Did he or did he not?
Have intimate relations w/ his mistress after being married that is…
Here’s an excerpt from Once and Always:
She wondered what he did during these long nights in London before he came home. She decided he probably spent his time gambling in the exclusive gentlemen’s clubs to which he belonged.
On the fifth night, Jason didn’t bother coming home at all. The next morning at breakfast Victoria glanced at the gossipy section of the Gazette that reported on the doings of the haute ton, and she discovered what Jason had been doing while in London. He had not been gambling or meeting with more businessmen. He had been at Lord Muirfield’s ball— dancing with the elderly lord’s exquisite, voluptuous wife.
It also mentioned that on the prior evening, Lord Fielding had attended the theater and been seen in the company of an unnamed brunette opera dancer. Victoria knew three things about Jason’s mistress—her name was Sybil, she was an opera dancer, and she was a brunette. Jealousy bloomed in Victoria—full-bodied, frustrated, sick jealousy. It caught her completely off guard, for she had never experienced the bitter agony of it before.
Jason chose that untimely moment to stroll into the dining room wearing the same clothes he had left for London in the night before. Except that now his beautifully tailored black evening jacket was carelessly slung over his left shoulder, his neckcloth was untied and hanging loose, and his white lawn shirt was open at the throat. Obviously, he had not spent the night at his own house in London, where he kept a full wardrobe.He nodded distantly to her as he went over to the sideboard and helped himself to a cup of steaming black coffee.
Victoria slowly arose from her chair, trembling with hurt fury. “Jason,” she said, her voice cool and stiff.
He glanced inquiringly over his shoulder at her, then saw her stony features and turned fully around. “Yes?” he said, lifting the cup to his lips and watching her over its rim.
“Do you remember how you felt when your first wife was in London, engaging in all sorts of salacious affairs?”
The coffee cup lowered an inch, but his features remained impassive. “Perfectly,” he said.
Amazed and a little impressed with her own bravery, Victoria glanced meaningfully at the paper, then lifted her chin. “Then I hope you won’t make me feel that way again.”
His gaze flicked to the open paper, then back to her. “As I recall, I didn’t particularly care what she did.”“Well, I do care!” Victoria burst out because she couldn’t stop herself. “I understand perfectly that considerate husbands have—have paramours, but you are supposed to be discreet. You English have rules for everything and discretion is one of them. When you flaunt your—your lady friends, it’s humiliating and it hurts.” She strode out of the room, feeling like an undesirable, cast-off shoe.
She looked like a beautiful young queen, with her long hair swaying in molten waves and thick curls at her back, her body moving with unconscious grace. Jason watched her in silence, the coffee cup forgotten in his hand. He felt the familiar, hot need for her rising in his loins, the longing he’d felt for months to gather her into his arms and lose himself in her. But he didn’t move toward her. Whatever she felt for him, it was not love or even desire. She thought it was “considerate” of him to keep a mistress discreetly tucked away so he could satisfy his disgusting lust with her, Jason realized bitterly. But Victoria’s pride was piqued at the idea of his being seen in public with that same woman.
I think it’s clear as day that he did.
What do you think?
Wow, look at that old cover of O&A! I don’t think I would’ve bought this book back then had I seen that first cover.
Anyway, I hate to say this, but sounds to me like he DID. That was a good, if not the best, excerpt you provided as an example. Although I still enjoyed this book, Jason is not my favorite hero for mainly this reason.
Huh.
Perhaps I need to re read this one (the screeeeeech you heard was the TBR mountain–them books don’t like the idea) because I honestly never thought he did.
One think for sure, JM is good at planting the seed of doubt and misunderstanding. Personally, I don’t think he did simply because I believe the AUTHOR is incapable of deviating from the the rules of the ideal love – cheating would be a biggest no-no.
mph
Just what I need… another book to add to the mountain. I sure as hell hope my library has it because I am BROKE. LOL
I bet she thinks he did and he wants her to think he did, but I bet he didn’t.
One think for sure, JM is good at planting the seed of doubt and misunderstanding.
Ah, but was it a misunderstanding? I think it’s obviously something that’s open to interpretation (which Judith has said before when the topic has come up). Yet here is her answer to the question…
http://www.insteonu.com/inherwordsO&A3.cgi.htm
It sounds like he did, but who knows???? Do we actually find out in the book?
Another to add to the pile!
Um – no, he didn’t – not the hero of my favourite McNaught book. He may have made it ‘seem’ as if he did – but I refuse to believe that he did. Not my Jason who was so flabbergasted when Victoria bought him the jewelled leopard. Not my Jason who was so done it when her cloak was found in the water and he thought her dead that he shrouded the house.
Nope – not my Jason/
OK – so maybe she said he did, but I still say he didn’t. 🙂
No he didn’t!
*ahem*
What Kristie(j) said 😀
He so did.
And somehow I still like the book. That’s the thing with JM….
I so can’t remember this part of the book ^_^; Need to go back and re-read it… but I say he didn’t.
I still say he did because it was just so common back in those times. And you know, even if he did…. I still enjoyed the book because JM just writes so darn well. That’s my just take on it.
I don’t much care whether he did or not. What matters is the one he really wants is Tory.
It’s funny, but that never really registered with me. I think because I had other issues with the story, so that was the least of my worries.
Based on what I just read right there, yes, he totally banged his mistress.
I have this book in my TBR.
I haven’t read this book, but it sounds like he did. I don’t know that I’ll ever read this book now, because cheating is the worst and I stay as far away from that in the books I like to read as possible.
Thanks, Casee, for the link!
WOW. I’m shocked and impressed that JM did that. I was so sure she was just toying with us as she was doing with Victoria. Afterall, the paper merely said he was seen with a brunette. I don’t trust anything printed w/o hardcore evident even today!!
mph
I still think he didn’t 😛
Damn, after reading that I so want to pull O&A off the shelf. I loooove Jason.
Oh, and he totally, totally did it.
To anon who says she/he wouldn’t read the book based on this teeny, tiny little cheating incident, don’t let it ruin an absolutely amazing book for you. Just do like so many others who wear rose-colored glasses (looking at azteclady, here) and tell yourself that he didn’t do it. 🙂 It isn’t a huge part of the book, and there is just soooo much to love about Jason and Tory’s story.
Because of JM month on The Book Binge, I’ve skimmed Perfect and AKOD over the course of the past few days. Add O&A to that list because I know I’ll skim soon.
*covering ears (and eyes) and chanting* Jason did not cheat, he didn’t!
I’m with you all the way AL…*covering ears and eyes* haha.
I don’t care about how JM responded. I interpreted that Jason didn’t. Not my Jason in O&A, nope!!
And I’m with you too. I mean he might have been with his mistress in the going to a ball with her way – but when it came down to it – he couldn’t get it up because he was in love with Victoria. That’s my take on it and I’m sticking with it.
Of course even though he didn’t – if he did, I still love him.
And – lol – my copy is the first one with the very red headed Victoria
“..he couldn’t get it up…” lol, I can just image that scene!
Wait. Did you gals hear that? That’s the sound my all my romantic ideals crashing all around me:)
mph
I mean he might have been with his mistress in the going to a ball with her way – but when it came down to it – he couldn’t get it up because he was in love with Victoria.
That is the best explanation EVAH! I love it!
I always thought he did, but not based on this excerpt. There was one line at some point in the book when the servants are talking to each other and they say that the coachman sat outside the mistress’s house all night waiting on Jason. That was the more damning evidence, to my mind.
Now I absolutely hate cheating in books – they turn into wallbangers for me and head back to the UBS because it ruins a perfectly good book, but this is the only case where I can overlook it. This isn’t my favorite JM book (mainly because of the Great Jason Debate) but it’s still an amazing book. It was the first one I read of hers and even with the cheating, I still picked up the rest of her books and love ALL of them!
GASP! Casee, how COULD you post up that link! I always thought he really didn’t do it. My illusions are shattered. This was my first JM, and I loveloveloved it! (still do, even tho JM herself confirmed it). And, as someone on the board said, I refuse to believe he liked it LOL!