Page 19 of Raked Away in September

“There have been dozens of requests to call this afternoon, my lady,” Stephens said.

Nervousness settled in the pit of Tamsin’s stomach. She hadn’t even considered that the ton would descend upon her this afternoon, but… of course. Everyone was curious. She accepted the tray and set it on a nearby table, looking through it, and some of the anxiety dissipated when she saw that most of the names were her friends. Olivia, Rose, a few other friends, and, surprisingly, the Countess of Whitby, whom she immediately realized had wed the Rake of September two years ago. Could she be coming to provide moral support for Tamsin?

She went through all the cards and gave the butler half a dozen she considered safe. “Send a footman out to tell these ones I’ll be home this afternoon. Send my regrets to the rest.”

Rowan reached over and squeezed her hand. “I had hoped to spend the whole day with you, but I know you must receive some visitors. No doubt your brother is sending his wife to make certain you’re still in one piece after spending the night with me. Try not to completely destroy my reputation by telling them all that I left you at your door.”

She squeezed his hand in return. “I think your restraint was the kindest gift you could have given me.”

Heedless of the butler’s presence, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on her forehead. “I look forward to dinner. I’ll see if I can’t come up with something a little more intimate tonight.”

By the time Tamsin changed and made her way back down to the drawing room, Rose, Olivia, and the Countess of Whitby had already arrived. Tamsin had met the countess, Lilliana, before but wasn’t well-acquainted with her. The fact that the countess had married the Rake of September from two years ago had been enough for Tamsin to want her here today. Hopefully, Lilliana had some advice on how to deal with the situation she found herself in.

Rose rushed to embrace her the moment she walked into the room. “Oh, my dear. How are you? Are you all right? How is he treating you?”

Tamsin gave a nervous laugh and hugged her friend back but didn’t immediately answer. What she and Rowan had shared during the last twenty-four hours seemed too fresh, too new to talk about. Besides, Rose was a notorious gossip. Once they broke apart, she merely smiled. “Everything is fine, Rose. He’s been very kind.”

Rose didn’t look as though she believed Tamsin, but she let the matter drop for the moment, suddenly seeming to realize that they weren’t alone in the drawing room.

Olivia came forward next, embracing her with almost as much enthusiasm as Rose. “Did our conversation help? Did he hurt you?” she whispered.

Heat rose in Tamsin’s cheeks as she returned the embrace and then stepped away, feeling a bit overwhelmed by this show of support from her friends. “Nothing happened last night,” she said softly, for Olivia’s ears alone. “He agreed to give me some more time to… get to know him.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Olivia murmured in return. “And a very good sign, I should think. It shows he’s willing to put your needs above his own. Very few men of our class do, you know.”

“I know,” Tamsin replied, and she realized how very true it was. He’d been remarkably patient with her last night, and she bit her lip at the thought of what could easily have happened, whether she’d wanted it to or not. “Thank you again for telling me I could ask for such a thing.”

Olivia laughed ruefully. “I couldn’t sleep at all last night for fear it had been the wrong advice.”

“I think he’s really trying to make this marriage work, despite the rocky beginning,” Tamsin assured her sister-in-law, then led both her and Rose deeper into the room where the countess was waiting.

“Good afternoon,” the countess said as Tamsin took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the fire. “I wanted to come and offer my congratulations.” She smiled. “I’m not certain if you’re aware, but I married the Rake of September two years ago. We’re in quite an exclusive club, wouldn’t you say?”

Tamsin returned her smile awkwardly. She wasn’t sure how to react to such a statement, but the woman seemed sincere. She truly did seem to be here simply to show her support.

“I remember that. How did you deal with it?” she asked, deciding to give the countess the benefit of the doubt. “The Brazen Belle has put us both in such an awful situation.”

Lilliana shrugged. “It will wane. By the time the Belle comes out with October’s article, the ton will have forgotten all about you and the earl.”

“Do you think so?” Tamsin asked tentatively, hoping Lilliana was right. “Right now, October seems very far away.” What day is it? September 7?

Lilliana reached over and squeezed her hand. “I know so. Hardly anyone ever mentions it anymore. Of course, I stay out in the country most of the time. I’m not much for the social whirl.”

“Neither am I,” Tamsin admitted. “But I’m afraid that running away isn’t an option at the moment. It will only add fuel to the flames. Besides, I’m not certain the earl likes it in the country. He seems to love city life.” But she remembered how happy he’d seemed this morning in the park. And he loved to read. She was starting to get a very different picture of him than the one her brother and the Belle had portrayed.

Olivia shook her head. “If you want another piece of advice from this happily married woman, it’s to never assume anything when it comes to marriage. If you want to know something, ask the earl. Misunderstandings can often be resolved with a quick conversation.”

“I second that,” Lilliana said, smiling at Olivia.

Tamsin sighed as she rang for tea. The list of things she didn’t know about her new husband was far too long. When she was done talking to the parlor maid, she turned back to her guests. “Thank you so much for coming today. It is wonderful to see some friendly faces. Most of those who wanted to pay a call today were certainly only waiting to see if they could garner more gossip.”

Rose frowned. “I’m so sorry! I still feel like this is all my fault.”

“Rose!” Tamsin said sharply. Though she was inclined to trust Lilliana to be discreet, she couldn’t believe Rose was saying such things in front of someone who was basically a stranger. And surely, Olivia knew that she’d gone into the Dark Walks to help a friend… All of this would have been for nothing if Rose ended up ruining herself as well. “None of this is your fault. I don’t know why you’d say such a thing.”

Rose seemed to finally understand the danger, and she bit her lip. “I just meant that if I had stayed with you that night… maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Well, what’s done is done,” Tamsin said quickly. “All I can do is move forward.”