Mistress - Amanda Quick [132]
Marcus took Iphiginia’s arm. “I think it’s time we moved along to the Wilkersons’. It’s nearly midnight and we are expected to put in an appearance.”
“Yes, of course.” Iphiginia gave Herbert a farewell smile and allowed herself to be led away through the crowd.
“I grow increasingly weary of stumbling over Hoyt in order to get to you,” Marcus said.
“I regret that he annoys you, but he is my friend, Marcus. I am quite fond of him.” Iphiginia gave Marcus a repressive glance as he led her down the steps to the waiting carriage. “I expect you to be polite to my friends after we are married.”
“Of course, my dear,” Marcus said with uncharacteristic and rather suspect meekness.
Iphiginia scowled at him. “What was that nonsense about locking me away in a harem?”
“A harem of one, my sweet. I assure you that you will be the only occupant.”
“That sounds interesting,” Iphiginia said.
“It certainly struck me that way.”
Iphiginia was exhausted by the time Marcus finally escorted her home at three in the morning.
The town house was quiet, Amelia and the staff having long since retired to bed. Marcus and Iphiginia went quietly across the hall and walked into the shadowed library.
Marcus closed the door, loosened his cravat, and lit the candle on Iphiginia’s desk.
“Good heavens, what an exhausting evening.” Iphiginia stripped off her white kid gloves and flopped into the chair behind her desk. Her white sarcenet and satin skirts fluttered around her. “One would have thought you had announced your intention to marry a female who possessed two heads. I have never seen so many curious eyes or heard so many gasps of amazement.”
“The worst is over.”
“I certainly hope so.” Iphiginia frowned at her white skirts. “The first thing I am going to do after our marriage is purchase some new gowns. I am dreadfully bored with white.”
“It served its purpose.” Marcus helped himself to a small glass of brandy.
“I suppose it did.”
“It was an extremely daring and rather shrewd notion.”
“Thank you, my lord. I was rather pleased with the notion myself.” Iphiginia tried to summon up a casual smile.
In truth she felt anything but calm tonight. The enormity of the step she was about to take was having a deeply unsettling effect on her nerves.
Teach me to break this rule, too.
Had Marcus really meant that he was willing to learn how to love again? Iphiginia wondered. Or had he offered her the challenge, knowing that she would be unable to resist?
He could be so bloody clever, she thought.
“Speaking of our marriage,” Marcus said.
“Yes?” Iphiginia watched as he began to prowl the room, brandy glass in one hand.
Marcus paused in front of a statue of Aphrodite. “] intend to procure a special license in the morning. We can be married tomorrow afternoon”
Iphiginia caught her breath. “So soon?”
He looked at her over his shoulder, his intelligent gaze shuttered and brooding. “There is no need to delay the event, is there?”
It dawned on Iphiginia that, in his own way, Marcus was as ill at ease as she was tonight. How odd that, having been through so much together, they should suddenly find themselves nervous around each other.
“No,” she said.
Marcus nodded once, satisfied. “I shall make the arrangements.”
“Very well.”
Marcus took a swallow of brandy and moved on to study the statue of the Roman centurion. “I thought we managed quite nicely this evening.”
“People are amazed that you are going to marry your mistress, you know.”
“You are not my mistress.” Marcus set his glass down on a nearby table. “You are my fiancee. The gossip will vanish once we are wed.”
Iphiginia glanced at the copy of Illustrations of Classical Antiquities on her desk. “Are you certain?”
“Quite.” Marcus smiled without any humor. “Marriage fixes everything, you see.”
Iphiginia recalled the circumstances of Marcus’s first marriage and winced. “Yes.”
“It silences scandal before it can flower. It renders titillating gossip of an affair into extremely dull tea conversation. In short, Iphiginia, once we are married, we shall become a very boring subject