The Invisible Husband (16 page)

“Your
throat…may I see the scar?”

“If you wish…”
He gulped down his own nerves as her hands undid the top button of
his dressing gown and folded back the fabric to reveal his whole
throat. He’d never willingly allowed anyone to look at it.

He closed his
eyes as her light finger traced the puckered scar with tenderness.
“He nearly killed you.”

“Nearly…thankfully I lived to…” His eye flew open as his throat
constricted. His wife’s fingers slowly continued to undo his
buttons. “Eve…” Her name rasped through his teeth as his heart
pressed tightly against his ribs to welcome the soft feminine cheek
resting against his skin. Wrapping his arms around her he caressed
the soft giving silk and rested his nose against golden brown
hair.

“I’m glad he
didn’t kill you.” The words were spoken against his chest as her
curious fingers rested nearby caressing his purring heart.

“So am I!” He
punctuated the words with a kiss on her head.

“Adam?”

“Eve?”

“After you
kissed me…”

“Which
kiss?”

“Your first
kiss.”

Adam eye lit
up. “Ah, that was a kiss! My heart wailed all night in furious rage
at being denied more. It’s wailing again…”

“The morning
after I felt odd…”

His eye widened
in horror. “I made you ill?”

“No, I heard
something.”

“What did you
hear?”

“I heard
someone calling your name.”

Adam relaxed
with a laugh, “We share a house with nearly a hundred people,
someone’s bound to be calling…”

“I thought
someone was following me, calling for you, but there was no one
there. The voice called for Adam and…demanded your nearness.”

“Beloved, are
you telling me you’re mad?”

“No, it was my
heart Adam, calling for you. It demands the most embarrassing
things; I had to tell it to shut up earlier, but it’s never silent.
It’s been whimpering for you all morning. That’s why I went to the
dining room…I needed to see you…”

Adam stared
into adoring eyes as his chest caught fire. The internal flames
spread through his whole body and tried to erupt from his eyes. He
sniffed back the irritating moisture. “Eve…” He groaned in sweet
triumph and accepted her upturned lips like a starving man unsure
where to start an unexpected feast. Ten minutes later he came to
his senses to find his arms inside his wife’s unbuttoned robe as he
obeyed his heart’s demand to hold her close as he searched her
eyes. Yes, it was there, adoration. She made no complaint as he
held her tighter. “If you knew how wretched I felt when I woke up
alone this morning. Davis said I stank and you held me. I thought
I’d dreamt I’d gone to heaven; I didn’t know that you had. I’m glad
I didn’t shoot myself this morning. I thought you’d never want to
look at me again. I’m so sorry I was a beast in the dining room. I
wanted to pick you up and…what are you doing Sweetheart?”

“I’m untying
your eye patch.”

“Don’t!” She’d
already thrown it on the floor and was carefully dabbing the tears
around his blind eye with her sleeve. “What did you do that for?”
His heart slumped as he removed one of his hands from her skin to
cover his left eye. “You think I’m hideous without my eye patch.
Please allow me the illusion…”

“I’m glad you
only have one eye Adam. You were too beautiful before this
happened. If you hadn’t been blinded and scarred I don’t think
you’d have loved me…”

Adam pursed his
lips in irritation. “You’re the most perfect woman in the world of
course I’d have loved you.”

“Adam, if I’d
had my first Season the same year as you, you wouldn’t have noticed
me. You’d have been surrounded by a wall of beauty. If you hadn’t
been disfigured you’d have fallen in love with a beautiful woman
and you’d be married with fourteen beautiful children and I’d still
be the not unpleasant looking Miss Eve Venables waiting to catch
the eye of a decent man who made me laugh. Your brother Luke
illustrated the situation perfectly when he looked at me and
couldn’t think of a single reason why you’d love me.”

“Luke is an
ass! I wouldn’t have married some silly creature just because she
had a pleasing face and a few tempting curves. Do you think this
heart pants for you because it had no alternative? That’s absurd
and I might add quite rude.”

“I don’t mean
hurt you Adam; I’m just trying to explain why I’d rather you didn’t
wear the eye patch. When you wear it you’re almost too
beautiful.”

Adam sighed and
shook his head. “So one minute I’m hideous and the next I’m too
beautiful? Make up your mind woman before my heart faints in
confusion.”

“I love being
held in your arms.”

“That’s a
relief; they’re the only arms I have.”

“You’re skin is
so smooth and soft.” Adam shivered with pleasure as she ran her
hand up his spine under his robe. “You’re so beautiful with your
eye patch it makes me feel like a mistress who’s slipped up the
back stairs dressed as a maid.”

“Did you grow
up being called ugly by your awful parents? You obviously have no
idea how lovely you are. I’ll have to tell you every day until you
head swells and you’re as vain as your husband.”

“I’m not plain,
but I feel as if at any moment your real wife, some stunning beauty
with royal names on her family tree, will open the door and find me
in your arms. She’ll call me a hussy Jezebel and drag me by the
hair out of the house. I’ll lie naked on your front steps sobbing,
my poor heart screaming I run back into your arms.”

“Now you’re
talking rot! You’re the loveliest woman my heart’s ever seen.” His
wandering hands concurred. “This heart would die for you. Do you
think it would die for just any woman? That hurts!”

“I don’t mean
to hurt you, but I don’t think if both your eyes were perfect your
heart would have noticed me. You certainly wouldn’t have been
hiding behind a screen watching the world dance by. And even if you
had been introduced to me I’d have turned into mindless aspic every
time you appeared. You’d never have thought me amusing because I’d
have been struck dumb every time you looked at me. You’d have
thought me a boring imbecile.”

“Rubbish! I
notice every woman named Eve and I most certainly would have
noticed you. Now don’t try to tell me what I might or might not
have done or felt. I’ve never felt like this for any other woman
and that’s the end of the matter. Let’s talk about how many
children we’re going to have, or how we’re going to make them.”

“Your heart
wouldn’t have known any difference. I’m sure if your face hadn’t
been scarred you’d have lost your heart to some living butterfly
named Eve.”

Adam rolled his
green eye in irritation. “I wouldn’t have!”

“You
would!”

“Eve…I don’t
care what I might have done if I hadn’t lost an eye and hadn’t had
my face carved up. What ever might have happened, never happened so
it doesn’t matter; it’s irrelevant. My heart heard you speak and it
chose you and that is that. I can’t even remember the faces of the
other woman I fancied before finding you. They’re all a blur…”

“I still don’t
think you’d have loved me if you hadn’t had that duel. I’m glad you
lost an eye because it would have broken my heart to watch you
dance with beautiful ladies knowing you’d never ask me. I’d have
stared at you as you danced past and thought, he’s so lovely and
his name is Adam. I’d wish he’d ask me to dance…”

“Of course I
would have asked you to dance Sweetheart! If I discovered a woman
named Eve who was unmarried I always asked her to dance no matter
what she looked like. I may be vain, but I’m not completely
shallow. I’d still have fallen in love with you even if you only
had one eye and ugly red scars on your face.”

“Adam, it makes
me want to cry…thinking you might have married some beautiful awful
woman. She would have married you for your money and title. She
would have lied about loving you. I’d have been miserable.”

Adam rubbed his
aching head and then vigorously removed his silk dressing gown and
threw it towards the window. It softly fluttered into a shimmering
green puddle as Adam stood before his wife as he came into the
world. “I’m going to die of exasperation if you don’t stop talking
rubbish. I can’t make love to you if you’re going to grill me about
what might have happened if I hadn’t listened to my heart and
rushed to defend the honour of a stranger. Hand me your robe.”

She blushed as
she folded it closed and clutched it to her chest, “I’m not trying
to grill you…and I can’t take off my dressing gown…not yet.”

“You removed my
eye patch against my wishes; that makes me emotionally naked. Take
off your dressing gown or I’ll put my eye patch back on.” She
sighed in defeat as she reluctantly slid the pink silk off her
shoulders and held it over her front before hesitantly holding it
out. Adam enthusiastically scrunched it up and threw it towards the
window where it landed near his green one. Together the silk robes
looked like a giant pink flower melting in the cold sunlight. Adam
put his hands on his hips and allowed his heart the pleasure of
admiring his red faced wife who was standing with her arms folded
over her chest. “Now we know what Adam and Eve felt like after they
partook of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil…or in our case,
the knowledge of disputes and pleasures. What? Why are you looking
at me like that?” He looked down at his person, but there was
nothing out of the ordinary. “What’s the matter? Why are you
crying? What have I done? Are you upset with me? Did you want your
robe? Please say you’re not upset with me. Do you want me to get
it? You can wear it as long as you want…”

She shook her
head. “You’re more beautiful than the painting.”

Adam felt his
heart moan with pleasure. “What painting?”

“The one over
the mantel.”

“So you’re not
upset with me?”

Eve shook her
head. “Can’t you hear my wretched heart? It’s screaming for a
kiss…”

“Be kind to
your heart, it’s my treasure. You’re shivering; you’d better let me
hold you. That’s better, now where were we? Oh yes, you were being
silly and fretting over nightmares that will never be. Imagine
this…” He held her tighter and whispered in her ear, “…I was so
desperate to be loved for who I am instead of what I looked like I
instinctively rushed into a duel knowing I might be marked for
life. Imagine that I knew that to see through all the lying pretty
snakes I’d need a way to see them for what they were. I knew it
would cost me dear, but the creature in my chest refused to settle
for a pretty bed warmer who’d give me a few children before
sleeping with all my footmen. No, I knew that the Eve I was looking
for would love me for the person I am on the inside not the
outside. So I rushed in where angels screamed not to tread and
nearly died. It hurts being ugly. I hate seeing people cringe when
they look at me, but if it protected me from being a fool and
marrying the wrong woman then I’d suffer it all over again to stand
here and hold you. My heart looks at you and moans with pleasure at
your nearness; be kind to my heart or all my suffering will have
been for nothing.”

“I’m sorry
Adam. You’re right…I’m being maudlin because you’re so beautiful.”
Adam flushed with pleasure and purred his satisfaction against her
warm cheek. “It’s strange to think that I passed you countless
times on the street, in the shops at the park and here I am
standing in your arms. Thank you Adam!”

“For what?”

“For being so
good and kind; I wish I could take back those awful words I said to
you. The truth is I can’t imagine standing like this with any other
man…”

“It would kill
the creature in my chest if you did.”

“The creature
is quite safe; I wish I’d met you six months ago.”

“I wish you’d
stop talking and kiss…” Adam sighed in bliss as the creature in his
chest celebrated the nearness of its Mistress’s by dancing in its
cage. As he held her tighter he was sure he could hear his name
being sung by an adoring voice.

The two
upstairs maids stared out the dark window at the garden below.
They’d finished dusting and were supposed to return to the kitchen,
but were spellbound by the sight of Lord Latham chasing his wife
about the snowy garden. “The garden is rather pretty in the
moonlight; it looks like its glowing, but why would anyone want to
run around in the snow when they could sit in front of a fire and
do nothing?”

“I’ve no idea.
They look like escaped lunatics. Is he throwing snow balls at her
pretty bonnet? Oh look she’s slipped and fallen, I could have told
her that would happen. I wager she’s torn her new dress. She’ll
certainly ruin her boots. Good heavens, doesn’t she ever think
someone might be watching? She just lifted her skirt at Lord Latham
like a hussy and ran…”

“Don’t let the
Master hear you call his beloved Eve a hussy or you’ll be out on
your ear. I don’t know what he said to that haughty Lady Cowper who
came to pay a visit, but she turned as red as a brick and left
trailing curses on all Lathams. Davis reported she advised Lady
Latham to act with more discretion. Heaven knows someone had to say
it. It’s all very well for a woman to be in love with her husband,
but Lady Latham should show more restraint and circumspection due
her position. I nearly died after Mrs Good sent me to wash windows
in the north end Last summer. They were chasing each other through
the rooms discarding articles of clothing as they went. They ran
past me wholly indecent and laughing as if I was invisible. I
thought my face would be red till I died.”

“Did Davis tell
you what happened when the Vicar came to call this morning?”

“No! What?”

“Davis
understood Lord Latham was expecting the Vicar so the man was shown
into the pink parlour, you know the one with the old fashioned
furniture with low seats and heavy thick legs. The Vicar thought he
was alone until he nearly tripped over Lord and Lady Latham on the
way to the fire. They were next to the long sofa on the floor!”