“Anything?” he breathed.
The smell of roses muddled his mind, intoxicating. With an effort, he pulled back from her and leaned back in his armchair.He looked out of the window, listening to the sound of birds chirping as he tried to calm his racing heart.
He could hear her own ragged breathing, but he did not look up. He shook his head, clearing it of the fog that enveloped him. His eyes fell on the stack of papers on the tray, and he seized on the distraction.
“What is all this?”
“Invitations, I believe. Do you always receive so many?”
“I suspect these are not just for me, but for both of us. No doubt members of thetonare trying to curry favor.” He wrinkled his nose. “I expect we will receive at least a dozen more before the afternoon. Everyone will want a piece of us before we escape to the countryside.”
Vivian’s eyes widened. “I had not realized we would be in such demand. However, will we find time for all of it?”
“We will not. I have no intention of going to everything.” Thomas shrugged. “We will be selective; after all, we are supposed to be on our honeymoon.”
“Good.” Vivian nodded, and he could see the relief on her face. “Are there any in particular we should choose? I will admit I recognize only a handful of the names.”
“It is more a case of the ones I wish to avoid.” Thomas picked up several invitations and threw them in the fire. “Those will be so boring you will tear your arm off. And definitely not these either. The garden party and the ball will be good options.”
“This one is simply an invitation to an art gallery.” Her eyes lit up. “Could we go? It is a private exhibition!”
“I think that would be a wonderful idea.” Thomas smiled. “Now, if you will excuse me, I think I will take a walk. I find I am in need of some fresh air.”
“We could go together.” Vivian stood up, and he saw a fire in her eyes that held him in place. “We could take a promenade around Hyde Park, perhaps visit a tearoom, and then come home this afternoon. It will give thetona chance to see that you are as fit as can be, and that we are well and truly in love.”
Thomas hesitated. A part of him wanted to say no, but the more rational side of him saw the sense in her proposal.Besides, she will be able to cause far less trouble if we are in public. If I leave without her, who knows what I might come home to?
That was a thought best left unexamined. The image of her in his bedroom threatened to come to the forefront of his mind, and he pushed it away violently.
He nodded slowly. “That is as sensible a plan as any, I suppose. I shall meet you in the foyer in half an hour. That will give you plenty of time to change.”
“Wonderful.” Vivian clapped her hands together and moved toward him as though to embrace him.
Thomas moved aside and bowed low. “I will see you then.”
He left the room without another word, wondering just how he was going to get through the next few weeks.
“Who would have thought that having a wife would be quite this much trouble?”
Chapter Eleven
“Ihad not expected it to be quite this busy.” Vivian glanced around as they walked through Hyde Park.
It seemed that they could not go more than a few feet before some person or another waved at them. Her arm was linked through Thomas’s, and her cheeks ached from smiling, but each time a person inclined their head toward them, panic filled her chest.
The walk had seemed like such a good idea at the time. She had thought it would give her an excuse to flirt with him; after all, they were supposed to be pretending to be in love, except that everything her mother and Henrietta had tried to teach her about flirting seemed far too improper to be attempted in public.
Beside her, Thomas appeared completely unaffected by the whispers and stares. He stood proud and regal, reminding her of a cat who had found the cream. He walked like a man who could bark an order at the world and have it obeyed.
“It is always busy at this time of day. I assumed that was why you had suggested it.” Thomas canted his head toward her, his blue eyes matching the sky above them.
Vivian’s breath caught as her stomach tumbled around.
Breathe, Vivian. Just breathe.A passing couple waved at them, and for a moment, Vivian thought they would come over to them, but they did not. She let out a breath that she had not realized she had been holding.
It did not help that she was acutely aware of how close they were standing. The memory of the moment in his study still lingered. She thought that perhaps he might kiss her, and when he had not, her stomach had dropped, roiling in disappointment.
There is still time.
