Had the duke studied this text, and practiced? She swallowed. While he appeared polite, he barely smiled and even at his home she didn’t see any flirting on his part, though much was done by a number of the ladies present. Or maybe he had just purchased it. After having met Lady Caroline, had he thought to learn about the marriage bed? Surely, he had copulated with a servant or while at university. Did the rather thick tome contain information even a man of his age didn’t know? He had to be at least a score and ten. She’d expect by now he would already know what was between the pages, or rather, bed sheets.
At that thought, she lifted her hand from the page as if it had heated exponentially. She should close the book and find a way to return it. That was the right thing to do. She wanted to do the right thing, but the point of borrowing a book was toreadit. Then again, she’d had no intention of returning it, of going to Haven House ever again or of looking upon the duke. Torn, she scrambled off the bed and sat at the table. Taking a sip of tea, she weighed the pros and cons, a common practice for her since learning Roman judges based their decisions on this method.
She bit her toast and chewed. The pros to reading the book would be that she would gain more knowledge. That knowledge could even be useful in case a gentleman ever thought to seduce her. She swallowed. That was doubtful, but still it was better to be prepared should such an occasion arise. Another pro could be she would learn more about the duke and whether she wanted to continue to support Teddy in his pursuit of Elsbeth. She glanced over at the bed. Right now, in her ignorance and based on her assumptions, she did not. The fact was, despite the subject, her curiosity was running wild with guesses. That would be another pro. By reading it, she would know and not imagine what the book contained.
Picking up her piece of toast, she popped the rest of it into her mouth. What cons could there be to learning something new? Maybe not knowing what a duke read was best in this case? She shook her head. Ignorance was never bliss, as the dedication stated. What if once reading the book, she couldn’t bear to be in the duke’s company? That had to be considered, especially if Teddy succeeded in winning Elsbeth’s hand. She’d gone to too much trouble to abscond with the book, so not to read it would be a waste of effort.
No, that was another pro. She lifted her teacup with both hands. What if she learned something that would change her view of the marriage bed, or rather give her a view of it. Since she was well on the way to happy spinsterhood, that argument didn’t hold a lot of weight. She tipped her cup and took a good swallow. That settled it. Setting the cup down, she stood. She would read the book. She’d always believed that what a man learned a woman could learn and this was no exception. She needed to abide by her own convictions.
Crawling back onto the bed, she settled herself in front of the dedication page and turned it over. She let out a breath as her gaze fell upon two figures, one on each facing page. A sketch of a naked man filled the left side, and a naked woman filled the right. Above each were simply the wordsmanandwoman. There was nothing new to be learned here since she was familiar with the female form, and based on the statues her younger sister Amelia insisted she view, she was somewhat cognizant of what a male body looked like. It was a fair place to start a book of this kind.
Turning the page, she let out a breath. “Oh.” Now the left side contained a sketch of the male’s nether area with lines pointing to specific parts. She quickly moved her gaze to the facing page. It contained the same area on a woman, but it had far more lines. Curious, she studied it. There was more there than she had realized. It didn’t seem necessary to point it all out. Lifting the page, she stilled as a sound whispered through her door. A maid?
A light tap on her door was her only warning. Without preamble, she slammed the book closed and stuffed it under her quilt just as the door opened and Amelia poked her head inside.
“Oh good, you’re awake. I just couldn’t sleep any more. I’m fairly bursting with my news.”
Her pretty younger sister stepped inside wearing her pale blue robe, her blonde hair loosely braided from her night’s sleep. Amelia never went about without everything about her in perfect order. Even when she painted in her studio, her clothing there might be a tad eccentric, but it was always impeccable. Whatever the news was, it had to be important.
“What is it?”
Amelia climbed on the bed and Joanna quickly shifted her position to protect the book.
“I’m to exhibit my work at the London Art Academy.”
She widened her eyes. “What? When?”
“The final week of June. They decided to open the final week of their season to female artists, and they asked me!”
Her heart filled with joy and she pulled Amelia forward, hugging her tight. “I’m so proud of you.” She set her sister away, but held her shoulders. “You did it. Lady Amelia Mabry, London’s foremost painter of people and places. I can see the placards already.”
Amelia laughed. “Not quite yet, but it will happen. I’m not going to stop until my skill is the best it can be.”
Joanna dropped her hand, her eyes stinging with tears of happiness. “You deserve this. You’ve worked so long, even put off your first season for it.”
“It was worth it. If Aunt Mabry hadn’t taken me to Paris and Florence, I would have never learned so much.” She giggled. “I’d still be painting father’s puppies, each with two tails and five legs.”
“And don’t forget the flowers for ears.”
Loved filled her at Amelia’s burgeoning success. “I always knew you were born for wonderful things.”
Amelia sobered. “I have a lot of work to do. They want a dozen paintings to display.”
“You have nearly five times that many.”
“But they aren’t all good enough.” Amelia slid from the bed. “I need to focus on my theme. Yes, I paint people and places, but what do I want my artwork to portray? I need to examine what I have and make a decision on which I will display based upon my theme. Then I must add new paintings to complete the impression.”
Joanna scooted off the bed. “I understand what you mean. Do you want me to help you decide?”
“Not yet. Let me ponder it a bit.”
She nodded. “I’m happy to generate ideas when you need them. Do Mother and Father know yet?”
“Yes, I told them last night, but you and Mariel were gone. I must have been in my studio when you came home. That’s where I’m headed now to make some decisions. Thank you for being happy for me. I was afraid you wouldn’t be.”
Surprised, she frowned. “Whyever not?”
Amelia shrugged. “Well, it’s a special week with only female artists. I thought you would be disappointed my work wouldn’t be shown with male artists as well.”
