“I promise you, Sebastian, there is nothing going on beyond my utter and complete boredom. And since you came here today, that must mean you agreed to teach me about swear words.”
He pursed his lips and for a moment she thought he might force her hand. But then he shook his head and the teasing light returned to his eyes. He let out a small sigh before he said, “Of course I agreed, Marianne. How could I ever resist you? I’ll do as you ask if you still desire it while stone-cold sober. Certainly I think it will be entertaining to hear wicked things coming from that sweet mouth of yours.”
His gaze slipped from her own and hovered for a moment on her lips. And once again the mood in the room shifted. But this time it wasn’t fraught with danger but something else. Something heated. She felt tingly as his eyes lingered on her mouth, discombobulated just as she had when she’d been in her cups.
He blinked and his gaze darted away from her entirely. “Are you…are you concerned that we might be interrupted by your aunt in this wicked exercise?”
She shook her head. “No. Aunt Beulah is making calls to friends today. She won’t be back for ages.”
His breath shortened and he paced away, pointing to a chair before the fire as he did so. “Sit,” he ordered.
She swallowed, trying to push away all these odd feelings and did as she had been told. He made no effort to do the same, but crossed back to the sideboard and poured himself a drink. She rubbed suddenly sweaty palms on her gown as he did so and waited.
At last, he turned back and all the heat she had felt from him was gone. Her friend was back, mischief in his stare, a grin quirking his full lips. The rest she must have imagined, there was no other explanation.
“Do you know of a bobtail, my fair lady?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’ve never heard the term.”
He smiled slightly. “Why, it’s the term for a lewd woman.”
She felt her eyes widen and his smile did the same. “A bobtail, gracious,” she said. “A lewd woman would be…what would one do to be considered lewd?”
His smile faltered a bit. “Er, well, one who is lasciviously interested in sex, I suppose. One who fucks without thought of consequence.” He arched a brow.
She flinched. “I’ve heard my brother say ‘fuck’ before, but never when he knew I was near. Is that a term for…for marital relations?”
“Not only marital,” he said. “There are many a couple who indulge in conjugal pleasures without wedlock.”
“I suppose there are,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat with the bold nature of this conversation. She hadn’t really thought through the fact that discussing dirty words would also involve discussing their meaning. “Does that…does that mean thatyouare considered a lewd gentleman?”
Now it was his eyes that widened and he took a long swig of his drink before he answered. “In some circles I must be known as such, yes. Unfairly, men are not held to the same standards as woman, especially in our class. To be a rake does not necessarily mean to be held in lower regard.”
She pursed her lips. “But itisvery different for women, yes. We’re taught to not even have such desires in our minds, let alone act on them.”
His brow wrinkled. “Having desires isn’t wrong, Marianne. It’s human. No matter what anyone teaches you. And no one has to know what is in your head, do they?”
“I suppose not,” she said, and thought of Claudia’s list, locked up in her chamber at present. “Perhaps that’s for the best.”
He leaned back. “Does that mean Lady Marianne has a secret, rich fantasy life?”
She shook her head. “Oh…oh no. Of course not. I couldn’t…I wouldn’t even know what to imagine.”
“That’s a shame,” he said, taking a step toward her before he stopped himself. “Fantasy makes reality worthwhile sometimes.”
Her mind floated, quite of its own accord, to foggy dreams she sometimes had of the very man before her. Of his gaze holding hers as it was now, of him taking her hand. Of him kissing her. She felt the heat on her cheeks increase as she turned away. “What other words are there?”
He hesitated a moment before he said, “A man’s member is called a cock.”
She pivoted back to him. “Like a male chicken!”
He laughed at her expression and once again the tension in the room faded a fraction. “Indeed.”
“Why in the world would one call such a thing a cock?” she asked.
He swallowed hard and then shrugged one shoulder. “Well, when a man is…is excited by a woman…when he wants her, his cock stands up straight.”
She sucked in a breath. She’d never been close to marriage, so she’d never had the conversations other women had to explain what to expect in the marital bed. It seemed she would learn a great deal more than just about swearing today. “It does?” she said. “Why?”
