A Season for Scandal by Golden Angel

Chapter 13

Josie

Although she had not planned to leave Stuart house on her first full day as its lady, when Elijah had not reappeared after she finished eating, she decided to visit Mary. She had a few questions for her friend about the marital act and the Society of Sin. Also, she liked the idea of Elijah returning home to find her absent.

She was not the type to cool her heels, waiting for her husband to reappear. Even if whatever he was dealing with was a dire mission for the Crown, what was doing that could not have been done by his father or his brother? Sniffing derisively, she made her way up to the door of Hartford house, Debbie trailing behind her.

At least Elijah would not have to wonder where she had gone. Delicately questioning Uncle Oliver and Joseph about Elijah’s whereabouts had gotten her nowhere, whereas they both knew who she was visiting.

Cormack, Rex’s butler, opened the door and blinked in surprise. It was too early for Mary to be at-home, but he knew very well that Josie and Lily were welcome whenever and they often visited outside of Mary’s receiving hours.

“Good morning, my lady. Please come this way, and I will fetch the Marchioness for you.” Cormack had always been proper with Josie and Lily, but it did feel as though there was an extra touch of deference to his address this morning. Bemused, Josie followed him into the drawing room, where she sat on the couch while he hurried off to fetch Mary. Debbie sat on a bench in the hall since there was no reason for her to act as a chaperone.

It did not take long for Mary to arrive. Josie blinked in surprise at her friend’s appearance before grimacing in chagrin at the concern on Mary’s face. She was wearing a green silk robe rather than a dress, and her hair was undone, hanging in waves around her shoulders. Clearly, she had rushed through her toilette because she thought Josie had a dire need for her. Which, considering Josie had appeared on Mary’s doorstep the day after her wedding, instead of home with her new husband, was completely understandable. Josie had not thought about what assumption her friend might make.

“What is wrong?” Mary asked, her voice higher than usual, and at the same time, Josie jumped to her feet and spoke.

“Nothing is wrong!”

They stared at each other for a moment, then Mary threw her hands in the air with sheer exasperation.

“Then why are you here?!” Cheeks bright pink, she had a feverish flush to her face and eyes, and Josie had never heard her sound like that. Josie’s mouth dropped open in shock, and Mary shook her head, wringing her hands. “I am sorry, I am…” Her voice trailed off like she was searching for the words. Josie had the sudden realization why Mary was wearing a robe, and her hair was dishabille.

“Oh, my… I am so sorry.” Josie’s hands flew to her cheeks. “I did not realize… I had not…”

“No, no, it is fine. Well, not fine, and Rex might hold a grudge for the interruption.” Mary’s sense of humor had reasserted itself, and her eyes sparkled in amusement as she moved toward Josie, gesturing for her to sit back down. “Clearly, something is wrong, or you would not be here right now. So, why are you here instead of home with your new husband?”

Despite her calmer tone, Mary gave Josie a look that said something had better be wrong for Josie to interrupt what she was fairly certain Rex and Mary had been doing. Feeling even more disgruntled—why had Elijah not wanted to do that with her this morning—Josie flopped down onto the couch, not caring how she rumpled her skirts.

“Because my new husband is not at home,” she said acerbically. Mary’s eyes widened. “He is ‘off doing business,’ according to Uncle Oliver.” Josie snorted.

“What business could they need him to do specifically on the day after his wedding?” Mary scowled in indignation, echoing Josie’s feelings, making her feel marginally better. It had been infuriating both Uncle Oliver’s and Joseph’s attitudes had been sympathetic but ultimately unmoved.

“Your guess is as good as mine. Neither of them felt the need to tell me.” At Mary’s outraged sound, Josie felt a bit calmer now she had someone on her side. “So, I decided to come here as I had some questions for you, anyway.”

A little smile curved Mary’s lips.

“This way, when Elijah comes home, he will have to wait for you instead of the other way round.” Mary shook her head. With a little laugh, she settled back in her seat on the couch, adjusting her robe over her legs before running her hands through her hair and braiding it to keep it out of her face. “Well, what did you wanted to ask?”

“Does Hartford sleep in your bed?” That was not what she meant to ask. She had meant to ask about how to keep from having such a mess after the marital act and what she might expect from Elijah when it came to the perversities the Society practiced, but knowing she had interrupted Mary and Hartford engaging in the marital act in the morning had thrown her off.

“No, I sleep in his.” Mary cocked her head, reading Josie’s expression, and sudden sympathy filled her eyes. “But that is not the usual arrangement, among our set.”

“No, I suppose not.” Josie knew her parents had their own separate rooms, of course, but she did not know their sleeping arrangements. She had never thought to ask. Falling asleep in Elijah’s arms last night had been very nice. Despite the bird’s nest, her hair had been this morning, she thought she would have liked to have woken up, held by him.

Most couples among the ton were not close, she knew. They did not wed for love. She had not wed for it either, of course, but… She averted her thoughts from the uncomfortable notion.

She would like her marriage to have love in it—when for so long she had been in love with Joseph… Josie shook her head. She was just making the best of her future. Of course, she wanted a happy, loving marriage. She wanted to be happy, regardless of which man she had married.

What did Elijah want?

She had no idea.

“Good morning, Josie.” Rex came striding into the room. Unlike Mary, he had taken the time to dress, but Josie still blushed when she looked at him. There was a grumble to his greeting, despite his effort to sound cheery.

“Good morning. I am so sorry to be an inconvenience.” Josie grimaced. “Perhaps I should have gone to Lily’s, but…”

“No, no, it was best you came here,” Mary reassured her. By his expression, her husband did not agree, but he did not dispute her statement. “Lily’s parents and godparents would have been about, and it is not as if Lily can answer questions about lovemaking, even if they were not present.”

“You are here with questions about lovemaking?” Rex’s expression went abruptly from disgruntled to sheer mischief, and he straightened his stance. “Was Elijah not good with his explanations?” His blue eyes snapped with glee that made Josie giggle, despite the circumstances.

“Well, he left this morning before I could ask him anything.” There was no keeping the unhappiness out of her voice. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

“Twit.” Rex shook his head. Again, like with Mary, his agreement of her assessment helped to cool her temper. “If you have any questions, you should come to the Society of Sin soiree at Lady Greywood’s tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Josie’s eyes widened. “I can come?” That was most unexpected. Even knowing the circumstances behind it, Rex seemed to take her marriage to Elijah as an indication she would want to attend an event.

And do you not?

Of course, she did. She was curious.

“Yes.” Rex shook his head. “As far as I know, Elijah is planning to attend. You are invited as well—with or without him.”

Oh, Elijah was planning on attending, was he? Josie’s temper flared far brighter and higher than ever. That… that… twitty twit! Her chin lifted.

“I will be there.”

Elijah

Returning home, Elijah did not know if he was more relieved or peeved to discover Josie had gone to Hartford House. Knowing how active she was, he was not at all surprised she had refused to stay home, even though she should have been learning the ropes of the house. On the other hand, when he checked in with Mrs. Brandon, she seemed well content with the direction Josie had given her before leaving. Which did not make him feel any better.

He should have gone about his day, but after checking in with his father and relaying Nathan and Anthony’s information, he found himself hanging around the front room, spying out the window for a flash of blonde locks. So, he saw Josie when she returned home, her lady’s maid trailing just behind her with several packages. Gritting his teeth, he realized she must have gone shopping. Though what for, he could not imagine.

Bounding into the foyer, he came to an abrupt halt when Josie entered, blinking in surprise to see him.

“Ah, there you are,” she said as if she was the one who had been left waiting for him to return. Technically, she had been earlier this morning, but now it was midafternoon. He had returned long before she had. “I hope your business was completed successfully?” A delicately arched eyebrow skewered him.

“Yes.” The feeling of being wrong-footed when he had come home before her did not sit well, but it did remind him he had been the first to leave the house this morning. Likely, she would not have left if he had not. “Did you enjoy your visit with Mary?”

“Always.” Her smile was dazzling. “If you will excuse me, I must put away my purchases.”

“What did you get?” Asking felt odd, but he was the one now paying for her extravagances. The dazzling smile became enigmatic as her chin lifted in challenge. One that made his palm itch… but to caress or spank?

“Some things for me. I will show you later.” Her tone was tart and left no room for argument.

Assuming this was part of his punishment for leaving her on their wedding morning, Elijah did not protest as she waved her hand, effectively dismissing him before heading upstairs. Watching her go, he did not even realize he was staring after her until she disappeared from sight, and he was still standing there like a fool. Shaking himself, he hied off to his study.

Interrupting his day to take his new wife to bed would certainly cause the servants to gossip, which risked getting back to the traitor. He needed to keep his distance from Josie strictly within the bounds of propriety, even now that they were married, at least until his mission was complete. Thankfully, she should expect no less since theirs was not a love match.

Why, then, did it make him so deuced uncomfortable?