Felicity, as her closest friend, would be nice enough about it, but both her and Bethany would say they’d told her so.
Other’s would be much harsher.
And she had done this to herself!Foolish, foolish Tabetha!
She’d been alone with the duke for three nights and four days! Not that she’d come even close to losing her innocence! That wouldn’t matter to the members of theton. She would be good and ruined forever.
She swallowed hard.Cold feet. That was all this was—a particularly gripping case of arctic, frost-bitten, iced-over cold feet.
“My mother’s going to want to host a ball for us, upon our return,” she said into the quiet of the carriage.
He opened one eye. “Perhaps next year. Dear Elaina’s memory, you know.”
Tabetha exhaled. The woman had been dead for over a year. And yes, their marriage was rushed, but what aboutherfeelings? She wasn’t the dead one, after all!
A ball wouldn’t be asking too much. In fact, it would be expected.
“I don’t think anyone will think poorly of us for it,” she tried again.
“We’ll see.”
Tabetha exhaled a deep breath. Jostled, ignored, wrinkled, and unkempt, her enthusiasm for this marriage was diminishing all too quickly.
You’re doing the right thing, Tabetha. This is what you want.
She would have fared better, she conceded, if she’d had Emily. Not only could her maid have assisted in dressing her and pressing her gowns, not to mention brushing and styling her hair, but then Tabetha wouldn’t have found herself feeling so lonely.
Likely that was all there was to these misgivings. In addition to her cold feet, she was unusually rumpled, putting her at sixes and sevens, and she was homesick.
The carriage hit the twenty-thousandth hole in the road, and she bounced on the seat that by now felt like it was made of granite. When she released the leather strap, she raised a perfumed handkerchief to her nostrils. Culpepper’s valet, in addition to a few other servants, rode behind them in a separate conveyance, and she wondered if he’d spilled the entire bottle of the duke’s cologne on him this morning.
She’d attempted to open one of the windows but Culpepper had stopped her. “Do you want Archimedes jumping out?” He’d frowned.
He did a lot of that—frowning, pouting… scowling.
She drew her feet onto the seat and dropped her forehead onto her knees, hugging them at the same time.
This is the right choice, she reassured herself.I’m going to be a duchess, and Papa’s death will not have been in vain.
She closed her eyes and drifted into a restless sleep.
“Wake up, Lady Tabetha.” Culpepper’s voice jerked her out of disjointed dreams. “I’ve instructed my driver to stop at the blacksmith’s first thing.”
Having gone several hours without a word from him, his sudden attentiveness had Tabetha sitting up straight.
“But…” Tabetha blinked in confusion, gesturing at her gown. “I need to wash up and change first, if you don’t mind.” Was that what she wanted, or was her request an excuse to put it off? “And I need to eat something.” Yes. They should definitely get something to eat first. And a good night’s sleep would not be remiss.
“The ceremony won’t take long. You can eat afterward. No need to change. You look perfectly lovely as you are.”
Unease seeped through Tabetha as she stared across the cramped and musty enclosure. The interior of this carriage was beginning to feel like a prison—a prison of her own making.
One that she’d willingly climbed into. A tight squeezing prevented her from taking in a normal breath.
Before she could utter another protest or her consent, the carriage drew to a halt with a jerk. Tabetha raised one hand to her abdomen, which was suddenly queasy, as though the insides of her person had continued traveling down the road.
The door flew open but the cool air that rushed in provided only a moment of relief. Because the duke’s now-familiar perfume was immediately replaced with the distinct smell of burning coal and molten iron.
“You’re welcome to look around for a privy. Meet me inside when you’re ready.” With a tight smile and a gentle pat on her knee, Culpepper ducked his head, climbed out of the carriage, and disappeared inside to presumably make arrangements with one of the anvil priests.
