CHAPTER 8
Arthur said nothing as the pair of them made their way out to the carriage. He also didn’t help Miss Isabella into it—he allowed his footman to do the job. He knew that people would be talking about the fact that they had left the party early, and he knew how antisocial it would look. He also knew that he didn’t care. He had heard the way Miss Isabella’s family had spoken about her. Why should the two of them stay there for hours among people who had nothing kind to say and who didn’t really care about them at all? It would be better to go home now.
Besides, the breakfast was over. The wedding ceremony itself was long over. All that remained was the dancing and socializing, and Arthur had no interest in any of those things.
As they pulled away, he watched Miss Isabella, wondering whether she would look back for one last glimpse of her home, but she didn’t. Instead, she gazed directly at him. Arthur was somewhat impressed by that—he would have thought she might be too intimidated to look at him so directly—but then,nothing about her behavior so far had suggested that she was intimidated by anybody at all.
“Are you sorry to be leaving?” he asked her.
Miss Isabella shrugged her shoulders. “You promised me that you would help me secure my sister’s future,” she said. “How can I be anything but glad about that, Your Grace?”
It occurred to him then that he really didn’t need to be thinking of her asMiss Isabellaanymore. For one thing, it was inaccurate. As of the moment she had said her vows this morning, she had been a duchess. If he wanted to use a title for her,Your Gracewas the correct one.
But she wasn’t just a duchess. She was his wife. They ought to call one another by their names.
“You can call me Arthur,” he told her.
“I didn’t realize your name was Arthur.”
“Well…it is.”
“All right,” she said. “Arthur.”
“And I’ll call you Isabella, unless you object?”
“I don’t.”
“Very well, then.” He took a breath. “Perhaps we should talk about some of the other rules of our life together before we reach Windhill Manor.”
She looked at him. “Rules?”
“Of course, there are to be rules,” he said. “I’m sure you had rules governing your behavior when you were living with your father.”
“But you aren’t my father,” she pointed out. “What kinds of rules do you intend to put in place for me, Arthur?” She stressed his name slightly, as if to make the point that he had just asked to remove the lines of formality from their relationship.
She was right, he supposed. He wanted to put her quickly at ease. “You needn’t worry,” he said. “I have only three rules you must follow, and they’re very simple—but they’re very important at the same time. I expect you to take them seriously, and I hope that’s understood.”
She regarded him quietly, saying nothing.
He wondered what she was thinking. Was she prepared to take his rules seriously, or was there a chance she was feeling regret for their whole arrangement? She probably hadn’t expected to be greeted with rules right away before they’d even reached the house.
Well, she needed to know these things. There was no point in delaying the conversation. If they were going to share a home,she needed to know what was expected of her. In a way, he was doing her a great kindness by telling her right away what he was going to want from her—better than leaving her to guess.
“The first rule is that you must never interrupt me while I’m working,” he said.
“And how am I to know when you’re working?”
“I’ll be in my office with my door closed,” he explained. “When the door is open, even if it’s only a tiny crack, you may knock and seek my attention. But if the door is closed, it means I haven’t any time to talk, and I’ll expect you to leave me alone. Is that understood?”
She thought about it. “What if there’s some sort of emergency, and I need your attention?”
“What sort of emergency?”
“Well, I don’t know. Anything. What if I’m ill or injured?”
“Then my staff will assist you. If something like that should happen, you may go to my housekeeper, Mrs. Flowers, or to your lady’s maid.”
She sat up a little straighter. “I’m to have a lady’s maid?”
