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"Unless they are with child."

Eliza frowned, and she found her nose wrinkling, but she made no attempt to surrender the second piece of bread in her hand. No one at the Didleys ever took offence at the pursuit of a warm, full stomach.

"So,” Eliza was pausing to try and choose her words as she did not want to upset anyone.

"Eating is not fashionable?" she finally asked.

Lord Benedict snorted, and the Colonel's eyes danced with amusement while the Dowager looked at her sympathetically; it was clear there was no malice behind her intentions.

"Sadly my dear, as women, we are generally expected to eat delicately. In fairness, this applies far more when dining in company or outside of your household. Here, amongst family, you are perfectly welcome to continue enjoying your breakfast," the Dowager conceded, but suddenly Eliza felt rather less hungry.

She merely nodded her acknowledgement. She looked down at the second slice of bread in her hand and took a much smaller bite than she wanted.

"I, for one, value a woman who can eat," Colonel Radnor interjected. "Makes her sturdier. She can withstand storms all the better." With that, he changed the subject.

"What are your plans for today, Your Grace?" Radnor asked.

"My plans?" she squeaked.

She looked first to the Dowager, then to Arthur, who had finally lowered his newspaper enough to meet her gaze. What was she supposed to do today?

Or any day, for that matter?

"Her Grace and I shall spend the morning together," the Dowager answered, though the Dowager directed the words towards the Duke who had begun to stand, rather than Eliza.

"I think a little knowledge exchange and the opportunity to become better acquainted will do us both good.” the Dowager finished.

Eliza nodded eagerly.

"Yes! That's my plan." She looked towards Lord Benedict. "What about you, my Lord?"

"We have some business to finish before this old brute departs for the afternoon," he said, wiping his mouth with his handkerchief before standing and following Arthur's lead.

"So, if you will excuse us, I wish you both a most enjoyable day of... knowledge exchange." Laurence parroted the Dowager's words before grinning with that familiar twinkle in his eye.

And just like that, Arthur, Lord Benedict, and the Colonel departed together. She was alone with her mother-in-law and, as she reflected upon her first breakfast with her husband, realised that he had not said a single word to her.

Chapter 11

Arthur sat at his desk in his study, his decanter empty, and he had a headache.

He could not decide if the cause was once again his wife's incessant babbling, or the two men sitting in front of him, sniggering and flapping about like juveniles.

"Oh, I do wish I could stay for a few more days. If breakfast is anything to go by, you are going to have such entertainment," Radnor said.

"I will send missives with every new day's excitement," Laurence promised with a grin.

They were not juveniles; they were far worse. They were a pair of young women.

"Are you finished?" Arthur grumbled.

"For now," Laurence smirked.

"You should not be so grumpy after your wedding night. Did you do it properly? I knew I should have drawn you a diagram." The imbecile continued, unaware that he was getting dangerously close to being escorted out of his office via the window.

Radnor, always the more reasonable of the two, sobered slightly.

"I must say, my friend, your wife is refreshing. I do hope you spare her some trouble. It's clear she is terribly out of sorts at the moment. I hope your mother goes easy on her."