Page 11 of One Kiss in the Shadows (Singular Sensation #12)
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M ay 29, 1819
“Look, little miss fluffy arse, I’m not going to give you any more chicken until you promise to stop stealing my things.” If anyone had popped into Nathaniel’s suite at that moment, they would have overheard him carrying on a full conversation with Peri the cat, who’d pushed her way into the dressing room while he’d been enjoying a bath.
The feline meowed as she watched him from atop his bureau. With the swish of her fluffy tail, she eyed the small bowl of shredded, boiled chicken he held while Barnes delved into the clothespress for a jacket.
“Your mistress retrieved the pocket watch chain, but now I have discovered a stick pin has gone missing, and you are the chief suspect.”
“Meow.”
“I don’t care what your excuse is. If you and I are to get along, you need to stop taking things that don’t belong to you.”
From behind one of the open doors of the clothes press, Barnes snorted with laughter.
“Mmrrow.”
He consented and offered a piece of the chicken to the cat. After sniffing the treat, she daintily took it from his fingers and then ate it with surprisingly pretty manners. “Saying you’re sorry won’t mean much unless you back it up with actions,” he told the furry feline. Did it make him slightly mad to do such a thing? Perhaps, but the cat’s stealing ways were becoming an issue. Various members of his staff had reported items going missing such as wire-rimmed spectacles, pen nibs, button covers, or hair ribbons. “I can’t have my household thrown into chaos because you wish to line a nest with interesting objects.”
“Meow, meow.”
A sigh escaped him. He also wished to make friends with the furry little beast because Mallory was becoming more dear to him, and while his wife was in residence, that meant her cat was also. “Will you show me where you hid all the stolen loot?” And he offered another morsel of chicken to the cat.
After she’d gobbled down the treat, she ducked her soft head. “Meow.”
“You will?” Not able to help himself, Nathaniel reached out with his free hand and gave the cat’s head a few strokes. He was rewarded by not being bitten and she actually began to purr. Oddly, the sound was quite soothing to him, and he hoped she would do it more often. With another offering of chicken, he grinned at the cat. “Good. My staff will be happy to have their possessions back.” After another tidbit of chicken was given, he scratched her ears. “Now, what can you tell me about the kind of flowers your mistress enjoys?”
“Meow, mmrow.”
Eventually, Barnes came away from the clothes press with Nathaniel’s favorite superfine jacket of a bottle green hue as well as a length of ivory silk for a cravat. “Are you finished with your conversation, or would you rather dress in front of the cat?”
With a cheeky glance at his valet, Nathaniel gave Peri another morsel of chicken. “Don’t you listen to grouchy Barnes, hmm?” he said as he leaned closer to the feline. “He only wishes that you would make friends with him like you’ve done with me.”
The cat rewarded him by giving a lick to the end of his nose.
“A kiss, eh? Well, that earns you the rest of this chicken.” After he laid the ornamental bowl in front of her, he gave her head one last pat then turned his full attention on his valet. “It’s odd, isn’t it, this talking to a cat?”
“That largely depends on whether or not you plan to adopt twenty more.” Barnes snickered when Nathaniel eyed him askance. “Seriously, it’s good you are coming to an understanding with Lady Peridot. It will go a long way into encouraging your wife to see you as more than a friend.”
Heat crept up the back of his neck as he allowed Barnes to do his magic with the cravat. “Why would you say that?”
“Oh, just the fact you wish to procure her flowers.”
“Don’t all women like them?”
“Of course.” The valet manipulated the cravat’s silk into the knot of his choice. “Then there is always the fact that I came up here last night once you two returned home early from the rout, only to find that your suite was quite empty, and Ruth—your wife’s maid—came downstairs for some warm milk before retiring. She said her mistress was quite engaged in carnal endeavors with her husband, so neither of you should be disturbed until this morning.”
The heat on his neck intensified, but he couldn’t avoid Barnes’ gaze, since the man was standing directly in front of him, fussing with the damned cravat. “Things... happened at the rout.”
“So I assumed, then other things... happened once you came home?”
“Do shut up.” But Nathaniel couldn’t help his grin, and it felt good to do so after so many years of worry, pain, and nightmares. “The lady needed reassurance and calming after her mother crashed the rout and said some horrid things in front of the company. I obliged.” He shrugged then shoved his arms into the sleeves of the jacket Barnes held up. “I do wonder, however, how this will affect our marriage in name only.”
Again, his valet snorted with laughter. “That is not what the two of you have any longer.”
“It can be if she wants it.”
“Hardly.” Barnes’ grin was quite crafty. “And now you’re making friend with her cat and wanting to bring her flowers.” One of his eyebrows rose in question. “Sounds like you are more than willing to go tip over tail for her.”
“Bite your tongue.” His earlier joviality faded. “I am simply trying to navigate the waters of matrimony, and she has had a difficult life up until now.”
“There is no harm in letting yourself fall for your wife, Your Grace,” Barnes said in a low voice. “You have had a difficult past ten years or so as well.” He laid a hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder. “If anyone in this bitter world deserves happiness, it’s you.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“It’s true. You saved so many men on the battlefields so they could come home and find the same, why shouldn’t you have that too?”
He blew out a breath as he stepped around the valet. “The threat to the members of the Rogue’s Arcade remains high, and I believe there is a traitor in our midst here within the staff.” Slowly, he shook his head. “How can I, in good conscience, draw closer to Mallory when there is every chance that I could be killed?” He choked on the last word. “Or that she can?”
“The best I can say is that life will always be rife with obstacles and risks. That doesn’t mean we should push love away or put it off until circumstances are ideal.” Barnes offered a tight grin. “The pain of grieving is the debt we all must pay for the privilege of love. There is no shame in either.”
“That is a good way of looking at it.” Was he strong enough to usher such a thing into his life? Was that even something Mallory wished to pursue with him after what he’d promised her their marriage would be? “It seems I have much to think about.”
“Don’t spend too much time at it. Instead, why not enjoy the moment with her? Since her mother robbed your wife of everything a young woman should have had, why not do all those things with her now while you can? Additionally, you both were cheated out of a courtship period due to circumstances beyond your control. Where is the harm?”
From the bureau, Peri uttered an emphatic, “Meow!” Clearly, she agreed.
“You’re right.” Nathaniel rubbed a hand along the side of his face as memories of the night before drifted through his mind. He hadn’t returned to his own bed until sunrise, then he’d slipped from hers without disturbing her only to fall into a deep dreamless sleep for the first time in far too long. That sort of peace—and connection—deserved further investigation. “Perhaps I’ll take her to the opera tonight. I haven’t used my box in ages.”
Barnes smiled. “An excellent idea, Your Grace. I’ll have your evening clothes pressed.”
“Very well. I’m going down for luncheon then I have a couple of meetings on my calendar.” But above all, he couldn’t wait to greet Mallory and reassure himself she was well after their coupling.
Worry over everything else could wait.
M allory wiped away tears as applause went through the opera house at Vauxhall Gardens. “Dear heavens, this was my first opera and everything about it was simply magical.” Did the admission make her sound far too inexperienced?
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” It seemed her husband wasn’t in a hurry to leave the luxurious box, so she remained seated beside him. “I wanted to treat you to something you were cheated out of during your years locked away.”
“You are truly a man among men, Strathfield.” After dabbing at her eyes one last time, she tucked her lace-edged handkerchief into the reticule that matched her gown of pale blue taffeta. The bodice and short sleeves were trimmed with black-dyed lace, and she’d worn black satin elbow-length gloves along with a gossamer thin wrap in a black color. The whole outfit made her feel sophisticated and older than her years. Would he see her that way too? Did he wish she was closer to him in age? Shoving the thoughts away, she laid a hand on his arm. “This was a lovely outing.”
“It is my honor.” When he treated her to one of his rare grins, she wanted to melt into a puddle at his feet. “Did you want to mingle with the crowds in the hopes of finding acquaintances, or do you wish to make our way into the gardens and take our dinner from the handcart vendors?”
After what they’d shared last night, she was all too keen to stay in his company alone. “Dinner sounds heavenly. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until you mentioned food.” Truthfully, if she had her druthers, she would ask him to bring her home and take her to bed again, but she didn’t want to damage the fragile connection being spun between them.
Again, her mind jogged to the previous night. After they’d coupled, she’d fallen asleep with his arms wrapped around her. When she’d woken in the night, he was still there, deep in slumber, and because she hadn’t wanted to disturb him, she’d tumbled back into a doze and didn’t wake until late this morning.
By then, he was gone. And the day started. At two different times, wives of two different friends of the duke’s called on her to congratulate her on landing Strathfield and to give her a few pieces of advice on marrying a rogue. While she appreciated the proffered friendships, she couldn’t help but wonder when the delightful string of days would come crashing down.
“Mallory?”
“Hmm?” Did anyone else think the sound of his voice was simply divine? For that matter, could he sing? Oh, wouldn’t that be splendid if he could?
“If you continue to look at me like that, you and I will both land into a rather large heap of scandal.” Amusement threaded through his tone.
She startled and blinked a few times as she focused on him. “How am I looking at you?”
“As if you wish to eat me up.” With a wink, he stood and brought her into a standing position at the same time. “Not that I mind, but if you wished to make use of the box, you should have done so when the play was in progress.”
“Oh.” Heat slapped at her cheeks. Did that mean he was only teasing her, or did he truly want a repeat of last night’s carnal exercise? Her pulse accelerated. “I, um...”
“I rather enjoy seeing you flummoxed, duchess.” Then, retrieving his cane from the side of his chair, he tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and escorted her out of the box to the corridor beyond. “Let’s find out what sort of food we can put into our bellies before calling mercy.”
By the time they’d shared a savory beef pasty and a mutton and vegetable hand pie with a remarkably flaky crust, Mallory rather felt as if she were walking on clouds. Throughout the evening, beneath the tree branches strung with lanterns, the duke endeavored to make her laugh by entertaining her with ribald jokes and harrowing stories from his time in the military. Then he bought her a lovely piece of fish fried in beef tallow, and laughed when she said she’d never eaten anything as amazing as that before. In return, she told him a few stories of the troubles Peri had gotten herself in, and one embarrassing tale of the day she—Mallory—had accidentally locked herself in the butler’s pantry and had to wait for dinner until she was freed. That was before she’d been sent away.
After that, Nathaniel had procured glasses of tartly sweet lemonade. They continued to stroll through the night circus, and as she marveled over the weird and unusual offerings in some of the tent stalls, he plied her with sugar and spiced nuts, and at the end of the evening, they shared a dish of a honey lavender ice. He’d cracked jokes about some of the people passing, and more than once she laughed until her sides ached.
It was easily the most romantic evening she’d ever spent, and along the way, she lost a piece of her heart to him. If this is what falling in love felt like, then she was definitely experiencing that with her husband.
But would such a fleeting thing last? Only time would tell.