Page 48 of Married to the Icy Duke
Gabriel did not stay long. Charlotte hadn’t expected him to. It was something of a shock, however, to learn that Thalia planned to leave, too.
“You’re leaving me alone? Withhim?” Charlotte whispered, pulling Thalia aside. They were making preparations to leave, and Gabriel was already standing out by the Harding carriage, quietly seething. Thalia’s boxes were being stowed on top of the carriage, and that was when Charlotte had understood that her sister-in-law intended to go home.
“I’m sorry, Charlotte,” Thalia sighed, “But I want to go home. Gabriel misses me terribly, and I miss him. You’ll be here until the wedding, and I really cannot stay for so long. We know now that the duke won’t harm you, so you’re perfectly safe. And as for a chaperone, Sybella is going to be here. You’ll be fine.”
Charlotte folded her arms tight across her chest. “You really can’t spend another handful of nights away from my brother?”
Thalia chuckled wryly, glancing away. “When you are married and in love, my dear, you’ll understand entirely what I mean.”
There was a brief pause after she had spoken, and Charlotte pursed her lips together.
“Well, I’m not likely to be in love, am I?” she said at last, her voice quiet.
Thalia reddened. “Oh, my dear. Please don’t speak that way. You don’t know what the future holds, after all.”
“Don’t I? I know very well. I am marrying the Duke of Arkley, and that will be my life.”
Thalia chewed her lower lip. “Well, at least he is not old and ugly.”
This was an undeniable point, and Charlotte sighed to herself. For all his flaws, for all the uncertainty he aroused in her, Isaac couldneverbe described as ugly.
Thalia pulled Charlotte into a tight hug.
“You have Joan, and Sybella will be here. Take this time to get to know the place. This will be your home, after all. You’ll be the mistress of this house. And by the by, I fully expect to be invited to tea at your houseeveryweek. Tea twice a week, I think, once at yours and once at mine. And if Madeline ever secures herself a husband, we’ll meet at hers, too. How does that sound?”
Charlotte smiled despite herself. “It sounds excellent, Thalia. And I am sorry to make a fuss about you leaving, it’s just … Well, I’m unsettled at the moment. I can’t imagine that that will get better any time soon.”
Thalia laid a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. “Your brother and I had our own struggles, you know. Things can be difficult at the beginning. Relationships can be difficult, and when one adds love into the mix …”
“There’s no talk of love between Isaac and me,” Charlotte interrupted, a little more tartly than she intended. “It is a marriage of convenience, and that is all. I mean no disrespect, Thalia, but please do not muddy the waters between us.”
Thalia seemed a little taken aback by Charlotte’s firmness, but after a moment she nodded, glancing away.
“Of course, of course. Forgive me, my dear.”
“Thalia, we must go,” Gabriel called, striding across the gravel towards them. “Charlotte, are you sure you won’t come back with us?”
She breathed out slowly and met her brother’s eyes. “I’m sure.”
He gave her a short nod, and she could have sworn that she saw a little flash of respect in his eyes.
“Very well,” he responded, his voice calmer than before. “Come along, wife.”
Thalia smiled at him, placing her hand in his extended one. There was a flash of warmth between them, and Charlotte was shocked to feel a little … well, a little envious. What must it be like to have someone love you like that? Gabriel was a complex man, she knew that, but he had a large heart and deep, powerful feelings. She had not imagined that a woman would ever be able to tap into those feelings, much less awife, but Thalia had done it.
They were perfect together, in Charlotte’s opinion. However, that perfection had a price, and that price was the fact that there was no longer room for Charlotte between them.
Oh, they would argue until they were blue in the face if she said that. They would insist that they loved her, and it would be true. Charlotte wasn’t a fool, though. They could never blossom as a couple with her at their heels every step of the way.
She stood at the top of the stone steps and watched as the carriage rolled out of view. Swallowing hard, Charlotte forced herself to turn away. Outside, the sky was growing gray, threatening rain.
She found Sybella waiting for her in the parlor.
“I thought I’d let you say goodbye to your brother and sister-in-law in peace,” she explained, pushing a steaming teacup towards her. “But I ordered tea.”
Charlotte smiled gratefully at her. “Thank you, Sybella.”
“It can be hard, saying goodbye to family,” Sybella continued, taking a sip of her own tea. “Even if it’s just for a little while. You did well in diffusing the tension between your brother and mine, by the way. Men are wretches, aren’t they?”
