Chapter 51

Looking down at the rumpled quilt on the floor, he winced. He couldn't believe he'd taken her on the floor. She'd said he was her first lover since she'd been widowed, and on top of that, she'd been tired and injured. Adam cursed himself. Marietta might not have been reared to a life of privilege like he, but she was a lady, through and through. She deserved a bed at the least. Not a blanket just a few feet away from an injured dog. Not him, rutting like a deranged animal.
He pulled on his shirt, stockings and boots, his mind immediately forming a plan. He fully intended to see Marietta again - all of her. One sample had simply not been enough.
Marietta woke the next morning feeling cold and stiff. She'd had the most astounding dreams...
Except they hadn't been dreams - at least not all of them. Her skin heated as she remembered lying with Doctor Hamilton - Adam - and everything they'd done.
At least, thank God, they'd taken precautions. Though she'd never conceived during her short marriage to Jack, she couldn't be sure she was barren. Having a child so many years after her husband's death would hardly be considered miraculous. And what a terrible example she would set for the girls at the school she tried so hard to help.
Her hip was sore as she climbed out of bed. Adam had suggested she rest as much as possible today, and though she had things she'd intended to do, she rapidly came to the conclusion that he was right. Her nose was stuffy, and just making tea and toast hurt her abraded hands. By the time she was dressed and had cleaned up her breakfast dishes, she gave up and retired to her favorite chair with a book. Her housekeeper Mrs. Durnst found her there a little later, dozing over the pages.
"Just came from the doctor's house," the older woman said as she brought Marietta a cup of tea. "He told me you'd fallen last night, saving the Denslows' dog from Mr. Winstead's carriage."
"Did he?" Marietta flushed. Surely that's all he'd said. She hoped that Mrs. Durnst wasn't clever enough to read any more into the situation.
"Aye. Told me to remind you to stay off your feet today and keep those hands dry. No baking for you today, missus."
"No, no making bread today." It was a weekly ritual she enjoyed, but she could afford to buy from the bakery instead, as long as she wasn't extravagant. "How was Monty? And what were you doing at the doctor's? Is everything all right?"
"Aye, fine." The housekeeper added a log to the fire in the grate and swept a few imaginary flecks of ash back off the hearth. "Mrs. Gordon asked me to stop by in the morning to check on him while she's away for her daughter's confinement. Lucy Mason and Aggie Sellers are trading off fixing his supper."
Marietta recognized the names of the other domestics on the street. One was like Mrs. Durnst, who had two or three houses she cared for on a rotating basis, while the other was the live-in servant of an elderly man several houses down. It was nice to know they were all helping take care of Adam while his own housekeeper was out of town.
"And the dog is fine, mum," she chattered on. "Doctor says he's taking him back to the Denslows later today. A right good thing you did, if you don't mind my saying so."
"Thank you. But all I did was take the dog to Dr. Hamilton. He's the one who saved him."
"And assisted in the surgery, as he tells it. Not to mention carrying a dog who weighs near as much as you do, through a storm."
Marietta felt herself flush. "Well, I'm glad he'll recover. Monty is a good dog. I wonder how he came to be out on such a dreadful night. The Denslow children must have been worried sick."
"I reckon he had a meeting with that mastiff bitch of Mr. Woodruff's," Mrs. Durnst said with a knowing smile. "Wouldn't be surprised if there's a litter of pups in the neighborhood not too far down the road. Ah well. I'm off to finish sponging those wet clothes you left hanging in the kitchen. Next time, you just leave them for me to wash, as well." Then she bustled off, back to the kitchen, leaving Marietta alone with her thoughts.
Had she left any telltale signs of her impetuous behavior at Adam's house? He'd collected all her hairpins and clothing and carried them here when he'd brought her home last night. Then he'd gone to tell Ella that Monty was safe while Marietta changed out of his clothes and into her nightgown. On his way back home, he'd stopped and gathered his belongings, only coming in as far as the rug by the kitchen door. Her lips still tingled though from the way he'd kissed her before striding back out into the night.
How could she have let herself make love to Adam Hamilton? Certainly she missed the pleasures of the marriage bed, though now she had begun to suspect that she'd never really known what pleasure could be found. Adam was the scion of a noble family, whether he admitted it or not, that truth could be seen in his clothes, his speech and every mannerism he possessed. Marietta had learned her lesson about getting involved with that kind of man. Never again. She'd barely escaped intact last time, and this time she would have nowhere to run.