“I know this is all rather overwhelming.”
“It really is,” she said lowly, causing Rhys to rely solely on reading her lips. “But there’s no helping it now, I suppose.”
He gave her a short nod, stunned by her steely resolve. For some reason, he felt the need to reassure her.
“The journey north should only take two days. I’ve decided to stop at the Fox and Raven Inn, although I hadn’t expected to be traveling with another person.” She nodded but said nothing to reveal her feelings on the matter.
“We’re just about there,” she said, looking out of the window.
As the carriage slowed to a stop, Rhys noticed that they weren’t in a terribly posh neighborhood, though it was still respectable. Curious as to why her uncle, a presumed baron, would be living in this part of London, Rhys decided to observe his new bride.
Louisa did not appear hesitant as the driver opened the door and helped her out, nor did she seem particularly sad. In fact, she was almost mirroring Rhys’s own calm demeanor.
That should bode well, should it?
Before he had a chance to finish his thought, the front door was torn open and a young woman with matching red hair came bounding out of the house, followed by an elderly man with a cane, and two old hounds that were barking and baying like they had seen a rabbit.
“Louisa!” the young woman cried, wrapping her arms around Rhys’s wife. “Where have you been?”
“Castor! Pollux! Stop that noise at once!” the elderly man yelled as he hobbled out of the house. His eyes landed first on Louisa. “My dear, you’ve set the house aflutter. Where have you been?” He glanced at Rhys. “See now, who is this with you?”
“Kitty, Uncle, this is Lieutenant Rhys Carlyle,” Louisa said loudly. “My h-husband.”
The young lady’s jaw dropped while her uncle appeared perplexed.
“I beg your pardon?” he asked.
“Oh, Louisa, what in the world have you done?”
“Stop teasing, Louisa, and come inside,” her uncle said, cutting in front of Kitty. He looked Rhys square in the face. “Who are you?”
“Lieutenant Rhys Carlyle, at your service,” he said loudly with a slight bow as the hounds continued to bay.
“But who are you to our Louisa?”
“Just as she said. I’m her husband.”
The word felt foreign in his mouth, but he ignored it as the elderly man frowned.
“How can that be? Castor and Pollux! Stop barking this instant!”
“Come, Uncle,” Louisa said as she took his arm. Rhys watched as her other hand slid into the reticule that she had been carrying the night before. Pulling out some sort of treat, she fed one to each of the dogs, who ceased their barking at once. “I’ll explain it more inside.”
From what Rhys could see, Louisa was discussing something with her uncle as they walked into the house, but without her facing Rhys, he couldn’t tell exactly what was being said.
The house was smaller than he anticipated, with a narrow parlor and peeling yellow wallpaper. It seemed to be in a state of disorder and there wasn’t a maid or footman in sight.
Uncle Malcom and Kitty sat on one threadbare settee while Rhys sat next to Louisa. The hounds lumbered over to a large, holey quilt that was laid out before the fireplace. They both dropped to the ground and almost instantly began to snore.
“But how can that be?” Louisa’s uncle mouthed as they all sat down.
Rhys didn’t ask for a clarification; he did not wish to speak about his hearing in front of Louisa’s family. To his surprise, however, Louisa turned fully to face him, and spoke.
“The lieutenant and I have been writing to one another for several months now. Ever since we met in Hyde Park.”
“But you never mentioned…” Kitty mouthed but trailed off.
“And how was it that you two met?”
