Chapter 19
The ceremony was everything that Matthew had said it would be… or rather, everything that a real wedding was not. Lydia barely remembered what was said as she’d struggled to decipher the smith’s odd manner of speaking. His thick brogue meant she may have agreed to ascend to the throne following the death of the king, for all she knew.
“Well, my wife, we survived,” Matthew said when they’d emerged from the smith’s shop. “No gangs of ruffians sent by your uncle prevented us, no angry mob sent by my mother. We are officially married, and your future is now as secure as I can make it.”
“Thank you, Matthew,” Lydia said, looking thoughtful. “This has been a difficult journey and a tumultuous week or so. I know I have not always been kind or appeared grateful to you, but I truly am.”
“You’re welcome, Lydia,” he answered, looking down at her kindly, “but it is entirely my fault. It is the very least I could do to protect you after disappearing from your life, returning when you least expected it, then destroying all that you had in a single moment.”
“So what do we do now?” Lydia asked, looking around for the carriage.
“We return to London, where I’ll have your things brought to Paxton Hall,” he replied as he led the way to where the carriage awaited under a cluster of oak trees. “Should your uncle permit it, Elsie can join you at once.”
“And you?” Lydia asked, hesitantly.
“I have a great many things I must attend to,” Matthew said firmly. “I am sorry, but I may not even reach London at the same time as you. In fact, if you’d rather, I will happily book passage on a ship for you. It is much more comfortable and will cut the time needed to make the journey by half.”
“What sort of ship? You mean, a merchant vessel?” Lydia asked, fearful of the tales she’d heard of such travel.
“It is uncommon due to the sporadic nature of sea vessels, but remember, I own quite a few ships,” Matthew said with a knowing look. “It is perfectly safe, especially for the wife of the vessel’s owner. No harm would come to you.”
“You don’t mean that I should go on without you?” Lydia remarked with a hint of fear. “Even if the journey itself had no peril, then what would I do? Return to London and knock on the door of your house to say, ‘I’m now the Countess, let me in at once.’ I should think they would shut the door soundly in my face.”
“Do not be silly, Lydia. I would provide you with the letters you require,” Matthew explained, sounding somewhat exasperated. “My mother has already moved on to a new home in the city, and the servants at Paxton Hall are now—whether you are prepared for it or not—yourservants. You are by all rights the Countess of Paxton, and you must act like it.”
Feeling unfairly chastised, Lydia did not respond. She walked on in silence, trying to push down the feeling of dread that had been creeping up on her all these past few days. Matthew, sensing her discomfort, tried another approach.
“Perhaps we could both go by ship, and I will gladly take you to Paxton. I can then go on to see to my business,” Matthew assured her, but Lydia protested.
“No, once again, I am merely being childish,” she said curtly. “It makes no sense for you to go all the way to London—as though I am a child who requires her nanny to hold her hand the whole way—only to turn back and head north again. I am a grown woman, now married. I can do this on my own.”
“We shall compromise!” Matthew said happily. “We’ll set out, and I will disembark at a port along the way. I should not be gone more than a day or so, three days at most. Then I shall return to Paxton Hall and stay a good while, at least until you’re settled.”
“That is more than I require, but I thank you for it,” Lydia said, not meeting his gaze.
All through the carriage ride to the nearest harbor, Lydia was thoughtful. She had expected a sense of relief once her future was safe, but instead she was only filled with more worry. Now, to think that she might face the ton alone without a husband by her side to at least give the impression of legitimacy, she began to fret all over again.
True to his word, Matthew secured them passage on a good-sized ship, one large enough that even the carriage and team of horses he’d brought from his stables were secured aboard. Lydia looked at the vessel in astonishment, attempting to appear brave as they boarded and were shown to one of the four staterooms that were built to carry passengers.
“It is certainly not luxurious, but then again, it is meant to carry passengers who are traveling for business reasons, not for enjoyment,” Matthew explained as they entered the room.
“No, it is far nicer than any of the inns we stayed in,” Lydia answered, then quickly turned. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to disparage the accommodations you secured for us. I only meant to compare them.”
“No, no, I knew your meaning,” Matthew assured her. “And you’re quite right. This room is at least twice so big as any of those others. There’s even a small room there for sleeping, so we shall each have our own place to rest.”
Lydia didn’t respond to that observation, still unnerved about Matthew’s notion of a marriage in name only. For now, she was grateful simply to not think on it. Instead, she asked, “So how is it that one of your company’s ships happened to be docked this far north?”
“Well, it wasn’t,” he replied, turning back to his bags and looking through them.
“Clearly it was,” Lydia argued lightly, laughing as she spoke.
“No, I mean… it wasn’t my ship. I purchased it.”
“You did what?” Lydia asked. “Who does that? What sort of man can simply appear before an entire ship and buy the thing?”
“A man who owns a great part of the shipping industry, that’s who!” Matthew barked angrily. Lydia took a step backwards instinctively, and Matthew’s gaze softened at the look she wore. “Lydia, I’m sorry, I mean that I purchased the ship so that you would be safe as you travel on without me. I would never leave you to the care of strangers, so I am now their source of income. Lydia, please look at me, I did not mean to be so harsh when—”
“No, it’s all right,” she answered quickly. “I should not have questioned you.”
