Follett nodded, watching him warily.
David was right. ‘Tis a better fit than I could have imagined.
Again, his first inclination was to share this triumph with Beth. Her imagination combined with this young man’s would know no bounds. But no, ’twas not to be.
He forced himself to refocus, saying, “My compliments on your vision, as well as the execution. I wish I had brought my own pieces now, to get your take on a few things.”
“Really?” came in unison from both men, one incredulous and the other excited.
“Yes, really,” Robert answered in a mild tone as he fished out the fasteners he had brought to leave as tests of their work.
“I’ll explain these in a second, but first, may I see more of your pieces, please? And what is the rod for?”
“Of course.” Nathaniel grabbed the solid length of iron and set it across the table. There were small loops on each end. “I was debating iron for the shackles,” he said, pointing to the ends. “But leather would be so much kinder to the person’s ankles wearing them.”
Robert sighed in awe. No more needing bedposts or wrapping around table legs. A person could be spread-eagled in comfort with leather next to their skin, but this rod holding their legs apart. “’Tis ingenious. I will send a runner over with a set of cuffs for you today.” He stroked the bar with envy.
If only he had a reason to order one. He’d never get to try this on his Peaches.
Desperate to head home to curl up and wallow in his misery, he muscled through the rest of the conversation. As he departed, he was mentally choosing samples to send, although he was quite sure none would be a challenge for Follett to recreate. The three of them had hashed out a tentative plan toward partnership, with a meeting set for a fortnight hence to consider any new questions and share design sketches.
Follett’s ingenuity regarding sex accessories complemented his own. Despite that, Robert could not conjure even a modicum of excitement at the new alliance. He missed his old partner too much.
****
Beth wallowed, dragging herself to and from the charity school and spending inordinate amounts of time in bed—alone.
Evan had broken things off with Althea again at the same ill-fated party, so she’d gathered her energy and attempted to be upbeat for the older woman’s sake. She wished she had advice for her cousin, but she was too heartsick to see a path forward for either of them. Too, her counsel was not reliable given her reckless ultimatum to Robert, when she’d known she would not follow through. The hurt and sorrow in his eyes haunted her still.
After a fortnight, she found herself unable to continue the charade. Skipping supper, she huddled in bed and lamented her sorry state. Tears dribbled down the sides of her face as she stared at the bed canopy. Lying in the dim light of a few candles, she imagined all the positions Robert had twisted her in on a bed. She’d never gone this long without an orgasm, but she had lost all interest in sex or even self-pleasure. She missed Robert.
Inevitably, Althea came to check on her. She perched on the edge of the bed. “What is amiss?”
“You are having enough troubles with Evan. I do not want to burden you.”
“I keep telling you, you are not a burden. You are my family and my closest friend. Now what happened?”
“I told Robert he had to choose. Have sex with me at the party or not at all.”
“What?” Althea gasped, her mouth dropping open. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“Because he needs to love me as I am,” Beth wailed.
“Oh, Beth.” Her cousin leaned in to hug her before straightening to give her a hard stare. “He does, though, don’t you see?”
“No, he doesn’t. He judges me for flaunting society’s rules.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Althea replied with a snort.
Beth glared, although she suspected it was less effective from her prone position.
“He loves you to pieces. He gives you all sorts of leeway, just as I do. We may not always know what to do with you, but we love you. And that man is in love with you.”
Beth pressed her lips together in a suspicious moue.
“Do you think I judge you, simply because I do not make the same choices?”
“No.”
