“So you told her just how absent you would be?”
He grimaced, for of course he had not. He had not meant to be away for as long as he had been, and even if he had known, he could not have told her that. If he did, he would have had to explain why, and he could not do that. She could not know the truth.
“She should have trusted me. I am her husband.”
“You are a stranger,” Alexander pointed out. “You left her the same day you met, and from what I assume, you did not tell her much about you to begin with.”
“You know that I had a prior commitment. I have to see Sophia, and Anna should understand that. We are family, after all.”
“And if you told her, then she would. In any case, by your logic, if she should trust you as her husband, you must also trust her as your wife. If you explain the true circumstances that you are in, she might be able to help you. She would understand, at least.”
“Alas, we shall never know for certain. What I have is a marriage of convenience, and there is therefore no need to disclose everything. I am her husband, and she will obey me whether she likes it or not.”
He then thought about what he had said. He was normally respectful, but the idea of compelling his spirited wife to obey him was strangely attractive to him, as was the thought of her creamy skin laid bare, her curls disheveled.
He cleared his throat, hoping that it would clear his mind in turn.
“What I mean,” he corrected, “is that I have done what a proper husband should and tended to the havoc that she wreaked. In return, I need her to try harder to be a good wife to me.”
“Yes, marriages require give and take, or so I have heard.”
“Of course, you can say that. You are not married.”
“And I have no intention of ever being, which makes me unbiased,” Alexander grinned, finishing his drink. “You have been very honorable in taking a wife, but I shall never do that.”
“And what of your title? Is it not important to you?”
“When I am in the ground, I do not think that I will mind whether or not I have a bloodline remaining.”
Spencer had never quite understood that aspect of his friend, but then he assumed there were a lot of things that he did that his friend could not understand either. It was something that made their friendship interesting, for as much as Spencer wanted to be respected, he could not stand it when people blindly agreed with him because of who he was.
“You could be very happy, you know,” Alexander continued. “Your wife is nearby, and right now you could be sitting with her,asking her friends about themselves. It would be a good way to introduce yourself.”
“They saw enough of me last night, I rather think.”
“Did you speak to them?”
“I did not. The party ended too quickly for that, not that you seemed to notice. I do not recall seeing you, strangely enough.”
“I was there!” he countered. “I would never have missed the funeral celebrations of my dearest friend. However, it just so happened that there was a lady there, and–”
“I do not need to hear anything more. I can already assume what happened from there. Was this one married?”
“They never are. This one was widowed, and seeing your wife’s behavior about her apparently dead husband was a source of confusion for her.”
“It was the same for me, if you can believe it.”
“It was not as though you gave her a choice, Wutherton. She did what she had to do, and just because you are unhappy with how she handled matters does not mean that she was wrong.”
Spencer considered that, but only for a moment. He knew that he was being unfair, and that he should have explained wherehe was going, but he could not help but feel as though his wife needed some discipline. There was a mischief about her, and though he was drawn to it, he could not help but wonder where that trait of hers had come from.
Not only that, but how much damage she had done with it.
“I ought to speak with her,” Spencer agreed. “It has been a long time, and I hardly knew her as it was when we married. It is only fair that I give her time to tell me how she has been.”
“If it is anything, she seems to have done well. From whispers, it would seem that she has not needed you at all. She acts as any other duchess would.”
“That is to say?”
