Page 13 of Lady Mariel’s Scandalous Love

She shook her head, looking completely annoyed.

“It is so unfair! Why does society have such different rules for women, compared to men? And why does everyone seek to keep young women ignorant of so much, as if we are far too fragile to cope with knowledge of almost anything! Let me make it easier for you. Let me guess what topic you refer to. I suspect, from what you have just said, and from your hesitation, that the books you collect deal with the human body, with the act of copulation, and the… various interests… that relate to that?”

Dash felt the world turn upside down. She had just said… she had, he had heard it distinctly. He met her eyes, and saw great amusement there, as she watched him come to terms with what she’d said.

“Umm… to be succinct, yes.”

“But that is wonderful! I have only a few books like that, and they are so hard to find, especially as men hide them from women. I find them fascinating – there is so much to learn. But please keep that secret – only Alex and Selina know of it.”

“And now me. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. Those books, one book in particular, is what has led me to this conversation today. For that one book is written in Russian – which I cannot read any of at all. I know that it is a book of the type that I collect, for it has illustrations – rather detailed and explicit illustrations, somewhat in the Persian style. I want someone to translate it to English. I was hoping that such a thing, scandalous as it obviously is, would not be too…”

He got no further. Her eyes lit up with utter delight, and she leaned forward, grasping his hand between hers, full of excitement.

“Yes! I will do it, I’d love to. And no, I will not be shocked, horrified, faint, run from the room or anything like that. I can’t wait to see those illustrations – the books I have do have some pictures, but many are rather… stylised. Seeing new ones would be wonderful. I do not, at all, care that doing it is scandalous, although, obviously, we will have to work out a way for me to do it, where no one knows that is what I am doing, and where I at least appear to be being chaperoned – not that I think you would do anything untoward, but people make such assumptions, if one even looks sideways at an unmarried man!”

“You, Mariel, have just given me the most delightful gift. Even if only part of it can be translated, that will be more than I had dared hope for. You are a most unusual young woman, most unusual indeed.”

“I will take that as a compliment, Dash. That you are capable of even considering giving me this opportunity makes you a most unusual gentleman, too. You cannot imagine how glad I am that you chose to offer me this.”

He found himself with a feeling of warmth at her words, at her obvious approval of him – something he rarely saw in so unalloyed a fashion, from those who knew of his collecting.

“Then perhaps we should discuss the practical aspects of this with Alex and Selina, so that you can start as soon as possible?”

“Indeed, we should. And Dash… I have realised – there is something that I have found, here at Fortescue Grange, which I have not even discussed with Alex yet – something which I suspect you will be very interested in. I’ll say nothing more for now, until I ask Alex about it privately – but I will ask him, and soon.”

Dash looked at her, at the thoughtful expression which had slipped across her beautiful face, and for a moment, was filled with the desire to lean forward and bring his lips to hers. He refrained, but part of him wished that he’d done it.

“I’ll remind you of that – probably incessantly, until you tell me about this oh so mysterious thing.”

She laughed, and released his hand, sitting back with a smile.