best thing that can happen to a gentleman. My life was incomplete until Emilia came into it.”
Aaron, who’d been sipping his brandy, nearly gagged on the drink. What rubbish! What absolute and complete nonsense. He’d heard that Benjamin could be gullible, but he didn’t think anyone could be so daft as to claim that their life was better after marriage. His wife must have bewitched him. Yes, it had to be some strange spell she cast upon him. That was the only way to explain it.
“We should have a dinner party,” Benjamin continued, his eyes lit up. “You’re friends with Mr. Morris. I am, too. Our wives are friends. I’m sure Emilia will be delighted to have you at our townhouse for dinner.”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
“I know it’s not necessary, but it will be fun. It’ll give us a chance to get better acquainted, too. This will be a wonderful occasion. We need to do it before Mrs. Morris has her child. After the baby’s born, I doubt they’ll want to attend dinner parties for a while.”
“I’m not interested in going to a dinner party.”
“Oh. Then you wish to host it?”
What? Where did Benjamin get that ridiculous notion from? “No. I don’t wish to go to any dinner parties, and I don’t want to host them. Unlike you and Roger, I don’t like my wife.”
Benjamin’s eyes grew wide. “Why not?”
“Because all ladies are evil, that’s why. You’re a fool to trust your wife. She’s not the best thing that’s happened to you. The day you got married was the day your life was ruined, but you’re too naïve to realize it. You and Roger both have the same problem; you’re both willing to trust people who don’t deserve it. I can’t help how you two are willfully deluding yourselves, but I’m not going down the same path. I’m intelligent. I know exactly what I got myself into when I married today. I will not be taken in by the wiles of an enchantress the way you and Roger have been. I will keep my wits about me at all times.”
Benjamin opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Aaron set his glass on the table and stood up. “I feel sorry for you and my dear friend. One day, both of you are going to realize just how tainted ladies truly are, and when you do, I don’t know if either one of you will be able to handle it. Good day, Lord Valentine.” Without looking back, he left White’s.
Chapter Five
Kitty tried to eat the meal in front of her. The cook had prepared a delicious dinner. It would be highly rude of her not to show him she appreciated his talent, but it was nearly impossible to eat when two very cross-looking people insisted on staring at her. Ignoring Aaron and Miss Britcher, she put the fork up to her mouth and forced the small piece of steak into it. It took all of her effort to chew the tender meat that was peppered with amazing flavor. She was doing this for the cook. She needed to offer him a compliment by eating what he’d made.
“You take too long to eat,” Miss Britcher whispered in her ear. “Your husband is nearly done. It’s not good to keep him here waiting for you to finish.”
“If he wants to leave before I’m done, that will be fine with me,” she whispered in return.
“What are you two saying?” Aaron, who was sitting across from them, asked.
“I was urging your wife to eat faster,” Miss Britcher replied. “It’s not good for a lady to dally at the dinner table when her husband is nearly done.”
Aaron offered a nod then turned his attention back to the plate in front of him.
Kitty rolled her eyes and made herself swallow the steak she’d been chewing.
“Mind your manners,” Miss Britcher whispered. “No one likes a contrary wife.”
But they sure didn’t mind a contrary husband. Nope. A husband was allowed to do whatever he wished. It was always the wife’s responsibility to be on her best behavior. Kitty would have voiced the thought aloud, except she was tired. All she wanted to do was go to bed and forget this day ever happened. It was unfortunate that when she woke up, she’d find out this hadn’t all been a terrible nightmare.
Once she finished the meal, Aaron asked to have a word with her in private. She grimaced. The last thing she felt like doing was talking to