Page 21 of The Wicked Duke's Convenient Bride
Her husband joined her in the bed, and Tabitha’s breath hitched. Matthew turned his head towards her. “What are you waiting for?” he asked. “It is time to sleep.”
He turned his back to her, and Tabitha hesitantly lay beside him. “Good night?” The words sounded more like a question.
“Good night.”
Tabitha remained silent in the darkness, her eyes tracing the stark outline of his shoulders and down his trim figure, partially obscured by the bed linens. She drew in a sharp breath as she watched him.
If Matthew heard her, he gave no indication that he did. Was what had happened on their wedding night simply a rare happenstance? Was it like a marvel or a miracle in the old romances, something wondrous that happened once and never again?
Tabitha stared at his back for a long time, trying to decide if she had done something wrong. He had said that they would engage in the activities of the marriage bed every day, and they had not. She was not even certain that they had properly consummated the marriage, as he had never penetrated her. Tabitha was certain that penetration was necessary for consummation.
She could not think of what she might have done wrong, though. Had he changed his mind? Why would that be? Tabitha sighed and turned her back to him. She stared into the empty space of the room and tried to make sense of it all, but when dawn arrived, her sleepless night had still not produced any satisfactory answers. It seemed that her husband had decided an heir was not such an urgent need, and Tabitha just wished she knew why.
***
Another week passed, and Matthew still had not touched her. They sat together at breakfast, mostly silent save for the sounds of cutlery against plates. Meals with Matthew were always a formal affair. He sat very far away from her.
Tabitha had thought that she entered this marriage with no illusions about what it entailed, but now, she was unsure. It probably ought to be a relief that he did not think of her as a broodmare, but that realization only filled her with uncertainty. If she was not meant to give him an heir, what did he expect from her?
“What do you enjoy?” Tabitha asked.
Matthew frowned and gazed at her as if he had never quite seen her before – like he was surprised to hear her speak. “The same pastimes that most gentlemen do, I suppose.”
“An enlightening answer,” she said, unable to help herself.
Matthew laughed. “I probably deserve that.”
“You do.”
He shrugged. “I suppose I enjoy the theatre. I like a good performance.”
Tabitha straightened a little. She was well-versed in drama. “Shakespeare?” she asked.
“Every proper Englishman should appreciate the Bard,” he replied.
“I agree,” Tabitha said, pausing to drink her lemonade. “Which of his plays do you think is the best? I have always been partial to As You Like It.”
“Hamlet,” he said.
“Oh?”
“I like a good ghost story,” he confessed. “I know that is a little strange, but it is nevertheless true.”
“I find it very interesting,” Tabitha said.
Unfortunately, she had never favoured ghost stories and did not know much about them. She knew of Hamlet, though.
“Perhaps we should attend a performance,” she said.
“That would be amenable.”
The butler entered, bringing them their correspondence. Matthew glanced at his and placed it aside, so she did the same. Besides, Tabitha had received only one letter from Matthew’s sister, Lady Miriam. They had spoken briefly after the wedding, when Lady Miriam had expressed an interest in inviting Tabitha to a soiree towards the end of the Season. The letter was likely concerning that.
“After the honeymoon period, of course,” Tabitha said.
Maybe mentioning that they were supposed to be on their honeymoon would remind Matthew of his husbandly duties.
“We do not need to follow such nonsense,” he said. “Who cares what the ton thinks? If you wish to see a show, you should. Go with my blessing.”
