Ellory was curious about these friends but Claude didn't say anything else about them. Then again, Ellory hadn't given him the roster of her inappropriate friends. In time, she would get to learn about them. Perhaps they could invite them over for dinner!

His next move came as a surprise to Ellory at first, but when she registered what he'd done, she decided that she liked it. Her upbringing had made her hungry for any form of physical touch. The wine had made it less awkward that the source was her cousin. It was only when she found herself in situations involving physical touch that Ellory understood how much she craved it.

She was blushing when she brought a hand on top of his. "That was kind of nice," she admitted. "You can kiss me if you'd like." It was very awkward but then all first kisses were awkward. It made it additionally awkward that they had to get physical at some point. Thankfully they weren't medieval mobility to have half the court witness their marriage's consummation, as she had read in her novels! In any case, their family would surely somehow discover whether they'd done the deed or not.