I then nodded.

She nodded back, lifted a hand, cupped my jaw briefly and then walked to the door of her room.

She stopped there and turned back.

“And I am always and forever here to listen to you, to help you, to do anything for you,” she reminded me.

I bit my lip to stop the sting in my eyes.

“You know that?” she asked.

“I do,” I answered. “And I am the same for you.”

“I do not have to figure out how to host an orgy in my garden,” she mumbled.

Eep!

“What?” I asked.

“For later, my love. I wish you luck.”

She blew me a kiss and disappeared behind her door.

I stared at it after she closed it, and then I realized I had no idea how much time I had, and thus I had no time to waste.

Therefore, I needed to decide, when my husband came to me, where the conversation we would need to have should occur.

And I knew instantly it should not be in the bedchamber.

I did not hurry (in case he came in), but I also did not dawdle on my way to the sitting room.

However, I found myself having to stop pacing because he did not come quickly.

Instead I had to find parchment in his desk, inks and pens, and I took these to the settee to write the missives I had lied to Ines that I needed to write (though it would be good to have them done for a clearer day the next day).

And I did this beginning to feel less flustered and starting to fume.

For apparently my husband took my insincere invitation to reminisce with his old lover as sincere.

And equally apparently, they had much to reminisce about.

Not long after, I found I was beginning not to fume, but instead feel as if I would weep as the minutes ticked by and he did not come to me.

Finally, I realized he did not intend to come to me, and perhaps he thought I would go to him (even if I did not know where he slept at night as I had not asked).

But that would not be happening.

I had nothing to apologize for.

He did.

And this list was ever growing.

He had been dictatorial.

He had treated me like a mischievous child.

He was withholding from me.

He had retreated from me.

And he had introduced me to and made me sit at dinner with that woman.

It struck me that perhaps he had no intention of settling matters a’tall.

I could not finish my letter to Ha-Lah and would probably find on the morrow that it made little sense.

I decided to set it aside, and was about to do this, when the door to our chambers opened.

I looked that way and watched Mars at first walk to our bedchamber.

I did not have time to call out before he turned on his foot and headed my way.