“She is well,” Lewis lied. “Her Grace is visiting Bath at the moment, so she is unable to join us. I do not know if she will even be in attendance at our wedding.”
“You say that as if you are going to be married tomorrow,” Elias said, taking a sip of his wine.
“Not tomorrow. But I imagine two weeks will suffice,” Lewis said. “That is how long it will take to obtain a special license.”
“And you have already decided upon this?” Elias asked. “We have not even agreed to your proposal, Wheelton.”
“But you will, Elias. There is no need of having this whole show, where you pretend as though you have other options,” Lewis said. “You do not. Your sister must marry me or be ruined, and we both know which you will pick.”
Elias’s easy smile wavered. He chewed a piece of pheasant, which Lewis suspected was an attempt to hide his reaction. The poor man could try to hide his feelings all he wanted. Elias was lacking in any manner of subtlety.
“Of course,” Lady Bridget said. “Two weeks is entirely satisfactory.”
Interesting.Lewis took a small bite of his meal, savoring the sharpness of the rosemary with the warmth of the fowl and the faintest taste of something softer. He had an admittedly limitedknowledge of spices, but anyone would be able to tell that Greenway’s cook was excellent.
“What?” Elias asked, all but gawking at his sister.
“You heard me,” the lady said sweetly. “I have considered my options, like you asked me to, and I agree that His Grace is right. I have no choice but to marry him, and if that is so, why delay? I imagine that will only give thetonmore to gossip about.”
“I…I suppose that is true,” Elias said haltingly.
Oh, it was. Lewis did not believe for an instant that Lady Bridget was suddenly so compliant, though. The woman was plotting against him, likely trying to find some escape from this marriage. He could not decide preciselyhowthe young lady imagined that would work, but that was clearly her aim.
It might be entertaining to see how long Lady Bridget could maintain her resolve. Lewis imagined that she loathed pretending that she was a proper lady.
“Yes,” Lewis said. “I am glad that we are in agreement about the timing of our nuptials, my lady.”
“As am I.”
The rest of the table was so quiet that Lewis could almost believe it was just Lady Bridget and himself seated together.
“And I hope that you will find something else amenable,” Lewis said. “We ought to meet once a week, so I can assess you and your growth.”
Lady Bridget’s smile faltered. “I beg your pardon?”
“Well, I must ensure that you are appropriately suited to the role of Duchess of Wheelton, of course. Seeing how you conduct yourself in the weeks leading up to our wedding will tell me if you are truly worthy of being my wife.”
He imagined the phrasetruly worthywould be sufficient for conjuring her fury, and to his delight, a flush of pink spread across her fair cheeks.
“I—I am more than worthy!” Lady Bridget exclaimed. “Lest you forget, Your Grace, I come from a well-respected family. My brother is a Duke, and I am quite aware of how a duchess ought to behave and manage a household.”
“Well, I hope so.”
“Both of Bridget’s sisters are excellent duchesses,” Elias said with a quick glance to the Duchess of Greenway. “I have no doubt that Bridget will be equally adept.”
Plates were removed and replaced, this time with warm, apple tarts that had been cooked to perfection. Lewis’s mouth watered just from the aroma of the dessert rising in the air.
“I will rise to the challenge,” Lady Bridget insisted. “After all, I was taught by the best.”
She looked towards her elder sister, whose brows furrowed. Some emotion flickered in the duchess’s eyes. Was it hurt? Concern? Lewis could not quite discern what it was, but Her Grace did not seem to believe that the comment was entirely sincere.
Maybe Morington had been wrong, and there was something flawed about this seemingly close family. That was not unsurprising. Although Lewis had no siblings himself, he knew well about the difficulties posed by one’s relations. It would be less believable if these siblingsneverquarreled with one another.
“My duchess is a remarkable woman,” Gerard said warmly.
Husband and wife shared a long look, and Lewis fixed his attention on the apple tart. The pair seemed to be genuinely fond of one another, but that was likely because they were only newly married. Soon, Lewis imagined that a man like Gerard would tire of thisnew manhe had become. He would want to return to his rakish ways, and his wife would be tired of him.
It would end poorly for all involved, but at least Gerard would have his wife and heir. Soon, Lewis would have a wife. Given her fiery disposition, it might take some time before Lady Bridget would be amenable to giving him an heir, but he could wait.
