Ivy sighed and dipped her head. “As I recall, you no longer seemed to want my company,” she said in a quiet voice. She managed to make the words less an accusation and more of an explanation.
“But… but I did,” he assured her. He turned in his chair to face her, one hand covering hers.
Ivy’s attention darted to his hand, her gaze going from his scuffed knuckles to the Ritchfield crest emblazoned on the onyx ring he wore on his fourth finger. For years, they had joked that should he punch someone on the chin, they wouldbe left with a permanent scar the mirror image of the raised crest.
She lifted her other hand and traced the edges of the gold crest with a fingertip. “You never asked me to go to back to York with you. You just packed up and left the day after Parliament was over.”
His mouth dropped open as he shook his head. “I didn’t think you required an invitation to go back to your own home,” he countered quietly.
Ivy inhaled to respond but instead simply stared at the ring.
Dipping his head, he said, “I suppose I should have asked you. Showed that I wasinterestedin learning your plans,” he admitted.
About to mention she hadn’t joined him in York because she feared she might be interrupting anaffaire—she had always worried he had taken a mistress—Ivy thought better of it and said, “I should have asked about yours.”
Despite the seriousness of their discussion, Robert displayed an expression of amusement. “We are certainly a pair,” he murmured.
Ivy sighed, her head dropping to one side. “Your life was in York. Mine was in London.”
He pushed aside his dinner plate and leaned forward to place his elbows on the table. “What if... what if it wasn’t?” he asked, steepling his fingers.
Ivy blinked. “Are you referring to my life? Or?—”
“Either,” he said. “Neither. Oh, I don’t know. Does it really matter, if neither one of us wants to be in the other place?”
Ivy’s eyes widened. “I didn’t say I didn’t wish to be in York,” she said softly.
He once again dipped his head. “It’s true I would rather be in York than in London,” he admitted. “But... if you knew you were...wantedin York, would you come?”
Ivy stared at him for several seconds. “I... I suppose I would.”
He swallowed. “Do you think you might be inclined to go there? After Christmas? Mayhap stay until...”
“Until it’s time to go to London for the Season?” she asked in awe. Inhaling slowly, she blinked several times and resisted the urge to place a hand on his forehead to check for a fever. Her husband of nearly thirty years appeared paler than usual, which only exacerbated his harsh features and stern expression. “Robert? Are you feeling all right?”
He frowned, which worsened his appearance. “I’m fine. I’m merely...” He shook his head. “Lonely,” he whispered.
“Robert,” she said, the word almost a whisper.
He jerked at hearing his given name, as if he hadn’t heard her use it several times already that evening. She almost always called him Ritchfield. “If you didn’t go back to London—at least, not right away—would there be someone... anyone who would miss you there?” he asked.
Ivy recognized the opportunity to mention her desire to pension Watkins and to hire a replacement. “Only my lady’s maid, and that’s a topic I did wish to discuss with you.”
Robert gave a start, obviously not expecting that particular answer. “I did wonder about that,” he responded. “You seemed especially vexed about it when we spoke earlier. As if you wanted to say something but thought better of it.”
“That’s it exactly,” she admitted.
He tossed his napkin onto the table. “Has something happened with Watkins?” he asked, his tone suggesting he was suspicious of the servant.
“I almost mentioned it upstairs,” she admitted. “But I didn’t wish to in case... well, because sometimes the walls have ears,” she whispered. “And this is about a servant.”
“Understood,” he said. “Go on.”
Ivy pushed aside her dinner plate. “She’s grown old andquite forceful with the hair pins,” she stated. “I know she was your mother’s maid, and your sister’s, but...” She paused and winced.
“Go on,” he urged.
“My scalp can no longer abide her attempts to stab it to death repeatedly twice a day, every day.”
