ill repute,” Brooke quipped.
“Well, I actually thought she was at first,” Townson admitted.
“Seems to be a common misconception,” Madison muttered, making a new wave of shame wash over Benjamin.
Thankfully, her sister didn’t hear that remark because she said, “Wait, you went to welcome a prostitute into your bed before I’d even left the country?” Her voice had taken on a sharper edge and her eyes were boring into her husband in a way that made Benjamin glad he hadn’t married her.
“No,” Townson said defensively. “In fact, if you ask her, she’ll tell you I wasn’t overly welcoming of her.”
“That’s true,” Madison added in his defense. “He wasn’t. He actually was rather rude at first. And, if that’s not convincing enough, he kept readjusting his dressing robe. As if I’d be interested in what it covered,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes again.
“You’ll never know,” Brooke said rather smugly, making her husband shake his red face in embarrassment. “But why did you make me embarrass myself by going to his townhouse when you knew he’d be at the garden?”
Madison looked at her sister like she was a simpleton. “I didn’t intend for you to embarrass yourself. When I told him where we were going, I assumed he’d try and catch you outside the house where he’d been sitting on a bench for the past two days. When we went outside and I didn’t see the lummox there, I worried he’d stayed home and was going to try a different tactic. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t home first. Sorry, I didn’t know you were going to get a set down by the holier-than-thou butlering footman.”
Brooke laughed. “All is forgiven,” she said with a smile.
“Now that we’ve established who came to my house that night, that I had no intentions to be unfaithful to my wife, I was uncomfortable being dressed in only my dressing robe in the company of another and that Madison thinks I’m a simpleton who cannot follow simple directions,” he flashed her a quick smile, “we need to discuss what will happen now. Madison, being the one I owe the favor to, what do you want me to do?”
“Let me stay here,” she said simply.
Townson let out a pent up breath. “Trust me when I say I’d love nothing more than to keep you safely here and away from him,” he said calmly, slicing a sharp glance at Benjamin. “But I cannot do that. Legally I have no right. I can use physical force to temporarily keep you here, but he’ll just take me to court.”
“Fine,” she agreed. “We’ll let the courts decide it.”
“The courts are going to decide you must return,” Townson said gently. “Unless he seeks an annulment,” he flickered a hopeful glance to Benjamin who shook his head in return, “you’ll have to return to his house eventually.”
“What if I seek an annulment? Could you help me petition?” Madison asked quietly.
“I can help you petition, but it won’t do any good,” Townson told her, shaking his head. “You won’t be granted one unless he agrees to it. And seeing as though he won’t, the courts will then force you back to his house.”
Madison nodded and shot pleading eyes at Brooke and Townson. Benjamin almost felt sorry for her. So much so, that if he’d have been an onlooker in this situation, he would have taken up in her defense and fought anyone who wanted to take her away against her will. But since he was the active party that wanted her returned to his home, he just shot her a triumphant smile. “Let’s go,” he said quietly in her ear.
“Wait a second,” Townson called, standing up. “Ladies, why don’t you go wait in Brooke’s sitting room, we’ll join you in a minute. I want to speak to Gateway alone.”
Benjamin didn’t want to let her go. He was ready to haul her out to his carriage right this minute. Unfortunately, Madison took Townson’s suggestion to heart and scampered from the room faster than he could react.
“This
“Well, I actually thought she was at first,” Townson admitted.
“Seems to be a common misconception,” Madison muttered, making a new wave of shame wash over Benjamin.
Thankfully, her sister didn’t hear that remark because she said, “Wait, you went to welcome a prostitute into your bed before I’d even left the country?” Her voice had taken on a sharper edge and her eyes were boring into her husband in a way that made Benjamin glad he hadn’t married her.
“No,” Townson said defensively. “In fact, if you ask her, she’ll tell you I wasn’t overly welcoming of her.”
“That’s true,” Madison added in his defense. “He wasn’t. He actually was rather rude at first. And, if that’s not convincing enough, he kept readjusting his dressing robe. As if I’d be interested in what it covered,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes again.
“You’ll never know,” Brooke said rather smugly, making her husband shake his red face in embarrassment. “But why did you make me embarrass myself by going to his townhouse when you knew he’d be at the garden?”
Madison looked at her sister like she was a simpleton. “I didn’t intend for you to embarrass yourself. When I told him where we were going, I assumed he’d try and catch you outside the house where he’d been sitting on a bench for the past two days. When we went outside and I didn’t see the lummox there, I worried he’d stayed home and was going to try a different tactic. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t home first. Sorry, I didn’t know you were going to get a set down by the holier-than-thou butlering footman.”
Brooke laughed. “All is forgiven,” she said with a smile.
“Now that we’ve established who came to my house that night, that I had no intentions to be unfaithful to my wife, I was uncomfortable being dressed in only my dressing robe in the company of another and that Madison thinks I’m a simpleton who cannot follow simple directions,” he flashed her a quick smile, “we need to discuss what will happen now. Madison, being the one I owe the favor to, what do you want me to do?”
“Let me stay here,” she said simply.
Townson let out a pent up breath. “Trust me when I say I’d love nothing more than to keep you safely here and away from him,” he said calmly, slicing a sharp glance at Benjamin. “But I cannot do that. Legally I have no right. I can use physical force to temporarily keep you here, but he’ll just take me to court.”
“Fine,” she agreed. “We’ll let the courts decide it.”
“The courts are going to decide you must return,” Townson said gently. “Unless he seeks an annulment,” he flickered a hopeful glance to Benjamin who shook his head in return, “you’ll have to return to his house eventually.”
“What if I seek an annulment? Could you help me petition?” Madison asked quietly.
“I can help you petition, but it won’t do any good,” Townson told her, shaking his head. “You won’t be granted one unless he agrees to it. And seeing as though he won’t, the courts will then force you back to his house.”
Madison nodded and shot pleading eyes at Brooke and Townson. Benjamin almost felt sorry for her. So much so, that if he’d have been an onlooker in this situation, he would have taken up in her defense and fought anyone who wanted to take her away against her will. But since he was the active party that wanted her returned to his home, he just shot her a triumphant smile. “Let’s go,” he said quietly in her ear.
“Wait a second,” Townson called, standing up. “Ladies, why don’t you go wait in Brooke’s sitting room, we’ll join you in a minute. I want to speak to Gateway alone.”
Benjamin didn’t want to let her go. He was ready to haul her out to his carriage right this minute. Unfortunately, Madison took Townson’s suggestion to heart and scampered from the room faster than he could react.
“This
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