One thing she was sure of was that Royce adored Mathilda, but he hadn't slept with her yet. They were never intimate like she and Royce were. She liked the woman and her vanity, but she was also sure that Mathilda wouldn't hurt anyone. She was not born evil or bad.
Royce looked down at her and marveled once more at his mistress's perfection. She was like a white rose that no one had touched or soiled in any way. She rarely allowed herself to be touched without gloves. She never treated him to a vulgar scene in which she burst into tearful protestations of love for another man.
Royce considered Mathilda his, and only his. The very idea of it sent a bolt of passion through him. He decided to take her tonight to forget the inner turmoil brought on by Katherine.
"Shall we walk in the gardens?" he asked, hearing the huskiness in his own voice. She glanced up at him but appeared to see nothing amiss because she nodded.
