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"Thank you, Your Grace," she said instead.

James inclined his head. "Goodnight, Lady Olivia. Goodnight, Lady Louiza."

A maid approached and offered to show them to their rooms. Olivia glanced once over her shoulder at James in animated conversation with Hubert.

He is very thoughtful indeed.

They went upstairs and into their chambers. Their room was enormous compared with anything Olivia had ever stayed in while traveling. It contained a comfortable sitting room with two upholstered chairs, a small writing desk, a marble fireplace, and heavy curtains in a warm cream and gold pattern. Beyond it stood a spacious bedchamber with two beds dressed in crisp white linens, each framed by carved mahogany posts. Lamps and candles cast a gentle glow across the room, while a vase of fresh flowers stood upon the dressing table. Olivia and Louiza barely had time to admire the surroundings before they discovered the clothing James had arranged for them.

Several gowns lay carefully arranged across the beds, all beautifully made and perfectly suited to fashionable taste. Louiza's dresses were elegant day gowns in soft shades, with high waists, delicate muslin, and modest embroidery. Olivia's wedding gown, however, left her speechless. It was ivory silk, cut high beneath the bust and falling in graceful folds to the floor, with delicate lace edging the short sleeves and neckline. Tiny embroidered flowers climbed the bodice and scattered across the skirt, while a narrow satin ribbon beneath the bust accentuated the Empire waist. Beside it lay a sheer ivory pelisse for travelling, white gloves, satin slippers. A small jewelry box contained a delicate pearl necklace, matching earrings, and a bracelet of tiny seed pearls set in gold.

"It is far too much," Olivia said, touching the necklace with one finger. "This is supposed to be an elopement, not a royal wedding."

Louiza lifted the bracelet and smiled. "You appear to be suffering terribly."

Olivia laughed. "I am. Especially because I like everything."

Louiza placed the bracelet down and folded her arms. "Good. Now we shall discuss something considerably more important."

Olivia recognized that tone immediately. "What?"

"You and the duke." Olivia's smile vanished. Louiza sat on the edge of the bed. "Those glances in the carriage. The teasing. The way you became embarrassed when I listened. What exactly is going on?"

Olivia stared at her sister in horror. "Nothing is going on."

Louiza raised one eyebrow. "Did you kiss?"

"Of course not!" Olivia exclaimed, blushing so fiercely that Louiza's smile became positively wicked. Unfortunately, Olivia remembered far too clearly how close James had been behind those library curtains, their breaths mingling while they waited for Lady Charnley to leave.

Louiza watched her carefully. "Then why are you so determined not to like him?"

Olivia's amusement faded. She sat beside her sister and folded her hands in her lap. "It is not that I dislike him … it is that he does not want children," she said quietly.

Louiza's expression softened immediately. She understood without requiring further explanation. Having a child of her own had always been one of Olivia's deepest dreams, something she had scarcely dared admit aloud after years of being told that she ought to think only of securing a respectable marriage. Now she was about to marry a man who had explicitly told her that he would never father a child of his own. The knowledge hurt more than she wanted it to.

"But you will have your little baby boy," Louiza reminded her gently, taking her hand.

Olivia's eyes filled with warmth at the thought of him. She already missed the child terribly, even though she had only been separated from him for a short time.

"Perhaps one child will be enough," Louiza whispered.

She tried to make the words sound convincing, but inside she knew she was mourning a future she had once imagined for herself. Still, she had promised not to abandon the baby, and she would keep that promise.

"Maybe you are right, one child will be enough," Olivia whispered.

Olivia looked at the beautiful wedding gown.

But am I trying to convince my heart of something it does not truly believe?

Chapter Eleven

Have I arranged everything? Have I forgotten anything important?

James could not sleep. He had been lying in the bed at the coaching inn for nearly an hour, staring at the ceiling while his mind marched relentlessly from one problem to the next. The questions multiplied rather than diminished.

James had spent most of his life trusting his own judgement, but now he had somehow managed to create an arrangement involving a woman, an abandoned infant, an inheritance clause, a wedding, and an increasingly complicated collection of secrets.

It is perhaps unreasonable to expect sleep in such circumstances as these.