“Anna– Anna, I am going to–”
He tried to push her away, but she knew what to expect. She hummed in acknowledgment and continued, strangely excited at the pitch she could bring him to. With a last moan, he released into her, and she held herself still as she took it. It was not unpleasant, as she had expected, and when he was done, she looked up at him with a devilish grin.
“That was…” he whispered. “Oh my God, Anna.”
“That is what you have been missing,” she jested. “So you ought to make the most of it now.”
He took her in his arms, his lips pressed to her ear.
“I intend to.”
CHAPTER 19
“You have changed.”
Spencer was inclined to agree with his friend, who was looking at him pointedly. He had gone to visit Alexander for the morning, and he hoped that the enjoyment he felt from his spirited activities did not show.
But of course, they did. It would have been impossible for him to enjoy his wife as much as he had without it being clear on his face. He was the luckiest man in the country, and part of him wished to announce every lurid detail to his friend just as he assumed Anna would with hers, but he knew better. He was a gentleman and could therefore not kiss and tell.
“Do you think so?” he asked. “I had not noticed.”
“Yes, you have. I saw it the moment you arrived. I have never seen you look this content, and I have half a mind to believe that it is thanks to your wife.”
“You would be correct,” he admitted. “I would never have expected it, but she and I have grown closer over the last few days. I admire her greatly, especially after all of the effort she has made to be a proper duchess.”
“Is that to say that you now wish to remain here?”
His face fell. It was a question that had plagued him since the auction. He had only needed to be absent for a few mere moments for someone to try to take advantage of Anna. The thought of it happening while he was north made him feel nauseous.
And yet, there was nothing that he could do.
“I do not know what I am to do as yet.”
“But your wife is here, Spencer.”
“And my family is there. Anna is a capable woman. She can manage an estate alone, and she is able to live as she pleases in my absence. When it comes to my family, they are trapped. I am all that they have, and it is not fair for me to tell them that, simply because I enjoy my wife’s company, they are on their own.”
“And I am not suggesting that it is easy to manage, but be honest with yourself. Would you truly be happy there, knowing that your wife is here alone?”
“She told me it was all right, as long as I told her first.”
But Spencer was not blind. He knew that Anna had agreed because she did not know what else to say. He had opened himself up to her, and the last thing she would have done was to pressure him further. She was impulsive and, at times, reckless, but she was not cruel. He had made it clear that he would have to go, and she was resigned to that fate.
Alexander shook his head, as if in disbelief.
“I know that you think I am selfish.”
“On the contrary,” his friend argued. “I would say you are selfless to your own detriment. You are happy here with your wife. You have attended events, and you smile more, and you stand taller. Anyone can see that this is where you belong, but you are giving that away for someone who is–”
He stopped himself, and Spencer knew why.
“You can say it. I would never be angry with you for your honesty.”
“Well, I must admit that Sophia is selfish. She expects you to come and go at her will, regardless of your duty.”
“She needs me.”
“And if you lose your title, where will she be? I know that you care for her, and understandably so, but you will be of no assistance to anyone if you have everything stripped from you. You are better here.”
