“He has… given me the opportunity not to hate him as much,” Elara answered. “As I said earlier, we live our separate lives.”
“Do you still believe he is responsible for Evander’s... disappearance?” Caroline asked, her tone softer than before.
Elara shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“In truth, I am not sure,” she confessed. “I was sure he was lying about his involvement at first, but now that he has agreed to look for Augustus to find answers, I am not so sure.”
She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, then added, “Not to mention that, despite the arrangement my poor planning has forced us into, he has remained a gentleman toward me. He has not claimed any of his usual husbandly rights or such, and has let me be.”
Caroline leaned forward, looking most curious. “So... have you not consummated the marriage?”
Elara choked so violently on her tea that Caroline had to lean over and pat her firmly on the back.
“Caroline!” Elara wheezed, pressing her hand to her chest. “What on earth do you know about consummation?”
“Apologies,” Caroline quickly offered. “I do not mean to sound indelicate. I just… I had walked upstairs to check on you and Aunt Nora the morning of your wedding, and I overheard her advice. It sounded so very bold, and... I was not eavesdropping intentionally, but once I heard, I could hardly unhear it.”
Bridget pressed her lips together very firmly, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
“It is not funny!” Elara insisted, which only made Bridget dissolve entirely.
“Forgive me,” Bridget managed, wiping her eyes. “I am sorry, truly. Did her advice not work at all?”
Again, Elara’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
“To be honest,” she finally went on, looking anywhere but at her cousin or sister-in-law. “I found Mama’s advice quite embarrassing. I regret taking the bold measures she spoke of, and if you truly must know, it resulted not in consummation but in my humiliation.”
“Oh dear,” Bridget murmured, her cheeks turning as red as Elara’s. “Well… not all men are the same, I suppose. Give him time, though. Perhaps he is the type who prefers to feel in control. I am sure he will come to you.”
Elara shot to her feet, suddenly wanting very much to be done with this conversation.
“No, you do not understand. You speak as if you know what I want and what the Duke wants, but I wouldnotwant him to come to me. We barely tolerate each other as it is.”
Yet as she said so, Elara knew it was not true. The very thought of her husband visiting her rooms made her skin heat, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. Her insides quivered at the thought of his lips on hers again, and she sat back with a loudhuff, more frustrated than ever.
Tense silence spread across the room, and for several moments, no one spoke.
“I do apologize, Elara,” Bridget said, her tone quiet and apologetic. “I did not mean to fluster you. I know firsthand how jarring the first night can be, and I wanted to be sure you were all right.”
Elara drew in a steadying breath, knowing Bridget was telling the truth. She had lived an entirely different life before marrying Adrian, and though Bridget did not share much of her past, Elara knew there was darkness to it.
“I did not mean to explode so crassly,” Elara apologized in turn. “I know you only want what is best for me, even in this poor situation. However, he and I are both aware that we are stuck in this marriage, and all we can do is help each other for the time being.”
Bridget and Caroline both nodded quickly.
“Please do not get upset,” Bridget implored. “But do you ever think that this could be more than simple cooperation?”
“How do you mean?” Elara asked.
“I have only seen you together twice,” Bridget admitted. “The night we found you two in Adrian’s study and the morning of your wedding. However, both times, he looked at you with such... possessiveness. Are you sure a love between you two could not grow?”
Elara shook her head as she picked up her tea again.
“I am quite certain of that,” she said, her voice edged. “We will remain comfortable with our distance until he can give me the answers I seek. And then we will part ways.”
Caroline was quiet for a moment, and when she spoke, her voice was softer than before.
“At least I am glad for one thing,” Caroline said simply. “I am glad you will stop trying to do everything yourself, Elara. You have been carrying this alone for so long. Perhaps now, with the Duke looking for Augustus, you will get your answers faster than if you had continued on your own.”
