“I hadn’t realized she was in town. Of course. Of course.” Bethany turned back to her mother to explain while Chase took a step back, wishing himself anywhere else. This sensation of awkwardness was unusual for him. Oddly enough, the actual ceremony had been the least uncomfortable of all their dealings since… the incident.
Lady Westerley was nodding approvingly, almost eager to conclude the business of her daughter’s nuptials. “The servants spent most of the afternoon packing up Bethany’s belongings. No need to provide your direction, Chaswick, I attended your mother’s at-homes without fail, before… well… years ago. I’ll have the last of my daughter’s possessions delivered right away.” Likely she wanted all of this sordid business behind them so her younger daughter’s come-out could go ahead as planned.
But would marriage between the two of them be enough to garner forgiveness from a majority of theton, and even more importantly, Westerley’s forgiveness?
When Chase had arrived at Well’s Place to make his hasty offer to Bethany that morning, he and Lady Westerley had met together first. They’d agreed that he would address marriage contracts with Westerley after he and his new countess returned from their wedding journey. Delaying legal and financial specifics of their union was a most unusual circumstance but nothing about marrying Bethany fell within the realm of the usual.
In any case, he had no intention of accepting her dowry. He’d set up a trust for her with his own funds.
He folded the license and tucked it into his pocket, and the deep breath he took might have been cleansing if not for the various perfumes wafting around him. Lady Ravensdale, Lady Sheffield, and a handful of othertonnishladies wished both he and Bethany well, and then exited out into the cool evening air. A stern look from Stone, a few handshakes and slaps on the back from Mantis and Greys, and then an unexpected silence fell when he and Bethany were left alone.
Crickets might as well have been chirping, echoing throughout the grand chamber. If they were going to stand a chance at a successful marriage, they most assuredly needed to move beyond this new awkwardness in which they found themselves.
“I’m afraid I didn’t think this through. If I was a proper groom, I would have a lovely barouche waiting outside for you. Do you mind walking, or shall I hail a hackney?”
“If this was a proper marriage, I imagine you’d have more than a few hours to think of such details.” She smiled weakly. “But I don’t mind walking… My Lord.”
“We’ll have none of that. It’s always been Chase.” He winged his arm. “Unless you’d prefer to call me husband. What do you say, Wife?” He pushed the door open, surprised at the evening chill.
“Chase.” She laughed and then shivered.
“A moment.” He paused, releasing her, and removed his jacket. “Here, put this on.”
“I’m fine.”
“What kind of husband would I be if I allowed my bride to walk in the cold while I’m more than warm enough?” An odd satisfaction came over him once she had slipped her arms inside the wool. She literally swam in the jacket, but she would be warm.
Walking along the street, this silence felt a little more comfortable.
“I suppose we have a few matters to discuss,” Bethany suggested before he had the chance. She was doing that counting thing with her fingers again.
“A few.” Chase adjusted his gait to her shorter one. “We did jump into all of this rather quickly.”
“To put it mildly.”
They both chuckled and Chase deemed that if they could laugh together, there was hope that they wouldn’t come to hate one another over all of this.
“Was your mother upset? Is that why she didn’t attend?” Any bride would want to know such information regarding her future mother-in-law. Not future. Mother-in-law period.
Chase rubbed his jaw.
“My mother is… complicated. Please don’t be offended that she didn’t attend the ceremony. She doesn’t go out, ever. Her world consists of what she reads in the papers, what I and my staff tell her, and that which occurs in her mind.” Chase went on to explain the more notable facets of his mother’s eccentricities, leaving out the whys and the whens.
His mother hadn’t always been this way.
As they walked along the pavement, Chase found telling Bethany about his mother easier than he’d anticipated. “She can be difficult but some days she seems perfectly normal. She took news of our… marriage… rather well, I think. She says she is looking forward to meeting you.”
“No one would fault her for being suspicious of me,” Bethany said. His wife’s voice, he realized, was sweet without sounding shrill. Another detail he’d failed to notice about her before. “You are quite a catch.” She dipped her head to glance at him with a smile. Was she teasing him?
“Not that you were casting bait.”
“No.” Her head snapped up. “I would never—"
Chase held up a hand. “Of course, you wouldn’t. I don’t doubt your sincerity for a second.”
“I just don’t want you to think—"
“None of this would have come about if I’d handled myself differently.” Chase cleared his throat. They’d danced around this long enough. “I knew Lady Starling had plans to go to Brighton. And if I’d taken even a moment to… I would have realized it wasn’t her handwriting. Had I considered any of these things I’d have realized it was a ruse.”
