Chapter 9:

During the course of the next few weeks the house at Half Moon street entertained several visitors. There were several matrons who thought that it was their duty towards Inuyasha's young wife, though they privately thought that Inuyasha could have done better. There was Lady Sefton because she was really kind and had taken an instant liking to Kagome. There was Mrs. Drummond-Burrell because she felt like it. There was Miroku because he hoped that some of the matrons would bring their young daughters with them. There was Sesshomaru because he was supposed to teach Kagome how to drive and finally, there was Koga. He came because nobody was more moved by his cause than Kagome and had the patience to listen to his long dramatic monologues where he declared his undying passion for Ayame.

One of her earliest visitors was a smart lady who came to visit her with her young daughter. She called herself Lady Taija and introduced herself as a distant cousin of Kagome's father. Kagome stared at the plump cheerful lady with some trepidation.

"But my papa never mentioned ... "

"Oh fudge. " Lady Taija waved her hand dismissively. "Your poor papa never had much sense, but never mind that. This is my daughter Sango. "

Kagome smiled at the young girl who sat primly beside her mother in a demure gray muslin gown with her glossy black curls piled into an elegant bun at the top of her head. Her brown eyes twinkled when she returned Kagome's smile, soft determined lips curving upwards in an answering gesture.

"Sango is making her debut this year. "Lady Taija rattled on. "My dear Sango positively outshines all the other debutants. "

Here Miroku who was with Kagome when Lady Taija visited inserted with a dreamy sigh. "Yes, how true. "

Fortunately Lady Taija paid him no attention though Sango bestowed him with a haughty glare and a light blush on her cheeks. She continued. "Of course, I will be more than happy to chaperone you in society ... "

This was, Inuyasha told her later, a most propitious event. One of the first tasks of the young couple after they had set up residence at the house on Half Moon street was to pay a visit to Inuyasha's mother who still resided with all her glory at the ancestral house in Governor's Square.

They were ushered in by a stately butler and found Lady Tashio reclining picturesquely on a divan, fortified by several cushions, tisanes and smelling salts, with a book called Meditation Among the Tombs significantly open in her lap. She greeted her son with a tearful sympathetic smile and Kagome with a visible shudder.

Her voice was very faint as she uttered her blessings to the newly wed couple with the air of a martyr and when requested to introduce Kagome to society she fell back into her cushions and declared in deploring accents about her ill- health and consequent inability to conduct Kagome into society. Needless to say, by the end of the interview Inuyasha was beginning to feel more than a little irritated.

Near the end of their discussion, Inuyasha demanded the family pearls from Lady Tashio causing her to fall into a teary reminiscence.

"Inuyasha, have you no sensibility at all. The pearls that your dear poor papa clasped around my neck when he first married me..."

"No, he didn't. "Inuyasha said incorrigibly. "My grandma still had them and my father had to work really hard to get them. You threw one of your famous tantrums as well, if I remember correctly. "

At this Lady Tashio became even more teary eyed and Kagome sensing a quarrel brewing cut in good naturedly saying that she did not want the pearls till her mother-in-law was dead.

Now this was the worst thing she could have said because it caused Lady Tashio to forget her illness and sit up saying angrily that both her son and her daughter-in-law was waiting for her death and a lot many other things which set up Inuyasha's back and he became quite adamant about the pearls.

At the end Lady Tashio capitulated. "I suppose you would want me to give her the emeralds as well. " She said bitterly.

"Excellent. "Inuyasha did not bat an eyelid. "It is exactly what Kagome needs. "

Needless to say, they had parted on less than amiable terms and it was clear that Lady Tashio would do nothing to introduce Kagome into society. In this case, the meeting with Lady Taija was very timely as she was quite capable of chaperoning Kagome into society.

So it was that Lady Taija became a frequent visitor to their house chaperoning her and Sango to all the ton parties that had started now that the season started in London. Inuyasha did not accompany her on all of these and Lady Taija assured her that this was perfectly natural.

"After all you do not want your husband to be tied to your apron strings now, do you? That, my dear, is not the established mode. "

Since Inuyasha had told her pretty much the same thing Kagome accepted it and proceeded to endear herself in society. Sango however had different opinions.

"Kagome, you really should not listen to my mother. " She bit into the angel cake that Kagome had laid out for her. It had not taken long for the both of them to become fast friends. "According to my mother a Lady should make a respectable marriage, preferably a man with a title and conveniently overlook any other interests the man may have. "She put down her plate a little more vehemently than necessary. "Fudge. " Then her face became serious. "Kagome you really should try to wean Inuyasha away from Sir Naraku's influence. That man is ... bad news. "

Kagome blushed a little. She could not bear to tell her freind that she and Inuyasha had agreed not to interfere in each other's business.

She too had heard about Naraku and the smooth charm with which he introduced men with means to several shady establishments initiating them to the world of high stakes and deep play. But even though Naraku's character was a trifle shady, one could not argue that his credentials were implacable. His birth was respectable and he had a somewhat decent inheritance. His manners were polished and his address smooth.

Other than that he quite handsome and dressed in the first style of elegance and could make many ladies swoon with his slightly mocking tone and cynical smile. Even the Incomparable was not immune to his charm though she sometimes wondered what was actually going on behind those cynical red eyes of his.

He had failed to captivate one Lady at least. Kagome could not bring herself to like him. She was inclined to like any friend of Inuyasha's but she found herself unable to like Naraku at all. Since the first day Naraku often showed up at the house dragging Inuyasha off to some gaming hell. That and the warning from both Sesshomaru and Miroku, coupled with the slightly sinister air around Naraku made her extremely cautious of him.

She wished that she could somehow remove Inuyasha from the sphere of Naraku's influence. She had mentioned it to Sesshomaru who was teaching her how to drive in the Hyde Park. He inclined his head a little and Kagome thought that she saw a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

"This Sesshomaru will speak to the foolish half breed. "

That afternoon Sesshomaru dropped Inuyasha at their house with several suspicious wounds and a hole in his stomach. Kagome decided that she would never ask Sesshomaru to talk to Inuyasha again.

' Well at least he will not be going off with that awful Naraku. ' Kagome thought as she changed Inuyasha's bandage. ' Maybe I will ask Sesshomaru to talk to him ... not very often though. '

Through the kind offices of her mentor Lady Sefton the vouchers to Almack's were procured and Inuyasha declared with a groan that he was ready to sacrifice himself at the altar of marital duties.

Kagome was always happy to send the evening by Inuyasha's side and she was so much taken in by the dazzle of the Almack's Ball that she barely noticed the critical gaze of several patrons or the cold propriety of Princess Esterhazy. She danced with Sesshomaru and Miroku and stood up for the country-dance with Kouga and generally contrived to pass the evening with considerable cheerfulness.

Inuyasha was as usual put off by what he said was insipid entertainment and awful food where Sesshomaru inserted.

"They are foolish humans, what do you expect?"

But he was more than happy to see Kagome in such spirits and so easily accepted by society, though he felt something strange stir in his heart when Kagome's hand was solicited for the dance one too many times by males who were not he.

As for the Incomparable Ayame, she would have to be a saint if she did not feel a tinge of envy at Kagome's undoubted popularity with Inuyasha's friends. And even though Kagome could never possess the flawless beauty of the Incomparable, Ayame had to accept that there was something engaging about the young brides cheerful twinkle.

But she was very fond of Kagome; herself, Kagome and Inuyasha having grown up together before they went their separate ways and took this opportunity to renew their friendship. She found that Kagome still had the same sweet disposition; her sudden rise in fortunes had not taken her innocence, which Ayame found extremely endearing.

So, it was more than one occasion on which Kagome would pick up Ayame when she went riding in the Hyde Park. Unlike Sango she did not like the idea of letting Kagome hold the reins of the high stepping spirited horses that Inuyasha had procured, but she bore it with considerable equanimity to please her friend.

Thus it was that happiness was predominant in her mind as she saw Kagome carving out a small niche for her in society.

Towards the end of the evening Inuyasha bore Kagome off saying glumly. "That evening was a dead bore. "

Kagome was surprised. "Was it Inuyasha?"She had found the evening to be very exciting.

"Yes. I will take you to a better place next time." He declared.

True to his word Inuyasha took Kagome to a costume party at Convent Gardens. It was quite different from the party at Almack's. The environment here was very relaxed and the entertainment provided was unconventional. Everybody wore masks and bright gowns dancing with light music.

Inuyasha had booked a stall for them where they sat watching the proceedings while supping on thin slices of roast beef washed down with sherbet. Kagome's eyes danced behind her mask as she learned from her incorrigible husband how to spot what he discreetly termed as bits of muslin.

One of these females passed the Viscount's box with such a provocative swing of her hips that Inuyasha could not resist himself.

"Just a moment Kagome. Lay you a monkey that is Kikyo, saucy little piece that she is. "

He vaulted over the partition to follow the suddenly coy damsel attempting to unmask her. Kagome giggled a little watching his outrageous progress when she felt another presence in the box. Turning she saw a masked man and for a while thought that it was somebody she knew.

"Hello Sir. "Her voice was polite. "Who are you?"

"Another lonely soul. "The man edged closer letting warning bells peal in Kagome's head. "Have pity on this poor soul my fair lady. "

"How can you know whether I am fair, after all you can't see my face?"Kagome said sensibly.

"Well then. "The man knelt over her. "Let me see your face. "

With an angry cry Kagome pushed him away. "How dare you? Remove yourself from my presence at once!"

The man did not heed her words; instead he thrust a hand around her waist and attempted to draw her closer. "Oh, my little kitten has claws. " He purred putting up a hand to unfasten her mask. "Come, come, why be such a prude. "

Kagome was very white under her mask shaking with anger and fright when she saw the man being physically hauled off her and thrown rather roughly on the ground. Wide eyed she turned at her silver haired rescuer.

"Inuyasha. "

Inuyasha's eyes were slightly red under the mask and his voice was quite unlike him. "Remove yourself." He snapped at the enterprising fellow. "Now. "

The man picked himself up and murmured something of a hasty apology before making a speedy retreat. Inuyasha sank into the chair.

"Dash it Kagome, I should have never brought you here. "

"Why? Is it because of that odious man? " Kagome laid a hesitating hand on Inuyasha's arm. "But I enjoyed myself here; well at least until that man came along ... I think he was a little drunk. By the way, was that really Kikyo?"

Inuyasha gave a short laugh and gave Kagome's hand an answering squeeze. "I am so glad that I married you. I could never bring the Incomparable to a Convent Garden romp. If something like that happened she would be fainting and scolding me all the way home. "

Kagome felt a lump rise at her throat and she couldn't figure out why she felt so depressed all of a sudden. But the next thing Inuyasha said banished all clouds from her horizon.

"I think I am going to book that box in the opera after all. "

Nothing could have been more perfect than the visit to the opera. Kagome was in excellent spirits having found the perfect pink gown to go with her pearls and Inuyasha was in excellent spirits because he won at the cards the previous evening. Their small party consisted of Sesshomaru, Miroku and Sango other than Inuyasha and she and they contrived to enjoy themselves from the excellent seats Inuyasha had booked.

During the play Kagome had noticed that one of the dancers, a pretty young thing with blue eyes kept glancing at their box and she blurted out before she could think.

"Inuyasha, is that your opera dancer?"

Kagome wished that she could bite her tongue out at the extremely reproachful look Inuyasha cast at her, both Sango and Miroku being red with the effort to control their laughter when Sesshomaru unexpectedly came to her rescue.

"No, the foolish half-demon likes the dark one at the left. "

Kagome gave him a grateful smile. "Yes, I thought that as well. "

Fortunately, the curtains fell at this moment and Inuyasha offered to walk Sango to the powder room without even glancing at Kagome. Sango gave Kagome an apologetic glance and accompanied him. Miroku naturally followed them, leaving Kagome with Sesshomaru.

They walked in the corridor outside; Sesshomaru's calm presence cooled her heated cheeks. At last she spoke.

"That was very foolish of me. "

Sesshomaru did not say anything. Kagome continued, not really expect him to speak.

"I should know better to control my tongue. Aunt Musou says that a Lady must learn to overlook a gentleman's indiscretions. There are some things a Lady never says. " She paused looking at the stoic demon. "Sesshomaru, do you have an opera dancer?"She asked innocently.

Only centuries of practice kept Sesshomaru from not turning red. "This Sesshomaru has no such interests. "

"Hmm. "Kagome appeared thoughtful. "You could tell me the truth Sesshomaru. I am not missish. Aunt Musou says that there is nothing that gentlemen dislike more. "

"Your aunt is a fool. " Sesshomaru said dryly. "This Sesshomaru does not lie Kagome. "

"Okay." Kagome accepted that. "You know sometimes I wish that Inuyasha did not have an opera dancer. "

"The half-breed is foolish. "

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During their journey home Inuyasha was awfully quiet and that made Kagome sick with anxiety as she snuck little guilty looks at him from under her lowered lashes. When they alighted Inuyasha informed her with a rather quiet (Kagome thought cold) voice that he wished to speak with her in the book room as soon as she had laid aside her gown.

Through their long journey home and through most of the theatre Inuyasha had formed what he thought was a well-rounded homily through which he would instruct Kagome as to behave as a proper lady. This, he thought would deliver with an air of extreme gravity but his resolution went out of the window when he saw how pale Kagome appeared now that she had laid aside her pearls and expensive gown, her innocent smiling eyes glazed over with suppressed tears.

He did not like the thought of Kagome in tears. But she had to learn how to conduct herself in society.

"What were you thinking wench?" This was not how he had wanted to start his long well practiced speech.

Kagome twirled the edges of her handkerchief. "I wasn't thinking. "

"That much is evident and no, thank you, that was not my opera dancer. "

"It wasn't?"Kagome's face brightened a little. "Sesshomaru said so. I guess I shouldn't have asked him whether he had an opera dancer. "

" You ... what !"

"He said that he did not have an opera dancer. "Kagome said simply.

"Yes. But that does not matter. There are some things a Lady should not tell. "

"Oh, do you mean that I shouldn't have told Sango that Lady Appleby had a cicisbeo ?"

"Cici ... Do you even know what that means wench ?" Inuyasha was startled.

"Of course Inuyasha. "Kagome said wisely. "It is known that most Ladies have lovers, though one does not mention it. I did learn a few things.

"Did you now ?" Inuyasha said dryly, in a tone strangely similar to Sesshomaru. "I would that you learnt some discretion. "

Kagome flushed. "But Inuyasha, I said I was sorry. "

"Sorry ? Will that stop your freind from spreading this ... about ?"

"Sango ? She would never ... "

"Since she is your freind I can only assume that she will be as indiscreet as you. "

Kagome's eyes flashed with anger. "How dare you Inuyasha ?you are so mean. I keep telling you that I am sorry but you ... You should talk about indiscretion. I am not the one who looses at gambling, or has opera dancers or ... or ... I hate you Inuyasha ... " She dissolved into tears.

Inuyasha was startled, much of what Kagome said was true, but he couldn't let her know that. Instead he took refuge in awe-inspiring politeness. "Then I will remove my hated self from your presence at once."

He walked out of the door, torn between consoling Kagome's sobs and preserving his ... stand. He decided on the latter and went bed to unquiet dreams.

The breakfast next morning was a subdued affair. Both Kagome and Inuyasha were bleary eyed, Inuyasha hiding his somewhat haggard face behind a newspaper, both being unnaturally quiet.

It was a suspicious sniffle that caught Inuyasha's attention. That ... and the salty smell of tears in the air.

"Kagome. "He put down the newspaper. "Don't cry. "

"How can I not ?" Kagome gave another sniffle. "When you are being so mean and hateful. "

"Well ... " Inuyasha leaned across the table and squeezed Kagome's hand. Kagome's tears did unpleasant things to his stomach, especially knowing that he was the cause for it. "You were ... That don't matter. Don't cry anymore. I will take you see the churches at Richmond. "

"You will ?" Kagome brightened up.

"Yes. "Inuyasha frowned. "You know what Kagome, now that I think about it , I would have liked to see Sesshomaru's face when you asked him about the opera dancer. "

Kagome giggled. "Yes Inuyasha. I guess you would have. "

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