The Werewolf's Pregnant Bride (5 page)

Still,  he could not imagine why they would appeal to a woman like his wife. She was an American strumpet who had married far above what she deserved. She had made out far better than any of the characters Austen had created.

"My brother prefers much older works," Mercy said. "Father says he has an old soul."

"I have read widely. Perhaps one day we will talk and see if our readings have overlapped," Sophronia said. Her smile innerved him. Her haughty stance annoyed him but the moistness of her lips made him want to cover her mouth with his and taste her.

He was going to need to get past these ridiculous feelings of desire if they were to have a happy marriage. His father had ordered him to bed her but surely he could have had no idea of the results. The last thing Nathaniel needed was to lust after her. At least with Vivian the lust was sensible. She was a she-wolf who would breed healthy were-children. Sophronia was nothing. The babe she carried might be a were-child or not. Her future babes might be were-kind or not. Filling her with children was a toss of the dice as to whether it would benefit the pack. Such lust for her was little more than a gamble at a card game. At least his desire, now useless, for Vivian had been reasonable.

Chapter 8

Sophronia's body felt heavy as she made her way down the stairs. She would have preferred to have her supper in her room but at the same time she did not want to miss the visitor who would be sharing their meal. She did however vow to go straight to bed after supper and to stay inside the next day and rest in bed. According to Mercy, Marquess Wolstenholme had a library with a fair amount of books. Many of the books were on philosophy and history. Mercy's favorite books were works of fiction and she had not been able to specify more specifically what books the library held when Sophronia asked. It did not really matter. She was sure that there was some book she could find that would intrigue her. She decided she would lie on her bed with a book in hand and do nothing more strenuous than growing her child once tomorrow came. She had to tell herself that or else she would not have made it into the dining room with a smile on her face.

"Sophronia, this is Mr. Baltz," the Marquess said as she made her way to her chair. Mr. Baltz had stood up when she entered.

Mr. Baltz was hardly older than her husband and much more muscled. He had spectacles which gave him an air of sophistications but also brought out the gray in his eyes. If she had been a single woman she might have thought him to be very attractive. Tonight, perhaps because of the consummation of her marriage the night before, she only vaguely noticed his handsomeness. It created no longing in her as it once might have. Of course she could also chalk that up to her current state of exhaustion.

"Baltz, this is my new daughter-in-law," the Marquess said.

"Charmed," Mr. Baltz said with a smile. His teeth were surprisingly white and his clothes particularly fine for someone who was not aristocracy.

She took her seat beside Nathaniel and Mr. Baltz sat diagonal from her next to the Marquess. Eldon and Claire were on his other side.

The first course of oysters was served and partially eaten before anyone spoke.

"How did you find Antarctica, Mr. Baltz?" Claire asked. Her tone implied that she was being polite more than truly interested but the topic grabbed Sophronia's attention and she looked towards him.

"Cold," Mr. Baltz said with a forced laugh.

"Did you actually get to set foot there?" Sophronia asked. She knew that Antarctica and the surrounding islands were of interest but she had not heard of many people pursuing that interest. She had heard rumors of an American sealer finding Antarctica in his search for seal breeding grounds but she did not recall if he had simply found the land and viewed it from his boat or if he had attempted to explore the shore.

"I did. Though only briefly," Mr. Baltz confessed. "The captain of my ship was interested only in finding seals and the particular area we landed had a very sparse population. I can only assume the animals saw our ship coming and fled to safety in the depths of the land. We did not have supplies to travel beyond the coast," Mr. Baltz said.

"I suppose that was good luck for the seals," Eldon said.

"Indeed. Though poor luck for those of us more interested in research than hunting," Mr. Baltz said.

The servants cleared away the oysters and brought out bowls of soup. Sophronia had not felt very hungry at seeing the oysters but the smell of the soup seemed to awaken her stomach. It felt warm and tasted savory as she spooned it delicately into her mouth.

"Can I assume that you are a researcher and not a hunter then?" Sophronia asked Mr. Baltz.

"Very much so. I am actually here because I would like Marquess Wolstenholme to fund an expedition to Antarctica strictly for researching purposes," Mr. Baltz said.

"More so to satisfy your own curiosity I would wager," Eldon said.  

"I am truly a scientist at heart. I won't deny that," Mr. Baltz agreed.

"Or perhaps you are hoping that somewhere in Antarctica there are some riches to be found," Nathaniel said.

"One can always hope for that as well," Mr. Baltz conceded.

"Even so there is something to be said for knowledge for the sake of knowledge," Sophronia said.

"Naturally, I believe that knowledge is a fine thing. I just am not sure if pursuing it is the way I want to spend my funds," the Marquess said.

"One never knows what return such an investment might have," Mr. Baltz said.

"My father would be better off sending you to find seals. At least then there would be some likelihood of profits," Eldon said.

"One can only guess what could be found in unexplored land. Perhaps another discovery such as Megalosaurus," Mr. Baltz suggested.

"I am still not sure I believe that the bones he found were anything but a hoax," the Marquess said.

"If William Buckland was not a clergyman I might have doubts too but I see no reason for a man of God to benefit from such a lie," Mr. Baltz said.

"Fame and fortune has turned many men from God," Nathaniel said.

"Perhaps there is some proof in Antarctica or other places we have yet to explore that proves the existence of God," Sophronia added. The idea of exploration excited her. Perhaps if she was not in her current predicament she could have joined a ship crew and gone to explore the land herself. She wondered what Antarctica would be like. She also wondered what wonders were to be found in the snow and ice there. Were there treasures that might unlock keys to the secrets of the world hidden in the ice? What remnants of the worlds beginning might God have hidden there for the brave and adventurous to find?

"It is unusual to meet a woman with such a curious mind," Mr. Baltz confessed. He looked her over slowly as if really taking her in for the first time.

"My wife is an unusual woman," Nathaniel said.

The way Sophronia was talking made Nathaniel wonder if he should worry about his wife running away to explore the frozen wasteland herself. Baltz was not a werewolf and so could not possibly have known that a werewolf scouting team had been sent to see what Antarctica had to offer nearly a generation ago when they came upon it. It was a time when tensions had been running high in some were-communities. There had been a question of whether Antarctica could be inhabitable by were-kind should they need to flee currently populous areas. The explorers had decided that the land was useless for their purposes. It might hold old bones or relics of history but there was nothing valuable to the were-world.

Of course Sophronia could not know that either. She also was likely too naive to imagine what a ships crew would do to a woman on board. She might imagine herself some kind of adventurer but Baltz and the others of his crew would see her as little more than fresh meat to quench their lusts with.

He was none to fond of the look Baltz was giving his wife at the moment. She might think his attentions were merely because of her interested mind but he could smell the lust from Baltz. It was not something that their occasional guest had ever directed at Mercy or Claire. He was not sure exactly why Sophronia was eliciting that reaction from Baltz but he could feel the anger rising in him. His wolf growled and it was all he could do to contain himself.

"It seems to me that the other expeditions of yours that my father has funded have resulted in next to nothing of value, monetary or otherwise," Nathaniel said.

The servants entered and cleared away the soup dishes before bringing out a course of lobster.

"We can not all discover the Basilica unfortunately," Baltz said.

"No, I suppose not. On the other hand there are many explorers bringing back valuable artifacts. It seems the artifacts you have found are few and far between," Nathaniel said.

"As I stated before, I find the knowledge we glean much more valuable than any spoon used by Caesar," Baltz said.

"Did you ever find such a spoon?" Eldon asked.

"Of course not. If I had you would own it now," Baltz said.

"Have you made any earth shattering discoveries about the history of the world or the creation of mankind?" Nathaniel asked. Baltz's face was turning red. It gave Nathaniel a deep sense of satisfaction.
"Not yet," Baltz admitted "That does not mean I will not. The journey to Antarctica might be my big break."

"Or it might be just another fruitless investment," Eldon said. 

Nathaniel noticed the women around the table were looking horrified. He and Eldon were displaying poor manners to their guest. He had felt unable to help himself after the smells of lust coming off Baltz as he looked at Sophronia. He was not the heir. He did not give a bloody damn how his father spent his fortunes. Baltz could explore whatever blocks of ice he liked with Wolstenholme money and it would not make a difference to Nathaniel. He was not sure why the attention Baltz had been paying Sophronia had been enough to rid him of his proper manners. If it had been Vivian the answer would have been obvious. The problem was that it was not Vivian. It was Sophronia. He was married to her. At the command of his Alpha he had even bedded the chit. Neither of those were reasons that Baltz's lusting should have bothered him.

"Baltz, leave me a list of what you need and what you expect it will cost me and I will look over the proposal and let you know. For now, I suggest we move on to more pleasant topics," his father said.

"Indeed," Baltz said with a slight grumble that was probably inaudible to anyone but Nathaniel.

Treacle pudding was being served before anyone seemed ready to speak more than a few words.

"Were you aware that the circus is in town?" Baltz asked. It did not escape Nathaniel's attention that the words were directed at Sophronia though Claire was the one who affirmed.

"How delightful," Mercy said. "I went many years ago and loved the trick riders." Nathaniel was less impressed by the circus than his sister but he guessed part of that was her purely human nature. Things like the tight rope walkers and trick riders just seemed less mystical when one became a werewolf once a month.

"Will you be in attendance?" Baltz asked.

"Perhaps we could go while Vivian is visiting," Mercy suggested.

"She does enjoy the pantomime," Claire said cautiously. Nathaniel wondered if it was being a werewolf or just his practical nature that made the circus a bore to him. Apparently it was something Claire was not opposed to attending and something Vivian had at one point enjoyed. Perhaps he should try harder to be captivated by the less than super human feats of the entertainers. They would need to sit in the middle or back of the show if they went so as not to upset the horses. The last thing he needed was to be the cause of some poor trick rider falling to his death because of a horse startled by the smell of a predator.

"I have a connected friend who can get you tickets at an excellent rate," Baltz said.

Sophronia had enjoyed the company of Mr. Baltz but she was more than ready to return to her room.

"Shall I escort you?" Nathaniel asked. He had not offered to do that the night before and she wondered what had prompted it now.

"Thank you," she said. She did not really need the escort but she decided that it would be rude to refuse. Secretly, she hoped that Nathaniel was escorting her in hopes of another intimate encounter. She had thought about the night before several times that day and was sure he had enjoyed it almost as much as she had. How could he not want to bed her again?

"I have not had the chance to properly apologize for your neck," Nathaniel said.

"It is nothing," she assured quickly. It had not hurt and she knew her husband had been swept away by passion just as she had been. She rather thought she would not mind if he did it again though perhaps somewhere on her body where she would not need a scarf to hide it. Mercy and Claire seemed upset about it much more than she was. Their concern had bothered her more than the mark itself.

"Are you looking forward to the circus?" Nathaniel asked.

"I am. Are you?" Sophronia asked.

"Not particularly. I do not see the point of them," Nathaniel said. She was not sure why the words cut her but they did. Did he think her a silly girl for wanting to see acrobats and trick riders?

"No one will object if you do not attend," Sophronia said. The harshness of her tone surprised her.

"It would not be proper for you to go unescorted. I am not even sure how proper it is for you to be seen at such a place in your condition," Nathaniel said. She could feel the heat of anger flood through her body. He was ashamed to be seen with her. He was ashamed to pretend that she was carrying his baby. If he had his way he would probably keep her under lock and key to prevent her from embarrassing him.
"Your brother will be escorting us so there is no need to worry about propriety," Sophronia said.

She could see the muscle in his jaw twitch with anger. She had not meant to be cruel but Nathaniel had made her angry. She knew a lesser man would have slapped her across the face.

Nathaniel however simply bowed to her and then retreated.

Sophronia walked the rest of the way to her room alone. She opened the door and threw herself on the bed. She did not even try to suppress the tears that flowed freely down her face. She usually was not the type of girl to carry on so but it seemed that the babe inside of her along with a life that was so suddenly out of control was making it difficult to control her emotions.