“It does not feel right because it is not right,” the housekeeper replied. “Men are not the only ones allowed to find satisfaction during the act. Women have as passionate a nature as they do.
“However, I do think you are rushing things and that first you must find a middle ground with His Grace. Get to know him as a man first and not a duty to be done.”
Thinking of this week when she had not seen her husband, Ariadne asked, “Does he do anything but work?”
“Once a month, on the last Tuesday of the month, he goes to visit the horse stable he founded with his friend and colleague, Earl Stromwell.”
“Is that a business operation or personal leisure?” Ariadne asked.
“Both,” Mrs. Tully replied. “One arm of the venture, the horses are reared for breeding, and on the other, he buys injured horses and gives them a pasture to live out the rest of their days instead of being cut down as worthless.”
That is… surprisingly kind of him. I would never have expected that.
“I propose that you accompany him this Tuesday,” Mrs. Tully said. “It might be the start of a bonding activity between you two.”
Mrs. Tully was right, more than right on everything, actually. She was about to respond when the door pushed in, and Emily strode in, dressed impeccably in a pink muslin dress and bonnet.
She stopped right before Ariadne’s desk and pronounced, “I am ready.”
Confused, Ariadne asked, “Ready for what, dear?”
Chapter Fourteen
The girl looked at her as if she were daft, and Ariadne saw, in acute clarity, that Emily was, without a doubt, her husband’s child. “To go see Amelia and her five-toed cat, of course.”
“But—” her eyes flew to the ormolu clock on the mantle and quickly read, half past twelve. “—Isn’t it a school day, Emily?”
“It’s Friday,” Emily said, “Father has made it that I only have lessons half a day on Fridays so I can go visit my friends, read if I want, practice the violin or whatever I please. Today, I want to go see the cat.”
Amused, Ariadne asked, “Only the cat? Not your friend as well?”
Puffing out her cheeks, Emily said, “I suppose she must be there; it is her cat after all.”
“I would love to go with you, Emily, but I think it's best if you ask your father first,” she said delicately.
Pouting, the child replied, “Father left for London over an hour ago. Sometimes, he forgets.”
While heartbroken for her, Ariadne found herself in a difficult position; take the child to her friend and start bonding with her, and hope her father would take it lightly was one. The other was that he would see this as some egregious act, and she would incur his wrath.
She could feel Mrs. Tully’s eyes on the side of her head, simply watching to see what she was going to do. Surely Cedric knew his daughter’s friend and family, and if it was on the schedule—and she was sure it was—she decided to risk his temper.
“I’ll go with you,” she said. “Just give me a moment to get into a carriage dress and get my coat.”
Ariadne looked up to see Mrs. Tully’s warm, agreeable smile. That was permission enough for her.
Beyond vast tracts of land, green pastures that teemed with droves of sheep, Ariadne spied the house. Their destination was ordinarily a twenty-minute ride from Hollway Estate, which, with the empty road, was covered in less than fifteen.
The manor house was three stories tall, made from stone and dark timber, with jutting balconies, floating eaves. A wide gravel road led to the tall columns at the front doors.
Curiously, Emily had chattered to herself all the way from the moment they had boarded the carriage. Through the rambling chatter, Ariadne had picked up that Amelia had two twin older sisters who were off on boarding school and a brother at Eton.
“Have you ever seen her brother?” Ariadne asked.
“Once,” Emily wrinkled her nose. “He smelled funny when he hugged me. His perfume is yucky. Do you have brothers?”
“No,” she replied. “I only have sisters, and you remind me of the two of them when they were your age.”
“Do I get to meet them?” Emily asked.
