Page 56 of Married to the Duke By Midnight

Jo groaned and hid her head in her hands. She had wanted something simple. Something transactional and comfortable. And Robert was so far from it.

25

“She is fine,” Thornston said a bit impatiently when Robert put his fob watch back in the pocket of his waistcoat.

He had been checking it regularly, thinking for at least the past few hours that something might have happened to Jo but not daring to voice the thought. When he had woken up and the servants had told him that Jo was gone, he had sent a note to Thornston’s lodgings to ask him to come by for luncheon.

They were sitting at the table in the shadow of a white Greek-styled wooden pavilion in the garden. Around them were neatly trimmed shrubbery with pink flowers giving an extra sense of privacy. The pavilion and the shrubbery both opened up toward the sea. It was the perfect spot for a private meal – one he should have shared with Jo, Robert thought glumly.

He could not deny now that something had to be amiss with her, since she had taken off without a word to him early in the morning. It was not the behavior of someone looking to become better acquainted with her husband on her honeymoon.

The house itself was rather ideal for a honeymoon though, Robert had to admit. It was large, yet still intimate and not as close to the city as he had feared. If he and Jo did not want company, it would be easy to avoid it.

“You don’t know that,” Robert snapped.

“She is walking along the beach in sunlight and has brought food, water and…”

“She has been gone for at least three hours,” Robert interrupted.

“You told me she likes going for long walks on the beach.”

Robert nodded, even though he did not feel reassured by this.

“Has something happened between the two of you?”

“No, what would have happened?” Robert sneered.

He did not want to tell Thornston about their night together. He did not want his friend to scoff at the fact that he had yet to sleep with his wife and that they had ‘only’ used their fingers to pleasure each other. It had been some of the best sexual experiences of his life. If not the best.

“You seemed… strained around each other yesterday when I met you. I thought you might have been arguing again,” Thornton teased him lightly, which made Robert grit his teeth. “What did you do? Try to pay for her jewelry this time?”

“No,” Robert sighed and raked a hand through his hair.

“Oh, so there is something,” Thornston said gleefully. “Let me guess, you slept together, but now she is withdrawing from you.”

It was too close to the truth for Robert to hide his surprised expression fast enough.

“How did you…?” he began then clamped his lips shut to not spill any more of their secrets.

“Ah, so I was right,” Thornston asked and smiled triumphantly. “Josephine did strike me as the type.”

“The type to what?” Robert asked angrily, both at Thornston’s ability to analyze the situation and for using his wife’s given name.

“Some women,” Thornston began and leaned forward in his seat as if he was a teacher telling a student about a scientific revelation, “will feel slightly embarrassed by the fact that they let themselves be carried away by the act. Even though they enjoyed participating in the moment.”

“Why would you think this applies to Jo?” Robert said defensively and crossed his arms over his chest, even though he was secretly wondering whether Thornston was right.

“I have found this to happen with women who are either very used to being in control or not very experienced in matters in the bedroom. Both apply to your wife as far as I know.” Thornston leaned back with a slight smirk, clearly finished with his lecture.

Robert scowled at him while he mulled the matter over. He had never thought he lacked experience in the bedroom. Lucretia had never complained; she had in fact praised him more than once, but he supposed it was true that only sleeping with her, an experienced, very willing woman, had given him a couple of blind spots in that area. With Thornston’s constant change of partners, Robert allowed that he might have more experience in this particular area.

“And hypothetically if that was the case what should I do?”

“Reassure her. Take matters at her pace. Allow her to withdraw afterwards and then find her way back to you, since it is what you both want.”

Robert nodded along as Thornston spoke.

“I’ll leave when she returns,” his friend assured him with a wink, his light brown curls bobbing over his forehead.