Page 68 of An Unwilling Earl
She glanced outside, surprised to see it was still daylight. It seemed she had lived a hundred days since she had awoken this morning. No, her wedding day had not been what she had envisioned since she was a little girl—never had she thought she would have to marry in order to save herself—but it had still been wonderful.
“Charlotte.” He stepped closer and took her hands in his, just as he’d done when they’d said their vows. “I just want you to know that I do care deeply for you and I do not mind if we spent the rest of our days together.”
“Thank you.” An awkward silence enveloped them. “I think I’ll go rest now,” she said. “The day has worn me out.”
“Of course.”
Did he look disappointed? Had he made other plans? She hesitated, thinking she was mistaken that he would want some time to himself. “Unless you have other plans,” she said.
“I thought that we could go to the Crystal Palace and maybe get some ices while we were there. Have you been before?”
“Oh.” She was surprised at his thoughtfulness—that he would want to make this day special. “No. I’ve never been. That sounds like fun.”
“If you’re too tired we can plan it for another day.”
“No. I just didn’t think that you might have made plans for us. I’m not all that tired anymore.” And suddenly she wasn’t. The prospect of doing something ordinary appealed to her. No longer did she have to worry that someone from church might see her and report back to her aunt.
She could be a normal person, enjoying a nice day with her husband.
Her husband.
The thought sent butterflies flitting through her stomach.
She had a husband.
She was a wife.
She was acountess.
That was a thought that she couldn’t wrap her mind around just yet. She didn’t want to become accustomed to that because someday soon she would be none of those things again.
And that was good.
That was right.
That was what she wanted and as it should be.
This was just temporary.
But for now, she would enjoy the day, eat ices, and explore the exhibition hall with her husband.
…
If Jacob was going to be completely honest with himself, he would admit that he liked the feel of Charlotte’s hand on his arm as they strolled through the Crystal Palace.
Charlotte had heard much about the Crystal Palace but had never seen it. Such an extravagance would have been deemed sinful by her aunt. When Charlotte first glimpsed the massive glass structure it took her breath away.
“What do you think?” Jacob asked as they stopped on the street to stare up at it.
“Never have I ever imagined such a thing in my life. I can see why they refer to it as crystal.” The sun bounced off the massive glass walls, making it appear as if it were glittering in the sun like a million diamonds.
A pool of water guarded the entrance with delightful dancing water. Jacob was interested to learn how they made the water dance like that, but those questions were for another day. Today was for his new wife.
Wife.
Not Cora, but Charlotte.
He’d never meant to marry again, but here he was with a new wife under strange circumstances. He didn’t feel as guilty as he thought he would. He thought maybe that Cora would understand. She used to say that he was a great advocate for those who needed it, and if anyone needed an advocate, it was Charlotte.
