This would be a journey of discovery for them both…
His husbandly fantasies were dashed when he caught sight of something nestled deep in her valise. The blank, white face staring up from her folded petticoats sent a shiver down his spine.
He recoiled. “You brought your doll?”
“Prissy is a treasured companion from my childhood.” Smiling, she held the porcelain doll out for inspection. Louisa smoothed her miniature skirts and cradled her head as though Prissy were a precious thing. “I hope to gift her to my own little girl someday.”
Had he really married this child bride? A young woman who carried toys along on her honeymoon?
“I’m sure our daughter will prefer newer, better dollies and not your tattered castoffs.” Giles couldn’t understand why any grown-up would treasure something that once belonged to their parents. He’d sold everything that belonged to his late father, and then pawned the rest. “Put it away, Louisa.”
His wife did as he asked. Without a word of argument, she tucked Prissy back into her dress-basket and lowered the lid. He breathed easier with that play-toy out of sight.
Giles hadn’t meant to be snappish, but he hated childishness and sentimentality. A happy childhood was a foreign concept to him. At best, his parents had been cold and undemonstrative. At worst, they’d been neglectful. He did not wish to relive those memories now.
“Would you like to go above deck and wave ourselves off?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’ve been brave so far, but I doubt I could stand to watch it all slip away.”
He fumbled for some words to soothe her, as he hadn’t meant to wound her on their wedding night. “You’ve made your parents proud. You’re a credit to them, Louisa—to your friends, neighbors, and everyone who knows you. This crossing is but another step in your path to success. Think of it as playingLa Campanella.”
She smiled at that. “I’m no virtuoso, my lord.”
“Perhaps not now, but you may be by the time we reach Liverpool. A transatlantic crossing is a fine way to hone your skills as a worldly woman. You’ll meet many different people this week in a safe environment. I daresay it might even be fun.” His wife laughed and he offered his hand to her. “If you’d rather not take part in the festivities, there is a stunning view of…New Jersey…through that window. Come, look.”
Louisa joined him at the porthole. They stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the busy river, full of steamers, barges, and tugs. Coal smoke smudged an otherwise blue sky, and seabirds drifted between the rooftops, funnels, and chimneys. Now and then, a crewman’s shout could be heard, coarse and loud, for not everyone aboardCampaniatraveled at their leisure.
The ship’s horn screamed, making Louisa jump. Thankfully, she laughed at her skittishness.
“I thought you’d sailed before,” he said, resting his hand on the small of her back. “Surely, at Newport—”
She settled in his embrace. “Cruising in Newport isn’t the same as venturing halfway around the world.”
Giles had little experience with women—none at all beyond Lady Venia Herbert—and realized he had no idea how to proceed with this unknown young woman to whom he’d given his name.
He wanted to touch her, finding excuses to drape his arm about her shoulders or place his hand on her spine. He hoped to be comfortable with her, and for her to feel comfortable with him when the time came to take her to bed.
Giles could not lose sight of his goal. There could be no question about the validity of this marriage, no opportunity for the Thurston Reids to renege on the settlement he so desperately needed.
Yes, the marriage must be consummated, but he didn’t wish to hurt or frighten his innocent young bride. The fact that he had sold his lineage for one million dollars, and that she had promised her body in exchange for an old and noble title ought not to factor into the event.
With two more sharp whistle blasts,Campaniacast off her moorings. The ship began to rock and groan as a brace of tugboats edged the hull away from the dock. Free of the harbor, the steam engines began to churn the water.
A cheer arose from the decks below Lord and Lady Granborough’s porthole window. Giles wanted to weep as New York, and New Jersey, and this six-month ordeal was quickly put behind him.
Once underway, Giles decided to ring for dinner.
“I’m starved,” he said, leaving his wife at the window, for there was no turning back now.
Louisa watched as he buzzed the cabin steward. “What are you doing?”
“I’m ordering our supper. There is a menu on the table if you’re interested.”
She barely glanced at it, instead asking, “Aren’t we to join the other passengers?”
“Do you really want to, tonight of all nights?”
A wedding night—theirwedding night—deserved privacy. Giles had no intention of sharing his meal or his bride with anyone else onboard.
