“Thank you for showing me the greenhouse,” she said, her eyes warm and bright.
Not for the first time, Alexander wondered why she had said yes to him. Surely, he was not the only person who had noticed Beatrice Montgomery and been interested in her…and for some strange reason, she had chosen him, of all people.
He was the luckiest fellow in the world.
“I hope you have a good night,” he said, awkwardly. What did you say to a woman who, less than twelve hours ago had no idea that she was going to marry you, and was now your wife? “I must work, but Mrs. Jenkins will see to your needs tonight, and Guinevere will assist you tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Beatrice said with a smile.
Alexander gave her a slight bow, surprising himself—but it felt like the right thing to do. “Good night, my lady,” he said.
“Good night, my lord,” she responded with a sweet smile before he turned and walked away.
Did she ever stop smiling?
She was dangerous, and he should keep his distance.
It would be far too easy to fall in love with his wife, and the future was far too unknown. Perhaps if he was not afraid of a sorcerer coming back, he could let himself enjoy her company. But until his birthday, it was better to keep his distance. Until he knew, for better or for worse, what would happen.
Falling for his wife was an unnecessary distraction, and he would avoid it entirely.
Chapter seven
Beatrice
Beatrice woke several timesduring the night, which was unusual for her. But then again, so was sleeping in a bed that was nearly the size of her entire room back home.
More than once, she thought she heard sounds coming from the room on the other side of the door—the door that Mrs. Jenkins had nodded meaningfully toward when she had mentioned her new husband. It didn’t take much to realize that Lord Dunham probably lay in a bed much like this one on the other side of the wall…not that she had any interest in seeing for herself.
She was more than happy to pretend that she was not that close to his chambers.
When she woke yet again, there was light streaming into the room, and she hurried out of bed and made her way to the windows. What did the view look like in the early morning?
The warm glow of sunrise streamed in through the window, and she opened the window for a moment. The fire had died down and the room was already cold, but the fresh air was worth it. It looked as if it had snowed more, and the air was so bittershe had to close the window almost immediately, but she didn’t regret letting the breeze into the room.
She had only been married overnight, and she was already feeling a bit stifled in the new role that she had to play.
But perhaps learning more about the people of the estate would help her to feel more fulfilled in the role. If she had to give up her librarian job, she could at least learn how to help the people who relied on Lord Dunham, much like she had until yesterday.
That would be her task today—learning more about the Dunham estate. About Eldenwilde.
It was a beautiful name for a beautiful estate, and yet she still wasn’t sure if she would ever grow used to being its mistress.
The door opened with a bang, and Beatrice turned to see Guinevere entering, a grimace on her face. “I’m so sorry, my lady,” she said, her arms full of gowns. “Mrs. Jenkins sent me with these, and I didn’t realize the door would be so loud when I used my foot to open it.”
Beatrice laughed and hurried over to help the maid. “No need to apologize,” she said. “Goodness gracious, where did she find more gowns? I thought the wardrobe was full of more than enough.”
“It seems those were not all of them,” Guinevere said as she placed them on the bed. “I shall hang these after you go down to breakfast. What are your plans for the day, my lady?”
Beatrice gave her a little grin. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to call me Beatrice?” she asked with a hopeful tone.
“No, my lady,” Guinevere said with a grin as she went to the wardrobe and began looking through the dresses there. “I’m afraid we were told last night, in no uncertain terms, that you were the lady of the house.”
Beatrice raised an eyebrow. Lord Dunham had told everyone she was the lady of the house? When had he done that?
“What else did you hear?” Beatrice asked.
“That as the lady of the house, we are to afford you every respect due to your station, and to help you with anything you require.”
