Oliver took a step back, taking his time to speak again. She wondered if he was testing the limits of her patience again but she was resolved to pass whatever test he had prepared for her.
"We have been invited to a ball," he announced finally. "It is in a few days, and we must go shopping for new dresses for it."
"For me?" Alethea said, wide-eyed. It was only after the words left her mouth that she realized how ridiculous they might have sounded.
"Well, ideally," Oliver sounded amused. "Unless you believe that they might look better on me."
"Oh, I didn't mean.." she blushed.
"In any case, I thought to inform you beforehand. We leave after breakfast."
"I do not wish to bother you with these things," she said, scrambling for an excuse to get out of spending more time alone with him. "You can stay at the estate and focus on your work. I shall go myself after breakfast and be back in no time at all. Truly, I am not so choosy and it would not take me long."
"Absolutely not," Oliver said, firmly. "I have already made the arrangements, and informed the modiste of our arrival. I shall be escorting you."
"But…" she tried to argue, but it was a battle that was already lost. She did not want to push either, as to not give him the impression that he was unwanted per se.
"The carriage will be waiting for you outside," he said, walking away.
For the entirety of the breakfast, Alethea could hardly focus on her food. She had even lost her appetite in anticipation. It made her nervous, being with him alone.
"He is your husband," she reminded herself as she made her way outside to the carriage, which was indeed waiting for her as promised. "There is no need for you to be this way. This is the natural order of things."
But her words could only do so much to calm her down. Especially when she caught sight of him in the carriage, taking a seat across from her. He had changed out of the clothes he had on previously, she noticed. And his hair had been combed upwards, suggesting that he had taken some time getting ready prior to this.
Alethea did not understand why, but the thought made her blush.
"I hope that you had a nice meal?" he cleared his throat, engaging her into conversation.
"It was good, Your Grace," she replied, shyly. She opted not to disclose that she had lost her appetite entirely and could not get a single bite in.
"Very well. I should like you to be properly fueled. Choosing dresses can be a taxing thing for ladies, I hear," he remarked.
"I do not anticipate taking too long," she said immediately. In the nunnery, there had been no tailored gowns or special fittings. She was accustomed to wearing what was provided, and even sewing herself if the need arose.
"You do not seem to have many demands from life," he noted after a moment. He was observing her with a precision that unsettled her, as though he was unmasking things about her that she had not yet uttered out loud.
"I prefer to make do with what is given to me," she nodded.
"Is that something you learned at the nunnery?" he asked. It was the first time that he had brought the subject up between them. "Not to probe, of course. But you can consider it a gentle curiosity."
"I have not thought so deeply about it," she asserted, her tone suddenly distant. "But I should assume so, considering my stay there spanned most of my life."
He looked as though he wished to ask her more, but then showed restraint.
"Our honeymoon period is almost at a close," he said. "If you remember, I had given you the choice to return home to your sisters. Have you put in any thought towards the matter?"
"I have not, really," she said immediately. "In earnest, I had forgotten you had mentioned it to begin with."
"As I said before, you are most welcome to stay," a small smile crept up on his face. "From what I have heard, the members of this family have really taken a liking to you. Clara and Eleanor being the most eager ones, of course."
Alethea felt her cheeks warm at the comment.
"They are both quite lovely," she nodded. "And I feel the same way towards them."
"And the changes you suggested around the estate," he started. "They really were well received. You have been doing a great job with your duties thus far. And most of all, I am happy to hear that you have forgone any enmity with my younger brother. He has told me that you were quite forgiving to him."
"It seems that you are already well aware of all that I have gotten up to in my time at the estate thus far," she replied.
