Chapter 10
TULIP STARED AT her handsome husband as they sat in his carriage and rode out of London.
She wished he had answered her question about theirs being a love match.
Would you mind if I did mean it?
He had said nothing, merely smiled and then escorted her to their carriage to begin the journey to Somerset.
She could have taken a seat beside him, but preferred to sit across from him in order to have a better look at him.
He returned her stare, once again casting her a soft smile, and his eyes held a glimmer of amusement.
She was curious as to what he found so humorous. “What are you thinking, Alex?”
“That I married the best lady of all,” he said, mimicking what she had told Lord Caruthers when giving him a dressing down, “and I am congratulating myself for my wisdom and foresight.”
She laughed, glad he thought so because she was developing very strong feelings for him. Perhaps it was love that she was feeling, but the true test would come once they reached Somerset and settled in at Thornwycke Hall.
They rode mostly in silence for the next several hours and were already a good distance outside of London when Trent drew their carriage to a halt at a coaching inn because the hour was coming upon noon.
“Horses need to rest, Your Grace,” he said, addressing Alex when they climbed down to stretch their legs.
The inn was crowded, for they were only one of hundreds on the road today.
Alex nodded and then turned to Tulip. “I’ll secure a private dining room for us.”
“All right, but we can also dine in the common room if there are no private ones available.” When coming to London, she had taken her meals among the rabble of travelers. It felt so odd to now be returning as a duchess.
This would likely be the way they traveled from now on. Sleek ducal carriage. Private dining rooms. The best accommodations. All the privileges.
She bid a cheerful good day to a family comprised of a mother, father, and two young children who passed by as she stood near the entry waiting for Alex to make their dining arrangements. She was surprised when her pleasant greeting was met with resentment.
Her faith in people was restored when others who walked by smiled at her. But there were a surprising number who cast her resentful looks.
They made Tulip acutely aware her life had changed.
She was no longer a commoner.
It did not matter that her nature was always as it had been.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed Alex striding toward her.
“Trent’s given the horses over to the ostler’s grooms for tending. He’s having a bite to eat and an ale while he waits for us,” he said, drawing her closer as the coaching inn began to fill up. He was obviously worried about her getting jostled or suddenly lost in the crowd.
She liked that he was naturally protective of her. “Oh, then we ought to hurry.”
He noticed her look of disquiet. “What’s wrong, Tulip?”
As they walked to the private dining room, she told him about the sneers and sullen looks cast her way by some of the travelers. The private dining room was a small, cramped chamber that held a table large enough to accommodate six patrons.
Perhaps it was decadent for them to have it all to themselves.
Alex held out a chair for her. “I’ve spent most of my career working for the London magistrate and getting hostile looks from the people I question.
There’s no avoiding it. Some will be cheerful and cooperative, but most will be evasive, resentful, and sometimes filled with bile.
I’m sorry you have already encountered that sort.
They’ll dislike you no matter what you do. ”
They ate quickly and returned to the carriage to continue their journey.
Tulip climbed in and was about to resume her seat opposite him, but he drew her onto his seat bench. “Sit next to me, Tulip.”
“All right.”
He took her hand in his as the carriage rolled away from the coaching inn.
She glanced down as he entwined his fingers in hers. “Are we going to hold hands for the rest of the day?”
He chuckled. “Yes, if you don’t mind.”
“Are you doing this because you think I am upset that not everyone smiled at me at the coaching inn?”
He nodded.
Good heavens, that was a sweet thing to do.
She rested her head on his shoulder. “You are taking quite well to the role of husband, aren’t you?”
“I hope so, but it is more about you. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“I’ll be fine, but this is nice. Isn’t it, Alex?” She had been raised by good men who looked after their families, so this was not something completely new to her. But being looked after by a husband filled her with an unexpected warmth.
“It is nice,” he said, furrowing his brow as he gave it some thought. “I’ve been on my own for so long. I thought it would be hard to adjust to having someone else to think about and worry about. So far, it has felt quite natural and easy.”
“Well, it has only been one day of married life for us. I think how we handle settling in at Thornwycke Hall will prove to be more of a challenge.” She felt him tense at the mention of the Davenport estate that held such bitter memories for him.
Since they had gotten very little sleep last night, Tulip found herself drifting off throughout the ride.
It was easy to relax when Alex held her in his arms.
That night, he took her in his arms again and made love to her.
He had an exquisite way of holding her and kissing her that touched her heart and made her feel treasured.
She did not think he loved her yet, but he knew how to make her feel loved. She dared not make too much of it. He was handsome and experienced, and knew how to send her soaring and shattering.
He could melt her with a mere smile.
She had never imagined anyone could be so beautifully formed.
His body was sleek and powerful, his muscles rippling as he moved over her and pressed his weight lightly atop her.
With his body coiled and tense, as any animal would be when hunting its prey, there was no mistaking he was the ravenous predator and she was the tender morsel he was eyeing for his supper.
She felt devoured whenever he kissed her.
“Tulip, how do you feel?” he always asked once he had pleasured her, and did so again now.
“Boneless. Weightless. Breathless,” she responded while calming from the throes of their latest coupling.
“Yes,” he said, taking her into his arms once they were done. “I thought it was nice, too.”
They had fallen into a pleasant travel routine and were right on schedule to arrive at Thornwycke Hall by the end of the week.
Tulip sensed the tension rising within him as their travels drew to a close and they rode past the town of Burnham where she had been raised.
This was the last leg of their journey.
They would reach Thornwycke Hall within the hour now.
The grand manor house that served as the seat of the Davenport dukes stood a short distance beyond Burnham, past green hills and lush pastures.
Over each rise they caught glimpses of miles and miles of salt marshes in the distance.
It was not long before they caught sight of an impressive fortress perched atop a hill.
“Thornwycke, I presume,” Alex muttered.
“Yes.” As they drew closer, Tulip studied the place with an owner’s eyes.
Much of the old turrets and original fortifications had survived, but over the years most of the original fortress had been replaced, expanded, and remodeled into a stately home fit for a duke who enjoyed his comforts.
Tulip poked Alex lightly in the ribs when she thought his tension was about to explode. “You are a married man who sleeps with his wife,” she said. “You do not drink to excess. You do not gamble. I am sure we will settle into a very quiet, boring life here.”
He laughed and drew her onto his lap. “I do not need you to reassure me that all will be well.”
Yes, he did.
Despite his jovial laugh, his eyes remained darkened by dread as he now stared at the manor looming before them.
This was to be their home.
But it was a place he had always connected with misery.
She noticed more shadows marring his handsome features. “Alex, I know there will be a lot of work ahead for us. But we are in this together, are we not?”
“Sure,” he said without conviction.
It was her turn to take his hand because she wanted to reassure him as their carriage drew up in the courtyard.
He stepped down first and assisted her to alight.
The massive front doors to Thornwycke Hall groaned open.
Alex glanced at their still clasped hands and arched an eyebrow in question.
She cast him a determined look. “I am not letting go of you. Is this not what a supportive wife should do?”
He grinned. “I thought it was you who needed my support.”
“It works both ways,” she said, watching as several servants scampered down the steps toward them.
The head butler, a tall, thin and rather dour-looking man, introduced himself. “I am Ernfield, Your Grace.”
“Are you related to Samuel Ernfield?” Tulip asked, for Samuel was the local Burnham blacksmith, a jovial and gregarious fellow.
“He is my cousin,” Ernfield intoned with all the gaiety of an undertaker.
Tulip choked back a laugh. “How lovely.”
And how different these two Ernfield men were.
Could this fellow look any more morose without actually being dead himself?
A pretty woman who appeared to be in her early thirties stepped forward and introduced herself as their housekeeper. “I am Mrs. Granger,” she said with far more cheer than Ernfield had exhibited. “Mrs. Eleanor Granger.”
Tulip did not know any family in Burnham by that name, but this did not mean Mrs. Granger was a newcomer to these parts.
Since the woman appeared friendly enough, Tulip knew she would have the chance to talk to her and find out more about her and her family in the coming days.
“It is good to meet you, Mrs. Granger. I think we shall be relying on you considerably over these next few months.”