observed before continuing. “I told you, you shouldn’t mix with them. They’re a rough crowd. If you heard something that offended you, then I did warn you—”
“I’m not talking about the prizefighters,” she burst out. “At least, not directly.”
He eyed her warily. “What then?”
“Do you know who—” She flailed a moment for the right term. “Accompanied Clem Dabney upstairs yesterday?” she asked.
His eyes narrowed. “Clem?” he said with rising ire. “What of him? If he said anything to you—”
“No, no. He did not even know I was there,” she hastened to stem the flow. “It was some married lady, I think. Her husband was a spectator in the crowd and yet still she went upstairs with Mr. Dabney.” Nye blinked. “You do not look shocked,” she said, feeling like the wind had been taken out of her sails.
He said nothing for a minute, just pulled on his long underwear. “This will be hard for you to fathom, Mina,” he said dryly. “But very few would bring their wives to watch a boxing match. She was likely his mistress and if she went upstairs with Clem, then he would not have forced her.”
“I know that!” Mina flushed. “I may be sheltered but even I knew that much.” She took a deep breath, lowering her gaze. “Have married women ever—” She broke off a moment. “To you, I mean,” she said stiltedly. When she mustered the courage to look at Nye, he had his hands on his hips and was watching her under lowered brows.
“Offered to toss their skirts up for me?” he asked dryly. “If they did, those days are behind me now. And I was never particularly interested in respectably married women. They expect you to do all the work and then be grateful for it, in my experience. They’re not worth the bother.” Mina gasped at this and pressed her hands to her hot cheeks. “I’m doing you the favor of being frank with you,” he pointed out. “If you ask me a direct question, then I’ll give you a direct answer, whether you like it or not.”
“What makes you think I was not satisfied with your answer?” she asked boldly, lowering her hands from her face. “If you had enjoyed making sport of other men’s wives, I would have been seriously displeased!”
“Oh, would you now?” he asked, going from tense to amused. “For your information, I am only interested in one married woman and that’s my own.” He surprised her by crossing the room to haul her into his arms and soundly kiss her. “Now put on your dress,” he growled. “Before I’m tempted to drag you back to that bed. More tempted, that is.”
At the gleam in his eye, Mina hurried to free herself and fetch a clean black dress from the wardrobe. She would not put anything past him when he looked at her like that.
“I’ve invited Effie and Dot to take breakfast with me this morning in the parlor,” she said over her shoulders as Nye pulled on his breeches. “At nine o’clock.”
He looked skeptical. “I doubt they’ll be up before noon,” he predicted. “It would have been a late one last night. People will likely stick around until this afternoon before they start leaving with sore heads.”
“Well,” Mina reflected, moving to the mirror and taking up the hairbrush. “I shan’t be offended if they do not show up. But I shall have to prepare in any case.”
When she made her way downstairs ten minutes later however, she found Effie drifting out of the kitchen in a sea-green dress and cradling a cup of tea in her lace mittened hands. “There you are, Mina,” she greeted her with a yawn and a kiss to her cheek. “I’ve left Jeb abed, but I wouldn’t have missed our cozy catch up, not for the world!”
Mina showed her to the parlor and bade her take a comfortable seat while she saw what was for breakfast. She found Edna stacking smoked kippers onto a plate.
“Morning, Mrs. Nye,” she greeted her. “Sorry about having to wake you like that, only that Mr. Jones would insist he needed to speak to the master first thing.”
Mina waved the apology aside. “Not at all, Edna. What can I do?”
“Nothing Mrs. Nye, these kippers are for your breakfast guests. I’ve buttered some bread slices there for you and I’m about to make a fresh pot of tea, so if you’ll just take those through with you presently, then all is sorted.”
“Wonderful,” said Mina approvingly.