Page 40 of The Quiet Wife (Stately Scandals #2)

London – Kensington

She cleared her throat.

It was remarkable. Even when caught stark naked in the act of infidelity with her supposed friend and the wife of his friend, Frederick made Frances feel that the whole debacle was somehow her fault.

She supposed that her appearance, and decision to make her presence known, had arrived as he was apparently nearing his climax (she recognised the signs), putting him in something of a temper, but even so, Frances felt it was a bit rich for him to try and take any moral high ground given the circumstances.

Rosa screamed and pushed him away upon becoming aware of Frances’ presence.

Frederick seemed torn between guilt, wanting to berate her, and finishing his business.

He settled for dragging the coverlet over Rosa and clutching his private parts tightly whilst roaring at her, demanding to know why she was there, what about their guests and so on and so forth.

Frances simply stared at them, rooted to the spot.

“What in God’s name! Don’t just stand there staring. Get out, woman!” Frederick bellowed.

Normally, Frances would have fled at his tone, but somehow, from somewhere, she found the fortitude to stand her ground. She would not be so easily dismissed.

“Forgive me, but I have just caught you in the act of adultery with a good friend of mine, and you are shouting at me ?” she asked, proud of her cool tone.

“Don’t you dare speak to me like that,” he spluttered. The effect of his anger was muted by the fact that he was naked despite attempts to protect his modesty, and the sparse patches of hair on his chest couldn’t hide the red blotches all over him, presumably from excitement and exertion.

She regarded Rosa, who had tears rolling down her face, and seemed to be genuinely anguished.

“I am so sorry,” she whispered. “So terribly sorry.”

Rosa’s betrayal was more intensely painful because Frances had believed them to be friends. Good friends. “So you should be,” was all she could manage.

Frederick was scrambling off the bed but getting his large, naked feet tangled in the sheets, making him look all scrawny legs and knees.

He eventually threw them back with a yell, stood up and advanced towards her.

He’d abandoned all hope of protecting her from his nakedness, giving Frances quite a show considering she’d been married to the man all these years and never seen his body exposed.

So… sprinkled with human frailty. So much so, she had to smile.

With hindsight, the smile was a mistake.

“Are you laughing at me?” he hissed, striding towards her. “Who in God’s name do you think you are?”

Despite her quickening heartbeat, she steeled her resolve.

“I’m your wife. I’m the mother of your children, and I’m your hostess.

If you are thinking of striking me again, might I suggest you consider how it will look if I return to your guests with a bruised cheek or marks on my arms?

” she warned him, standing her ground even if she now felt herself trembling.

Her words fell on empty ears, it seemed, as he raised his arm as if to backhand her across the face, but Rosa jumped from the bed, breasts jiggling as she dragged her dress up unsuccessfully, and threw herself between them.

“Fred. NO! Leave her alone!” she pleaded.

She put her hands on his chest, then on his cheeks and caressed his face to calm him down. “Leave her be. She has every right to be upset. Leave her be.”

He snarled something unintelligible and grabbed her wrists, but Rosa threw herself into his arms and held fast. As Frederick grappled with her, Frances turned and headed for the door.

“I will be with your guests. I suggest you join us as soon as you have… finished, lest you are both missed.”

With that, she closed the door behind her and walked along the corridor on legs that shook and felt weak.

She stumbled into her own chamber to splash her face with cold water and press her fingers to her cheeks for a moment or two before taking a deep breath.

She doubted the sight of Frederick naked, yelling at her, would ever leave her.

She felt as though she should be heartbroken at his infidelity, his betrayal, particularly as it was discovered in the most humiliating way.

But all she wanted to do was laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

She supposed the shock would set in later.

What hurt most abominably was that Rosa had betrayed her so utterly and comprehensively.

All the time she had spent befriending her, listening to her, laughing with her, and sharing intimacies, and it was all a pretence to be closer to Frederick.

It had all been a lie. An elaborate lie.

Frances pressed a hand to her chest as tears pooled in her eyes.

She felt such a fool. Such a gullible idiot.

She sucked in a breath and steadied herself.

It would not do to go back downstairs with red eyes and cheeks. She was not the party at fault here.

***

“Are you quite well?” Jemie asked quietly when she returned.

“Very. Absolutely. Thank you.”

“You’re not, are you.” His voice was soft, clearly not fooled.

She hesitated. “Do I appear as though something is amiss?”

He shook his head. “Not in the general way of things, but to me, you look a trifle dazed, not to say more than a little pale. It made me wonder if anything has happened to upset you.”

“That’s a good way of wording it.” She wondered if she could confide in him. Wondered if, as Frederick had abandoned his wedding vows, she could too. She looked at Jemie and his glorious eyes and realised that if she was ever to commit adultery, it would be with Jemie.

She shook herself to regain her senses.

Frederick slunk back into the room behaving as though nothing had happened and sat himself with the gentlemen at the card table, including Mr Caldicott, as though he hadn’t only moments before been caught being intimate with the man’s wife.

It made her wonder if men worked on a different moral code of behaviour to women, but when Rosa reappeared as though nothing had happened too, she wasn’t so sure.

Perhaps they were well matched after all.

“Would you like to come and sit with me?”

Frances released a large and decisive sigh. “Jemie, I would love nothing more than to sit with you, but I feel it would be prudent for me to sit with the ladies.”

“Something has happened, hasn’t it?” he asked, worry in his voice.

“It has. I may talk about it later, but save to say, I don’t want to give my husband any cause to think I am gossiping, or spending time with a gentleman.”

Jemie let out a soft groan and moved closer, but she backed away.

“Don’t worry, please. I am perfectly fine.”

“Perhaps we can find time to talk later. Failing that, we have a sitting booked in for tomorrow.” He smiled, and she loved the way the skin around his eyes crinkled softly.

Loved the way his eyes shone with concern.

Loved the way his head tilted ever so slightly to look at her.

He didn’t look at anyone else like that.

“That we do,” she murmured, casting him a smile that she was afraid would tell anyone who cared to glance over just how she felt about Jemie Whistler.

“Until later,” he murmured and let his little finger graze hers, sending a shiver up her arm straight to her heart.

“Until later.”