Page 45 of The New Earl’s Convenient Wife

Ah, the nights. To his delight, neither the sensual pleasure his inventive wife provided, nor her eager desire for physical encounters had decreased since their arrival in London, even if their activities had been confined to the bedchamber.

There was something to be said about soft beds and silken coverlets.

He was still smiling at those images when the butler approached. ‘A note has just come for you, my lord,’ he said, bowing as he presented the missive on a silver tray.

Curious, Rafe broke the seal. As he quickly scanned the contents, his smile faded, an amorphous pain he couldn’t put a name to and a sense of foreboding settling in his gut.

‘What is it? What’s happened?’ Juliana asked urgently.

Irritated that his unguarded reaction would make it impossible to avoid answering, he felt forced to tell her the truth. ‘It’s from Hart. He wanted to warn me that…that Earl and Lady Altorn have just arrived in town. The earl’s wife is the former Thalia Heathcote.’

He watched with deepening self-annoyance as Juliana’s eager expression faded to a look of concern. ‘I see. Will that present a…difficulty for you?’

‘Nothing I can’t handle if the need arises,’ he replied, trying to imbue his voice with a breezy confidence. ‘You mustn’t be anxious. As a duke’s heir, Altorn will be escorting his wife to the sorts of Society entertainments we avoid, so it’s quite possible we’ll not encounter them at all. If we should chance to meet, I’ll acknowledge Lady Altorn—it would be rude to ignore her—but I’ll not need to be more than polite.’

‘I should hate to think seeing her would be…wounding for you.’

As she glanced away, not meeting his gaze, he tipped up her chin so she had to look at him. ‘Thalia is a part of my past, Juliana,’ he said urgently. ‘A heartache I got over long ago. You and I together are both present and future for me. You mustn’t doubt that for a moment. Promise me?’

She gave him a tentative nod.

‘Then show me your lovely smile, and let’s go enjoy our outing.’

As he escorted her down the entry stairs and summoned a hackney to carry them to Great Russell Street, he told himself he would take his own advice to heart and dismiss any further thought of Lady Altorn.

By the time a short while later, when Rafe handed his wife down in front of Montague House, Juliana seemed to have recovered her customary calm. He intended to devote every effort to making sure she forgot about the unsettling news and thoroughly enjoyed their visit together.

Concentrating on pleasing her would help him forget it, too.

‘At the risk of appearing a bumpkin, I’ve never been to the museum,’ Rafe admitted as they approached the handsome domed façade

‘It’s not where I would expect the energetic outdoorsman you have always been to spend any time, so I’ll not hold it against you.’

As they walked inside, she said, ‘Have you any interest in Greek and Roman antiquities? Most of the ground floor is occupied by the extensive library, but they do have Sir William Hamilton’s collection of vases and sculpture along with Egyptian antiquities, including the Rosetta Stone.’

‘Ah, yes, even I know about that—the key to deciphering hieroglyphics. Brought back by our stalwart troops after they defeated Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile. Some military men are interested in culture, redeeming the army’s reputation from dolts like me. Viewing the sculpture would be interesting, but I’d prefer to see what most interests you.’

‘That would be the natural history collection on the second floor.’

‘Lead on.’

Rafe followed her upstairs, where she led him into the first of a series of galleries. ‘My friend, Lady Fallsham, introduced me to this. She was the friend of a friend who came to dine with the family after Aggie was engaged and ended up talking with me. When she asked me about making my debut the following year, I thought to put her off by confessing I preferred remaining in the country, observing and drawing plants and animals, to mingling in Society. To my surprise, she avowed her own interest—and invited me to accompany her here.’

‘That was kind of her—and clever, too. I’ll wager she was even more surprised to discover how excellent your drawings are.’

‘She knew the Sloan collection so well, she was able to guide me to the parts of it she thought I’d most enjoy. The large array of plants, some of which I sketched with her. And yes,’ she added with a faint blush, ‘she did admire my work. My favourite exhibits are here. The birds.’

Juliana led him into another room, where a wide variety of bird species were featured, some by their nests, some posed on branches. ‘Especially these—the ibis, from Egypt. And this little jewel—a hummingbird, from America. How I should love to see one in the wild someday! Is it not a wonder?’

Rafe was pleased to note that, surrounded by creatures she loved, she seemed to have wholly forgotten the news about Thalia. He would relax and simply enjoy watching her, her face radiant as she gestured towards the tiny bird. He was touched that she would share it with him, this creature from another world she admired so much. And once again amazed, that she treasured this brilliant, glittering collection of feathers that way other women would treasure the sparkle of a diamond or the faceted face of an emerald.

‘Do you mind if I take time to sketch it?’

‘Of course not. That’s why I gave you the sketchbook and invited you to come here.’

‘I won’t take long.’

While she sketched, Rafe roamed through the room with the birds and then several other adjacent rooms, inspecting the vast collection of shells, coral, fossils and plant specimens. From time to time, he glanced back, to see her so totally absorbed in her work, he suspected she’d forgotten his presence.