“Nonsense, every woman wishes to get married.” Violet lay back on the bed, her feet hanging over the edge. She was on the cusp of womanhood, eager to find the beau of her dreams. While I wished for her to remain a child as long as possible, I couldn’t hold back time.
“Just because you do doesn’t mean that wish applies to everyone.” I removed my shirtwaist and draped it over the plain wooden dressing screen. A breeze blew over my feet, and I hurriedly removed my skirt. Donning my nightgown, I belted a robe around my waist.
“No, I suppose not.” She rolled onto her stomach and plucked at a string on the quilt covering the bed. “If I was a year older, I would marry him myself. Perhaps I should ask him to court me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” The idea of Violet marrying Ash or any man while still a child brought me up short. “You cannot marry without my permission as sixteen is the age of consent.”
“Adelle Thomas quit school and got married, and she is a year younger than me,” Violet countered.
I moved to the bed and sat down, unfastening my hair. Sadly, girls were often sold off to the highest bidder despite the laws of consent. “You are not Adelle Thomas. Now it is past your bedtime, so I suggest you find your bed.”
“Can I sleep in Eloise’s bed?” Violet rolled off my bed, yawning.
While I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, I could think of no viable reason to say no except... “Eloise isn’t supposed to return to the hospital until the morning.” I was so used to her being gone I hadn’t questioned her absence.
“She picked up another shift.” Violet slipped into the bed and pulled the covers to her chin.
Sally was one of the other nurses and she and Eloise had become fast friends. The two were inseparable of late and oftenspent hours in each other’s company outside of work. I was happy my sister had found a friend. My hair tumbled over my shoulder as I loosened the pins. I licked lips that felt heavy from Ash’s impromptu kiss. My cheeks heated, and the cleft between my legs throbbed a steady beat. Extinguishing the lamp, I crawled between the cold sheets.
If things were different, I might have accepted Ash’s courtship just to see where things would lead. I hadn’t been lying when I said I didn’t wish to marry. I wanted to have a career where I was in charge of my own destiny.
My eyelids grew heavy, and I curled on my side. Tomorrow, I would see Moran again. My lips twitched at the notion until I shut the thought down. He wasn’t a love interest but a man I worked for.
The more I remembered that, the better off I would be.
Chapter Twelve
Lord Tobias Moran
I closed the outer door of Ashton’s family home and waited to hear the lock click before leaving. I had been the only man in attendance for dinner. His mother, Connie enjoyed wine, and she and I polished off a decanter of excellent French Bordeaux.
Like Ash, his father and brothers were at work. Although I had faith in Ash’s abilities, ever since he’d been promoted to inspector, I worried about him investigating dangerous criminals who weren’t afraid to kill someone. While it was cold outside with a heavy fog, I was quite warm from my hearty meal and enjoyable wine. A man came out of the shadows, and I stopped, my hand going to my pocket where a small pistol rested. A familiar figure emerged, and I relaxed my hand. Ash. “You are home late.”
Ash emerged more clearly into view, his shoulders hunched in his greatcoat. He smiled at me and nodded. “You’re here awfully late as well.”
“Indeed, your mother and I indulged in some wine and several games of whist, and I am ashamed to say that she cleaned out my pockets.”
He shook his head, coming closer. “When will you learn?”
“Apparently never.” The sight of him sparked my blood. I’d tried to wean myself off him, but I was randy, and wantedsatisfaction without strings attached. “Speaking of which, would you like to come over for a, um, nightcap?”
He angled his head and looked down his nose at me, eyes widened in surprise. “I thought you were done with nightcaps?”
“Apparently, I was wrong about that as well.” He fell into step beside me as I walked, giving me my answer. “My hand is rather tired of all the fucking it that has been put through lately.”
