“You are right,” she said.
Adrian smirked, then leaned down to kiss the top of his mother’s head.
“Shall I fetch Elara for you?” he asked.
“Please,” Nora answered. “Now that my head is clear, there is much I wish to say to my daughter.”
Adrian gave a nod as he got up to leave.
“And Adrian?” Nora called.
“Yes?” Adrian asked, turning to her with an inquisitive look.
“Do ask your lovely wife to join me for tea tomorrow. I believe we have lots to discuss.”
Chapter 22
“Adrian, I am not sure about this,” Bridget whispered as she fiddled with her fingers. “Your mother was most upset yesterday. I do not wish for my presence to worsen her disposition.”
Adrian’s hands felt warm and secure as they wrapped around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. She was still getting used to that—used to a husband that wanted to touch her. It was all she had pined for over the last five years, yet now that she had it, she still felt wary. As if it were some sort of horrid trick being played.
This was why, despite everything, she still guarded her heart against Adrian. It was easier not to mourn something she had never truly possessed. But now that she had glimpsed what it felt like to be wanted, she was terrified, because losing something she had begun to hope for would shatter her entirely.
“I think you will find her disposition quite different today,” Adrian’s deep voice rumbled as he soothed his large palm up and down her back. “She and I had a most illuminating conversation yesterday evening. I believe she is much changed.”
He pulled her back, just enough so that they could look each other in the eyes. Bridget immediately noticed that the cold, piercing glint in his blue eyes was now much subdued, warmer, somehow deeper.
“However, if it does not go well, I am just in my study down the hall. Come to me immediately if anything goes awry. Do you understand?”
His command was spoken gently, but there was no mistaking that it was indeed a command. If she was going to run, she was to run to him. Again, Bridget thought of how much she had once wanted such an attribute in a husband. And again, she felt hesitant to believe it to be true.
What if it all suddenly changes? What if he loses his interest in me?
“All will be well,” Adrian assured, then he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, then her lips.
Even though it was quick and small, Bridget’s body tingled at the kiss, and she felt her nerves calm a little more. She smiled a little as he winked at her, then watched him walk away. Standing alone outside the parlor, Bridget took a deep breath, smoothed her hands down the silk skirts of her mint green gown, and went to meet the dowager.
“There you are, my dear,” Nora said as Bridget stepped into the room.
Bridget was right away startled by the vast difference in the dowager’s appearance alone. Her eyes seemed clearer, her speech less hurried. Bridget watched with wide eyes as the noblewoman came toward her with a graceful walk and a smile.
“I am so happy you agreed to join me today,” the dowager said, taking Bridget’s hands. “My behavior yesterday was ghastly, and I so very much want a chance to make things right between us.”
Bridget shook herself from her startled state and drew on a genuine smile as she allowed Nora to lead her to the table laden with tea and treats.
“Please, Your Grace, there is no need to apologize,” Bridget replied earnestly. “You have suffered so much as of late. I completely understand, given the circumstances, why you would hesitate to bring me into your family.”
“Even so,” Nora said as the two of them took their seats. “You are not responsible for your husband’s actions. You are your own person, and it is only fair that I see you as such.”
Bridget relaxed a little more, feeling grateful for the dowager’s change of heart, and took a sip of her tea.
“I so very much appreciate your words, Your Grace,” Bridget replied. “However, I must tell you that I never planned for this marriage to happen. Nor did I wish to ensnare Adrian or anything of the sort.”
She paused, feeling safe enough to be honest with the woman, then smiled.
“Though I must confess, I did feel a friendship of sorts between the Duke and me bloom almost immediately upon our meeting,” she confessed. “I have never met a man like him.”
Nora’s laugh was warm and genuine as she stirred her tea.
