She could have taken a seat beside him, but preferred to sit across from him in order to have a better look at him.
He returned her stare, once again casting her a soft smile, and his eyes held a glimmer of amusement.
She was curious as to what he found so humorous.“What are you thinking, Alex?”
“That I married the best lady of all,” he said, mimicking what she had told Lord Caruthers when giving him a dressing down, “and I am congratulating myself for my wisdom and foresight.”
She laughed, glad he thought so because she was developing very strong feelings for him.Perhaps it was love that she was feeling, but the true test would come once they reached Somerset and settled in at Thornwycke Hall.
They rode mostly in silence for the next several hours and were already a good distance outside of London when Trent drew their carriage to a halt at a coaching inn because the hour was coming upon noon.“Horses need to rest, Your Grace,” he said, addressing Alex when they climbed down to stretch their legs.
The inn was crowded, for they were only one of hundreds on the road today.
Alex nodded and then turned to Tulip.“I’ll secure a private dining room for us.”
“All right, but we can also dine in the common room if there are no private ones available.”When coming to London, she had taken her meals among the rabble of travelers.It felt so odd to now be returning as a duchess.
This would likely be the way they traveled from now on.Sleek ducal carriage.Private dining rooms.The best accommodations.All the privileges.
She bid a cheerful good day to a family comprised of a mother, father, and two young children who passed by as she stood near the entry waiting for Alex to make their dining arrangements.She was surprised when her pleasant greeting was met with resentment.
Her faith in people was restored when others who walked by smiled at her.But there were a surprising number who cast her resentful looks.
They made Tulip acutely aware her life had changed.
She was no longer a commoner.
It did not matter that her nature was always as it had been.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed Alex striding toward her.
“Trent’s given the horses over to the ostler’s grooms for tending.He’s having a bite to eat and an ale while he waits for us,” he said, drawing her closer as the coaching inn began to fill up.He was obviously worried about her getting jostled or suddenly lost in the crowd.
She liked that he was naturally protective of her.“Oh, then we ought to hurry.”
He noticed her look of disquiet.“What’s wrong, Tulip?”
As they walked to the private dining room, she told him about the sneers and sullen looks cast her way by some of the travelers.The private dining room was a small, cramped chamber that held a table large enough to accommodate six patrons.
Perhaps it was decadent for them to have it all to themselves.
Alex held out a chair for her.“I’ve spent most of my career working for the London magistrate and getting hostile looks from the people I question.There’s no avoiding it.Some will be cheerful and cooperative, but most will be evasive, resentful, and sometimes filled with bile.I’m sorry you have already encountered that sort.They’ll dislike you no matter what you do.”
They ate quickly and returned to the carriage to continue their journey.
Tulip climbed in and was about to resume her seat opposite him, but he drew her onto his seat bench.“Sit next to me, Tulip.”
“All right.”
He took her hand in his as the carriage rolled away from the coaching inn.
She glanced down as he entwined his fingers in hers.“Are we going to hold hands for the rest of the day?”
He chuckled.“Yes, if you don’t mind.”
“Are you doing this because you think I am upset that not everyone smiled at me at the coaching inn?”
He nodded.
