long, I’m sure they’ve forgotten all about you.” She moved away from him, her eyes on the letter.
“Oh, unkind,” Harry protested with a chuckle. He reached out an arm and caught his wife around the waist, pulling her down onto his knee. “Such a sharp tongue, Nell. I’ve a mind to tame it.” He tipped her backwards, so that her head was against his shoulder, and kissed her smiling mouth.
When at last he raised his head, she was still smiling, but her breath came fast and her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright with the ready desire that Harry unfailingly aroused. “Well, there’s some truth in what I said,” she murmured, reaching up a hand to touch his face. “Don’t you think it’s time we returned to the real world, love?”
“Have you had enough of marital seclusion, then?” He caught her hand and turned it up, pressing his lips into the palm.
“It’s not that,” she said. “But I think you’re beginning to get restless…not bored exactly, but you need your work.” She sat up straight and looked at him closely. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
He was silent for a moment, then he shook his head. “No, you’re right. I do feel an itch now and again.”
“Then I think we had better scratch it before it consumes you,” she said, jumping up from his knee. “I’ll tell Linton that we’re leaving for London in the morning. She has plenty of time to get the children ready, although, of course, she’ll protest mightily.” She moved energetically towards the door.
“Just a minute.” Harry stopped her as she put her hand to the latch. “I get the impression you’re as anxious to get back into the swim of things as I am, Nell.”
She gave him a rueful smile. “In truth, perhaps I am. And I’m very curious to form my own impressions of this prince who’s pursuing Liv so ardently. Ellie seems to have reservations, didn’t you get that impression?”
“A little, perhaps. But I think she’s more concerned about Livia’s response to the pursuit.”
Cornelia turned her eyes back to the letter. “Perhaps so,” she murmured. “Reading between the lines, it sounds as if Livia finds the Russian more than ordinarily attractive and that’s what’s concerning Ellie. Anyway, do you think you’ll be able to find out anything about him from your colleagues at the ministry?”
“I’m sure I can,” Harry said confidently. “No Russian émigré in London is going to escape the surveillance of the ministry at the moment, not after Tilsit…in fact not before either,” he added. “I’ll send Eric up to London with a note to Hector warning him that we’ll be back in Mount Street by the day after tomorrow.”
He stood up and stretched. “With the children, we’ll need to make frequent stops on the way tomorrow and break the journey overnight.”
Cornelia grimaced. Harry had learned the hard way about the drawbacks of coach journeys with a travel-sick child. “Susannah should be all right if we stop every two hours,” she said somewhat tentatively.
He nodded. “Rather what I thought. But I intend to ride and I can take her up with me for a while when the motion of the carriage gets too much for her.”
“That’s a good notion. I’ll do the same, and maybe we can accomplish this journey without too much drama.”
“Don’t forget to write a note of farewell to the earl,” Harry reminded her as she opened the parlor door.
“That will be a pleasure,” Cornelia stated. “I’ll send it around to Markby Hall this evening.” Markby Hall, the seat of the earl of Markby, her first husband’s father, was a mere two miles from Dagenham Manor. Cornelia had no love for her ex-father-in-law, who before her marriage to Viscount Bonham had done everything in his power to control her life and that of her son, Stevie, his grandson and heir. Her marriage to Harry had at first enraged him, but somewhere along the line Harry had managed to reconcile him to the changed
“Oh, unkind,” Harry protested with a chuckle. He reached out an arm and caught his wife around the waist, pulling her down onto his knee. “Such a sharp tongue, Nell. I’ve a mind to tame it.” He tipped her backwards, so that her head was against his shoulder, and kissed her smiling mouth.
When at last he raised his head, she was still smiling, but her breath came fast and her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright with the ready desire that Harry unfailingly aroused. “Well, there’s some truth in what I said,” she murmured, reaching up a hand to touch his face. “Don’t you think it’s time we returned to the real world, love?”
“Have you had enough of marital seclusion, then?” He caught her hand and turned it up, pressing his lips into the palm.
“It’s not that,” she said. “But I think you’re beginning to get restless…not bored exactly, but you need your work.” She sat up straight and looked at him closely. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
He was silent for a moment, then he shook his head. “No, you’re right. I do feel an itch now and again.”
“Then I think we had better scratch it before it consumes you,” she said, jumping up from his knee. “I’ll tell Linton that we’re leaving for London in the morning. She has plenty of time to get the children ready, although, of course, she’ll protest mightily.” She moved energetically towards the door.
“Just a minute.” Harry stopped her as she put her hand to the latch. “I get the impression you’re as anxious to get back into the swim of things as I am, Nell.”
She gave him a rueful smile. “In truth, perhaps I am. And I’m very curious to form my own impressions of this prince who’s pursuing Liv so ardently. Ellie seems to have reservations, didn’t you get that impression?”
“A little, perhaps. But I think she’s more concerned about Livia’s response to the pursuit.”
Cornelia turned her eyes back to the letter. “Perhaps so,” she murmured. “Reading between the lines, it sounds as if Livia finds the Russian more than ordinarily attractive and that’s what’s concerning Ellie. Anyway, do you think you’ll be able to find out anything about him from your colleagues at the ministry?”
“I’m sure I can,” Harry said confidently. “No Russian émigré in London is going to escape the surveillance of the ministry at the moment, not after Tilsit…in fact not before either,” he added. “I’ll send Eric up to London with a note to Hector warning him that we’ll be back in Mount Street by the day after tomorrow.”
He stood up and stretched. “With the children, we’ll need to make frequent stops on the way tomorrow and break the journey overnight.”
Cornelia grimaced. Harry had learned the hard way about the drawbacks of coach journeys with a travel-sick child. “Susannah should be all right if we stop every two hours,” she said somewhat tentatively.
He nodded. “Rather what I thought. But I intend to ride and I can take her up with me for a while when the motion of the carriage gets too much for her.”
“That’s a good notion. I’ll do the same, and maybe we can accomplish this journey without too much drama.”
“Don’t forget to write a note of farewell to the earl,” Harry reminded her as she opened the parlor door.
“That will be a pleasure,” Cornelia stated. “I’ll send it around to Markby Hall this evening.” Markby Hall, the seat of the earl of Markby, her first husband’s father, was a mere two miles from Dagenham Manor. Cornelia had no love for her ex-father-in-law, who before her marriage to Viscount Bonham had done everything in his power to control her life and that of her son, Stevie, his grandson and heir. Her marriage to Harry had at first enraged him, but somewhere along the line Harry had managed to reconcile him to the changed
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