The Defiant Wife (The Three Mrs #2) - Jess Michaels Page 0,58
torn apart by his brother’s behavior. A reminder that all the dreams he might have once had would have to be set aside, along with the woman he was leaving behind at Abigail’s home.
Chapter 17
The three days since her return to London had been far busier than Pippa had imagined they would be. Abigail and Celeste kept her entertained, she thought as a distraction from her troubles. She couldn’t deny it was wonderful reconnecting with them both.
Occasionally Mrs. Barton arrived with swatches and sketches so Pippa could make decisions about items and decorations for the new house. Kenley had settled in and was back to his usually bubbly and happy self. He was a great favorite of both her friends and everyone in Abigail’s staff.
It should have been a very full and exciting time. And yet she was not happy. Even now she stood at the window of her chamber, staring out at the garden below, and her thoughts turned to Rhys.
She had not seen him since he left her the afternoon of her arrival in the city. He hadn’t called, he hadn’t written. She was too afraid to ask about him, though she guessed he might be calling on Owen Gregory, so Celeste might see him. Still, her friend never brought the subject up. A kindness, of course, but all of it left Pippa feeling…so empty. In the time they’d spent in Bath, she’d become accustomed to seeing Rhys’s face at her table each morning. She was used to being able to talk to him about her problems, or Kenley, or the weather.
And at night…well, the night was the worst part. Her bed felt huge, and she found herself reaching across to see if he was there. To see if he had joined her somehow. She ached for him, and she woke up wet and shaking from dreams of his hands on her, his mouth on her.
And yet she was always alone.
“This will fade,” she said softly, pressing her hand to the cool glass. “Time will dull the sting.”
She said the words, but it was hard to believe them at present. It was all a hope that the empty feeling would go away.
“Mrs. Montgomery?” Pippa turned to find one of Abigail’s maids at the door. “Mrs. Montgomery asks that you join her for tea.”
Pippa nodded. The poor servants were still tripping over themselves to figure out what to call all these wives of a liar. At least Celeste had a new name, so that made it easier. Still, it was time to think about if she wanted to go back to being Pippa Windridge. God, if her father heard about that…
“Ma’am?”
She jolted as she realized she had spiraled off into thought without answering the poor young woman waiting for her. “Of course. I’ll be down straight away.”
As the servant left, Pippa went to the mirror and smoothed a hand over her hair. With Nan taking over nursemaid duties for Kenley, Pippa had begun doing her own preparations in the morning. Not that difficult, as she had done so for months while Rosie Stanton was off incubating a baby for Erasmus.
“No time to be bitter,” Pippa muttered as she left the room and went down the long hallway. She came down the stairs, trying to gather her tangled thoughts. As she came into the parlor where she and Abigail always shared tea, she said, “You know, it might be a very good day to take Kenley to the park. The weather is still—”
She cut herself off because as she entered the room, she realized Abigail wasn’t alone. Rhys stood at the fireplace, his face pale as he watched her enter the chamber. They stared at each other for a moment. God, but he was handsome. More than she remembered in those heated dreams. And all she wanted to do was cross the room and cup his cheeks. She wanted to pull his mouth to hers and drown in him.
She had been wrong when she thought these feelings might go away with time. They would never go away. She saw the long line of her future stretch out before her and she knew, with complete certainty, that every time she saw this man, it would be like this. It would hurt more, not less, as he eventually moved on. Married. Had children with some other woman. It would only get worse.
“Lord Leighton has joined us,” Abigail said from the sideboard where she was pouring tea. “Though you’ve obviously noticed that.”