“Juliet!” Caroline said with a snap of her fingers.
Juliet blinked. “Sorry, Caroline. I was woolgathering.”
“Yes, that was rather obvious,” Caroline agreed. She licked her lips, the color rising in her cheeks. “Umm, it’s a fact of biology that the man’s seed needs to find its way to the woman’s core. So perhaps if you want this to happen sooner rather than later, you should help encourage that.”
Juliet stiffened. Was her friend implying she thought Juliet was a rigid prude who denied Drake access to her bed? “Pardon?”
Caroline held her gaze. “I didn’t mean...” She cleared her throat. “Juliet, it’s obvious you two are being intimate. And there’s nothing wrong with that. You’re Drake’s wife now. It’s perfectly acceptable for you to share his bed.”
Juliet’s heart stilled. “Did someone say otherwise?”
“No,” Caroline assured her, drawing out the word. “I thought you were implying such by the way you stiffened when I suggested you encourage Drake to―” She waved her hand in a circling motion through the air.
“Oh,” Juliet said with a blush. “I...we...we’re intimate.”
“We know,” Emma intoned. “A blind man couldn’t miss the looks that pass between the two of you.”
Heat crawled up Juliet’s face. “Then if you weren’t implying I allow him to share my bed, what were you implying?”
“Nothing specific,” Caroline said. “Just that if you’re trying to conceive, you could lie on your back afterward, and pull your knees to your chest. That’ll force everything to your womb.”
“Or make Drake question her sanity,” Emma broke in. “Truly, Caroline, if she does that, Drake will likely think she’s addled. I’m fairly certain Marcus would think so if I did such a thing.”
“I doubt that,” Caroline said. “He’d probably take it as an invitation.”
“Caroline Banks!” Emma said laughingly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The blush staining her cheeks suggested otherwise.
“Emma’s likely right, though,” Caroline admitted. “Drake might not be so accepting of such a tactic.”
Juliet knit her brows. “What do you mean? Does Drake not want any more children?”
“Sure he does,” Emma said. She swallowed hard, then cleared her throat. “Gentlemen take it as a point of pride when they father children. So, while Drake would love to have his heir, he’d rather believe it was because of him and his strong seed that you conceived, not your machinations.”
“Oh.” Juliet said. What on Earth was Emma talking about?
Caroline cast Emma an apologetic look; for what, Juliet didn’t know, but then Caroline spoke again and all curiosity regarding Emma disappeared. “What Emma means is, like all men, Drake’s pride demands he be the one to ensure you conceive. Not that it’s a bad thing, mind you. It just means, if you want to tip fate’s balance in your favor, you’ll have to be a bit more discreet in how you go about it.”
“Right,” Juliet agreed. Perhaps it was better to just let it happen when it happened. Truly they’d only been sharing intimacies for six weeks. That was barely any time at all, all things considered.
“Here’s what you should do,” Caroline continued. “It’s easy and it won’t draw a hint of suspicion, I expect. Just wait a little longer before cleaning up afterward so his seed has time to take root.”
Juliet cocked her head to the side in interest. What was Caroline talking about? She didn’t clean up immediately after intimacies. There wasn’t anything to clean up.
“There isn’t?” Emma and Caroline asked in unison.
Juliet flushed. She hadn’t realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud. “No. Not really.”
“You’re sure there’s nothing er...” Emma trailed off, piercing Juliet with her green gaze.
“Yes,” Juliet said uncomfortably. What was there supposed to be?
Caroline coughed delicately into her hand. “I think it’s time we abandon this subject and move on to something else.”
“Oh, I know just the thing,” Emma said, leaping off her seat. She scurried across the room and came back with a little scientific pamphlet of some sort, and handed it to Caroline before resuming her seat.
Caroline immediately started leafing through the treatise, hemming and hawing in interest as she went.
“Caroline?”
“Hmm?”
Juliet snatched the circular from her friend. “What is it you’re not telling me?”