It had already been beneficial to her, and to Olive and Joshua. They both would remain, had become employed at Redford. Whatever the future may hold, she’d grabbed onto this opportunity with both hands and was now married. She’d known love wasn’t in the agreement and had lived her entire life without it, so there was no reason to start thinking about it now.

  They soon arrived at Redford, where there were more guests than had been at the wedding, and as she walked beside Myles, accepting congratulations, she once again entered a dreamlike state that she knew wasn’t real yet couldn’t escape. The long table in the dining room was filled with platters of foods, meats, vegetables, fruits, sauces and gravies, breads and jellies, and in the centre of the table, the largest wedding cake she’d ever laid eyes upon. It was layers tall, covered in thick, white icing, and decorated with more coloured icing in the shapes of flowers and bows.

  The entire meal was nothing she’d ever dreamed of, and because she truly appreciated all of the work the household staff had taken in creating the feast, she quietly asked Myles for a moment and used that time to enter the kitchen and thank them personally. She also took the time to thank Mary and Christina and Maria. Everyone had worked so hard, and that reinforced just how much this family meant to each other. That was as foreign to her as the life of lavish wealth that was apparent in every direction.

  Mealtime was a lengthy affair, during which she sat next to Myles and found herself blushing at the toasts and well wishes voiced by several. The heat in her cheeks could be from the wine she sipped during each toast, but she was more convinced it was due to the words about their marriage being fruitful.

  When the meal ended, with everyone being served a slice of the wedding cake, which tasted as lovely as it had looked, everyone moved into the front parlour. Maria and Christina’s diligent work on decorating had transformed it into a festive room, as did the gaiety and laughter from the guests, which was increased by Wesley and his offers of wagers as to if he’d be an uncle by this time next year.

  Even in her dreamlike stupor, Anita found the ability to remain sensible. A child was expected from their marriage. Myles had made that clear. Little did he know that becoming a mother had been yet another dream she’d never expected to come true for her. It was also one she was very excited about. The idea of having a child she could shower with love—the very love that she’d never known—thrilled her.

  Her gaze slid towards Myles, sitting next to her on the sofa. He was in conversation with the man next to him, a villager named Olin Williamson who ran the feed mill. Some may have expected the room to be filled with nobility, but it wasn’t. Myles said the local business owners were the backbone behind his racehorse business, and he regularly socialised with them. She was impressed by him in so many ways, and this was just one more. He wasn’t haughty, nor did he look down on others like her uncle did. She couldn’t help but imagine that the two women who had almost become Myles’s wife—it was hard to think of herself as that, but they were married—weren’t regretful at what they’d lost. Besides being extraordinarily handsome, he was so gracious and likable.

  He twisted slightly, caught her gaze and smiled as his hand found hers and gave it a gentle squeeze before he turned back to Mr Williamson.

  The warmth returned to her cheeks, and this time she wondered if it was because of her heart. It nearly stopped beating every time he looked at her. Though they’d only known each other a very short time, she accepted that she liked him—genuinely liked him as a person—despite the situation. Or perhaps it was because of it.

  Theirs was not a love match and never would be, but it would be easy to grow fond of him.

  Her stomach did a somersault as her mind went straight back to other thoughts—that of becoming a mother and how that would transpire. Love was not needed for that to happen, nor was fondness. She needed remember that. He’d sought a loveless marriage, so he wouldn’t be distracted from his duties, and her job was to make sure that didn’t happen by overseeing his household. That was something she could do. She’d been running her household without love for years.

  * * *

  Myles was second-guessing his decision again. Not in the marriage but in the time he’d set for the service. Three o’clock had seemed fine, but now, as he glanced again at the mantel clock, which would soon strike eight in the evening, he wished he’d chosen a later time. For Anita’s sake. She appeared to be fine—more than fine. A more beautiful bride would be hard to find anywhere. A string of pearls, the same shade of ivory as her form-fitting gown, had been woven into her hair, making it shimmer and shine more than usual. The gown shimmered too, and it hugged her slight frame, enhancing each and every curve, right up to where the collar was buttoned beneath her chin. He kept catching himself staring at her.

  Actually, he kept catching others seeing him staring at her. Especially his brother, who once again lifted his glass in a silent salute to him.

  They were now standing before the fireplace, having accepted yet another toast, and he gave Wesley a nod of acknowledgement before turning back to Anita. Concerned if her leg was hurting from so much standing and walking, he asked, ‘Would you like to sit down again?’

  ‘It’s not necessary,’ she whispered. ‘The new slippers are very comfortable.’

  The cobbler and his wife were in attendance and had sat near the sofa with them earlier, talking about little more than the weather, other than when they’d accepted a heartfelt thank you from Anita. She was so sincere and genuine that he was sure both Wainwright and his wife were as smitten with her as all the other guests.

  Myles wouldn’t proclaim that he was smitten, too, nor did he want to be. He’d told her love was a distraction he didn’t need or want, and still felt that way, but he felt a sense of pride in introducing her as his wife, and he couldn’t seem to control the desire to touch her.

  Attempting to satisfy that, he brushed aside a curl that was hanging near her left eye. ‘I’m happy to hear that,’ he replied, keeping his voice low. ‘We should be able to make our exit soon. I believe everyone in attendance has had the opportunity to meet you, which was their goal.’

  She frowned slightly. ‘Why would that be their goal?’

  ‘You are the new Duchess of Redford,’ he said.

  She closed her eyes for a moment and let out a soft sigh.

  He took a hold of her hand, lifted it and kissed the back of it. ‘The perfect addition to our family.’

  A delicate smile filtered across her lips, but apprehension filled her eyes.

  He brushed aside the curl again. ‘I’m not the only one who believes that.’

  She glanced around the room before looking back up at him. ‘Everyone has been very welcoming and friendly.’

  They might be off to a shaky start with this marriage, but he was up to the challenge of making things work. He was also up to the challenge of making her see that she’d been lied to her entire life. The courage she’d displayed while walking down the aisle towards him at the church was just a sample of the true Anita. He was convinced of that. Her strength and resolve had intrigued him when he’d first heard about her, and was excited to be a part of the reason she could let it all come to life. Come to believe in herself. ‘Would you care for another piece of cake or glass of champagne?’

  ‘No, thank you. As delicious as they both are, I’ve had my fill.’

  ‘So have I.’ He took a hold of her hand. ‘Shall we thank our guests and bid them goodnight?’

  ‘We can’t do that.’ She tightened her hold on his hand, as if attempting to keep him from moving.

  ‘Yes, we can. It’s our house. We are the Duke and Duchess of Redford.’ He’d always known the day would come when he’d have a duchess, but had never imagined that saying it would make his heart skip into a faster beat.

  ‘What will people think?’

  Leaning closer, he whispered, ‘They will think that the newly wedded couple would like to be alone.’

  A blush took over her entire face, and it affected him. Made his blood run faster. His pulse pound harder. What entered his mind wouldn’t happen tonight. He’d promised to give her time to get used to being married, and would hold to that promise, but suddenly hoped it wouldn’t take too long for that to happen.

  Tucking her hand around his elbow, he verbally collected everyone’s attention, thanked them for their attendance, and bid them all a goodnight on behalf of both himself and his duchess.

  Enthusiastic clapping, and some cheering led by Wesley, followed him and Anita out of the room, into the corridor and to the stairway as they began to climb it. No one in his family had let on that this marriage was less than a love match.

  ‘Christina and Maria certainly did a lovely job of decorating the room,’ she said.

  Myles gave his grin the freedom to reside on his lips, knowing she was doing her best to not think about the fading sounds of excitement their leaving the room had caused.

  ‘They did,’ he agreed.

  ‘And the kitchen staff did a wonderful job with all the food and the cake. It was enormous and so lovely. I’d never seen anything like it.’

  He started to agree but instead, asked, ‘Were there never any parties at Brunswick?’

  ‘Once in a while,’ she said.

  ‘Did you not attend them?’ He bit the end of his tongue, wishing he hadn’t let his thought slip out, because he knew the answer. She hadn’t been permitted to attend them.

  ‘I was often needed in the kitchen,’ she said, ‘to make sure things went smoothly and that everyone had what they needed.’

  He waited until they reached the top of the stairs before he stopped walking and waited for her to look up at him. ‘That is over, Anita.’

  Her eyes held a flash of wariness before she blinked.

  That flash was enough to make him flinch, because it confirmed what he’d already figured, that her past life had held little more than pain and fear. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, then said, ‘Come. Your maid is waiting for you.’

  Chapter Six

  Normally Myles preferred sleeping in a chilly room; however, tonight a fire had been built in his sitting room, and he’d now spent more than half an hour doing little more than staring into the flames in the fireplace. His thoughts were on the future and what might be in store for them. Him and Anita.

  Marriage would bring changes to his life, and he would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that those changes were one of the reasons, actually the main reason, he’d put it off for so long. His hope had been to control those changes as much as possible, and although Anita wasn’t exactly what he’d expected, he was still convinced that their union would work.

  It would take her time to become fully comfortable with the changes in her life. A single thought of how she’d been treated in the past was enough to raise his ire, and enough to make him vow that she would never suffer from such cruel actions again.

  It was no surprise when both her maid and coachman had been interested in jobs at Redford rather than returning to Brunswick. He was glad about that, not just for the coachman and maid but for Anita. He liked knowing that she’d have familiar people around her. Marriage to her was a decision he’d made, and now that it had happened, he would do his best to see that it was as beneficial to her as it would be to him.

  Brunswick wouldn’t be happy to lose two employees, just as he hadn’t been happy when Myles had refused to marry either of his daughters. It had been evident that Brunswick had heard about the amounts of money he’d paid to the families for breaking his previous engagements. That was why Brunswick had offered his daughters, hoping the engagements would be broken, and he too would receive a large sum of money. Brunswick hadn’t been happy when Myles had brought up the debt Brunswick owed him but had agreed to him marrying his niece when Myles had let the ultimatums be known. However, the man hadn’t told Anita that she had a choice in the matter, and that was still greatly irritating.

  The click of a door opening echoed into the quiet room, interrupting his thoughts at the same time it made his heart beat a little faster. That had happened several times today. During times when he’d caught sight of his remarkably beautiful bride. The anticipation of that happening again was what cause the uptick now, and he stood, turned towards the doorway that led into his bedroom and eventually to the doorway to her room, which had been the door that he’d heard open.

  Concerned, he quickly crossed the room. As much as he told himself that she wasn’t a wayward stray that he’d brought home—like he had done with a variety of animals in the past—he couldn’t help but think about how similar her situation was to those he’d rescued. She was wary of the situation and he didn’t want to make her uneasy or frightened that he would request more than she was ready to offer.

  His feet stalled as she appeared in the doorway leading from his bedroom to the sitting room before he’d arrived at the doorway. His heart hit another uptick, and he had to swallow at the dryness that overtook his mouth. Her beauty shone through again. She’d changed out of the wedding gown and into a pale blue nightdress and matching overcoat with lacy sleeves and tied with a single thin blue ribbon beneath her breasts.

  The sudden desire to be the one to untie that ribbon had him curling his fingers into his palms. A man should be attracted to his wife, but he had to admit, he hadn’t expected it to be this strong. Perhaps in time, but not this soon. They’d only met yesterday. He’d known other women for years and never felt a pull this strong. Not even with the two women he’d once considered marrying.

  This time was different, and the anticipation drumming in his veins could simply be due to her beauty, for it truly was exceptional. Pushing his thoughts and desires to the recesses of his mind, he asked, ‘Is something amiss?’

  Her face flushed as she shrugged. ‘I know what you said, about us taking time to get to know one another, and I understand that, but Claire seemed to believe that I needed to come in here, and I—well, I...’

  ‘Come,’ he said, finding his voice, for he should have realised her maid would have assumed that and how Anita would have been embarrassed to say differently. ‘Let’s sit by the fire.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said as they crossed the room. ‘I won’t stay long, just long enough for Claire to put away my gown and things.’

  He sucked in a heavy breath of air. For a moment, while he’d been once again admiring her beauty, he’d wondered if she’d come to his room because she’d wanted to. Instead, it was the first night of their marriage, and he’d put her in an uncomfortable position. The very thing he hadn’t wanted to do.

  Suddenly felling unusually awkward because he had a lot to learn, he turned and gestured towards the two chairs closest to the fire. ‘I will enjoy the company.’ Once she was seated, he sat in the other chair and, feeling the need to become comfortable, used the toes of his opposite foot to remove his boots, one at a time, and then set them aside. He’d already removed his suit coat, vest and ascot. ‘Are you warm enough?’

  ‘Yes, thank you.’

  ‘I’m afraid the house can be draughty at times,’ he said.

  ‘It’s a lovely home,’ she said.

  ‘Thank you. It was built by my ancestor, the First Duke of Redford. I am the Seventh.’

  She nodded. ‘Your mother shared that with me.’

  Her hands were folded in her lap, but the white knuckles said that was to keep the trembles at bay. He didn’t want her to be nervous, skittish, around him, and leaned back in his chair as he let out a small chuckle. ‘Am I correct in thinking that she also gave you a tour of the entire house and pointed out all the portraits along the upper gallery?’

  Anita nodded, with an even more wary expression. ‘I hope you don’t mind.’

  ‘Not at all. I am sorry that she bored you with such an activity.’

  Shaking her head, she said, ‘It wasn’t boring at all. It was interesting to learn the family history.’

  He chuckled again and lifted a brow while asking, ‘Did she show you the closet?’

  Her brows knit together. ‘What closet?’

  Pulling up a grin, he lowered his voice and leaned closer. ‘The one filled with skeletons.’

  Wide-eyed, she leaned the opposite direction in order to put distance between them. ‘Skeletons?’

  Teasing her might not be the most appropriate way to ease her fears, nor should he be taking pleasure in the teasing, but if it would allow her to relax, he’d continue as long as it took. Furthermore, it was helping him relax. ‘Yes. Every family has skeletons in a closet.’

  She pinched her lips together and shook her head, as if amused but hiding it, before a smile broke out on her lips and she covered it with hand.

  ‘Did you think I meant real skeletons?’

  ‘I didn’t know what to think,’ she admitted after lowering her hand. She also let out a little giggle. ‘But I should have known you were jesting. No one would have a real skeleton in a closet.’

  ‘Perhaps not,’ he said, although he wasn’t overly sure about that. He’d met some people who he’d never want to learn what was in their closets, but this wasn’t the time to make a declaration like that. Shifting the conversation back to his family, he said, ‘Did my mother tell you that the third Duke of Redford was a thief?’

  ‘A thief? Heavens no.’

  ‘Actually, he was more of a pirate. A ship’s captain who sailed under the crown, confiscating illegitimate cargo from other ships. While doing so, he stole his bride. Right off a ship, brought her home and married her.’

  Her eyes were again wide, but there held the shine of interest. ‘He did?’

  ‘Yes. They had five or six children, I can’t remember for sure, but years later, he stole a bride for his oldest son.’

 

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