Free Training Lady Townsend by Annabel Joseph Page B

afraid she would never come to like this. It didn’t hurt, and he was careful, but it seemed violent and uncivilized all the same. She was made to be a mother, a pillar of society, not a wanton in the bedroom. She knew it would be best to let him satisfy his needs elsewhere, as much as that offended her sense of decorum. Other husbands did so, in a discreet fashion, although her father disapproved of the practice.
    Lord Townsend was nothing like her father.
    After a moment her husband drew back, withdrawing from her body. The space inside her felt empty and cold. So did her soul.
I’m sorry
, she wanted to say.
I’m sorry that I’m not warmer to you. This is just the way I am.
    He pressed his cheek against hers and the threatening tears nearly overflowed. Then he rose without a word, gathered up his clothes, and crossed to the door. He turned back to her before he left. “Good night, grasshopper,” he said. “Sleep well.”

Chapter Five: Hemmed In
     
    Aurelia tried to act as if everything was perfectly fine as she took tea in Townsend House’s parlor. Her mother and sister-in-law had come to call, and her mother’s friend, the Dowager Countess Overbrook, who happened to be the aunt of the man she loved. Lord Warren’s sister Minette had come too.
    But not Lord Warren.
    Aurelia had learned months ago, through Minette, that the Earl of Warren’s given name was Idylwild. His sister called him Wild sometimes, and if Aurelia had been fortunate enough to have him for her husband, she supposed she would have called him Wild too. Instead she had a husband named Hunter. Taken together the names amounted to Wild Hunter, which was rather off-putting when one thought about it. Such savage names for two refined, titled gentlemen. The thought of savagery brought other memories. A spanking. Rasping words. A hard, probing invasion...
    “How does married life suit you?” asked Minette brightly, once the older ladies had spoken at length on the grandeur of her new home and the smart china setting. “Have you quite settled in?”
    Aurelia didn’t know what “quite settling in” signified, but she replied just as brightly, “Yes, I am very settled in.” When the ladies looked at her as if she ought to say more, she added, “Marriage is an interesting thing. There is so much to learn about the other person.”
    Minette made a face. “Don’t learn too much about Lord Townsend. You might not like what you—”
    “Minette!” her aunt said.
    “I was only teasing. Anyway, everyone knows men are—”
    “Minette, you are not old enough to know what men are.” The dowager scolded in earnest now, and Minette fell silent to take a sip of tea.
    “I know exactly what you mean about getting to know the other person,” Georgina said kindly. “I’ve been married to Brendan for a year now and I still learn things that surprise me. Lovely things, of course. Why, just yesterday both of us learned a wonderful surprise.” Her sister-in-law went pink and looked at the duchess.
    The older women caught on more quickly than Aurelia or Minette. “You are increasing? Do say it’s true, Georgina. What does Severin think?”
    “Oh, he’s ecstatic. We both are,” she said, placing a hand over her still-flat waistline. “Our child will arrive around Christmas.”
    “A blessed gift indeed,” said the dowager countess, then her gaze skimmed to Aurelia. “Soon you’ll be in the same condition, and you will be a grandmama twice over, Emmeline.”
    Her mother flushed with pleasure. “I hope so.”
    Aurelia flushed too, but not with pleasure. More like fear, anxiety, dread.
    “Now I’ve got to get Warren wed and set up in a happy home,” the dowager said in a tone of forbearance. “It’s difficult to find quality prospects these days. The ladies throw themselves at my nephew, quite blatantly begging for his hand, but few of them are up to snuff.”
    “He is such a handsome young man, like his father.” The duchess clucked in