My stomach twisted with nerves.
“Are you feeling better?” I asked finally.
Alice sat up straighter, eyes round with surprise. She must have not expected me to surrender. “Yes.” Her gaze lowered to her lap. “I-I hope I didn’t embarrass you.”
I felt an upward tug on the corner of my mouth. “I think we are past that point.”
She looked up with a laugh. “I suppose you are right.”
A scandal like the one we had created would feed the people of Brighton for several weeks, if not more. It would be good to leave it behind. The entire town could find something new to gossip about now that we were gone.
“Thank you for your help.” Alice’s voice was strained, as if it had taken her a great deal of effort to express her gratitude. “Like I said, I don’t usually faint.”
I shrugged, leaning forward. “‘In sickness and in health.’ I didn’t expect to be tested on my vows so soon.”
She folded her arms, lips pinched together. “I hope you don’t feel…obligated by those vows.”
I studied her stern expression. It was ridiculous that she was still so cross with me when I had been the one to save her fromruin. “We did swear to them in front of the vicar and many witnesses.”
“Yes, but this is not an ordinary marriage.” She cast me a thoughtful look. “Remember?”
I had been trying very hard not to be amused by her, but with such a long journey ahead of us, there was no point in being entirely cold. I mirrored her thoughtful expression. “Which words of the vows are troubling you?”
Her gaze flickered away from mine. “All of them.”
I maintained an even expression.
“You have fulfilled your obligation toward me,” Alice continued in a quick voice. “I simply mean to say that I permit you to ignore the other parts of the vows.” She waved a hand dismissively in front of her before looking out the window.
“You permit me? I am honored.”
She shot me a glare. “What I mean is that I release you from any future obligations you might feel.”
“Such as?”
She sighed. “There were a number of things mentioned, as you know. I need not make a list of them.”
“Perhaps you should. I may not have planned to be your husband, but what you must know is that now that I am, I intend to be a decent one.”
Her lashes lifted, revealing her cautious eyes.
The carriage went over a bump, causing her to pull her gaze away again. “You can be a decent husband without meeting all of the vicar’s demands.”
“Well? Which of these obligations do you release me from?” I asked. “I will need you to be more specific.”
She sat up straighter, eyes shifting at everything but me. “There was something about loving me. That will obviously not be necessary. Comforting me. Having and holding me.” Hercheeks flushed. “Honoring me. Keeping me…that is the only one that might be unavoidable.”
I sat back and rubbed the side of my face, feigning deep thought. “Yes, I suppose keeping you is necessary at this point. An annulment wouldn’t be wise.”
I watched her features twitch with concern. She nodded slowly.
If these were truly her wishes—that we be as far apart as possible—then I would have to learn to ignore her charms. At the moment, she looked angelic in her white gown. But I knew better. Her words could be sharp, even more so than her gaze.
I cleared my throat. “Very well. I shall not love you, comfort you, have or hold you. But I will honor and keep you. That is my compromise. Are you content with that arrangement?”
My frankness seemed to take her by surprise. She was silent for a moment before nodding. “Yes.”
I still battled against the strange urge to smile. It was clear that my decision to honor her was vexing, but she didn’t argue against it. She seemed to have more to say but was holding her tongue. The furrows on her brow only served to encourage me.
