“We have spoken at length about your proper introduction to her,” Lewis said. “She knows that you are coming with me today, and she is prepared to meet you.”
“You do not sound especially confident about this encounter.”
Lewis’s expression darkened. “You are not sufficiently trained as either a wife or a duchess, and I would feel better about this meeting if more time had passed.”
Bridget winced. He spoke those words with infuriating condescension, and she wanted to be furious. It was difficult to muster anger towards her husband when she remembered the Dowager Duchess’s fearful expression, however.
“Then, why am I meeting her today?”
“Because my grandmother insisted,” he said.
“And you agreed.”
It was not a question, as much as a statement of fact. Bridget had thought that her husband listened to no one, but evidently, he made exceptions for the Dowager Duchess.
“We shall see if my fears are for naught,” Lewis said.
“I hope they are.”
“We all hope they are.” Lewis glanced through the carriage window, his frown deepening as they arrived at the Dowager Duchess’s townhouse. “I have meant to speak to you about your first visit here.”
“I apologize,” Bridget said. “I should not have come here.”
“No,” he said. “But I also could have been more forthcoming with you about the situation. My grandmother has always had weak nerves. She must adhere to strict routines and can scarcely leave here house without being overcome with fear or melancholy. In recent years, it seems as though her condition has worsened, which is why I am so protective of her. I fear for her safety.”
Bridget blinked, a fissure of discomfort jolting through her. She would have never imagined that this man would apologize for anything, much less over something involving his grandmother, whom he clearly loved dearly.
Lewis cleared his throat. Maybe he was as uncomfortable with giving an apology as Bridget was with receiving one.
“I shall do my best to be a proper Duchess of Wheelton,” Bridget said. “I promise.”
And for the first time, she truly meant it. Bridget did not think for a moment that she was a perfect woman, but for the Dowager Duchess’s comfort, she would do her best to be.
They met the Dowager Duchess in the drawing room. Even before their greetings were exchanged, the Dowager’s brow had furrowed with worry. Lewis seated himself on the settee with his grandmother, leaving Bridget the vacant chair in the room. She sat, clasped her hands before her, and said nothing.
Bridget dared not even look at the woman, for fear of distressing her. Instead, she cast her eyes about in quick, fleeting movements. The Dowager Duchess’s slippers were quite nice; they appeared new. Her lavender gown was tasteful and elegant. She did not appear to be abused, not that Bridget really believed she had been.
Her husband loved his grandmother, who was distressed by change. Bridget dared lift her eyes a little more. The Dowager Duchess’s hands still shook, but she had calmed some since their arrival. Bridget had not ruined everything.
“I think you are precisely what Lewis needed.”
Then, the conversation ceased. Bridget started, only just realizing that the Dowager Duchess had directed the words to her. “Me?” she echoed.
At last, she met the Dowager Duchess’s eyes. The woman’s expression softened, as if she knew that Bridget was terribly anxious in her presence and sought only to make her feel better.
“Yes,” she said. “You have brought such light and life to Lewis. I have long thought that he needed someone just like you.”
How had the Dowager Duchess come to that conclusion when they barely knew one another? Bridget wanted to ask, but she did not. The woman’s smile told her that she was being sincere.
“He has changed, knowing you,” the Dowager Duchess continued.
Lewis let out a disbelieving laugh. “I have not changed in the short time that I have known Bridget.”
But he had. This man, her husband, hadapologizedto her. And when Bridget thought about it, when she considered alltheir interactions, she realized that he did seem kinder than he had when they first wed. She might have assumed that the differences stemmed from her learning more about him, but maybe hehadchanged.
“No,” Bridget said. “No, you have. I see it, too.”
The Dowager Duchess beamed at her. “Yes. He has become a better man by knowing you.”
