Chapter 26
Kalina
Deliciously sore, cheeks hot with heat because she was not sure how she was going to look her husband in the eye this morning, Kalina braved the dining room to break her fast. Even before she entered, she could hear the chatter of higher voices alongside Hereford’s deeper one, so she knew the rest of the family was there.
She had slept for longer than she usually did.
Margaret had had to rouse her rather forcefully to keep her from oversleeping.
Perhaps that was no surprise, considering the lateness at which she had actually fallen asleep—and the exertion of her activities immediately before. Those activities were the reason for her hot cheeks.
She was uncertain how she was to act toward Hereford now that they’d engaged in such intimacies. Now that he’d put his mouth on every part of her, now that he’d been inside her. Yet there was no other option but to carry on.
For the first time, she somewhat understood the British attitude of keeping a stiff upper lip. It did help get one through embarrassing moments.
Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and opened the door to the dining room. Four pairs of eyes met hers, two of them turning in their seats to do so. The heat in her cheeks flared even higher.
“Good morning,” she said, doing her best to keep her voice even.
“Good morning,” three voices chorused back immediately.
Her husband’s response was a touch slower. More mumbled.
She was acutely aware of Hereford’s eyes on her as she moved over to the buffet, though when she glanced over at the table, he had already turned his gaze down to his plate.
Her stomach flipped over in disappointment.
Any hope that last night had changed anything between them was gone. Though he’d given her such pleasure, touched her so intimately, fallen asleep wrapped around her…
Even the fact that he’d quit her bed at some point had not necessarily indicated anything. She did not know when he’d left. For all she knew, he’d retreated just before Margaret had come into the room.
Or right after she’d fallen asleep.
Dropping her attention back to the selection of food in front of her, she picked up a plate. Despite the way her stomach was now churning, she was still ravenous. And it was going to be a long day. She needed to eat something.
“I want a rainbow of dresses!” Fiona was saying as Kalina brought her plate to the table. A glass of water had already been set out for her, along with a teacup. The pot of tea sat in the middle of the table.
As she sat down, Julianna picked up the pot and poured Kalina a cup of tea. She could not help but feel grateful. If the sisters were not overly demonstrative in welcoming her, they were at least not cold.
Not like their brother.
The way that he looked at Fiona, the way he smiled, nearly took her breath away with a desire to have him look at her like that again. With warmth. With appreciation. With interest.
“Start with three dresses first,” he told his youngest sister. “I have things I need to attend to today, but soon you will be able to get more.”
“One for each of us?” Fiona asked, glancing at her other two sisters, obviously wanting to be sure she understood what her brother meant.
All of them were wearing hand-me-downs again.
The dresses were out of fashion, the colors slightly faded, though they’d been well taken care of.
They did fit very well, which indicated some sewing ability by at least one person in the household.
“Three for each of you.”
“Each?” Julianna whispered, her eyes wide. Her gaze darted to Kalina, then away again.
It was obvious where the largess was coming from.
“Huzzah!” Fiona threw her hands up in the air, apparently forgetting that she was holding her fork in one of them. Some of the eggs that had been on the tines went flying to the floor behind her. She half-turned to look as she realized her mistake. “Oops.”
Kalina startled as something red and furry darted out from underneath the table, heading directly for the fallen eggs. Her mouth dropped open when it came to a halt. Reddish fur, bushy tail… was that a fox?
“Fiona.” Hereford’s voice was both amused and full of resignation. “You know Telemachus is not allowed in the dining room. How did you even get him in here?”
“I did not!” Fiona said, jumping up and hurrying over to the fox. She picked him up, and he did not protest. The fallen eggs were already gone, and he was licking his chops with satisfaction. “He must have snuck in. He’s very wily, you know.”
“Mmm.” The sound Hereford made was noncommittal.
“What are you going to do about Telemachus once we get dogs?” Julianna asked.
“Oh, they will be the best of friends,” Fiona said cheerfully, carrying Telemachus out of the room.
The three older siblings looked at each other.
Emma sighed.
“You know, the way she is, she might even be right. Telemachus has never bothered Archibald or the hens or any of the other animals she’s brought in.”
“I’m not worried about Telemachus bothering the dogs; I’m worried about the other way around,” Julianna said quietly, glancing at the open doorway.
“The dogs will be out in the kennel, and Telemachus rarely leaves the house other than to go in the garden.” Hereford shrugged. “Their paths should not cross.”
“Until Fiona crosses them,” Emma muttered quietly beside Kalina, quietly enough that neither of her siblings appeared to have heard.
Kalina made a mental note to find a way to keep an eye on Fiona. She was not old enough for a lady’s maid, but she could certainly use some kind of governess… one who was very good with animals.
Fiona came skipping back into the room, effectively ending that conversation and returning it to the more important one of shopping.
At first, silently eating, Kalina listened to the sisters discussing what kind of dresses they might get, only to find herself drawn into the discussion as they began to ask her about the current fashions in London.
At the head of the table, Hereford stayed silent, listening attentively. Did he think she would steer his sisters wrong? She hoped he did not think that lowly of her character.
Though if he did, she could hardly blame him.
The others were finished with their meals before her, having started so much earlier.
The three sisters dispersed to go ready themselves for the trip, chattering happily.
Kalina looked at her husband, who was also finished but far too polite to leave her at the table alone.
At least he felt she was due that much courtesy.
Looking at him, she could not help but feel the heat rising in her cheeks again.
Now that they were here, she was glad that he had come to her in the darkness.
It had given the experience a dreamlike quality.
One that helped separate it from the cold man she now faced.
If she’d actually seen him as he’d touched her…
But she had not.
“They will likely need more than gowns,” she said quietly, because she did not know what else to say to him. She was not going to bring up the previous night, after all. Everything in their past only touched on the sore topic of how she’d become his wife. His sisters were safe.
“What?” He blinked, looking at her for the first time and meeting her gaze.
Kalina’s heart leapt up into her throat as his hazel eyes locked with hers, but she managed to keep speaking.
“They will likely need more than gowns. They’ll need small clothes.
Possibly nightgowns.” She hesitated, but pushed on because she had a feeling that he had not thought beyond the immediately obvious since that was all he’d stated.
His sisters might be loath to press for more, but that was what they needed.
“Hats and bonnets. Gloves. Fiona’s shoes appear to pinch her feet. ”
Hereford sat for a moment, his expression blanking. Not as if he was angry, but as though he was running through a tally in his head of what it would cost. She had a feeling that was second nature to him.
Having seen the state of Hereford Hall, she was no longer as sure that her dowry would cover all necessary debts and repairs, yet his sisters needed to be properly outfitted.
She was also not sure of his relationship with the local shops.
The ones in London would continue to cater to the ton on credit, but eventually, even they would close their doors for nonpayment.
“I do not have enough ready cash, but as long as they do not opt for anything extravagant, the local shops should be willing to extend the credit. They know we would not ask for it if we did not think we could fulfill it.”
Kalina nodded, relieved that he had not taken umbrage at her comment and that she would not have to announce that it would be two gowns each in order to afford the rest of the necessities.
Now that her plate was cleared, her husband moved his chair back.
“If you will excuse me, I need to spend the day going over the accounts.”
“Of course,” she said, getting to her feet so he could as well.
“Madam.” He nodded his head in acknowledgment, turning and striding from the room. Kalina felt her heart sink as she watched him go.
She understood why, but she’d hoped…
It appeared that last night had not earned her any softening of his attitude toward her.
Nathanial
The clatter of a carriage arriving outside drew Nathanial from his desk to the window to watch his sisters and wife exit the house along with her lady’s maid.
Even from a distance, the difference in their dress was obvious.
His wife looked every inch a duchess, in a dark rose gown that was the height of London fashion and adorned with intricate lace in unusual patterns and a matching hat perched smartly on top of her head.
His sisters… the material that made up Julianna’s dress was far finer than that of Emma’s or Fiona’s, but it was so far out of fashion, it was clearly too old to be hers.
His wife’s lady’s maid was better dressed.
They will have new dresses by the end of the day.
He blew out a long, slow breath.
At some point, he would also need to make his way to his tailor.
He was grateful that his wife had pointed out there were more than gowns to consider. Nathanial was not certain what state the girls’ small clothes were in, and he would not have thought to ask. Julianna and Emma would certainly need new underthings to go with their dresses, as fashion demanded.
Watching his wife and sisters get into the Earl of Harrington’s carriage, he imagined a day—not too far from now—when they would get into a carriage bearing the Hereford coat of arms and not the Harrington’s.
A carriage very much like the one he’d traveled in with his parents when he was younger.
Back when he’d thought his father could do no wrong.
Some days, he was uncertain whether his anger at his father was more for shattering that illusion or for the mess he’d left them in.
As the carriage rumbled back down the drive, Nathanial turned away from the window. He had a lot of work to do, and for once, it was not pinching pennies or scrounging or tearing his hair out over lack.
Instead, he would finally have funds… and he wanted to ensure that he did far better to provide for his family than his father had. He’d already prioritized the debts they still owed—he’d done that ages ago—but the amount his wife’s dowry provided went well beyond that.
He had investments he wanted to make.
He had a list of things he wanted to do for the Hall.
He had a list of staff he needed to hire and an even longer list he wanted to hire.
Neither of which had gotten as much attention from him as the debts.
Nathanial needed to figure out what he could do to improve their lives, the estate, and balance that with an eye toward the future.
He had barely gotten into it before there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.” Lifting his head, he tried not to show his impatience. It was rare he got to enjoy tending to finances or be excited about it. The interruption was not entirely welcome, but with his family out of the house, it could only be one of the Milfords.
Miss Milford opened the door and stepped in. Her expression was particularly blank.
“Your Grace,” she said, bobbing a curtsy. “I came to confirm to you that her grace’s sheet was marked, as expected.”
“Thank you, Miss Milford,” he said, and she bobbed another curtsy, taking herself out the door and shutting it firmly behind her.
Despite his eagerness to get back to the accounts, Nathanial leaned back in his chair, turning the news over in his mind.
He’d felt certain, last night, that his wife had been a virgin, but he’d still asked for confirmation.
Thinking about his wife brought him a certain amount of tension, and he’d thought that might be the worry…
Now that he had the confirmation, he knew that the question of his wife’s virginity had not been his concern.
There was no loosening of tension, no release of frustration.
It had occurred to him that one reason for trapping a duke might have been because she was already with child… but he had not truly believed it.
Not thought it fitting her character.
But considering her first deception, he’d wanted to be sure.
If only his new certainty made him feel any better.
Last night had been another kind of revelation. Her passion, her obedience…
But he’d also discovered what a light sleeper she was.
When he’d entered her room, she’d been still, her breathing even. Yet she’d woken as he’d approached the bed, before he’d even come alongside it, giving herself away. Perhaps she no longer felt the need for deception, but it had confirmed the initial one.
No wonder he’d felt the urge to spank her at that moment. He’d barely been able to tolerate hearing her voice. And yet that urge had eventually been subsumed by the desire to kiss her. She’d been everything he could have wanted in a wife on their wedding night.
If only it had come about in a different manner.
Well. At least he did not have to worry about a cuckoo in his nest. Which should have made him feel far better than it did.
But he was still left with the question—why him?