“That will be the dessert,” she said, reaching over to lift the lid to reveal slices of fruitcake covered with sugared frosting.
He inhaled sharply, sniffing the air. “How much rum do you suppose Clara put into those cakes?” he asked in alarm.
Ivy tittered. “Probably the entire bottle I brought from Berry Brothers. Less whatever she imbibed whilstmakingthe cakes,” she added in a teasing grin.
Robert guffawed. “Are the servants having it for dessert as well?”
She nodded. “Probably.”
He continued to laugh. “Perhaps I shall have to serve them some port after dinner,” he said. “Besides the coins, it’s all I brought with me from York.”
Ivy blinked. “Are you thinking toshortenthis evening’s festivities?” she asked in alarm.
“Maybe,” he admitted.
She giggled. “Robert,” she scolded. A moment passed before she said, “I don’t know why I was so nervous when I saw you yesterday.”
He glanced up from his plate, obviously surprised at the comment. “Well, you weren’t exactly expecting me to be here.”
“True,” she acknowledged. “But... I worried you had finally decided to...” She clamped her mouth shut and closed her eyes.
“Decided to do what?” he prompted.
She audibly sighed. “Divorce me.”
His fork clattering onto his plate, Robert stared at his wife with a combination of hurt and shock. “Divorce you?” he repeated in a whisper. “Never, Ivy. How could you even think that?”
She opened her eyes and stared at him for several seconds before lifting a shoulder. “Surely you were wishing to get on with your life.”
He growled before leaning back in his chair. “I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else,” he murmured. “Especially after rereading all your letters.”
Ivy swallowed. “Before you read them?—”
“I never considered there would ever be anyone else,” he claimed.
She shook her head when she realized he had misunderstood her meaning. “Before you read those letters, did you... did you ever think of me? During the course of your days?—?”
“I do every day. Every night,” he said in a low voice. “I wonder whose parlor you are having tea in, and who you are dancing with at the balls, and in whose box you are sitting in at the theatre,” he said, his gaze darting to the side. He struggled to keep from adding,Whose bed you are warming.
“Oh,” she breathed. “Well, I take tea with several different ladies depending on the day of the week,” she said, about to list all their names. Seeing his expression change to a grimace, she decided not to mention any names. “You know them all, mavens of gossip and the judges of who shall and who shall not wed in the coming Season,” she added with a wave. “I rarely attend the theatre, nor do I dance much these days,” she went on. “I would rather watch the younger couples. Sort who I think will make good matches and who would be miserable.” She swallowed, deciding to admit her thoughts about him. “You are frequently on my mind as well.”
“I am?” He straightened, obviously surprised by the comment.
She nodded. “Of course, Robert. I wonder if you are spending your days in your study or at your club, or if you are on a hunt in the country. Who you are dancing with at thedistrict ball. Whose box you are in at the theatre.” She thought better of adding,Whose bed you are warming.
He chuckled softly. “Most of my days are spent in my study,” he murmured. “I’ve become quite involved in the coal mining business, especially this past year, what with this awful weather and all,” he explained.
“You go to the mines?” she asked in surprise.
“I go to the offices in Wakefield every few weeks,” he clarified. “I have a townhouse there. Small staff.” He drank some wine. “The men’s club in York is more tradesmen and bankers than aristocrats, of course, but given the mines, I suppose I fit in there.” He paused a moment. “I haven’t been on a hunt in an age. I’m usually in the card room at the balls. I never dance. And I don’t attend the theatre unless I must to appease someone, but I think you could have guessed that.” He exhaled a breath and shrugged. “Not a very exciting life, I admit.”
Ivy sighed again. “I miss you, Robert.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “I miss you as well.”
Ivy wasn’t sure if she stood first or if he did, but the chairs were nearly overturned in their haste to embrace one another. Once they were in each other’s arms, his lips took hers with an urgency Ivy hadn’t experienced before, the firm pillows suckling hers as his arms tightened their hold around her waist and shoulder.
He kissed her as if his life depended on it.
