The sound of his name triggered erotic memories from the study. I would never look or feel the same about him again. “Flynn left for the country if you recall.”
“Beg pardon your graces,” The housekeeper said from behind me.
I reluctantly stepped away from my husband. We shared an exasperated look before he took his customary seat.
“Yes, Mrs. Jones?” I asked, careful to keep my tone light. Frustration quickly replaced my growing passions. Privacy was a rare commodity in my household.
“Two letters have been delivered that the carrier told me were urgent.” Casting down her gaze, she handed an envelope to Rex and a much thinner one to me.
To see us in such a passionate embrace after years of decorum must have shocked her. I anticipated she’d be even more shocked in the upcoming days and months. Our intimacy seemed to be the only thing keeping me sane of late.
“Thank you, Mrs. Jones.” Rex broke the seal and read the missive, frowning at the contents.
“You may go now.” I waited for her to leave before opening the one she’d handed me. Relief shot through me, and I rounded the table, resting my hands on his shoulders. We were alone once more, and I wanted to pick up where we left off. “Queen Victoria has turned down our invitation to attend Anne’s wedding.”
“You said you were hoping she would. Although it would have been a great honor.” He continued reading the letter he’d received without looking up at my actions. Whatever itcontained had him enthralled.More so than my touch. I tucked the negative thought in the back of my mind. I would soon have his attention once more.
“It would be an honor, however, the wedding would have to have been a much grander affair, and I doubt a fortnight would have been enough time to plan it.” I leaned in and took the lobe of his ear into my mouth, my hands skimming down his chest. “What in that letter has you so engrossed?” I asked.
Rex clasped my hands and leaned back, his cheek settling next to mine. “The prime minister has invited the Russian ambassador to play golf this morning, and he has requested that I be their fourth.”
“Is it a matter of national security?” I asked. The prime minister often called on Rex to help him negotiate delicate problems pertaining to the country.
“Not truly, no. It is merely a golf game.” He glanced at the mantel clock. “Tee-time is at nine o’clock.”
He was choosing a golf game over me. All desire left me in a wave. I moved away from him and returned to my seat, my stomach tied in knots. “You wouldn’t wish to be late,” I said with biting sarcasm.
“You are right, it would be in bad form.” He folded the letter before tucking it into his inner pocket. Head tilted, he tapped a finger on the vellum. “In the spirit of kinship, perhaps we can invite him and his wife for dinner tonight. The ambassador is an interesting chap, but according to the PM, he worries about his wife. She is a bit homesick, it would seem.”
“I understand how she feels. Being in a foreign place and having her husband gone all the time must be difficult.” While I was at home, I was having the same challenges. The irony was that Rex couldn’t see it. My temples began to pound with defeat.
“Perhaps you could bring her to one of the ladies’ guild luncheons so she can meet more ladies.”
The ladies’ guild wasn’t real, and my lie had caught up to me. Dread cut through my upset, and I exhaled a long breath, the tension in my shoulders increasing. My panic was secondary to my growing outrage at what he was asking. “You wish for me to befriend someone I don’t know and host her for dinner at a moment’s notice while you are out golfing?”
Rex pressed his lips together, caution lighting his eyes. “In all fairness, I won’t be golfing tonight.”
In the past, I would have conceded and said yes to the dinner. I wasnotfeeling charitable today, quite the opposite. I had been optimistic that he would put me first. I said nothing but continued staring at him, a host of adverse emotions racing through my head. Once again, I had been relegated to the back of the line until he needed me for something, then I was supposed to drop everything at his whim.
“You are upset.”
Those three words could not be more accurate. “I am. We just made plans to sneak away, and you broke them as if my needs meant nothing to you.”
“I am sorry, that was not my intention.” He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling the thick strands. “I promise I will try to come home early tonight, and we can lock ourselves in our room, just the two of us.”
By the earnestness of his expression, he believed what he said. Sadly, I couldn’t even count how many times he had made similar promises and broken them. My hope that things might change between us was dashed. Biting my tongue, I poured tea in my cup. Other than a few passionate kisses, everything remained the same. “Do not make promises you can’t keep.”
“I said I would try.” He frowned, consternation creasing his brow. His own temper was pricked from the jut of his jaw and the tick that beat a steady rhythm.
I stirred milk in my tea and attempted to hold back my annoyance, yet my patience was at an end. He had a bad habit of overextending himself, and I paid the price as I was the one expected to pick up all the loose ends. Strain fell heavily between us, the sound of my spoon clinking against the porcelain loud in the quiet room. When I stayed mute, his glower increased.
“I have many responsibilities I can’t shirk.” He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, a bite to his tone that wasn’t there a few seconds before. “You know that.”
“Golfing with the prime minister is not a responsibility. It is a choice to play golf.” I had his attention and debated if I should speak my truth or let the matter drop. My father had pounded obedience into me and I was used to swallowing my pride in lieu of others. Yet if I remained quiet, my bitterness towards Rex would continue to grow and I didn’t want that. Exhaling a shaky breath, I said, “Since our marriage, I have been a wife and then a mother soon after. As a duchess, my time is spent doing tasks that are unchallenging, to put it bluntly. You are gone most nights, and I feel as if I am the last person on your priority list, whereas you are the first one on mine.”
Silence reigned once more, and I waited for his response.
We rarely, if ever, disagreed on anything. I could read him quite well. He was weighing his response to my accusation. My fierce need for recognition was a new thing for him to swallow. It caught me unawares as well, but there it was.
