other women, no cause for concern that my affections have waned. I will always be busy going about the duke’s business. He could keep introducing me to more young women, though I’ve told him I’m in love, but not with whom now.
“And you have a business to run here, and your family, too.” He twined their fingers together. “I do love you, Eugenia. More than I thought I could love anyone, and yet, marriage is not perhaps an immediate desire for either one of us yet. You’ve just reclaimed your independence. Your married name, too, and with a new mama-in-law to get to know, I can understand why making a marriage with me is the last thing on your mind.”
“And you have a house to furnish,” she suggested, nodding to all he’d said so far. “Marriage is a big step.”
“Indeed, it is. The furnishing of my house isn’t important. I’ll not bother with the redecoration anymore. I think my wife might want to have a say in that. I’m not concerned about staying with my cousin and his wife still, either. I love them dearly, and I suspect, too, that when I do embark on a marriage, they agree that I should have my own home. We will need somewhere that is just ours. I’d like it to be here instead of Clifford Street.”
“I have missed my work and this house,” she whispered. “And I have missed you these past days, too. The business will keep me occupied and well-funded most of the time, but not all year or forever.” She glanced sideways at him. “It was Lord Sullivan who called upon me as soon as he heard I’d come back to live here. He was a client before and wanted to know I was all right, given what Wharton had told you all earlier.”
“I imagine other gents will do the same,” he suggested and then grinned. “Call on you to see if you’re in need of a protector, too.”
“Sullivan never offered. He came to speak on a matter we’ve discussed many times before—his need to make a second marriage,” she admitted. “Talking to him has reaffirmed my wish to keep my career, offering instruction to uncertain gentlemen. I stopped only because Wharton disapproved.”
“I’ve no quarrel with your need to work or what you do here. A life of idleness has sat ill on my shoulders as well.”
“What will you do if we don’t marry?”
“Keep an eye on my cousin and future concerns, and extend my knowledge of the woman I adore until she realizes she cannot live without me, either.”
She smiled up at him and leaned into him a little harder. “A statement like that warms my heart. You’ll do well when the time comes to make a proper proposal.”
“A smile like yours always warms certain parts of me.” He frowned, though. “What exactly constitutes a proper proposal? I’ve never been sure of that.”
“An admittance of feelings, a promise to always be there for the other person no matter what they do or decide in years to come…”
She suddenly gaped at him, realizing he’d already done all of that for her, and more.
Thaddeus pressed his lips to her brow. “I’m already yours, heart and soul. My wings clipped. My desires mirror yours when it comes to life and the pleasures of the night. Haven’t I already proved my devotion to your cause? Will you have me, Eugenia?”
“Can it really be so easy?” Eugenia met his gaze, lifting her hands to cup his face. Eugenia had never imagined she’d marry again, or have to decide so suddenly. She’d been content to be alone except for a string of easily discarded lovers.
Affairs always end. Sometimes painfully. But when she looked into Thaddeus’ eyes, she only saw a challenging future with him, not something to fear.
She loved him, and he loved her. They could be together forever until death parted them.
She had even known Thaddeus longer and more deeply than she had Robbie Bagshaw, and she hadn’t hesitated to wed him. “Yes, it could be.”
He broke free of her hands to nuzzle her neck. “Was that a yes to my proposal, my love?”
Her heart softened, allowing her to admit to herself that she’d dreaded losing Thaddeus to another. “It is a yes to everything you might ever suggest, sir.” She slid her fingers between the buttons of his waistcoat, rested them against a warm heart that beat fast with hope and expectation of their love. “I want to be with you.”
“And I with you. Now.” He drew out the ring to match her chains and slipped it upon the first finger it fit on her left hand. There would be other jewels in the future she supposed, but nothing proved his devotion more than the perfect gift of him. He brought her fingers to his lips to kiss and then hurried to lock the door, so they could begin to celebrate their love.
Eugenia laughed as he lay her down on the settee, and she moaned as softly as she could to everything else he did to her…forever after.