trashcan. Aaron was still in shock. How could anyone trust another person so deeply? It simply didn’t make sense. If he hadn’t known about the wager, he would have been worried on Lord Roderick’s behalf. He would have expected Lord Roderick to get into a significant amount of trouble upon seeing his wife after that lady talked to her. But Lord Roderick didn’t have a care in the world.
“Do you want to play chess?” Lord Roderick asked.
Forcing the confusing situation aside, Aaron nodded. “All right.”
“Excellent. I enjoy a challenge.”
Glad to have his mind off of Lord Edon, Mr. Robinson, and the possibility that trust could exist in a marriage, Aaron joined Lord Roderick at the chessboard and played a couple of games with him.
Chapter Thirteen
Two days later, Kitty got an idea while she was sipping tea in the drawing room. She set her cup on the table and turned to Gretchen who had been drinking tea next to her on the settee.
“There are a lot of books in the library,” Kitty said. “I wonder if any will be suitable for Teddy.”
Gretchen’s eyebrows furrowed. “The library is Lord Northton’s room.”
“So?”
“A gentleman’s room is private. Ladies aren’t supposed to go in there unless they are invited.”
“I’ve been in there before. There’s nothing private about it. All he has in that room are some chairs, a desk, and a lot of books.”
“Even so, we should have his permission. We shouldn’t just barge in there.”
“But he’s not even here. He’s at White’s.” She took Gretchen’s cup and put it on the table. “Come on. I overheard the maid saying that some of those books in there go back to his childhood. I doubt my husband was miserable and stuffy his entire life. At some point, he must have read something fun that would appeal to your nephew.”
“We could buy a book from a merchant,” Gretchen argued as Kitty took her by the arm and helped her stand up.
“Why do that when there could be some books already here? It’s senseless to let good books go to waste.”
“But, but, this is a gentleman’s library.”
“Exactly. It’s a library. It’s not a bedchamber. This won’t be like the time I rummaged through his clothes. This time, I’ll only rummage through books.”
“It’s still his room,” Gretchen insisted. “You ought to at least wait until he’s home and ask him if you can go in there.”
Kitty let out a sigh and whispered, “Do you think he’s going to ask me for permission when he wants to try for an heir? He hasn’t given me a choice in anything so far. And what I want to do is a lot less intrusive than what he’ll do to me.”
Gretchen winced. “I don’t suppose there’s any harm in getting some books. As you said, it’s just books. It’s not like you’re asking me to let you spend time alone with a gentleman who isn’t your husband.”
Glad she’d found a way to reason with Gretchen, she hurried out of the room, excited to find out if there was anything in there that might appeal to Teddy. In her haste, she didn’t bother looking back to see if Gretchen was right behind her until she was in the library. She glanced back and realized the doorway was empty.
Gretchen arrived a couple seconds later, her hand over her heart. “I’m not young enough for all of this running.”
Kitty chuckled. “I’ll try not to run next time. I just couldn’t wait to get in here.” As she recalled, there were so many books in the room that one could spend hours browsing through them. “This is going to be fun. It’ll be like searching for treasure.”
“I can’t recall a time I saw more books in a single room.”
“Which is what will make this an adventure.” She approached the nearest group of shelves. “We need to start in an area where Aaron hasn’t read anything lately. I’m going to assume the books he reads now aren’t nearly as enjoyable as the ones he read as a child.”
“Do you consider your husband to be boring?”
“Well, I admit the ridiculous way he’s handling our marriage is more frustrating than boring, but I can’t see how he’s friends with Lilly’s husband. Roger knows how to laugh and enjoy life.” Before Gretchen got the wrong idea, she added, “I hold no secret affection for Roger. I barely know him. I only exchange pleasantries when he happens to be in the room when I visit her.”
“For what it’s worth, I believe you,”