Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Charles’s breathing grew labored at the feel of Marie’s breath on his lips—one final whisper of air before this remarkable woman and her affection would be his.
But when the door latch clicked beside them, the heavy wood swinging open with a creak, he and Marie took a deliberate step away from each other to face the culprit who had ended their kiss before it had even begun.
Charles stared at the interloper, ready to rage, but instead, he fell into stunned silence. There, within the doorway of the cottage, stood his brother.
“Well, well, well,” Tristan said with a broad smile, “what do we have here?”
“Tristan?” Charles finally forced out. “What the devil...”
Tristan laughed, reaching forward to clasp Charles’s shoulders in an embrace. Charles returned it, though he pulled back with more confusion than ever.
“What are you doing here?” he asked as the three of them shuffled into the small entryway, leaving the rain—and his abandoned kiss with Marie—behind.
“Surprised?” Tristan asked. “Not as greatly as I am, I can assure you.”
His eyes fell on Marie with a studious gaze, though his smile remained bright.
Charles fell silent as the situation settled upon him. Mother and Father had requested that the details of the arrangement remain secret so they might not frighten Tristan from coming home.
But how could Charles lie to his own brother? And yet, if he did share with Tristan how upsetting this whole arrangement had been, would that not injure Marie? Not necessarily her reputation, but her heart?
He could not put her through that again.
With squared shoulders, he made his decision.
“I take it you received my letter,” Charles said with a glance in Marie’s direction.
She stood still and silent, though a small smile graced her lips—those lips he’d almost tasted of once more.
Focus, Charles.
“Indeed, I did,” Tristan replied. “After receiving your cancellation of our hunting trip, I knew you had to be in earnest. Nothing would make you cancel such an outing. I returned to Grendale straightaway and spoke with Mother and Father first. They didn’t hesitate to tell me how madly in love the both of you had fallen after a mere day of being with one another, so I simply had to see it for myself. ”
Charles drew a deep breath. This was it. He placed a hand at the small of Marie’s back. “It is true. We are married. Tristan, I believe you know my lovely wife, Marie. Marie, my brother, Tristan.”
A few pleasantries were exchanged, then nothing else followed. Charles looked between them, his tongue frozen in place.
Marie was right. He was terrible at playacting.
Instinctively, he glanced at her for help.
It was as if a candle had been lit within a dark room, her expression shifting instantly. She straightened her back and pulled a bright smile upon her features as she directed her attention to Tristan.
“I am so happy to see you again, sir,” she said graciously.
“Though I feel I know more about you now than I did before, thanks to Charles. I do hope the fact that I am at fault for his cancellation of your hunting party will not sully your opinion of me before we have had the opportunity to get to know one another better. I assure you, should any event arise in the future, I shall highly encourage your brother to attend.”
Tristan appeared pleasantly surprised by her words, though Charles was even more so. He’d seen Marie shift from stoic to honorable, from conversational to silent, and from flirtatious to angry. This was a side to the woman he hadn’t seen until now—the comfortable and secure hostess.
He couldn’t deny how appealing it was.
“I assure you,” Tristan responded, “nothing will sully my opinion of the woman who has managed to win favor with Charles.”
“What a relief,” she said. Then she turned to Charles.
Once more, his mind emptied of all potential words.
“Oh, ignore him,” Tristan said, “As you can see, I’ve startled my brother into a stunned silence.” He shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll come around soon.”
Marie laughed. “It takes a great deal to silence him. I commend you for your quick work.”
Tristan chuckled, clearly impressed with her repartee. “I’ll give you a few suggestions if you’re interested. Might come in use throughout your life.”
“Oh, please, do.”
Charles watched the exchange in silence, half-annoyed with their teasing, half-pleased with how well they were getting on.
He wasn’t certain why it was so important to him that they did, but he knew a sense of relief to see it all the same.
Silence fell, and Charles realized that both of them were watching him again expectantly.
Instead of relying on him to speak—or rather, not to speak—Marie placed a gentle hand on his upper arm.
“What a sight we must be, my dear. Appearing so sodden will hardly add to my favor.” She gave a little laugh.
“You must excuse me, Tristan, for my appearance. Your brother has allowed us to become caught in the rain—drew it up as some sort of adventure.” She shared a knowing smile with Tristan.
“At any rate, I shall freshen up, then perhaps the three of us can take tea in the sitting room just through there.”
“That would be lovely,” Tristan said.
Charles again remained silent, caught up in Marie’s very presence.
Was this what life with her would look like if they were truly in love and remained married?
Would she play hostess to his friends and family, be kind and loving—offer to care for them and become friendly with them of her own accord?
He couldn’t deny the appeal of such a life. There was something compelling about the image, something feminine about Marie instantly caring for her guest and his brother, that the desire to be cared for himself awakened within Charles’s soul.
“Charles?” she asked.
He blinked out of his reverie, clearing his throat. “Yes, I should like to change into dry clothes, as well. Do excuse us, Tristan.”
“Of course.”
Tristan eyed them with a scrutinizing gaze before leaving for the sitting room on his own.
Marie stared after him with a small smile. “I like him,” she said softly, then she promptly turned toward the stairs.
What had she meant by that? Did she like him, or was she merely amused by him? That unwelcome feeling of jealousy he’d grown so accustomed to knocked once more at his door, but Charles didn’t answer. Tristan was a flirt, but he knew boundaries—and Marie was Charles’s wife.
“Are you well?” Marie asked from over her shoulder as he followed behind her up the steps.
He had to avert his gaze from what was directly in front of him. “I’m...well enough.”
In truth, he wasn’t well at all. He couldn’t speak—not only due to his inability to lie, but also due to the shifting emotions and feelings within him. He felt as unstable as a ship rocking about at sea.
They reached the top step, and she cast him a smile over her shoulder as she opened the door to her bedchamber. “Do not tarry. Heaven knows what he’ll think we’re up to if we take too long.”
Her eyes lingered a moment on his lips, then she entered her room and closed the door promptly behind her.
Charles stood there for a moment, blowing out a slow breath and holding his hands at the back of his head. He stared at the door handle. Had she not locked it on purpose?
He took a step toward it, then shook his head and made for his room instead.
No tarrying, indeed.
Within a matter of moments, both he and Marie were sitting with Tristan, enjoying tea and Shrewsbury biscuits as they warmed themselves by the small fire.
Charles remained on edge as he listened to Tristan share all of the goings-on in London—where Tristan typically housed in their family townhome to avoid Mother’s meddling—for he knew what conversation was being kicked down the road.
Sure enough—and far too soon—they arrived at what he’d been dreading.
“Well, that is enough about me,” Tristan said, leaning back in his chair as he finished off the last of his biscuit. “I wish to hear more about the both of you. Last I heard, Charles, you hadn’t ever had the privilege of meeting Marie before this week, unless I’m mistaken.”
Charles was about to avert his gaze, but Tristan caught him before he could. All at once, he knew Tristan was aware of the truth. They’d never been able to keep secrets from one another, but Charles had hoped, for Marie’s sake, that just this once, he’d be able to keep his mind to himself.
So much for that.
Still, Charles had to maintain the facade for the comfort of his wife.
“It all happened rather suddenly,” he said stiffly.
“May I ask how?” Tristan asked in a clear challenge.
“Have you not told him yet?” Marie asked before Charles could falter again.
She gave an amused shake of her head. “Never trust a man to share the details. He is right, though. Everything did happen rather suddenly. Well, from his perspective, at least. The poor man put off meeting me for over a year. When we did finally manage to meet, there was no denying a marriage was in our future.”
She was remarkable, really. The way she spun her words to never tell a falsehood.
“Sounds like a dream,” Tristan said, clearly not buying Marie’s explanation. He faced Charles again. “I cannot believe I wasn’t informed in more detail of all that had occurred.”
Charles opened his mouth, but again, nothing came.
“That surprises you?” Marie asked with a laugh. “Is Charles not the worst communicator? Never responding to his parents’ letters, never returning home. I am unsurprised in the least that nothing else was mentioned before now.”
Poor Marie was doing her best, but she had no hope with Tristan’s astuteness.
Still, his brother remained kind. “That is true. I was surprised he even informed me of his canceling the hunting party.”
They shared a laugh, and even Charles smiled before Tristan’s condemning eyes reached his again.
“It is all rather strange, though,” he said with a shadowy tone. “Is it not?”
Charles’s chest tightened. Tristan was not pleased with all this trickery. Nor was Charles. But he could not injure Marie.
Please, he pleaded with his eyes. Let it be, brother. I will explain soon.
Only a second passed before Tristan gave a subtle nod, having obviously caught on to Charles’s request.
He drew a deep breath, and his analyzing eyes softened. “Strange, though not unbelievable,” he said with a smile.
“I was sorry that you could not be in attendance for the ceremony, though,” Marie said, sobering. “I fear my parents were the ones responsible for the swiftness of our vows, though that does not mean I do not regret the lack of those in attendance.”
Tristan nodded. “Thank you, sister,” he said with a twinkle in his eye at the final word. “But I understand, of course. We must do what it takes to maintain the happiness of our parents.”
Tristan sent Charles a knowing look, and finally, the tension between his shoulders eased.
The conversation finally shifted as Tristan eased off, and soon, Marie leaned forward in her seat.
“I believe dinner will be ready soon. I do hope you will join us, brother.”
“I would be happy to.”
“Excellent. I should like to hear your take on this story of the storm on the sea during your Grand Tour. Apparently, Charles said he was the bravest of you all, but I should like a second opinion on the matter.”
Tristan chuckled, and Marie stood, the men following suit. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I shall make ready for dinner and ensure another place is set. Though you must excuse our small table. There may be some bumping of the knees if we are not careful.”
She smiled, then left the room.
Charles and Tristan sat down, and finally, the stress from the conversation melted away as he faced his brother with a heavy sigh.
Tristan folded his arms and faced him directly, and Charles fought his urge to squirm. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“For what, not condemning you and your wife for the amount of lies you’ve just told your own brother?” His words were harsh, but his tone was light.
“Forgive me,” Charles said with a wince. “I am stuck between two corners—my brother’s and my wife’s. I will defend her honor, though, by saying she did not speak a single untruth with her words. However, I should like to tell you the full truth now, should you wish to hear it.”
“Oh, it is the greatest desire of my life as of this moment,” Tristan said. “I don’t know what would lead you to marriage other than the fact that you’ve truly fallen in love, that Mother blackmailed you into this, or that some scandal occurred and you couldn’t keep your hands off the woman.”
Heat crawled up Charles’s neck. Truthfully, the latter would have been more plausible had he met Marie on his own.
Standing up, he closed the door, then returned to Tristan with the full tale of all that had occurred, including their decision to annul the marriage—though he did leave out their little swim in the fountain and the preceding kiss.
When he finished, relief pulled a yawn from his lips. “So there you have it. What say you?”
To his surprise, Tristan merely smiled.
“What, you find it all humorous?” Charles asked on the defensive.
Tristan’s lack of empathy was beginning to sound dangerously close to their parents’.
“Not how it all came about,” Tristan clarified, soothing Charles’s concerns. “That is terrible, though not entirely implausible. But that is not why I smile.”
“Then why do you?” Charles asked.
Once again, Tristan’s grin took residence on his lips. “I hate to tell you this, Charles, but Mother was right. I have never met a woman more perfect for you than Marie.”