Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

S imon opened his eyes and stretched out his arm, feeling the feeling the emptiness beside him in bed. His mind filled with confusion as he lifted his head off of the pillow and squinted in the dim light that was filtering through the curtains.

She must have gone back to her own chambers during the night.

He swung the sheets off of his legs before climbing out of bed and dressing. He vaguely recalled the conversation he’d had with Octavia before falling asleep. He’d promised to never stray from their marital bed, yet he had reminded her of his vow never to sire an heir. She had taken his words remarkably well, yet there had been a look of hesitation in her eyes.

Shaking off the unpleasant thoughts, he finished dressing and made his way downstairs, following his nose as the appetizing scent of breakfast led the way.

“You’re up early.” He offered Octavia a smile as he spotted her seated at their much smaller table in the London home’s dining room.

Octavia looked up from her plate, her eyes bright and slightly unsure. “Good morning, Your Grace. You were sleeping so soundly this morning; I didn’t wish to wake you,” she explained about her absence.

The sheepish expression on her face made his heart flutter quite unexpectedly. “That’s quite all right. I did wonder where you had gotten to this morning, but I assumed you’d gone back to your chambers.” He offered her another smile just as one of the footmen entered the room with another tray of food.

Octavia offered him another shy smile and bit her lips before looking back at her plate.

“I was going to ask you if you wished to join me this afternoon when I pay my friend a visit, but I will understand if you wish to stay in and rest.” He searched her face thoroughly enjoying the light blush that was creeping over her cheeks.

“No, I would very much like to accompany you.” She placed her fork beside her plate and offered him a bright smile. It almost seemed as if she wasn’t sure how to act around him now that their marriage had been consummated.

“Is this friend the one you were talking to last night?” She reached for the jar of preserves and spread the purple jelly over her toast.

Recalling the moment back home when she spilled a jar on her dress, Simon responded with a smile. “Yes, Arthur is my oldest and only friend; we attended Eton together and frequented each other’s homes during the holidays.”

“I would very much like to meet him,” she responded with a pleasant smile, making Simon relive the evening before.

Every move she made caused him to realize just how much of a sensual woman she truly was.

The tension he experienced in his body from wanting her was almost too much for him to bear as an idea suddenly occurred to him.

Pushing back his chair, he stood with a subtle smile, pushing back the chair with his knees.

“Did you need something?” Octavia asked him with a frown when he came to her side and reached for the jar of preserves.

“Just some of the preserves.” He held the jar behind his back, discreetly dipping the tip of his finger in as he smiled down at her. “You have something on your face.”

Octavia frowned before reaching for her napkin and dabbing the corners of her mouth.

“Did I get it?” She looked at him with a wide-eyed expression of confusion.

The look of confusion in her eyes made him enjoy the moment all the more when he reached over and touched the tip of her nose.

“You missed a spot right there.” He quickly withdrew his hand and smiled triumphantly at her. The trick with preserves had been one that his late governess had used on him whenever he would fuss over the vegetables on his plate.

The sheer look of confusion on her face as her mouth opened and closed caused Simon to chuckle from deep within his chest. “That’s better.”

Suddenly realizing what he was doing, Octavia narrowed her eyes at him and stood, reaching for the jar of preserves before dipping in three of her fingers right up to her knuckles.

“What are you doing?” He suddenly stopped laughing and eyed her with suspicion.

“Nothing at all, Your Grace. It’s just that you have something on your face.” She placed the jar back on the table and began to advance on him, holding her fingers out like a weapon.

Frantically searching for an escape, Simon began to move around the table, keeping his eyes fixed on hers as he sidled away. “Octavia, listen to me. The joke only works one way. You aren’t supposed to seek revenge. It doesn’t work like that.”

Cocking her head to the side with a cheeky smile, Octavia frowned. “What joke?” Her eyes suddenly filled with mischief as she lunged at him.

Ducking behind the chair, Simon dodged her fingers, causing the jam to splatter onto the carpet. “You will have to move faster than that to catch me.” He laughed at her and sprinted to the other end of the table, looking over his shoulder as he ran.

Laughing heartily now, Octavia gave chase, wielding her fingers in front of her as they led the way.

Simon regretted his decision to run almost as soon as his foot hooked onto the edge of the rug, sending him toppling to the floor as trays and food went flying through the air.

Octavia had been following too close behind, and her eyes suddenly widened with shock. Toppling over Simon, she yelped in surprise before falling head-first onto his chest.

“Are you hurt?” Simon asked her, reaching up and moving her hair out of her face.

“I don’t think so.” She groaned a little and moved her neck. “My wrist just hurts a little.”

“Where?” Simon reached for her hand, bringing it closer to his face before he realized his mistake.

“Right over there!” She smeared her fingers across his face, laughing almost hysterically as she did.

Wincing from the feel of the cold food on his skin, Simon shut his eyes and smiled. It had been many years since he genuinely laughed from the pit of his stomach; the feeling was almost as shocking as the jam on his face. He opened his eyes to see the light in her eyes as she gazed down at him.

Their faces inched closer, covering the distance as their lips locked together. His hands moved over her back, cupping her buttocks firmly in each hand.

“My goodness! I am so sorry, Your Graces!” Mrs. Farley gasped for breath and placed her hand over her chest before rushing from the room.

Octavia and Simon both turned back to each other with the same bewildered look in their eyes, bursting into laughter almost as soon as the housekeeper had left.

“You know, I think we will have to start paying Mrs. Farley more in case she decides to leave us.” Octavia shook her head and pushed herself off of Simon.

“I think you may just be right.” He sat up straight and came to his feet.

Octavia smiled at him before reaching for her napkin and wiping his face. “There, now you look presentable again.” She drew her bottom lip through her teeth and almost leaned in again when she glanced at his lips.

“Thank you; we had better finish our breakfast if we want to meet Arthur later.” Simon smiled at her, his heart warming at the unexpected gesture. Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her deeply, feeling the passion from the night before pulse through his veins.

Octavia stepped from the carriage, accepting her husband’s hand as he helped her to the ground. The grand houses all looked alike as she glanced down the row of buildings.

“Arthur has a home in the country, but he prefers to stay in London where he can have regular access to young debutants.” Simon seemed to regret his words when Octavia frowned at him. “Not that he misleads any of them; he always tells them up front that he isn’t looking for marriage.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel any better.” Octavia raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side.

Simon opened his mouth to reply, but his sentence was cut short by the sudden appearance of Arthur. “Welcome to my humble abode.” His arms were splayed wide as he hurried down the steps that led to his front door.

Octavia suddenly recalled him from the day of their wedding although she had had little to no interaction with the man. She recognized his light brown eyes and sandy-blonde hair along with his lean build.

“Thank you for inviting us to your home.” She curtsied politely, offering their host a warm and friendly smile.

Arthur bowed politely before aiming a punch at Simon’s shoulder. “We should have had a formal introduction by now, but the Duke here likes to make things far more complicated than they need be.”

Simon dodged the blow with ease, smirking at his friend. “It was self-preservation; I knew that Octavia would never agree to the marriage if she met you before the wedding.”

“You flatter me, Simon. I know I have a way with the ladies, but I didn’t think that your confidence in me was so high.” Arthur gripped his lapels and sniffed importantly, winking at Octavia.

Rolling his eyes, Simon shook his head. “Not even close; I was too afraid that she would think less of me if she saw the company that I keep.”

Narrowing his eyes at Simon, Arthur frowned trying to hide the mirth that sparkled in his eyes.

She was beginning to enjoy the light-hearted banter between the men when Arthur aimed another ill-fated blow at Simon’s shoulder and missed. This playful side of her husband hadn’t been one that she had expected. Even his attempts at cheering up at breakfast had caught her off guard. The Duke’s display of tender-hearted fun was beginning to make her think that she could live a life without any children as long as they remained together.

“Let us not stand here on the street; people are already beginning to gawk at us.” Arthur laughed before turning on his heel and gesturing for them to follow.

Simon turned to Octavia for a moment and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

The couple followed Arthur up the stairs and into the main entrance of the house which was sparsely decorated with vases here and there and a couple of paintings hanging on the walls.

“I hope you don’t mind the humble appearance of my lodgings, Your Grace. I prefer to live a simpler life here in London. Since I am the only person in residence here, I find that keeping too lavish of a lifestyle feels like a waste,” Arthur explained to Octavia as she looked around the entrance hall which seemed to need a feminine touch.

It was Simon who jumped in and answered for her. “The Duchess isn’t here to inspect your house, Arthur. Ring for tea before you bore us both to death.” He pushed past his friend and made his way into an adjoining room.

Looking at Octavia with a smile, Arthur winked at her. “I know things may seem tough at times with Simon, but I’ve already begun to see changes in him. He’s much happier than I’ve seen him before. Keep up whatever it is that you’re doing; it’s working.” His lips hooked into a cheeky smile before he turned and left her standing alone in the hall.

Perhaps he will change his mind.

Her heart fluttered as she struggled with the hope that rose in her chest. Out of everything that she struggled with in her life, accepting the fact she wouldn’t ever be a mother was proving to be harder than she had initially anticipated.

I want to stay with him.

She reminded herself of her decision to accept him as he was with all of his conditions.

“Octavia, is everything all right?” Simon appeared around the corner again and searched her face.

“Of course, I was merely admiring your friend’s superior decorating skills.” She shot him a beaming smile.

Simon shot her a smile of approval before nodding into the next room.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed past Simon and entered a room that was just as sparsely decorated as the one she had left.

The room seemed to be a drawing room of sorts with brown leather chairs and a matching chaise lounge. The earthy brown tones of the carpet matched the paper on the walls that were decorated with various heads of animals. The poor creatures had undoubtedly been killed by Arthur himself.

“As you can see, my superior decorating skills extend to the rest of the house.” Arthur pursed his lips into a knowing smile and winked at Octavia, deriving a laugh from Simon.

“Will you be ringing for tea anytime soon, or will we have to die of thirst before you offer us any kind of refreshments?” the Duke chided his friend again before choosing a seat on the chaise lounge and gesturing for Octavia to join him.

The friendly banter among the men commenced while Arthur ran for tea. Their persistent back and forth gave Octavia a moment to breathe as she gathered her thoughts. Things certainly would be easy for her if she never had any children, and living a life away from Simon didn’t seem very appealing either.

In a perfect world, she would have been able to keep her marriage intact as well as have a child. Her mind suddenly wandered to her cousin and Simon’s brother. What had happened to Isolde and why hadn’t she sent any word? The more time that passed without any kind of news, the more Octavia began to fear that something bad had happened to her cousin.

“Your Grace, are you well?” Arthur suddenly stopped talking and addressed Octavia with a frown.

Simon turned to her and reached for her hand.

She decided to tell them the truth when Simon gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I was only thinking of my cousin, Isolde. We haven’t heard from her yet, and I’m afraid that my uncle isn’t any closer to finding her. I thought that she would at least have made an appearance by now if she heard of my wedding.”

Angling his body toward her, Simon turned in his seat. “Fear not, I have written several letters to ascertain her whereabouts as well as those of my brother. I’m sure that my solicitor will be sending word any day now.”

Arthur chimed in as the tea arrived on a fancy silver tray that was overladen with cakes and sandwiches. “I’m sure there isn’t anything to concern ourselves with; Augustus was never one for playing by the rules. I’m sure that he’s flitting somewhere across Europe by now and will return with his tail between his legs.”

Octavia felt a little more at ease with the men reassuring her.

Rubbing his hands together, Arthur eyed the tray of eats before gesturing for the maid to pour them each a cup. “Let us move on to happier things now. My cook is well known for her iced cakes. Tuck in and have as many as you like.”

“Good God, Arthur, how many people were you expecting for tea?” Simon glanced at the piles of cakes and sandwiches with a disapproving scowl. “There is enough food on this tray to feed half of London.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Arthur suddenly seemed sheepish. “Well, I never know how much to ask the cook to prepare. Hosting isn’t one of my finer qualities. Besides, I often get hungry this late in the afternoon. Whatever you do not eat will do nicely with my evening tea.”

Octavia pursed her lips and exchanged a glance with her husband before bursting into a fit of laughter. The weight of the world seemed to lift from her shoulders for a moment as Arthur took a seat and stuffed a cucumber sandwich into his mouth.

“Nobody will ever understand me.” Crumbs fell onto his shirt as he reached for one of the delicately iced cakes.

Realizing that Arthur wasn’t the rake she had pinned him as from the start, she warmed to his company. There was something utterly endearing about his character, and she found herself wondering if he’d ever settle down with a wife.

If she and Simon had managed to find their way to one another, then surely there was somebody out there for Arthur.