Temptations of a Wallflower (32 page)
Read Temptations of a Wallflower Online
Authors: Eva Leigh
And so, dear reader, for many months, Jacob and I decided to live part of the year in London, and part of the year in the country. We knew unending ecstasy, having found it in the most unlikely place.
The Highwayman's Seduction
One year later
O
pening night of one of Lady Marwood's new burlettas at the Imperial Theater always caused excitement and anticipation. Crowds packed the theater's lobby as well as the street outside, where people jostled to secure tickets to another eagerly awaited production.
Jeremy and Sarah wove their way through the throng, maneuvering past the hordes of would-be audience members. They didn't have to worry about being admitted to the theater, as Maggie had made certain to set aside tickets at the box office.
In one of their twice-monthly gatherings at Catton's, Maggie had confided to Sarah and Eleanor that
she never grew tired of looking out from behind the curtains of the theater and watching the seats fill.
“After all this time,” she'd confessed, “I still can't believe that a ragman's daughter like me could draw a crowdâfor the right reasons.”
“That's sham humility, Mags,” Eleanor had chided with good humor.
“So speaks the woman whose scandal rag has a circulation of thousands,” Sarah had laughed.
“Thus decrees the lady with readers on the Continent and the Americas, let alone here in soggy Britain,” Maggie teased. Sarah had lately begun publishing fairy stories under her own name. She continued her anonymous work as the Lady of Dubious Qualityâbut Eleanor and Maggie didn't know that. The Lady's story of Lady Josephina and the professor,
A Study in Love,
outsold all her other titles, with the emphasis on romance generating even more readers. She had been quite inspired in writing the book, and she continued to enjoy her inspiration.
Sarah sometimes felt bad for not telling her friends about her other writing activities, but it was for the best to preserve the security of her identity. There was always the chance of scandal if it was revealed that Lady Sarah Cleland, duke's daughter, married to a former vicar turned publisher, wrote such salacious material.
Every other Thursday, Sarah met with Maggie and Eleanor at Catton's. The three of them made most unladylike sounds over their cakes and tea, causing more than a few heads to turn in their direction. But none of them cared, especially Sarah. She had friends now,
true
friends who didn't pity or insult her. Who shared her love of writing and understood the difficulties and joys of the work.
She hadn't realized how much she'd needed the friendship of other women until she'd finally possessed it, and now she counted the two female writers as honorary sisters. Better than sisters, because they didn't have the burden of family connections.
Maggie had been worried about the reception of her newest work,
Along Came Love
. It was a matter of course that Sarah and Jeremy would be present in the theater to support her on opening night.
“It's a crush,” Sarah said now over the din in the lobby.
“That'll make Maggie happy,” Jeremy answered, raising his voice.
“One would think so,” Sarah replied. Maggie was a terrible perfectionist, holding herself to higher and higher standards the more successful she became. Thank goodness for Cam, who kept his wife grounded through his dry wit and ardent devotion.
Finally, Sarah and Jeremy breached the lobby and made their way up toward the box held in reserve. Jeremy looked devastatingly handsome in his dark evening dressâthough ever since he'd left the Church, he'd continued to wear sober, plain clothing, as if he couldn't quite adopt the life of a layman. Though his departure from the Church had been entirely voluntary, he'd confessed late one night that there would always be a part of him that remained a vicar. She didn't mindânot when he still had the sensual appetite of one devoted to pleasure.
Reaching the theater box, Sarah smiled when she beheld Eleanor, Daniel, and Cam already there. Everyone greeted each other warmly.
“Maggie's backstage?” Sarah asked, taking her seat.
“I can never drag her away for long,” Cam answered. “Though,” he added with a wolfish grin, “I try.”
“A true lover of the arts,” Jeremy said wryly.
“How fares the latest book from Cleland Publishing?” Daniel queried, shaking Jeremy's hand.
“Reports are back from bookstores across the country.” Jeremy grinned. “They can't keep copies of
Little Fairy Stories for Big People
on their shelves. And our other titles are doing just as well.”
“I would never have guessed that the reading public had such an appetite for moralistic bombast,” Cam drawled.
“They're mostly philosophical treatises.” Jeremy shook his head with mock sadness. “Yet I'd never expect an untutored barbarian to make that distinction.”
“You've truly fallen from grace,” Cam returned with as pious an expression as he could muster.
“Into the arms of my wife.” Jeremy's look for her was intimate, ripe with possibility. She fanned herself, though the gesture was only partially playful.
Eleanor said, “Cam, if you read anything other than plays, you'd know that his books are aimed to help those with the most rudimentary education find their footing in the world.”
Sarah glowed with pride at Jeremy's work. He'd transitioned from assisting a few hundred people in a parish to several thousand across the country. The
books he published were an unusual amalgam of philosophy and instruction. He'd written two volumes himself already, but he also had a stable of writersâmen, women, highborn, commoner, and Sarah herselfâwho provided writing that, it seemed, readers devoured. The first few months had been shaky, with Sarah and Jeremy's income generously supported by her dowry and income from her novels. But since that uncertain time, profits had steadily risen, as had readership. They had a staff of half a dozen already.
They lived in London most of the year, with a little cottage near Rosemead for the summer months. The arrangement suited them both exceptionally well, giving them necessary solitude from the rest of the world. Whenever they went to church, they were still greeted warmly by the villagers, even though Mr. Wolbert was now the vicar.
“My apologies,” Cam said with a bow, though he spoiled the effect by grinning.
“You can't help being a boor.” Jeremy spoke with affection. The past year had seen him change so much. He was still a reserved, thoughtful man, but he spoke and moved with more confidence now. His laughter came more frequently. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind.
Neither of them saw their parents, despite the duke's earlier decision that relations would thaw in six monthsâbut Sarah still hoped that the situation might warm in time.
“Maggie tries to reform me,” Cam answered despairingly. “Yet even she knows when a task is impossible. But, quiet! The burletta's about to start.”
Jeremy sat beside Sarah, their hands automatically finding the other's. As the crowd quieted, Sarah glanced over at her husband, who looked back at her with a warm, promising smile. Her heart overflowed in palpable waves. She had discovered so many valuable things in the last year and nearly lost them all. Yet she'd held on, and now possessed more than she'd ever believed possible. She had friends. Writing. A man who loved her, and whom she loved. Two people who allowed each other to be fully themselves. There was no last page, only another and another, their story ongoing and unfolding, chapter by rich chapter.
The curtain rose.
EVA LEIGH
is the pen name of a RITA® Award-nominated romance author who writes novels chock-full of smart women and sexy men. She enjoys baking, Tweeting about boots, and listening to music from the '80s. Eva and her husband live in Central California.
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