Chapter Forty-Two
Octavius woke before his wife. What a wonderful word that was: wife. His wife.
The bedchamber was still dark, but his inner clock had always been fairly accurate. When he crept out of bed and lit a candle, he saw that he’d woken almost exactly when he’d wanted to.
He tiptoed into the dressing room and did his ablutions, then donned his clothes hastily, not bothering with such things as waistcoat and neckcloth. His wife stirred while he was laying out clothes for her on the bed. “Octavius?” She sat up and rubbed her face. “What are you doing?”
“You’re awake. Excellent. Come on, there’s not much time.”
“Not much time for what?”
“I have a surprise. Go wash your face. I’ll help you to dress.”
Pip disappeared into the dressing room. A few minutes later, she emerged, fac
