He ignored her mocking tone and continued. ‘As you may have noticed, I prefer to live my life and run my household by a few simple rules. My wife will be bound by these rules as well.’
‘Will I?’ she said and rose from her chair to stand before him like a private at attention.
‘When we are in public, I expect a certain level of decorum. While the rest of my family is known for its laxity, I am not.’
‘Laxity,’ she said, rolling her eyes. It was the politest possible way to describe the fact that his mother had been flirting with the footman at their wedding breakfast and his father had been too drunk to notice. ‘Do not worry, Major Challenger. I am sure you are the very opposite of lax.’ The word ‘rigid’ came to mind.
He did not even blink at her use of his rank, as though he had always assumed that his wife would recognise he was her commanding officer. ‘Now that we are married, I expect you to adhere to the same rules and principals that I do.’
‘And what might those be?’
‘You will take no excess of alcohol in public or private.’
She reached back to the table at her side, lifted her wine glass, and toasted him before draining it. ‘Of course not, Major Challenger.’
‘An extra glass will do no harm, on special occasions,’ he allowed.
‘Thank heavens,’ she said and poured more wine, sipping as she spoke. ‘Pray continue, Major Challenger.’
‘I am more concerned with public indiscretions that might result from drunkenness. I do not like wastefulness or foolishness.’
‘Foolishness,’ she said, remembering the looks he had given her each time they’d met.
‘You must avoid the sort of behaviour that draws all eyes to you in a public place and leads to disapprobation,’ he said, dismissing every social faux pas she had ever made as if they were both deliberate and easy to avoid. ‘I do not want to see my wife mentioned in the tattle sheets, or to have her become a laughing stock amongst my friends.’
‘I will take it under advisement,’ she said, finishing her wine in one gulp and setting the glass aside.
‘Likewise, you will not squander your allowance on gambling, or flaunt your indiscretions in my face.’
‘You must never see me being indiscreet,’ she said, sure that it was not what he had meant at all. But since she was not totally sure what he meant by indiscretions, she was not yet sure how to flaunt them.
‘Most importantly, you will refrain from going to Vitium et Virtus.’
‘That is all?’ she said, waiting to see what other stupidity he might spout.
He gave her the same grave nod he had done before.
‘Then let me tell you my opinion of your requirements,’ she said, her voice rising to a volume that he probably found indiscreet. ‘I am not prone to excesses, so I will continue to drink what I like, when I wish to. I have no intention of watering my wine in public just to soothe your groundless fears.’
He was staring at her as if he had never expected her to speak, other than to agree with his nonsense.
‘Secondly, you will not be troubled with witnessing my indiscretions. As I reminded you just now, we agreed before this marriage that we would live apart. You will not see me being indiscreet. After today, I hope you will not be seeing me at all.’
‘That was not what I meant…’ he began.
‘Because, despite what you seem to think, the purpose of this marriage was not to avoid embarrassment, it was to avoid Nash Bowles. I do not care what society says about me as long as they do not call me Lady Bowles when they do it.’
‘I, however…’ He held a finger in the air, ready to lecture.
She gave him no chance. ‘Lastly, if I choose to go to Vitium et Virtus again, I see no reason why I cannot. I am a married woman, after all, and not some innocent who needs to watch her reputation at all times.’
‘Well, actually…’ he began.
‘I should be perfectly safe, since my husband is one of the owners. You have spent much time there, yet you are still so full of propriety that I can hardly stand to be in the same room with you.’
‘You cannot simultaneously shun my company and go to the place where I spend my evenings,’ he reminded her, more incredulous than bemused. ‘And you might be married, but believe me, my dear, you are still innocent.’
He was twitting her about the thing she did not know again. But if learning about it meant she had to spend any more time with Frederick Challenger, she would rather die in ignorance. ‘I am not so innocent that I do not know what a kiss should feel like.’
