Chapter 12
Marcus sat behind his desk as he stared at the invitation that had just been delivered. He read it twice, and then a third time, knowing what he needed to do while wishing that he did not have to do it.
You always knew it would come to this, Marcus. There is no avoiding it. No getting around it. In fact, try and see the positive. That we might get it over with quickly, rather than dragging it out…
“Your Grace?” The footman who delivered the letter stood before the desk. “Was there anything else you required of me?”
“Yes…” Marcus cleared his throat, deciding on what he had to do. “My wife, will you fetch her for me?”
“At once, Your Grace.” The footman bowed deeply and then hurried from the room.
Marcus remained in his seat and stared at the letter as if it were a snake that might suddenly bite him. As he did, he ran through his head how the following conversation might play out… how best to approach it so that there would be no misgivings or confusion.
Be honest and upfront, Marcus. Clear in what you desire, and clear in what is expected. She knows this is coming, so it should not be nearly so awkward as it could be.
Wise words, he knew, just as he knew things were nowhere near that simple…
“You sent for me?” Lucy appeared in his doorway a few minutes later.
Marcus started at the sight of her, then cleared his throat and straightened his back. He wore a neutral expression too, careful to hide any emotions he might be feeling. This was to be treated like a business meeting.
Most importantly, there could not be a repeat of the last time they spoke… when his hands had touched her shoulder… when he had felt something pass between them that he could not explain… when they had flirted with the notion of what this marriage was, and what it might become…
No, we certainly cannot have a repeat of whatever that was. I do not want it, and I doubt that she does either.
“Yes, thank you for coming.” He gestured to the chair across from him. “Please, take a seat.”
“I would have come sooner,” she explained as she walked into the room and took the seat, “but I was with James.”
Marcus smiled. “And how it he?”
“He is sleeping.”
“No, I meant…” He chuckled. “How are the two of you? Helga told me that you have taken to one another. She was rather impressed, in fact.”
“Oh…” Her cheeks flushed pink and she fidgeted with her hands as if she was embarrassed by the compliment. “I am just doing as I promised I would. It is not nearly so difficult as I thought.”
“She says that you are a natural.”
“I doubt it.” She rolled her eyes. “But thank you.”
Marcus studied her across the table for a moment.
While he was surprised how quickly she was adapting to motherhood, he was not surprised by the way she fought against it.
She acted as if it was something to be spurned, as if the more she enjoyed looking after James, the more ashamed she should be. A betrayal of herself, as it was.
But Marcus saw through this falsehood, and he knew as he watched her fidget, while noting the soft smile on her pink lips, that he had made the right choice in marrying her.
At least as far as James is concerned, anyhow. As to everything else… well, I suppose we are about to find out.
“You are probably wondering why I sent for you?” he began.
“I doubt it was to bask in my presence,” she joked. “I am not so interesting as that.”
“Maybe you are…” He looked right at her and, as expected, she shied away. “But you are right. There is something I need to ask of you, and I feel that it is best to get it over with.”
“All right…” He saw her tense slightly with anticipation.
“I have just received an invitation.” He picked up the letter and handed it to her. She took it with caution and read it with just as much. “As you can see, it is an invitation from some business associates of mine to join them on the morrow in what amounts to a picnic.”
She frowned. “Is this common? I cannot remember my father ever being invited to such a thing.”
Marcus sighed. “I will not bore you with specifics of this particular venture, but only because even I do not have all of them. While most of my money comes from the land I own, I do make a habit of investing. Mostly, it is all rather banal, safe investments designed to yield interest over a prolonged period. However, such investments rarely turn a large profit.”
“And this one?” She indicated the letter.
“Pertains to a fund that I am a part of. The managers of said fund are searching for further investors and have extended this invitation to several other lords whom they hope might be interested in giving them money.”
“What sort of fund?”
He shrugged. “As I said, I will not bore you. All you need to know is that there will be several dozen fellow peers in attendance, many of whom are expected to bring their wives with them…” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Ah, I see,” she nodded in understanding.
“I told you yesterday that you and I will be expected to attend certain functions together. My hope is that in time, it will not be necessary, once our marriage is secure and no longer worth talking about.”
“But that time is not now.”
“Not even close,” he sighed. “In many ways, this here will be a test. It will be our first time in public together, and we are expected to act as we have presented ourselves.” He made sure to be looking right at her.
“As a couple in the throes of early romance, desperately in love, and as happy as you like.”
“Sounds tragic,” she said with a slight smile.
“A true nightmare,” he added.
“There is just one problem as I see it.” She handed him back the letter and then folded her hands on her lap. “You assume that I will be going with you.”
Marcus blinked. “Excuse me?”
“What if I do not wish it? What if I am busy? What if I have other plans that I cannot possibly cancel?”
“I…” Marcus hesitated, not certain what to say, while careful not to rise toward anger. “I thought… as I explained already, if this marriage is to work… there are certain expectations that we must be a party to.”
“Is that so?” she said plainly.
“This will not be a commonality,” he said, his tone hardening.
“In fact, by the time the Season ends, it will be easy for us to come up with excuses for why we are not together. Until then, as I made clear to you, I would greatly appreciate it – what?” He stopped short when he saw the smirk on her lips. “Why are you smiling?”
“I am joking, of course.” Her smile grew. “I heard what you said yesterday, and I agree with you. If this marriage is to have any chance of working, such events as these will be sadly necessary. At least for a time.”
He blinked. “A joke? So, you are…”
“Of course I will attend,” she said. “Just tell me what I need to do, and I will endeavor to do it.”
Marcus frowned. The anger he felt wilted and died, and while he was not quite ready to laugh, he felt as if he should do.
She is toying with me. A relief, even if it is a side of her I have not yet seen. One that I am not certain whether I should enjoy or not…
“Very good.” He narrowed his eyes and she fluttered her own. “As I said, we will need to come across as hopelessly in love. Or, barring that, companionable. People will be watching us, and it is imperative that by the time the day is done, there is nothing of interest to speak about.”
“So, I need to behave,” she said. “Smile. Laugh at your jokes. And if anyone asks, tell them how wonderful married life is so far.”
“Do you think you can manage that?”
“I suppose we’re going to find out.”
“It will not be forever,” he said, feeling a need to confirm it. “And I will do my best not to come on too strong.”
She scoffed. “Do not fear, I doubt that you are so charming that I will forget myself. I know it is all an act. And I appreciate that you asked me, too… or at least made it appear as if I had a choice.”
“Just as I appreciate you agreeing…” He shook his head and sighed. “Even if you chose to toy with me first.”
While the conversation was not particularly difficult, it certainly wasn’t easy. Marcus had tried his best to keep his composure, again, that urge to treat this as a business meeting.
His wife, however, made such things next to impossible.
The more Marcus got to know Lucy, the more he realized how different she was to what he had thought.
That first night, at the patronage, she had been rude and short tempered and even hostile.
When they wed also, she was cantankerous and angry, blaming him for everything and acting with extreme antipathy toward him.
That, he now knew, was not her true self.
There was a playfulness to her. There was a mischievous side that he was not used to dealing with. Forever one who preferred to speak directly to the point, who used logic and sound reasoning where possible, Marcus saw in his wife someone who was anathema to this.
It wasn’t nearly so terrible as he might have thought.
“What of James?” Lucy asked. “Am I to bring him?”
“No,” Marcus answered her quickly. “The situation with James is… I am not ashamed of him, but it is a strange circumstance that I would prefer not to have to deal with. One problem is enough for now.”
“Probably for the best,” she agreed. “It is easy to care for him while Helga watches over, but I have not even left the nursery with him yet.” She laughed. “I think a trip to the park is beyond my scope of expertise.”
The excuse that Marcus gave was true enough, and he was able to tell himself this to not feel so rotten with guilt. But deep down, there was still that part of him that was unsure how to proceed with James. He was not the boy’s father, nor was he father material.
In some ways, it felt like he had married Lucy to pawn the boy off on her so that he would not have to deal with him at all.
But I am doing the right thing! Surely, adopting the child is enough? Yet why do I feel as if it is not? As if I am hiding from him… what else can I do?
Those were thoughts for later, a problem that Marcus hoped would solve itself.
“Tomorrow then.” He straightened and folded his hands on the table.
“I look forward to it,” she said.
With those words spoken, Marcus realized something else that he had not expected… that he looked forward to it also. As to why he did, again, he refused to consider such a thing. He simply was not ready.