The Unexpected Wife - Jess Michaels Page 0,60

of surprise, but she smothered it with her mouth.

Kissing him was always spectacular. The man knew how to move his mouth against hers, how to break past her barriers, physical or otherwise, and delve so deep she thought she might drown from it. He knew how to worship and arouse and make her feel weak with need and powerful with desire.

He knew how to make her feel appreciated and respected and important, too.

His arms tightened around her, fingers digging into her back as she arched against him, but before they could go any further, the carriage began to slow. She felt it turn, and he went still as he drew away from her.

“I would very much like to finish that later,” he murmured, kissing her again, this time much more chaste, before he smoothed a hand over her hair.

“So would I,” she agreed as she shuffled back to the opposite side of the carriage just in time for the door to be opened by a servant. The nerves he had helped to quell with the conversation and the kissing returned in full force.

He must have sensed it—of course he would—because he reached out to touch her hand gently. “Are you ready?”

She forced a smile, though she knew it had to look as weak as it felt. “I’m not,” she admitted. “But let’s go anyway.”

He flashed that grin, the dimple in his cheek on full display, before he got out of the carriage and reached back to help her down.

They stared up at the building together. A bookshop, Mattigan’s, took up the first floor, and Celeste couldn’t help but boggle at the displays she could already see through the windows. Colorful piles of books with expensive gold filigree on their covers, mixed with vases of fresh flowers meant to draw the eye. It was a beautiful shop and one she did long to browse through, even if she could never hope to afford anything within.

The footman who had opened the door for them stepped up. “There is an entrance for Lady Lena’s Salon through the bookshop, but Lady Lena and Miss Smith ask that you use the other entrance.” He motioned for them to follow and they did, through a little gate to a pretty blue door in the side alley. He opened it for them and indicated the narrow staircase just a few steps inside. “To the top and turn right. The door at the end of the hallway.”

“Thank you,” Owen said, and clasped Celeste’s hand gently as he took the lead up the stairs. She trailed behind him, noting the drawings mounted up the staircase. Beautiful sketches that she knew were in Harriet’s hand. Her governess had always loved to draw.

They reached the aforementioned door at the back of a hall, and Owen gave her a glance before he rapped on it. There was scurrying movement from behind and the door opened. Owen stepped aside and Celeste clapped her hand to her mouth.

Harriet Smith stood there, looking just as she had the last time Celeste saw her in person, years and years ago. She had a beautiful round face and sharp eyes that took in every detail about every person she’d ever met.

“Celeste!” she gasped, and suddenly Celeste was being dragged into a tight hug that was so warm and welcoming it brought tears to her eyes.

“Harriet,” she murmured, breathing in the familiar scent of rosemary that had always reminded her of the woman before her. “You haven’t aged a day!”

“I have,” Harriet chuckled as she drew Celeste in with a side glance for Owen. “But you have only grown lovelier. Come in, come in.”

She led them to a big room, stylishly decorated. There were bookshelves on every wall, lined with fiction as well as tomes on topics of justice and politics. Paintings were hung beside them, beautiful originals of landscapes and one of Harriet with a gorgeous woman at her side. There were chairs lining the perimeter of the room, as well as the kind of furniture one would expect in a normal parlor.

But this wasn’t a normal parlor. Celeste knew immediately this was the place Harriet and Lena held their meetings.

“Oh, it’s wonderful,” she cooed as she roamed the room, touching the spines of the books.

“Thank you. We have worked hard to make it so,” Harriet said with a smile. She turned toward the door they had just entered and that smile broadened even wider.

Celeste turned to see the reason and caught her breath. Harriet’s companion in