Thankfully, Tansy answered most of the minister’s questions for him, because every time Hale glanced at Miss Sutter, it seemed he forgot how to speak.
He could barely keep track of what was happening as the ceremony began. After a nudge from the reverend, he took Miss Sutter’s hands in his. Thankfully, all he had to do was repeat the vows the minister spoke first.
After a while, he found everyone looking at him in silence. His heart jumped into his throat as Miss Sutter gave him another one of those curious smiles. When she closed her eyes and tilted her chin up, he realized what everyone was waiting for. Apparently, the minister had already pronounced them married, and now Hale was supposed to kiss his new wife.
He quickly leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. They were softer than he’d imagined, and her hands tightened around his. A little gasp—too quiet for anyone else but him to hear—escaped her mouth, and her eyes flew open. He broke away, and as she swayed just a little, he grabbed hold of her upper arms.
“Are you all right?” he asked, more concerned now for her health than about that embarrassing kiss in front of everyone.
She swallowed and nodded. It was almost as if the confidence she’d worn since he’d met her had faded like a ghost into thin air. Right now, in his arms, she seemed just as nervous as he was.
He watched her for a moment before dropping a hand to take hers again. The bare honesty she’d just shown disappeared as she lifted her chin and smiled at him. “I’m just fine. I’m . . . happy to be married.”
There it was again, just a hint of uncertainty under her words. And for some reason, Hale found himself wanting to wrap his arm around her waist to reassure her. But the moment passed before he could barely register it as the new Mrs. Darby received congratulations from Tansy and Mrs. Canton.
Hale felt as if he were walking through clouds the entire way back to the boardinghouse. Tansy and Miss—no,Isabella—kept up a conversation while Hale felt as if the day had passed in an instant. Surely, he’d blink and find himself still standing in Mr. Quarles’s room, hanging yet another set of those annoying draperies.
He needn’t have worried though, because Mr. Quarles was waiting for him the moment they arrived at the boardinghouse. Tansy ushered Isabella to the kitchen to show her around, and Hale lost himself in the work of the afternoon.
Behind on everything, he took his supper in his office, tallying payments and income as he ate. Part of him felt guilty for leaving his new wife, but she would be busy serving supper with Tansy. The two of them would eat once all of the guests had been served, and then came the cleaning up. He’d only be in the way.
It was late when he finally stood up and stretched. He took the lamp and closed and locked the office door behind him. His room was only a few doors away, strategically placed so he could hear any comings and goings in the middle of the night. He and Tansy ran a reputable business, and they only stayed busy because they ensured it remained that way.
Hale paused outside his door, key in hand. Surely Isabella would be asleep by now, after all the excitement of the day. That was a reassuring thought. He turned the key as quietly as he could, and the door barely gave a squeak when he opened it.
But instead of finding a dark room with his new wife fast asleep, he discovered her sitting in an armchair and reading a newspaper by lamplight.
“Oh, good, you’ve returned! We’ve hardly had a chance to talk. Please, sit.”
Hale felt like a mouse trapped by a cat as he stood there, lamp in hand.
Isabella tilted her head as she looked at him. The lamplight made her hair look as though it was on fire. He had the strangest urge to reach out and run a hand through it.
He took his time dousing the flame in his lamp and finding a place for it on the little writing desk before sitting into the chair opposite hers.
“Now,” she said, clasping her hands in her lap. “Tell me why a busy man such as yourself wants a wife. Is it for companionship? Or do you wish to have a house filled with children?”
Chapter Four
HER NEW HUSBAND GLANCEDat the door as if he wanted nothing more than to bolt straight out of the room.
It was a simple enough question, Izzy thought. She’d sent out all of those letters to prospective grooms without doing much thinking about what marriage meant. For her, it was a means to safety and a way to help her father and brothers. But ever since Hale—it felt strange to think of him so familiarly—had sent her funds to purchase a rail fare to Crest Stone, the weight of what she’d chosen had grown heavier.
So, she needed to know what he expected. It was better to come to terms with what she was dealing with than to be surprised later.
