Page 20 of Cora
“I have some experience with them, yes,” she replied neutrally, though a spark of emotion flashed over her features before she consciously smoothed it away. “With redecorating, as well.”
“You shall have a reasonable budget to make changes as you see fit.” He shifted. “Try not to make my house overly feminine.”
Cora stared at him. If she was angry, she concealed it well. Was this disbelief or something else?
He couldn’t figure her out. The innocent debutante who smiled too much and laughed at everyone’s jokes, even when they were directed toward her and her brother, was gone. She was no longer desperate to be liked. He wasn’t certain how he felt about this new, grown-up version of the woman.
“Fortunately, your bachelor’s aesthetic is safe for the time being. I have had my fill of renovation projects.”
Right. Her brother’s house was undergoing substantial updates. That was why she’d been living with her half-brother, and why he had been unable to use it as collateral for his bank. Gideon had gotten lucky with that timing.
“Furthermore, it is an open question whether I will be staying,” she added.
“The matter is settled.” Gideon grunted. She was his. He went out first, then handed her down. Their gloves met, solid beneath layers of leather, and heat flared through him. Cora inclined her chin and swept regally up the stairs into his mansion.
Gideon hastened after her.
* * *
Cora
Cora felt soridiculous in her extravagant white gown that she almost protested when a footman reached for her cloak. She handed it over reluctantly and missed its soft warmth. Despite the gown’s long sleeves, she felt as exposed as if she had stripped down to bare skin, and shivered.
She had been unable to stop thinking about their wedding night ever since Mrs. Wentworth’s insistence upon babies.
Guilt roiled her.
Why? She hadn’t done anything wrong. Yet there it was, a boulder she couldn’t dislodge from the vicinity of her stomach no matter how often she told herself that it was her body and she had the right to be with whomever she wanted. Gideon had undoubtedly entertained his share of paramours over the years. A wealthy, objectively handsome man, with those broad shoulders? He must have been beating off widows and courtesans with a stick.
She wasn’t envious. After all, she had what women truly coveted: his name. She was Cora Wentworth now, with all the status that came with it.
“This is Mr. Faux.” Her husband took her by the elbow, gingerly, as though she was made of delicate porcelain. Or, perhaps more accurately, like she was a dangerous wild animal to be handled with great care lest she lash out.
“Spelled like the French for ‘false,’ but pronounced ‘fox’,” the manservant informed her. “And this is Mrs. Lawton, the housekeeper.”
“I lay down the law,” she said cheerfully. The woman’s pinched features tightened. “What is this? A rat?”
“My dog, Titania.”
Until now, Titi had been a very good girl indeed. She had waited patiently with Miss Marnie for the ceremony and luncheon to be over, and had stayed quiet in her basket during the drive. Presented with the opportunity to make new friends, she leaped out and began sniffing the staff.
“It’s not going to…live here, is it?” Mrs. Lawton asked worriedly.
“According to our wedding contract, I may have as many companion animals as I choose,” Cora informed her, then softened. Not everyone liked dogs, even small ones. Titi didn’t understand that, but she did.
The housekeeper turned to Gideon with a beseeching expression.
“The dog stays,” he said firmly. “But it may be confined to Mrs. Wentworth’s rooms.”
“Let’s get you settled, shall we?” Mr. Faux interjected. “I understand you only brought one maid and two trunks?”
“I do not require much to be comfortable,” Cora answered. She was too trussed in silk and lace to bend properly, so she had to wait for her maid to collect Titi and her basket.
“No trousseau?” Mrs. Lawton frowned.
“The duke informed me that you have no gowns suitable for a lady of your station,” said Gideon. “I have arranged for the modiste who fashioned your wedding gown to create a complete wardrobe for you, posthaste. She already has your measurements.”
Cora turned to Gideon, her mouth open in an O of mixed surprise and outrage.
