“It isn’t a matter of deserving one another, is it?” Goldie offered tentatively.
“Is it?” The two words came out harsh-sounding, and his jaw clenched. Over the past few days, she’d not once felt uncomfortable talking with him. But something had happened in the middle of their wedding ceremony.
He’d erected some sort of barrier. But why?
Before she could come up with an answer to his derisive question, the driver came to a halt outside of her new home.
Reed pushed the door open. “My sisters have planned a meal—a celebration of sorts. We might as well get this over with.”
He climbed out first and then provided her assistance by taking her hand.
Goldie shivered, though, because the gesture felt perfunctory. What on earth had happened? A vise began squeezing her heart, and the last thing she wanted to do was eat.
The only times she lost her appetite were when she was very, very upset.
Dinner should have been enjoyable. His sisters were perfectly lovely and even his mother, who’d temporarily come out of mourning for her surviving son’s nuptials, made pleasant conversation.
But Reed had turned sullen—so much so that his sisters and mother made discreet excuses immediately following dessert. After giving Goldie a series of warm hugs and well wishes, all of the ladies disappeared for the night.
Leaving her alone with her new husband.
Reed remained seated at the end of the long table, his gaze fixed on one of the candles. But he wasn’t really present. He was gone, hiding behind that wall he’d built between them.
“I’ll go upstairs, then.” Goldie moved to rise but hesitated. “Unless…” She wanted to ask him to join her but lost the nerve.
“Unless…?” He lifted his eyes to meet hers.
“I mean. Are you… I thought…”
Reed scrubbed a hand down his face, breaking his icy demeanor for the first time in several hours.
Goldie, however, was feeling quite raw and required all her dignity to hold back threatening tears.
She hadn’t expected a dramatic declaration of love; however, neither had she expected…
This.
“I’ve rushed you into all of this,” he said.
“I understand—”
“You need time to adjust...” He didn’t meet her eyes, however, and dropped his stare back to his plate where his dessert sat untouched. “I won’t expect you to fulfill your… wifely duties tonight or anytime soon.”
“Oh.” Her heart sank.
He had rushed her, but…
When she didn’t move, he glanced up again. “Is there something else?”
His tone sent a chill down her spine. What had she done? She was a fool, a ridiculous and naïve fool to have married a man on such short acquaintance.
She rose from her chair and straightened her spine. “No. Good night, my lord.” And without waiting for an answer, Goldie spun around and swept out the door with as much dignity as she could muster.
She even managed to keep her tears from falling all the way to her chamber. But once inside, for the second time that day, she threw herself onto the bed and cried.
This day, her wedding day, was turning into the worst day of her life.
Reed heard the words coming out of his mouth. Rude, thoughtless, horrible words that he had no power over.
