AWARM AND LANGUIDsensation of pure comfort filled Sarah when she woke the next morning. Eyes closed, she allowed her consciousness to resurface while slowly letting the previous day’s events sift through her mind. A smile touched her lips at the knowledge that she was now married to Matthew. It transformed into a wide grin as she recalled their incredible love making.
Although he’d told her the experience was always like that, she would forever look back on it as exceptional.
Stretching, she turned onto her side and opened her eyes in anticipation of watching her husband sleep, only to find his side of the bed empty.
Sarah blinked, brushed the sleep from her eyes, and pushed herself onto her elbows. The clothes they’d left strewn about on the floor had been gathered and folded in a neat pile on the bench at the foot of the bed. Blowing out a breath, she tried not to feel too disappointed by Matthew’s absence. They’d only spent one night together after all. She’d yet to discover his sleeping habits. Maybe he was an earlier riser than she.
Allowing herself a slow stretch first, she got out of bed and went to inspect the clock on the fireplace mantle. To her surprise, it was almost ten o’clock. Good heavens. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d risen so late. No wonder Matthew was gone. He’d probably been awake for hours.
Eager to find him, she put on a clean chemise and rang for Anna to assist her. Time was wasting, precious seconds she longed to spend in Matthew’s company.
But when she entered his study after taking a quick peek at the parlor, she found the room empty.
Hmm...
“May I be of assistance?” an inquisitive voice asked.
Sarah turned to face Friedriechsen, the butler. “I’m looking for my husband. Do you know where I might find him?”
“Ah...I’m afraid not.” Friedriechsen kept all emotion carefully tucked away behind a typically butlerish expression. “Perhaps you would care for some breakfast, Your Grace?”
“Certainly. I must confess I am rather hungry.”
“If you’ll please follow me.” He led her into the dining room which she was surprised to see now contained a table surrounded by twelve chairs along with a couple of tall cabinets. As if reading her mind, Friedriechsen said, “His Grace had the space furnished in anticipation of your arrival.”
“Lovely.” Sarah stepped inside and quickly noted that there was only one place setting. She glanced at the butler. “I trust my husband already ate?”
Friedriechsen inclined his head in a noncommittal manner that wasn’t the least bit helpful. “George and Albert will attend you,” he said in reference to the two footmen who stood at the ready next to the wall. “I’m sure Mrs. Carver, the housekeeper, will want a word with you once you are ready.”
In other words, the staff expected her to get on with her duties. Sarah sighed, thanked Friedriechsen for his help, and went to claim her seat, which was when she discovered a folded piece of paper bearing her name tucked beneath her cutlery.
Sarah’s pulse leapt. It could only be from Matthew - perhaps a note of affection, or an invitation to join him after her meal? She waited impatiently for the footmen to finish serving her and to retreat to their positions by the wall before letting herself read what Matthew had written.
Her heart instantly sank. There were only two lines, neither containing one reference to the wonderful night they’d shared in each other’s arms, the joy he felt over their marriage, or any suggestion for them to savor the romance of newly wedded bliss in each other’s company. Instead it read:Urgent business has called me away. I will return as soon as I am able.
No indication of what the business might be or where he’d gone, not even ahope to see you soonor anaffectionately yoursaccompanying his name.
It was so blunt and distant it made Sarah lose her appetite. Nevertheless, she forced herself to eat some eggs and bacon and washed it down with hot tea. Unhappiness wouldn’t do any good. She was the Duchess of Brunswick with a household to run now that Matthew was gone. It was probably best if she got on with it, not only because she wanted to earn the respect of the servants by proving herself capable, but also because keeping busy would stop her from worrying overly much about whether or not Matthew might have usedbusinessas an excuse to escape her.
“Have you still had no word from him?” Sarah’s mother asked two weeks later.
Sarah had invited her to see the progress she’d made with the parlor. The walls had been painted a soothing shade of sage green which nicely complemented the darker moss-colored curtains. A few carefully selected paintings had been hung on the walls and a table placed in one corner to hold a vase filled with flowers.
It was still simple without being too masculine or feminine. The furniture, aside from the corner table, remained the same so Sarah hoped Matthew wouldn’t oppose the few changes she had made.
“No,” she told her mother while selecting a biscuit. “I’m sure he’s very busy.”
“In my opinion his behavior is inexcusable,” Mama said. “No man is so busy he cannot afford the time required to pen a few words to his new wife.”
Sarah was inclined to agree. She’d certainly thought as much herself. But nothing in the world would ever compel her to show a lack of support for her husband, so rather than conceding her mother’s point, she said, “He may well have done so, Mama. Considering the amount of time it would take a letter to reach me if he’s gone north, two weeks is not so very long. Especially if he did not write me straight away.”
“I suppose that’s true. He does have that estate up near the Scottish border, so if that is where he has gone, it could take another week for his letter to reach you.”
Smiling to put her mother at ease, Sarah nodded. She chose not to mention that he could have sent a letter from one of the posting inns he would have stopped at. When she’d asked Friedriechsen if he knew where the duke had gone, the butler had not been able to offer any further information. Neither could Matthew’s secretary, Mr. Sheffield, or his valet, Mr. Albertson. Nobody knew where Matthew was. They simply assured her he probably had matters of great importance to see to and that he would return once they’d been resolved.
But when another two weeks came and went without any word from him, Sarah grew increasingly worried. Surely this wasn’t typical behavior for a husband. Her mother had said it wasn’t, but she and Sarah’s father had always had an uncommonly close bond, so perhaps she’d commented from that standpoint. And since Sarah had no wish to discuss the intricacies of her marriage with anyone, or betray Matthew’s trust by revealing the issues she knew he still dealt with, she hadn’t asked her sisters-in-law for their opinions.
Her unease grew as additional days went by. It became harder to explain his continued absence without lying. It didn’t help matters that she now knew without a doubt that she carried his child.
