Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
The ride back to the church was wrought with tense silence.
Once Jane agreed, the duke felt there was no need to indulge in further delays, so he stated that they were to promptly return to the church to be wed.
Jane had not imagined that she would be headed back so soon to willingly partake in the very same act that she had been so determined to avoid initially.
He had not said anything more to her as he took them back to the church, and when they arrived, he dismounted swiftly, and helped her down right after.
Onlookers were already surprised and fascinated to see him, but when they recognized her as the bride-to-be, the whispers grew in volume.
“Is that the bride? She looks quite timid to be paired with the Duke of Ravencroft.”
“Any woman would look far too timid by his side. He really is a terrifying sight to behold.”
“I thought the bride had arrived earlier. Why are they together now?”
The duke ignored the chatter and marched forward, leaving her to walk briskly in an effort to stay by his side. Jane expected to hear some of the people speaking about her disappearance, but it seemed that none of them had noticed she was missing at all.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said about her father, whose eyes locked with hers as soon as she stepped into the church. Arthur’s gaze was filled with so much wrath, Jane would not be surprised if she went up in flames from his scrutiny.
As he approached her, she felt herself shift closer to the duke who appeared to be looking for someone as well.
Jane hoped he would leave before her father dole out the humiliating scolding she knew was on its way, but at the same time, she found herself wishing for the warmth of his body to remain by her side.
Arthur was in front of her in no time, a thick vein in his neck throbbing as he parted his lips to undoubtedly snap loudly at her.
“Where have you been, you ungrateful —”
“She was with me,” the duke spoke up swiftly, cutting Arthur off. “I wished to have a word with my bride before we were wed, to ensure that we have a mutual understanding. I was the one who caused the delay of the ceremony. My apologies.”
Jane had never seen her father pale so fast. The older man cleared his throat and shook his head.
“Oh no, Your Grace. I am sure you had your reasons. It is quite fine,” he glanced at Jane. “I was simply concerned that my daughter might hinder your efforts. She is rather stubborn and undisciplined, this one —”
“Lord Highclere, you are speaking of the soon to be duchess of Ravencroft. You would do well to hold your tongue, lest it put you in dire situations. I will not have you disrespect and demean my future wife.” The duke stated with the same calm air he had carried all evening, but his tone was sharp.
To Jane’s surprise, her father said nothing more, clearing his throat as he walked to the pews to sit next to his wife.
“Now that the minor details have been settled, shall we proceed?” the duke asked, handing Jane the daffodil flower that had fallen from her hair.
Her reservations were still echoing in her head, but she had agreed to endure whatever their marriage would bring for three months. If that was all she needed to do in order to gain her freedom forever, then perhaps it would be worth it.
Jane nodded and together, they walked to the altar. On her way, she had caught Penelope’s gaze and done what she could to assure her friend that she was all right.
Soon, she was facing him, Thomas Wetherby, Duke of Ravencroft — who would be her husband in a few moments. The ceremony began, but Jane could not focus on anything other than the man by her side, captivated by his overall presence.
Now that they were in the light of the church, she could see his face clearly. The scars were as prominent as she had supposed, but rather than fear, her heart twisted in sadness at the sight of them.
His form was quite intimidating still, as he towered over her effortlessly and his broad shoulders and strong arms spoke of his undoubtedly powerful body. His dark eyes watched the priest closely and ever so often, this jaw would twitch, as though he was getting impatient with the procession.
Thomas glanced at her suddenly and Jane jumped, lowering her eyes as she blushed, trying to give no indication that she was in fact thinking of his warm touch.
The ceremony ended in a blur, with Jane reeling from the fact that she was now married and a duchess.
“We must leave right away,” Thomas told her as they walked off the altar.
Jane had not wanted to attend the wedding breakfast either, but she hoped to get a chance to say her goodbyes at least. Particularly to Penelope who still seemed distraught.
“Might I have a moment? I wish to bid my friend farewell properly.” Jane requested hesitantly.
His eyes slid behind her, to where Jane was sure Penelope was approaching them from and he nodded curtly.
“Make it quick,” he instructed.
Jane nodded in gratitude as she turned around and ran into her friend’s arms.
“My goodness, I was so worried! What happened? Did he —”
“No,” Jane said quickly. “I fell off my horse and he found me… he tended to my wounds too. I am fine, I promise.”
Penelope glanced over Jane’s shoulder darkly before she whispered,
“But why are you here? Is he forcing you —”
Jane shook her head. “It was my decision. Do not worry about it. We do not have much time right now, I only wished to assure you of my well-being.”
Thomas cleared his throat from behind her and Jane stood straighter. Penelope was clearly displeased and Jane was worried her friend would bring up her irritation, but instead, Penelope held her hand and spoke.
“If you need anything — anything at all — do not hesitate to send for me. All right?”
Jane nodded and pulled her friend into a tight embrace.
“I will. Thank you.”
They stepped apart and a hand wrapped around Jane’s wrist, tugging her backwards slightly.
“We must leave now.”
Jane nodded, sparing one last glance to her friend before she allowed her husband to lead her out of the church.
It was only when they were seated in the duke’s carriage that she realized her parents had not come to say goodbye. At the end of the day, they had gotten what they wanted and they didn’t care what came after.
The unfairness of it hurt her greatly and it took a lot of effort for her to fight back tears.
Thomas said nothing more to her the entire ride to his estate and in the silence, Jane couldn’t help but wonder if she had made a mistake.
How could she have trusted him easily? What if he was an adept liar who was merely trying to trap her in an unfavorable situation?
Out of the countless rumors she has heard about him, she had heard nothing about him having a son or being a father. It was strange to think that his child’s troubles could only be resolved with a motherly figure.
The carriage came to a stop and Thomas raised his head, his dark eyes meeting hers as he announced,
“We’ve arrived.”
He got out of the carriage first and held a hand out to help her disembark and she was a little confused by the act of chivalry. Jane had expected him to ignore her but he was seemingly intent to do otherwise.
She accepted his help, glancing around the grounds once she was out of the carriage. The lawns were nearly trimmed and before it sat a large house.
It was certainly one of the most impressive ones she had ever laid her eyes on, but something about it felt void and almost haunting.
Once they were inside, Jane hoped they would go their separate ways. The closeness between them was making her nervous and she found it difficult to think.
“Well, it has been quite a long day, Your Grace, so I think we should get some rest,” she stated as she tried to step away.
But the Duke held her back, just as a woman entered the foyer.
“Your Grace! I’d wondered when you would —”
The woman’s words faded into silence as she stared at Jane’s face, shock highlighting her features for a moment.
“This is Jane Wetherby, the new duchess. Your Grace, this is Mrs. Greene, the housekeeper of the estate.” Thomas said in swift introduction as he wrapped an arm around her waist.
The woman’s face relaxed but Jane couldn’t help but wonder why she had reacted that way in the first place. And she was distracted by the warmth of her husband’s touch, so much so, she nearly missed what the housekeeper said.
“Welcome, Your Grace,” Mrs. Greene smiled with a curtsey. “It is a pleasure to have you here. If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to inform me.”
“Thank you,” Jane managed to smile slightly.
“How is Reuben?” The duke asked and Jane surmised that was his son’s name, relieved to find out that she had not been fooled into marriage.
“He is well, Your Grace. He fell asleep a while ago, as I read to him. He was rather listless this morning, so most of the day was spent trying to keep his spirits up.” Mrs. Greene informed them.
Jane was somewhat disappointed she would not get to meet the child so soon, but she was also relieved because she knew she wasn’t prepared to face him.
Not without some answers first.
“Well then, get acquainted and settled. Let her know if you have any questions or needs.” Thomas instructed, finally releasing his hold over Jane.
Strangely, she was both thankful and disappointed by the loss of warmth, but before she could address with of those feelings, the duke walked down a hall and disappeared from her sight.
“Would you like to be seen to your room now, Your Grace? We can prepare a bath right away and the chef would be more than thrilled to put a meal together for you.” Mrs. Greene suggested kindly.
Jane suddenly became aware of the weakness in her bones, and a bath, followed by an early retirement to bed sounded like a wonderful idea.
“That sounds lovely,” Jane sighed wistfully.
The housekeeper beamed and gestured in the direction the duke had gone before she began to lead the way.