He chuckled. “Then what am I allowed to talk about?”
She considered this for a moment and then sighed as more of the reality of their situation leaked into their happy bubble. “How we shall address your mother.”
“My mother?” he demanded, obviously scandalized. “We’re naked in bed together on the day of our wedding, and you suggest discussing my mother?”
A laugh burst from her, and she clapped her hand to her mouth. She hadn’t thought of it that way. “Well, we have to at some point.”
He settled back against her. “I’ll write her a letter tonight to let her know that we’ve married and will depart the day after tomorrow.” He kissed the end of her nose. “Tomorrow is just for you and me.”
Sophie looked forward to it. But she couldn’t help worrying that Nicholas might lose his relationship with his mother because of her.
If the worst happened, would he come to regret the choices he’d made?
CHAPTER 28
As the silhouetteof Blackwell Hall appeared on the horizon, Nicholas’s insides twisted and tangled in so many knots that he couldn’t possibly make sense of them.
He was pleased to see his home, but he dreaded the confrontation to come.
The Hall was as imposing as ever—a rectangular construct of stone and brick with windows lining the bottom and top floors and stairs leading up to the main entrance. The lawn around it was lush and green, and clouds floated on a blue sky in the background.
They’d taken a week to travel back, moving more slowly than they had on their journey to Gretna, allowing time for breaks so that neither of them suffered so much from being trapped inside the carriage.
They had looked around the towns they came across, and he loved being able to introduce Sophie to new places.
She was such a breath of fresh air. She found so much joy in exploring and discovering what made each village special.
Unfortunately, they’d delayed all they could.
Now it was time to face his mother.
As the carriage rumbled down the drive, a group of figures emerged from the front entrance and stood in wait.
From a distance, it was impossible to tell exactly who they were, but as they drew closer, he made out his brother’s dark hair and matching attire and a feminine figure in blue who could only be Kate.
They were accompanied by a pair of footmen, the butler, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Tubbs. There was no sign of his mother.
Sophie’s hand slipped into his. “Are you ready?”
He sighed. “As I’ll ever be.”
He already knew he was destined to get a verbal bollocking. The real question was whether Theo would follow their mother’s lead or embrace Nicholas’s marriage instead. Usually, he would expect the latter, but when his brother had no doubt been subject to his mother’s temper for the past while, he couldn’t be certain.
The horses slowed, and as they arrived in front of Blackwell Hall, the driver halted them completely. One of the footmen stepped forward and opened the carriage door.
Without any sense of propriety, Sophie bounded down and raced to Kate, throwing her arms around her friend before any words were exchanged.
Nicholas disembarked more slowly, pausing once he was on the ground to rotate his shoulders and stretch his arms. There were a couple of knots in his back from the tension that had built since they left their last stop, and he suspected they wouldn’t go anywhere until after he’d finally spoken to the elder Lady Blackwell.
He glanced at Sophie. She and Kate had released each other and were already deep in conversation. Theo had taken a few steps toward him but seemed uncertain of what to do next. Nicholas also held back, not wanting to risk eating a fist.
“So, you’re married,” Theo said, pushing his hands into his pockets.
“I am.”
Theo strode toward him, and Nicholas braced for impact, but instead of hitting him, Theo yanked him into a hug and squeezed him so hard, the air was forced from his lungs.
Nicholas went weak with relief and hugged Theo back, breathing in the spicy aroma of oil of wintergreen. His brother must have been taking his frustrations out on his boxing bag, because he only used liniment when he was sore from too much training.
