Chapter 4 #2
The pair walked into the dining room and took their seats at the large mahogany table. Edith glanced at the head of the table, but Laurence’s chair sat empty.
“Will His Grace be joining us?” she asked the housekeeper.
“I’m afraid His Grace is out on business and will not be able to dine with you tonight. You may start without him,” she replied.
Edith held back a sigh and turned to look at Tilly.
The little girl’s eyes had dropped to the space in front of her where her food would soon be. It wasn’t an expectant or happy look.
“I’m sure His Grace is just busy with work,” Edith offered, reaching over to gently pat Tilly’s hand.
“Will he always be busy with work?”
Edith hesitated. There was no clever way to answer Tilly’s question, considering the Duke could well be busy for the entirety of their marriage.
“I should hope not,” she replied. “But if he is, then we can make the most of it.”
Tilly nodded, still looking down at her plate.
“Maybe we can use the time to find more foods you like?” Edith suggested. “There will be things available here we couldn’t get in town.”
Tilly slumped into her seat even further.
Edith bit her bottom lip, uncertain how to help the girl. She glanced at the housekeeper, who looked just as lost.
Shifting her gaze to the windows, she took in the estate’s sprawling gardens, wider and freer than any street in town or room in the workhouse.
It is worth a try.
“Would you like to explore the gardens tomorrow, Tilly?” Edith asked.
Tilly looked up and offered a small smile. Edith noticed that her shoulders relaxed, though her disappointment lingered.
“I can take you both on a tour of the grounds, if you would like?” the housekeeper offered.
“I think that is an excellent idea.” Edith nodded.
She gave the housekeeper a grateful smile, and she nodded in response.
Later that night, Edith stood at the door that connected her chambers to Laurence’s. She had been waiting for him to return. Eventually, she heard the tapping of his boots on the wooden floor and the click of his bedroom door as it closed.
She took a deep breath to steel her nerves, then knocked three times.
Laurence hesitated. He hadn’t expected Edith to knock on the door. He silently wondered if he should have had it covered with a curtain so she wouldn’t consider using it.
She knocked again. It was quickly becoming obvious that she would not allow him to sleep without first discussing what was on her mind.
He reached for the doorknob, then paused. Surely, she wasn’t considering consummating their marriage tonight, was she? He had made it abundantly clear that theirs was a marriage of convenience. But it was their wedding night.
Another knock. He gritted his teeth and opened the door.
“What do you—” he froze.
She was in her nightgown, the fine fabric clinging to her figure. Her honey-blonde hair hung loose around her shoulders. He swallowed and looked into her hazel eyes.
Heavens, she is beautiful.
He’d noticed before, of course. He wasn’t blind at the ball or their wedding. But here, in the dim candlelight, with her hair loose and her guard down, she was breathtaking.
And yet he refused to touch her. Theirs was a marriage of convenience, nothing more.
That didn’t stop his body from reacting. He noticed the way her nightgown clung to her curves, and how her soft, pink lips were slightly parted.
He gripped the door frame harder.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“You were not at dinner,” she said flatly. She was as straight to the point as ever.
“I had business to attend to,” he huffed.
“Business was more important than eating with your wife and child?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Our arrangement says nothing about dinners or even sharing meals,” he reminded her.
“Be that as it may, it is expected of a married couple,” she said firmly. “And Tilly was quite disappointed not to see you there.”
He took a deep breath, determined to keep his emotions under control.
“I have been more than clear; her upbringing is your responsibility,” he replied.
She frowned, her expression twisting into a mixture of disbelief and barely restrained anger. “Don’t you realize that a child will seek out their caregiver as they would their parent?”
Laurence’s spine tensed as he absorbed her words. “If you dislike our arrangement, then you shouldn’t have agreed to it,” he growled.
“I am perfectly fine with our marriage,” she snapped back. “I did not expect you to act cruelly toward your own child.”
“I am not being cruel.”
“You are denying her the chance at having a father.”
“She would not have a father in any other situation.”
“But now she does, and she does not want to be ignored by him!”
Laurence watched Edith’s chest rise and fall as she tried to calm herself, the movement dislodging one of her sleeves. His heart stuttered as the curve of her shoulder revealed itself to the cool night air. The garment had slipped so far that he could almost see her collarbone.
“Stop,” he hissed, stepping forward and catching her sleeve before it could fall any further.
She stiffened and looked down. He could feel the heat of her skin and see the soft dusting of pink that formed on her cheeks.
“I-I didn’t notice,” she stuttered.
“Enough,” he grunted.
Her eyes met his once more, warmth flickering in their depths, trying to draw him in. He felt himself soften, but steeled his heart against her charm.
“As I said, you and Tilly are free to do whatever you want, as long as you both keep your distance,” he said while adjusting her sleeve.
Her skin felt soft under his fingers as he covered her shoulder.
“But—”
“Never knock on this door at this hour. Do you understand?”
“Your Grace—”
The sharp click of the door closing cut her off. He held the doorknob for a moment, looking at the dark wood, listening to her sharp breaths.
After a moment, he heard her walk away. Only then did he turn to his bed, praying that she and that blasted sleeve falling off her shoulder wouldn’t haunt his dreams.
Edith lay down on the bed, her cheeks burning with humiliation. She couldn’t believe her nightgown had betrayed and embarrassed her like that. Nor could she believe how coldly Laurence had responded to Tilly’s plight.
Still, at least she had control over how Tilly would be raised. She had always known she would, but at least she could try and protect the girl from Laurence’s distance.
What a vexing man.
Turning slowly onto her side, she replayed the conversation in her head. His cold words, the feel of his fingers on her shoulder, and how he’d stared at her. She’d never seen a gaze so intense.
She turned over in an attempt to sleep and tried to clear her head.
The next morning, Edith stepped into the breakfast room to find Tilly waiting. Her head snapped up as she heard Edith enter, then slowly lowered again.
“He’s not coming today?” Tilly whispered.
“It does seem like he won’t be joining us for breakfast,” Edith said softly.
Tilly nodded as her food was placed in front of her. “Maybe he will come for dinner?” she asked hopefully.
“We shall see,” Edith murmured, not wanting to get the girl’s hopes up.
She watched Tilly pick at her breakfast, her small shoulders hunched. She had never wanted Tilly to feel the coldness that would permeate this marriage. No child deserved that.
Edith sighed and reached for her tea.
Would there ever come a day when the Duke joined them?