Page 36 of Married to the Earl

She had never expected that.

And yet…some of the things she had been told did seem to point in that direction, didn’t they? She thought about Betsy, who had claimed to be treated fairly by the Earl. There was no help for his reputation in being kind to his maid. If he had done that, it could only mean that he cared how she felt about being in his household.

And there was Mr. Wilson, his friend from the wedding. Mr. Wilson had shared a different picture of Lord Middleborough than any Astrid had seen. He had described a man who was almost romantic in nature, who brooded on the qualities of the woman he admired.

And Mr. Wilson was plain about the fact that Lord Middleborough admires me.

Perhaps it was true. Maybe she had been given this room for no other reason than that her new husband felt she would be most comfortable here while they got to know each other better.

I certainly would like to believe that of him.

It would help, it would make this all much easier, if she could allow herself to believe that her new husband was a kind man.

But she couldn’t be sure. After all, he was so cold to her. She had moved into his manor today, and he hadn’t even come to check on her. He hadn’t shown her around the place. He hadn’t introduced her to the staff, not even to her own maids.

And the way he’d danced with her at the wedding, as though it didn’t really matter to him who he held in his arms…she had never felt less important to anyone in her life. And it had been her wedding day.

How could she reconcile that feeling with this new suspicion that maybe he did care about her after all?

There was only one solution that Astrid could think of.

Betsy really is wise, she thought to herself.She came to the right conclusion much more quickly than I did. Were all lady’s maids so helpful to the ladies they served? Astrid couldn’t imagine it. Surely the job usually had more to do with garments and hair.

But Betsy had provided the answer.

He was her husband now, whatever kind of man he was, and it was time for Astrid to get to know him better. It was time for her to discover whether or not she could learn to care for him.

Chapter 15

Conor hesitated outside of Astrid’s door. She had been in there all day. He had thought that once she’d gotten a look at her chambers, she might come and find him, that she might ask to see the rest of the manor. But she hadn’t done so.

Perhaps she didn’t want to see him. Perhaps she didn’t want to talk to him.

I shouldn’t be surprised,he reminded himself.She isn’t here out of any genuine desire to be married to me. She’s here because of her father, and for no other reason.

In her mind, it was probably more like being a prisoner than it was like being somebody’s wife.

He sighed and turned away from the door.I should really just leave her alone, he thought to himself.She’ll come and find me when she wants to talk. If she ever does.

I shouldn’t have agreed to this marriage.

Suddenly, the door flew open, startling Conor so badly that he spun around on the spot, almost tripping over his own feet.

Astrid stood there in a pale-lavender dress that looked as if it had seen better days. The fabric was worn and faded. Still, the fit was very becoming, and for a moment he forgot to speak. He merely took her in.

Lovely, he thought.She’s lovely.

“My Lord?” Astrid said curiously.

“Yes?”

“I didn’t expect to find you here.”

“Oh. Yes.” Of course. It wasn’t normal, the fact that he was standing outside her door like this. Of course she had been taken by surprise. “I was just on my way to let you know that supper was ready,” he said. “But if you’d prefer to take your meals in your chambers for now, that can certainly be arranged.”

Astrid frowned. “Do you want me to eat here?” she asked.

“I’d prefer it if you came down to the dining room,” Conor said.

---