However, she gritted her teeth and made her way to the bathing chamber, which also served other needs, then returned to her bed after having relieved herself. By the time she was settled once again, her hip throbbed, a pain that would not stop, and her muscles twitched. No matter which way she lay, relief did not come and she ended up lying on her back, willing the pain to cease.
A short time later her maid finally entered, and as much as Charlotte hated taking medication, she did ask for the laudanum as it was the only thing that would lessen her discomfort, and vowed not to leave the bed again, unless absolutely necessary.
Thankfully she slept after taking the medication and woke refreshed and without pain.
However, she did not attempt to get out of bed again. She might attempt it tomorrow, but not today.
Breakfast was delivered shortly thereafter, but after the tray was taken away, Charlotte was left bored with nothing to do. Except…Victor had left the papers from yesterday with her, and Charlotte reached for those and began reading from the front and until she reached the end of each, then she rang for her maid. She knew exactly how she would spend her afternoon.
Victorpacedthroughthelibrary. Charlotte continued to surprise him.
She had her secrets for which he still needed answers, but maybe his assumptions had been wrong.
Why hadn’t he just asked her all his questions while she had been sitting here yesterday? Then his mind would be at peace. Instead, he asked about the mill and then decided to visit it.
He needed to have a completely honest discussion with his wife and would do so as soon as she was recovered.
Except she wasn’t his wife, in truth, yet. That aspect of their marriage had to change soon. But how did they go from being friends, living in the same household, to being lovers? He could seduce her, but was Charlotte ready to be seduced?
If it had been a normal marriage and she had not been a child, they would have already had a wedding night. He would have consummated the marriage and the rest would be history. Perhaps he would even have a son or daughter now, or both. But there was nothing normal about his marriage to Charlotte. There hadn’t been a courtship and there hadn’t even been passionate kisses. Not that he didn’t want to kiss her passionately and many other things.
“Courtship!” That is what he would do. He could court her as he would if he had met her in London, during the Season, with the intention of leading to marriage. In their case, it would be for the single purpose of making love to her.
Then he smiled. Victor recalled asking Charlotte if she wished for him to court her four years ago and he still remembered her response. “Your courtship would be because I asked it of you, or you thought it necessary, and not because you singled me out. The magic would not be there.”
She had been correct at the time, but Victor wanted nothing more than to court her now. He did want her and just perhaps it could be magical.
But how does one court a wife? She liked to paint but couldn’t do that from her bed. She also liked to read but had read everything in the library.
What kind of gift could he give her?
“Pardon me, Lord Blackmar.”
Victor glanced up to find Charlotte’s maid hovering in the doorway.
“Yes?”
“Lady Blackmar asked that I retrieve some items for her.”
The maid continued to stand in the hall, as if she feared entering the room.
“You may come in.”
The maid guiltily stepped into the room. “It’s just that Lady Blackmar don’t know that I can’t read.”
Victor understood the maid’s reluctance. “What did she wish for?”
“A ledger type book called ‘Tracking’ or something. Also, a quill and ink.”
Victor frowned but went in search of the book and finally located it in the closet where she kept the other ledgers. He had almost missed it because Charlotte had it buried so well.
Though he shouldn’t pry, he could not help himself and opened the cover, looked at the first entry, shocked by the figure. Then he read the pages, one after another, his curiosity and anger merging together.
He closed the book and stepped back into the library. “I will take this to my wife,” he promised. And he would do a lot more than simply hand it to her. It was time that Charlotte finally answered all the questions that had plagued him since he had arrived.
To think he wished to pursue her with courtship.
Ha!
