The regular two place settings were on the table, but additional food was present as well.
“Lady Blackmar wished to join you this morning,” the servant answered his questioning look.
“Then I will await her return.” Victor smiled.
While he waited, he contemplated how Charlotte could have fallen with enough force to rip the shoulder of her gown but remain unharmed. Of course, it could have simply been torn if the dress was snagged in a way. But where could she have fallen? He knew the estate and the entirety of it was flat and free of anything that could cause a person to trip. Was it simply an odd incident or misstep?
“You did not need to wait for me,” Charlotte said when she returned.
“I prefer dining with you over dining alone,” Victor answered before he began filling his plate.
“Would you care to ride into the village with me today?” he asked as he finished his coffee.
Charlotte bit her lip and seemed to consider the idea.
“I would greatly appreciate it if you were there to introduce me and show me around.”
Her face relaxed with a smile. “It would be my pleasure,” she returned brightly.
They finished breaking their fast quietly, then Victor had the carriage brought around and they traveled into Willanton.
He still didn’t understand why she had been reluctant to accompany him but was glad she finally agreed. He’d barely glanced about the village when he first arrived, so intent on seeing his wife. Now, he took his time and studied the area. It had grown in the past four years. Not only had the village increased with businesses and shops, but new residences had been built.
As for the residents, they greeted him with a mixture of curiosity and coolness.
They also weren’t his concern, as he was attempting to learn more about his wife and had made a few more surprising discoveries.
Charlotte didn’t stop at the normal shops a lady would choose. Instead, she visited stores to purchase more paints and brushes. She stopped at another merchant to check on the wine she had recently ordered, asking Victor for his preferences. They then visited her local solicitor.
What amazed Victor the most was that Charlotte hadn’t even glanced at the window ofLes Modes de Monique. It somehow seemed unnatural to him. Nor did she glance in any window of the shops most attractive to women.
Upon their return home, Charlotte left Victor standing in the entry to put away her latest painting purchases. He stared after her as she mounted the stairs, enjoying the gentle sway of her hips. His wife wasn’t like any woman he had ever met. When she reached the landing to the next floor, he turned and walked to the library.
She was a curiosity indeed. He didn’t doubt that she rose much earlier than he, but how much earlier? The ceiling in the ballroom was almost complete so she must paint while he slept.
Other things struck him as well. Other than the second day after his arrival, she had not been to the Melcombe estate. Had she resigned from her governess position? Was it because he had returned?
He settled behind the desk and sat to examine the household accounts again. And, after watching how she shopped, Victor decided that he would start asking the questions that had been burning at the back of his mind, but slowly so that she did not realize that he was aware of her duplicity.
When Charlotte finally did return downstairs, they settled in to enjoy tea and Victor carefully considered his words.
“I reviewed the books again.”
Charlotte glanced up at him, her eyes scrunched with concern.
“You run an extremely efficient household,” Victor praised.
“Thank you.”
“Until I saw the sheep yesterday, I had no idea we owned any.”
She frowned. “I thought I had written to you about them.”
“If you did, I do not recall.” He would have remembered if she had purchased sheep. Perhaps it was merely an oversight, though it was unlikely. The sheep had been noted in the ledgers, as had wool but they were not a concern since they also brought income.
Except, was all the income returned to the estate, or was Charlotte also keeping some of that for herself as well?
Victor dismissed the question. It would be addressed later.
