Page 19 of Read To Me, Lyon

“Of course, enjoy your stroll. Newlyweds are such a lovely thing to glimpse out and about.”

They said their goodbyes and walked further along the path. Kitty was quiet. He explained, “You can talk to whomever you like. Don’t listen to Lady Wilcox.”

“You can say that because your family is who everyone aspires to be. I’m new to your scandal free lives.”

Oliver considered her question. “We try our best to avoid situations that may damage the Everly name, but we aren’t without secrets or fault.” Grasping her hand, he pulled her to a stop. “Don’t focus on the lords and ladies of the ton and what they have to say. Trust me, Kitty, I can’t fathom a scandal you might create that my family couldn’t navigate.”

Kitty, surprising him, said, “I think I would like to spend some time at the bookshop this afternoon.”

Oliver nodded, but worried Lady Wilcox had made her nervous. Kitty didn’t grow up in the world of the ton. He suspected she needed to be someplace where she was comfortable.

The heated moment between them had passed. Oliver wished he could take her back to the townhouse and to his bed, but wouldn’t rush it. He wanted Kitty to want him and not feel as if the marriage act was foisted upon her.

“We will have the carriage driver drop me off and then bring you there.”

She beamed at him. “Thank you, Oliver, for being so understanding.”

“Anything for you,” he murmured and found himself really meaning it.

Chapter Eight

Kitty smiled as Hazel helped Mrs. Donahue load books about female reproduction into a satchel. She was a woman who ran a home for unwed mothers-to-be and was a regular purchaser of their illicit books. Larson Bookshop and Printing Press wasn’t the only business selling illegal works, but she believed it might be the only one catering to women.

Mrs. Donahue mouthed “thank you” to her and waved goodbye. A giggle erupted from the other side of the room where women surrounded Beth Martin. She wrote steamy, mature romances deemed vile by the government. Kitty had read them and found them beautiful. In her stories, Beth focused on women finding pleasure during intimacy.

She blushed, her mind flashing to one scene where the man had run his mouth down his wife’s form, including her most intimate areas. Kitty and Oliver’s kisses were becoming more earnest as the days went by, but she wanted more. Kitty yearned to get swept away by his touch and their desire. Was that wrong?

Beth had been speaking and signing books for over an hour. Kitty needed to break up the gaggle around her. It was interesting who attended their underground book events. It was a mixture of ladies’ maids, working women, and wives from all classes. She suspected most came for the romance novels, but plenty still shopped for literature on health and science, to-do books, and philosophies that the government found lewd or inflammatory.

Sighing, she made her way to Beth and the ladies, clapping her hands. “Mrs. Martin needs to wrap up for the evening. I will be locking up the building soon. Do not fret; she will be here next month with a brand-new novelette.”

Groans and giggles escaped from the crowd, but they all moved along. Shannon and Hazel stood by the door, collecting their payments as they left. Beth grinned at her. “Thank you for creating a space where I can visit with my readers. It feels different than having to smuggle my romance novelettes discreetly to them.”

When Kitty’s father and mother had begun to involve her in the illicit book side of the business, one of her first suggestions was to open up the back room for customers to peruse books. Previously, women picked up their pre-ordered purchases and hurried off, as if their reading choices were shameful. Kitty hated that any woman would feel such an emotion.

Her mother had suggested inviting the authors to attend the events, and that increased the number of attendees even more. Still, it was dangerous, making Kitty always careful about who she invited. An unspoken rule among all their women readers was that no one shared anything publicly about the underground book events.

“How is married life?” Beth asked.

It was wonderful. Well, except they hadn’t been intimate with one another. Beth had become a dear friend over the last few years, so when Kitty blushed, she lifted a brow. Kitty fidgeted with the front of her skirt, unsure what to say.

“What are you trying to share? You do realize I write about sex, have been wed for almost two decades, and have birthed four children,” Beth stated.

“We haven’t shared the marriage bed.”

Beth’s eyes shot up, but then she shrugged. “You have just met. I’m sure he is giving you time. Do you kiss?”

Kitty nodded. Her friend questioned, “Do you enjoy it? Does he?”

His touch made her achy but not in a bad way. “I believe so.”

Beth’s eyes twinkled with mischievousness. “Perhaps, you should entice him for more.”

“I would have no idea how,” she blustered.

A tinkle of laughter escaped her friend. Beth walked to the tables with several books laid out. She selected one and handed it to Kitty. The title read, Seducing One’s Husband. Kitty felt her face heat even more, and her friend winked. “You sell the most useful literature but don’t peruse them yourself?”

“I read many of our underground publications. Just not this one. Until recently, I haven’t had a husband to seduce.”