Soames did not, of course, forget her new title, even if it still sounded rather foreign to her own ears.
"Is there anything I can get you?"
She shook her head and gave him a weak smile.
"No, thank you. I just need a moment."
The butler bowed his head.
"Of course, my lady. Your belongings have arrived from Lady Basingstoke’s house, as well as those your father brought from London."
"That’s good," she said, feeling a little breathless and wishing she had a fan with her.
"I shall have your maid unpack them in the countess’s chamber, if it pleases your ladyship."
She was about to agree – since the butler obviously knew what he was doing – but then she stopped herself.
"Actually, would you be able to get Ezra – I mean, Lord Gracewood – for me, before anything is unpacked?"
"Of course, my lady."
She did not miss the concerned look on her husband’s face when he found her in the hallway, and she smiled to reassure him.
"Are you unwell?" he asked, hurrying to her side. "Soames said you needed me, and–"
"I think I will always need you," she said, and then blushed. "Sorry, I don’t know why I said that."
He grinned at her, looking at ease now.
"Well, I shall always need you, so I’m pleased to hear it."
"I just needed some air, with all those people looking at me…and after your speech…"
"You disliked what I said?" he asked with a frown.
Constance shook her head.
"Not at all. I just found it a little overwhelming. And then Soames said my belongings have arrived."
"Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?"
"It is. But he was going to send them up to the countess’s chamber…and I thought we should talk about it first."
Ezra visibly swallowed, and pulled at his cravat as if it were suddenly too tight.
"Well, you are the countess."
Constance nodded.
"But that doesn’t mean we have to occupy the earl and countess’s chambers, does it?"
His eyes met hers, and she hoped she was not wrong in raising this with him – hoped he would not think it impertinent of her to change things when she was only just the mistress of this place. But it had been on her mind since he had asked her to marry him, and she could not leave it unsaid.
"You don’t like to step across the threshold of that room, or the nursery," she said, her mouth dry from speaking so honestly. Yet he wasn’t disagreeing.
"This is a grand castle, with many, many rooms. Surely the earl and countess’s chambers – and the nursery, for that matter – can be wherever we wish them to be? Somewhere in the castle where you will not be haunted by the past, when we are looking to the future?"
He looked to the floor and was silent, and she feared she had said entirely the wrong thing.
