“I hope so,” Eva said, and Daniel knew her smile was forced.
Daniel left his wife alone with her thoughts for the first few miles, hoping that with time, the rigid set of her shoulders would ease. She had not looked his way once, instead keeping her eyes fixed on the window, but he had read each change of emotion as it flashed across her face. She sat so straight, her back had to be aching, yet she seemed unaware of any pain - and unaware of him, too.
Eva had clearly struggled to walk away from Stratton and what she now viewed as her home, saying goodbye several times to the servants until he had simply taken her hand and urged her into the carriage. She had watched Stratton until it disappeared and he understood then that this was probably the first place she had really felt safe and now he was making her leave that safety behind.
“Unclench your fists, Eva.”
“Pardon?”
“Your hands.”
Surprised at his words she looked down at her fingers, almost as if they belonged to someone else.
Today she wore cream and lavender and her black hair was bundled into a matching bonnet and Lord, just looking at her made him want her.
“Do you trust me yet, Duchess?”
“Of course.” Her response was instant and honest and he felt something ease inside him.
“I have already promised to protect you in London, Eva. So I would ask you to remember those words when you feel afraid.”
“It is no longer you I fear, Daniel, just the unknown.”
Daniel moved to the seat beside her. “By unknown, you mean society?”
Eva nodded.
Daniel took her hand in his and pulled off the glove placing a kiss in the middle of her palm.
“Daniel!”
“Eva!” Daniel mimicked, then captured her other hand and proceeded to peel off the glove and kiss each of her fingers slowly and thoroughly. He smiled into the soft skin of her palm as her breath hitched and her nervous giggle filled the carriage. It was a beautiful sound and one that made his body hum. Moving to her wrists, he placed kisses around each, then looked at her. Her eyelids were lowered as she watched his every move and her mouth was open slightly.
“W-we are in a carriage.”
“And we have a long journey ahead of us, Duchess. Surely we must find something with which to occupy our time?”
Eva was yawning by the time they pulled into the small inn where they would stop for the night and Daniel was more than ready to stretch his legs. He had chosen to ride in the carriage with Eva to keep her company rather than ride his horse and even though the carriage was well sprung, he was a large man and sitting in the same position for many hours usually made him stiff.
“Come. It will be good to stretch our legs,” he said, taking his wife’s hand in his and leading her into the inn. He had sent a man on ahead to organize their lodgings so the proprietor was ready for them.
“If you will follow me, your Grace, I shall show you your room.”
“Room?”
Daniel could have booked Eva in with her maid but he didn’t like the prospect of her sleeping without his protection.
“Follow the proprietor, Duchess, or we shall not know where he goes.”
Placing a hand on her stiff spine, he urged her forward and reluctantly, she moved her feet. They climbed a set of narrow stairs and then were ushered into a small room.
“Thank you, and if you could send a tray up for my wife, please,” Daniel told the man as he prepared to leave.
The bed was not as big as the ones at Stratton but still big enough for the two of them. He watched as Eva walked to the window, which looked down on the courtyard below. She still wore her bonnet and her pale face was framed by a wide satin ribbon tied in a big floppy bow beneath her chin.
“We are to sleep here together?” She looked from him to the bed, then back again.
“We have already slept in a bed together, Duchess, however there is a chair if you’d prefer.” Color flooded her face as he teased her. “Rest now, Eva, you are tired from the journey. Your meal will arrive soon and I would ask you not to leave the room at any time unless I am with you.”
