Chapter 24
Marcus sat in the morning room in a state of contemplative bliss.
He was supposed to be reading, a way to busy himself while his wife finished breaking her fast. He had joined her, of course, and it was a perfect little morning as they spoke about… what did we speak about again?
He supposed it did not matter what was said, just that they had been able to spend the morning together in a way that was comfortable and peaceful, and most importantly, that it did not end in an argument or Marcus saying the wrong thing.
One thing they did not speak of, however, was their kiss…
There were several moments where Marcus thought of mentioning it, if for no other reason than to see his wife’s reaction.
The coloring of her cheeks. The shy way she might have turned her head as if embarrassed, while knowing that she would be anything but that.
The topic was right there, hovering between them, wanting to be brought back up and relished upon.
Even now, a full day later, Marcus still felt her lips on his own. They tingled at the thought, his heart soared, and a smile found his face that seemed to make the sun glow even brighter than it was already doing.
What was I worried about? The fool that I am. The way I denied my feelings and fought against them. How determined I was to see nothing come from this marriage, despite how much I wanted it.
He had been a fool. He knew that now. But with that kiss, Marcus had declared his intentions with his wife. No more hiding. No more denying his feelings. This marriage had grown beyond his wildest expectations and for the first time in his life, Marcus was excited to see where that might lead him.
Speaking of which…
He perked up when he heard approaching footsteps. Surely, it would be Lucy, having just finished her breakfast, having a few hours until she needed to be with James.
Perhaps we will spend the day together? Yes… I rather like the sound of that. James is my son, it is time I admit as such, and it is time that I prove the type of father that I know I can be.
Marcus’ heart sank when he saw that it was not Lucy who had come to see him. Rather, it was a valet.
“Your Grace.” The footman bowed at the door. “A letter has arrived for you just now.”
“Leave it in my office,” he dismissed. “I will deal with it later.”
“It is a personal message, Your Grace,” the valet countered. “And its rider urged that it be read at once.”
“Sent by whom?” Marcus sat up.
“He did not say, Your Grace…” The valet hovered, the letter in his hand. “But he was most insistent that its reading is not delayed.”
Marcus sighed and held out his hand. “Fine, bring it here.”
The valet hurried across the room and handed him the letter. Then, a quick bow, and he fled the room just as quickly.
Marcus eyed the letter with curiosity. He did not recognize the seal, which meant that this correspondence was likely unrelated to any of his businesses.
Even if it had been, he refused to allow it to distract him.
He had made a promise to Lucy, one that demanded he give her his attention, and he would not break it.
Nonetheless, he opened the letter and read…
Your Grace
It brings me no pleasure to write this letter, but I feel honor bound to write it, nonetheless. I know the type of man that you are, as I know how you prize your reputation above all else. Just as I know that you would wish to be informed if this reputation has been threatened.
It is your lady wife, Your Grace, whom I speak of.
The circumstances that necessitated your marriage (the truthful ones, not the lies you were forced to sow), are not what they seem.
It was no coincidence that she was at that patronage, and no coincidence that you two were forced together under such scandalous circumstances.
I suggest that you ask her about her past. Why she has not married until now. Why she accepted your proposal without complaint. And most importantly, why her stepmother was so eager to be rid of her.
I do not write this letter to provoke, but to rescue. You have been had, you are being used, and you deserve to know the truth.
Marcus read the letter three times.
He then searched for a sender, any indication for who might have written such a provocative letter. There was nothing. Whoever sent this wished to remain anonymous…
His first instinct was to ignore the letter. Whatever this was, it offered no proof, no details, gossip and rumor mongering only. If anything, it should have enraged Marcus, that someone might try and smear his wife this way.
Only… if they were trying to smear her, they would have attached details. As this stands, it is just a warning, a plea for me to be careful. But careful about what?
It was absurd, and every instinct Marcus had told him to throw the letter away and think nothing of it.
But he read the letter a third time, the mention of the patronage and his proposal…
now that he thought about it, was it not strange how quickly she had accepted his offer?
A woman who had no experience with children, who did not want them, yet she agreed to a marriage in which that was the sole prerequisite…
He tried to remember that night as clearly as he could. He had been the one to approach her. He had also been the one to follow her from the room. But only after she had made a scene, forcing him to chase her. Was it done on purpose? Was this whole thing orchestrated? But why?
Careful, Marcus. Do not go down that rabbit hole. Not now. Not when everything is finally going so well. Lucy has been nothing but honest with you from day one… or she says that she has been… no! This letter is slander and should be treated as such.
His mind made up, Marcus was content to toss the letter, only for his wife to sweep into the room before he had the chance.
“What’s that?” she asked of the letter in his hand.
“Oh… nothing.” He scrunched the letter into a ball, attempting to look nonplussed and innocent.
She stopped short and looked pointedly at him. “Do not tell me, business calls for you.” A rolling of the eyes. “I was going to ask if you wished to spend the day with me and James, but I would hate to pull you away from such things…”
His laughter was stiff and choked. “Just as I was going to ask if I could spend the day with you and James. What a coincidence.”
“Truly?”
“Lucy…” He sighed as he stood from the couch, and then he shook his head as he approached her. There, he took her hand – his other still held the letter – and found her eyes. “I was being serious with you yesterday. I would hope that by now you might trust me at my word.”
“I thought it were your actions that I should trust,” she teased playfully.
“Oh yes…” He matched her grin. “Those too.”
His eyes flicked to her lips and Marcus was taken by a sudden desire to kiss his wife once more. He had not done so since yesterday, and just the thought made his lips tingle again.
“Today then.” She pulled her hand free and stepped back, stopping him from the kiss as if she had seen it coming. “Let us say, just after noon. Maybe that picnic we never got around to taking?”
It was silly, but Marcus felt a touch chastened by her dismissal of the kiss that had brewed between them. He wanted to kiss her again, to further prove his words, but as he tried to find her eyes, meaning to show her what was on his mind, she refused to give them.
Does she not want to kiss me? Is this a test of some kind? Or… what if she does not think that she needs to, now that she has me…
“Yes, a picnic sounds lovely.”
He watched his wife closely now, searching for… he was not sure! There was nothing to find. She had already declared her intentions, he had confirmed his own, and all that was left to do now was prove them. Which he meant to do.
But her intentions… they did come from nowhere. One minute, she wanted us to be strangers, the next she demanded my affection. Why was she so eager? It is not as if I have given her a reason to be.
He continued to watch, his mind turning with questions, and the letter in his hand burning his skin as if it called to him…
Marcus knew he should ignore the letter. He was aware of what listening to it might do. But the more he considered its words, the more he pondered them, the more he decided that he needed answers.
Or rather, a confirmation that he had nothing to worry about. Then, he could put it behind him. But only then.
“You know what I have been thinking about,” Marcus started with as much casualness as he could.
“What?”
“How much you’ve come into motherhood with James. It really is something.”
“It is, isn’t it?” She took his comment as a compliment, her smile splitting her face in two. “Can you blame me? He is rather adorable.”
“And after you were so against being a mother too,” he continued lightly, almost as if it was an afterthought. “When we first met, you wanted nothing to do with children.”
“Oh…” She frowned. “I would not go that far. It just wasn’t something I had ever really considered.”
“Not that it stopped you from agreeing to raise him,” Marcus continued. “For someone who had never thought of such a thing, you did not hesitate… or give it as much thought as many might do.”
She frowned and leaned back. “I… it is not as if I had a choice. You were there that night too, remember? Neither of us had a choice.”
“I have been thinking about that night…” Marcus spoke slowly, again as if this was a thought he was just now having.
“How random it all was, and how quickly it happened. One minute, we do not know one another, the next we are married. It almost felt like…” He shrugged. “Like it was meant to happen.”
“You mean like fate?” she laughed.