And the miles rolled by.
London slipped away though it took nearly two hours to leave it fully behind. The sun dropped in the sky, and she regretted having nothing to pass the time. Sleep would not come, even though boredom stalked her. All she could do was sit and fret while she watched her new husband frown as he apparently worked through a torturous knot of thoughts.
It was several hours before there was a sound inside the carriage. And when it came, it wasn’t by her choice at all.
Her stomach growled.
His head shot up and she flinched backwards in alarm. It was too big a reaction. He’d only looked up, but such was the state of her nerves that she nearly bolted from the carriage.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. His tone was cordial, but he was frowning at her.
She pressed a hand to her belly. “Only if you are, my lord.”
His frown turned into a scowl. “Why are you, ‘my lording’ me? If you’re hungry, just say so.”
Lord, she was an idiot. She had no idea why the “my lord” had slipped out. Her uncle liked it when people referred to him as such even though he had no right to the honorific. She was just nervous.
“Well?” he pressed, his tone even more foul.
“Sir?”
He bit his lip and looked unexpectedly awkward. “My mind is hither and yon. I have so many thoughts and no focus. And I can’t seem to remember the most basic things. So please, my wife, if you are hungry, you must say so. Then I will see to your refreshment.”
She swallowed. “I would enjoy some food.” In truth, she wasn’t sure she could eat it. Her nerves were in such a state. And yet that seemed to be the answer he was waiting for. He nodded as he looked about them.
“Where are we?” he asked.
She had no idea.
When she didn’t answer, he rubbed a hand over his face. “How long have we been traveling?”
“Three hours?” She didn’t really know. Time had no true meaning when one was sitting in a carriage with nothing to do but fret.
“Don’t ask me. Do you know the time or not?”
She winced. “I do not.” She had no watch.
He patted his pockets. “I gave my watch to Jonathan. He has no sense of time.” He looked out the window. “You know we must consummate this marriage tonight.”
She jolted. To speak so boldly of this made her breath freeze in her chest.
“If you are terrified of me now, how will we ever make this work?”
She had no answer. She didn’t know what to do. What did he want?
His gaze returned to her face, and he made an effort to soften his expression. His lips even curved into a semblance of a smile. “I am usually more adept at things, but I have thrown myself into this endeavor with so much speed that I can scarce believe it.”
Hefelt as if they had moved quickly? “I feel the same,” she said. Her words were deliberate. A testing of whether he wanted conversation or just an ear.
He nodded. “I would think so. Did you have a plan for after the vows? For how we would gain your dowry?”
She shook her head. “I thought you were the man of war.”
His grin was lopsided but still charming. “Not war,” he said. “That is for commanders with hundreds of men fighting in lines against an enemy of similar size. I was raised in the London battleground with fisticuffs in the streets and knives in the dark.” When she stared at him without comment, he shrugged. “It is fighting, I suppose, but of a different kind.”
“It is the kind that is needed, I think.” Indeed, it was a primary reason why she chose him.
“Perhaps we should discuss what I have already worked out.”
