The Education of Annalise Read online

  The Education of Annalise

  by Laetitia

  copyright 2001 by Laetitia

  and ABCD WebMasters

  His Grace, Justin Burke, the Duke of Wexton, had been feeling particularly pleased with his life until he joined a casual game of Whist in a gambling club he often frequented. In his early thirties and newly married to "the Original"

  from last season, Annalise Barton, he prided himself on having gone a fair way to achieving his goals, both personal and professional.

  Never a slave to the ton, he delighted in "dabbling in trade" by overseeing a large import-export business personally instead of leaving it to a factor factotum. His recent absence from society had been caused by the necessity of visiting one of his family's several estates, as well as taking a short business jaunt to Germany to check on a shipment of porcelain that was being delayed by a welter of regulations and tariffs.

  He'd been gone for the better part of a month, but he was back now. Evidently it was not a moment too soon if the stories his friends were gleefully telling him were any indication. Four of his friends at the table with him now, had a personal interest in the tales they were sharing as they attested to the fact that the Duke had lost his bet.

  "She wore a demi-mask, but everyone knew it was her," Benjamin Lindsey the Earl of Mahlman and best friend, imparted this information with a slight hint of sadness that he was obliged to be the bearer of bad news.

  "Surely she wasn't alone?" Justin asked, although it was more of a statement than a question. He couldn't imagine his sweet-natured Annalise defying him like this on her own.

  "Actually, she was with another woman, but no one could tell who she was,"

  Darren Stone added, "though we think she was about the same age as the Duchess. The other woman was draped with so many veils that we couldn't get a really clear look at her, but the woman in the demi-mask was definitely your new bride."

  Stone grinned in delight and Justin tamped down the temptation to knock a few of his friend's straight, white, teeth down his throat. He could feel the heat of anger and embarrassment creep up his neck past his carefully tied cravat, but he raised both hands in the air in mock surrender.

  "All right, I give over," Justin smiled in defeat. "If you tell me she was here, I must believe you. See my agent in the morning for payment." Justin rose to take his leave, but Christopher Myrick pulled him back down.

  "Aren't you even interested in what she did while she was here?" he asked, barely able to contain himself.

  "Probably not as interested as you are to tell me," Justin commented, but he crossed his arms across his chest, giving the impression that he would wait out the duration of the whole story.

  "She came in with her friend about nine in the evening," Christopher Myrick began, "but no one gave them much notice. Both women looked like they were familiar with the club. They went in and played some cards we heard later, but we really didn't pay much attention until they got into a ruckus on the stairs."

  ''Do not tell me she went above stairs," Justin glared at his friend.

  "Only for a moment, Justin," Ben interrupted. "A particularly inebriated patron mistook the two women for 'girlsi if you get my drift . . . "

  "I get your drift," Justin answered, his deep blue eyes narrowing. The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped to freezing. "Continue!"

  "Now it's hardly fair to shoot the messenger, old boy," quipped Jeffery Powers. "Christopher Myrick is merely telling you what happened."

  "Quite." The one word reply did not reassure anyone at the table and the men fell silent.

  "I can certainly understand your reluctance to listen to all of the details . . . "

  Lindsey began, then cleared his throat to cover the awkwardness.

  Justin was embarrassed by his boorish reaction. "I apologize. None of this is any fault of yours. It was my own arrogance and misplaced confidence that made me take the bet in the first place," Justin chuckled ruefully. "it's just that I cannot believe Annalise would disobey me so blatantly."

  "Neither could we," Jeffery Powers said. "Your family has a long and distinguished reputation for domestic tranquility."

  "Then why did you think you might win?"

  "We didn't. We just hoped that just this once, your life wouldn't proceed exactly as you planned it. I don't know about the others, but to me it was...well worth the risk of a hundred pounds if you could be proven to be mortal like the rest of us," Jeffery Powers laughed.

  "So it would seem. Well, we've come this far. Go ahead and finish the story.

  How did the women escape the drunken clutches of the man on the stairs?"

  "That's the best part!" Darren Stone chuckled. "They pushed him down the stairs!"

  "Good lord! Whose medical bills am going to be obliged to pay?"

  "Nobody's! The blessing is that the man your wife helped push down the stairs was old man Vanloff. He was so pickled, he never even sustained a bump,"

  Christopher Myrick added beginning to laugh at the memory.

  "Additionally," Jeffery Powers couldn't hold back his laughter, "Vanloff said he'd been attacked by ghosts and demanded the establishment reimburse him for his losses that night! Everyone laughed at that one!"

  "Easy to be amused when it wasn't your wife who was almost abducted by old man Vanloff."

  "Oh Justin, give over. She was never in serious danger. The old lecher was barely able to stand," Darren Stone put in.

  "It could've been someone else at the top of the stairs." Silence descended.

  "Well, this has been pleasant," Justin rose to leave.

  "Wait!" Christopher Myrick stopped him. "We were all wondering if. . . ."

  "We were wondering if you'd be interested in a. . . a. . .small accommodation .

  . . " Darren Stone stuttered.

  "What do you mean accommodation?" Justin swung around to pin each man with a look.

  "Now, Justin, don't get surly with us," Benjamin Lindsey soothed. "it's just that we all feel like we"re all in the same . . . ah quandary."

  "And what quandary is that?"

  "The one that places us all in a deucedly difficult position when it comes to our wives," Jeffery Powers sounded almost belligerent even to himself.

  "Justin," he tried in a softer tone, "we don't mean to pry, but we're all old friends. We all married within a couple years of each other, and we're all of the same class . . . "

  "What our friend here is trying to stumble through, is that we all know the legend of your family's secret . . . you know, luck with women . . . obedient, docile, loving, wives . . . as far back as anyone can ever remember . . . "

  Benjamin Lindsey couldn't seem to go on.

  "My Grandfather remembers your Grandmother as one of the most stiff-necked, stubborn, argumentative females . . . ah begging your pardon, Justin . .

  . that he had ever seen. He swears that six months after she married your Grandfather she turned into the most biddable, charming woman." Darren Stone had the grace to color a little under the intense look Justin shot him.

  "So you think my family has this magic elixir that we feed our wives to make them biddable. Is that it?"

  "Not exactly, but we did decide among the four of us that we'd forego the wager if you'd share your family's secret with us."

  "Why?" Justin was truly mystified. "Society hardly encourages good relations between husbands and wives. You know as well as I, that as long as both parties are discrete, they don't even have to live in the same households, let alone get along."

  "It would just make life more pleasant. Remember when we married and you had a good laugh at us all for getting 'leg-shackled' as you called it?"

  Benjamin Lindsey asked. "Then you fell in love wit
h Annalise . . . And fashion be damned! Just like you, we are all love our wives, but we"re finding it ...difficult to live with them . . . and there is nowhere we can turn for help."

  "We didn't even think we'd win the bet, but now that we have ... " Jeffery said,

  "We thought that perhaps in exchange for the four hundred pounds you owe us, you'd be willing to teach us how to deal with our wives."

  Justin looked lost in contemplation for a moment and then an amused twinkle glittered in his eyes and his mouth twitched as if relishing a private joke.

  "I"ll tell you what. I will go home and give Annalise the chance to confess all to me. If she does, I will deal with her privately. You can all understand my desire to protect her dignity, particularly if she is honest with me."

  The men all nodded in agreement.

  "However, if she is not forthcoming about her disobedience, I will allow you to witness what the 'Burke family secret' entails. If we do not come here later this evening, you will know she's confessed and you can collect your winnings from my man in the morning. If we do appear, I will give you instructions about where to meet us. Does that sound fair?"

  "More than fair Justin, and thank you for even considering our offer,"

  Benjamin Lindsey said. "We are all acutely aware how intrusive our request is."

  * * * *

  Justin was supremely gratified that his friends were smiling when he left them, but as soon as he'd entered his carriage, his face lost its calm expression and unconsciously he began to scowl. If he were honest with himself, he'd have to admit that some of the blame was his.

  Unwilling to be as rigid as some husbands he'd known, he'd wanted to give Annalise more freedom. As a result, he'd brought her with him when he went to places like The Deuces Wild to play games of chance. They'd even met some of their friends there on occasion. The ton shook their heads in disgust, and he'd occasionally been told that the place for wives was at home, but he hadn't been deterred.

  The only rule he'd insisted on was that she could never attend without him there to protect her. He'd pointed out that the only women, who frequented these establishments without their husbands, were women conducting illicit affairs, or women of ill repute. He was very clear that he didn't want her mistaken for either type. He also remembered being very clear before he left, that she would have to wait until he came home to go back to The Deuces Wild. She'd agreed and promised she'd wait for his return.

  The carriage wheel bounced out of a rut, jarring him out of his ruminations.

  Grabbing the leather strap to steady himself, he contemplated his meeting with his wife. He was hoping she would tell him the truth. It was well worth the four hundred pounds he would have to pay to keep this private. But then, he reasoned, if she chose not to tell him, his friends wouldn't be the only ones getting an education . . . hers would just be a little more public.

  * * * *

  The well-sprung carriage swayed a little as it pulled to a stop in front of Justin's family townhouse. Since his father's death two years ago, he was the only one who used the beautiful red-bricked home in London. He and his new wife, he mentally corrected himself. He was still a newlywed, having only been married for four months. He still had to remind himself that he was half of a couple. Evidently, his wife needed to be reminded that she was married too, he thought grimly, as he reached to open his front door.

  The door flew open and there stood Annalise. She looked even lovelier in the late afternoon sun than he remembered. The green- sprigged muslin day dress she had on skimmed her small-boned figure, making her look even more youthful than she was. Her chestnut curls were gathered at the back of her head and bounced in the sunshine as she jumped to her tiptoes to throw her arms around her husband's neck and kiss him.

  "Oh Justin! I"m so glad you"re home! I"ve missed you dreadfully!" She continued to punctuate her little speech with delightful kisses, and clung to him as if she would never unlock the grip she had on his neck.

  Pleased in spite of himself at her greeting, he was nevertheless aware of the stodgy neighbors on both sides of their elegant townhouse, who would probably take a dim view of such scandalous abandon. He reached up and untangled her arms from around his neck.

  "Inside with you," he pushed her gently into the shadowed, cool entryway, and closed the door firmly behind them.

  "You don't love me anymore!" She pretended to pout. "I knew if I let you go on that nasty trip, you'd forget all about me as I sat pining away for you . . . "

  "Did you?"

  "Did I what?"

  "Pine for me?"

  "What kind of a question is that?" Did he detect a slight defensive edge to her voice he wondered?

  Trying to keep it light he continued the banter. "The kind of question a newly married man wants answered. I hoped that you would miss me as much as I missed you."

  "But my darling, I did!"

  Annalise would've thrown her arms around him once again, but Justin caught one of her arms and spun her toward the parlor door.

  "Try to exhibit a little decorum if you please, Mrs. Burke," he said with a laugh. "Remember you are a Duchess not a dockside doxy."

  "And just for my information . . . which would you truly prefer . . . the Duchess or the doxy?" She smiled up at him with a teasing innocence glowing in her eyes.

  "Sit down you irreverent imp of the devil," Justin laughed as he guided her to the small settee. "I want you to tell me what you did to amuse yourself while I was gone." He sat next to her and took her hands in his, as he watched her reactions carefully.

  "Oh just the normal routine . . . you know . . . paying calls . . . having women call on me . . . dull, dull, dull! I don't know what I would've done without Kaitland Lindsey. We saw each other every day. She is so witty! Do you know she can do a perfect imitation of Mrs. Crowley berating her shop girls?

  Kaitland is just a caution!"

  "I"m sure she is," Justin tried to pick his words carefully. "I was wondering if you had done anything unusual while I was gone."

  Annalise's eyes shifted away from his for the briefest moment, but it was enough. "Why do you ask?" she hedged.

  Justin placed his hand under her chin and forced her to look him in the eye.

  "Because a new bride left to her own devises so soon after her wedding, might be tempted to do something her new husband might not approve of . . . did you?" He couldn't make it more plain, he thought.

  "D..did I . . . ?"

  "Yes, were you a good little wife while I was gone?"

  "That sounds enormously patronizing!" she pulled her hands from his and turned away from him.

  This was not going like Kaitland had promised her it would. She'd said he wouldn't even ask her how she'd passed the time. She'd said men, particularly husbands, couldn't care less what their wives did when they weren't around.

  Well, her husband gave every indication that he did care! And lud! She was never good at lying! What was she going to do?

  "Nonetheless," he said as he turned her to him again, "I want to know if there is something we need to discuss." Justin peered into her soft brown eyes, willing her to trust him enough to tell him the truth.

  "I don't have any idea what you"re going on about! I just know that I'm elated to have you home again . . . safe and sound!"

  She threw her arms around his neck, hiding her face in his shoulder and clasping him close to her. He could feel her heart pounding, and he had no illusions that it was pounding from the joy of his return. Well, he sighed inwardly. He'd given her every chance.

  * * * *

  Justin was surprised that he could keep such iron control during dinner and later as they prepared to go out for the evening. All that training in the army, he supposed, was serving him well.

  He was tying his cravat in the graceful "Waterfall" style as he strolled over to the adjoining door between his dressing room and hers. They always left the door open after Annalise got over her initial shyness, so they could talk to each other as they dressed
.

  Justin leaned his back against the doorjamb casually, as he watched the delightful picture of his wife slipping her small feet into the flat soled kid-leather shoes women wore these days.

  "Could I ask you to do something scandalous for me this evening?" he practically leered at her from the doorway.

  She laughed and placed her hands on her hips like a bossy scold. "No! I refuse! You promised we'd go out tonight. I"ll do something scandalous tomorrow or . . . or after we come home."

  "What if you could do something scandalous and still go out tonight?"

  "Like what, for instance?"

  "Like not wearing any under drawers, for instance," he replied.

  "Why Justin! I"m shocked . . . and dismayed . . . and . . . "

  "And just a little tempted?"

  Annalise smoothed her hands down her yellow silk dress as if she was trying to imagine the freedom of dispensing with her cotton batiste under drawers which were the only things keeping her form concealed under her dress except for her chemise.

  He could sense she was thinking about it. "No one will know but us, and think how fun it will be to share such an intimate secret."

  "All right!" She started hiking up her dress to reach the ribbons, which held her drawers in place around her slim waist. "You"re going to have to assist me since you won't allow Maryann to help me dress or undress at night." She turned her back to him and presented him with a tantalizing view of two almost covered pink-white globes peeking shyly through the edges of the long opening in the unclosed crotch of her drawers.

  Justin forced his breathing to slow as he carefully untied the ribbons and allowed the light material skim down his wife's slim hips and legs. Just before she dropped her dress to cover herself, he glimpsed her sheer yellow stockings held high on her creamy thighs by matching yellow garters embroidered with pansies. He felt a tightness swell his chest . . . and other places if he were going to be honest. He turned his back to her and tried to minimize the effects of his arousal by readjusting the front flap of his skin-tight pants.