Her Husband's Harlot by Grace Callaway

matched hers. "Though
it surprises me that you would notice, given your busy social schedule."
    Helena's
teeth clicked together. "I have been busy refurbishing your home,
my lord. Or perhaps that has escaped your attention?"
    Nicholas
flicked a glance around him.
    "It
looks fine," he said.
    Fine . Helena felt like flinging one of the Chinese vases
she had carefully arranged on the mantelpiece.
    "I
am glad you think so," she replied acidly.
    "Hmm,"
Nicholas said, drumming his fingers on the armrest.
    Better
yet, she could smash the priceless porcelain over his head.
    "Is
there anything else you require?" her husband was asking.
    "You
will attend the musicale, then?" It was unlike her to be so persistent.
She did not know why she was pressing the issue, other than his obvious reluctance
to oblige her. "My parents will be in attendance as well. I am sure they would
like to see you."
    Nicholas
looked disgruntled and not particularly happy at the prospect of seeing his
in-laws. "I suppose I can fit it in."
    "You
are too kind, my lord," she said in cool tones.
    Nicholas
cleared his throat in the silence that followed.
    "Well,
if there is nothing else ..." he began.
    "No,
there is not."
    "I
will take my leave, then."
    "Of
course. I will detain you no further," she said, rising.
    He
bowed again. In a few powerful strides, he exited the drawing room. A few
moments later, she heard the door to his bedchamber opening and closing on the
floor above. With a stiff gait, she walked back to the loveseat, sat, and
stared into the space recently vacated by her husband. What in heaven's name
had transpired just now? She had planned to seduce him, and instead she had
managed to make matters worse.
    Not
that Nicholas had helped. In fact, she thought in a daze of bewilderment and
anger, he had not helped one bit.
    How dare
he belittle her decorating skills?
    How
dare he refuse her infinitesimally small request to attend the Dewitts' party?
    How dare he look at her so dispassionately, when but two nights ago he had growled with
ecstasy in her arms?
    After
a while, she wiped her eyes on her sleeve and noticed her list lying on the
ground. She picked it up and smoothed out the wrinkles. Well, she had certainly
bungled the first three categories of seduction. Guests? After this, Nicholas
would prove a reluctant participant at best. Location? Obviously, he was not
overly impressed by her attempts to create a domestic paradise. And refreshments?
She sniffled. She was willing to wager he had lost all appetite after their
encounter. As had she.
    The
last item wavered in front of her eyes.
    Entertainments.
    She
closed her eyes wearily. And prayed Marianne would have some advice for that.

SIX
     
    The
next morning, Nicholas instructed the driver to drop him off several blocks
away from the warehouse. He wanted a walk to clear his head. Cloaked in a gloomy
yellow fog, the docklands at daybreak perfectly suited his mood. He made his
way along the narrow street lined by cramped buildings, absorbing the
ungoverned energy of those who pushed by him. The sounds of fog horns and sea
gulls echoed through the mist. Nicholas inhaled, the salt and tar-tinged air
loosening and expanding his chest. Leaving Mayfair was like shedding a
confining jacket. Here by the river, he was back where he belonged.
    He
stopped at a cart to purchase a bun from a gap-toothed woman and turned left toward
the quay. Once there, he leaned against a wooden post and looked over the
mist-covered water. The fog blanketed the lighters, but he could feel the looming
presence of the ships. Ghost-like, the wooden hulls bumped hollowly against the
wharf. It was a forlorn sound. If it were not for the shouts of the river
men—the colliers and sailors—one might suspect some sort of other-worldly
enterprise, rather than one that was purely human.
    Nicholas
took a bite of the pastry and winced. It had the density of a boulder. Indeed, the
bun may have rivaled prehistoric rock in the length of its