Page 36 of Duke of Emeralds
Anna reached across the space between settees, her voice soft. “Why, Hester dear? Is everything quite all right?”
Hester drew a slow, steadying breath. She couldn’t meet their eyes, focusing on the intricate weave of the Persian rug. The words felt like stones. “Our marriage… Thomas’ and mine… it is one of convenience. Strictly so.” She forced herself to lift her gaze. “Separate chambers. Separate lives, once the required appearances are met.” A strange ache bloomed beneath her breastbone. Why did admitting the arrangement she’d chosen suddenly feel like a loss?
Anna recovered first, her expression softening. She exchanged a swift glance with Fiona. “It could start off very uncertain, I understand that,” Anna said gently. “Many such arrangements do. But Hester, they often change. They grow into something… more.”
Fiona shifted closer, earnest concern replacing merriment. She squeezed Hester’s clenched hand. “I’ve been there, Hester,” shemurmured. “Truly, I understand. But like Anna says, itwillchange. Given time, feelings can?—”
“No!” The word burst from Hester. She pulled her hand back, spine rigid. “You don’t understand.” Her voice trembled. “This wasmychoice. WhatIwanted. What I needed. It stands.” The declaration sounded hollow. Treacherous memories flooded her—the dizzying closeness in the shadowed library, the charged silence after the lake, the warmth of his hand at the ball. She wanted something dangerous. Shehadto rein it in.
Fiona leaned back, her gaze searching Hester’s face. Her voice was quiet. “And the Duke… he agreed to this… choice of yours?”
Hester could only manage a stiff nod, her throat constricting around her turmoil. The curious glances exchanged between her friends— Anna’s slight frown, Fiona’s thoughtful tilt of the head, Nancy’s raised eyebrow—spoke volumes of their skepticism, a heavy, unspoken question hanging in the air thick with their concern.
Relief flooded her, cool and temporary, as they mercifully let the subject lie. She smoothed her skirts, a pointless gesture, seeking an anchor. “I should have rooms prepared for you,” she offered, the words too loud in the sudden quiet, a desperate lifeline back to mundane hospitality.
Anna waved a dismissive hand, her smile returning though it didn’t quite reach her watchful eyes. “Oh no, you needn’t trouble yourself. We’ve perfectly comfortable arrangements at the inn. We shan’t dream of intruding upon your honeymoon.”
“Absolutely not,” Fiona agreed quickly while Nancy nodded, momentarily subdued.
“Well then,” Hester insisted, leaning forward, needing the connection of this plan, “you simply must let me host you all to dinner. Perhaps on Saturday evening?”
The genuine warmth returned to their faces. “Capital!” Anna declared.
“We shall tell our husbands immediately,” Fiona said, her earlier excitement resurfacing.
“And I,” Nancy announced, plucking another biscuit with renewed vigor, “shall prepare my stomach for the free feast. Benefits of being perpetually unattached, you see.”
Anna chuckled. “Perks of befriending wealthy, married women, you mean.”
“Precisely!” Nancy grinned, popping the biscuit whole into her mouth. Laughter, lighter this time, filled the room again, easing the lingering tension Hester carried in her shoulders.
At dinner, Hester traced the rim of her wineglass, watching her husband. The candlelight danced across his solid profile, giving him an appearance so striking she felt a flutter in her stomach. She cleared her throat.
“They brought such life to the house today,” she ventured, her voice softer than intended. “Anna, Fiona, Nancy. It was… wonderful to see them.”
Thomas looked up from his plate, his gaze meeting hers. A genuine smile softened the usual intensity of his features. “Aye, it was. Unexpected but a welcome diversion.” He took a sip of claret. “Their energy is infectious.”
Hester drew a small breath, steeling herself. “What do you think about hosting them? For dinner? I suggested Saturday evening, four days hence, and they readily agreed.”
His smile widened, reaching his eyes, making the candlelight catch the flecks of amber within the hazel. “An excellent notion. The more the merrier. We’ll show them Lushton hospitality properly.” The warmth in his approval was palpable, a comforting counterpoint to the disquiet still humming within her.
Encouraged, she added, “And I shall be visiting the orphanage tomorrow afternoon. Mrs. Bellweather wrote; the children need their new blankets.”
“Excellent,” Thomas nodded, his expression approving. “They’ll be glad of them before the chill sets in properly.” As he spoke, the butler appeared soundlessly at his elbow, presenting a thick, cream-colored missive on a silver salver.
Thomas took it, breaking the seal with a thumbnail. He scanned the contents, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Ah,” he said, holding it up. “The grand Alderton ball. Next Friday.”
Hester’s fork stilled halfway to her lips. “You were expecting it?” She kept her voice carefully neutral.
“On the contrary,” he replied, setting the invitation beside his plate. He leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on the table, his focus entirely on her. “Craton and Copperton mentioned the Alderton house party earlier, and the ball that concludes it. They arrived ahead of schedule, remember?”
His eyes held hers, bright with eagerness. “It would be our first public outing since the wedding. A chance to be seen together properly, as Duke and Duchess.” The anticipation in his voice was clear, a vibrant thread woven through his words.
Hester forced her fingers to unclench from her fork. The silver felt cold against her skin. The image of her friends’ skeptical faces flashed before her, followed by the memory of her own brittle declaration:Separate chambers. Separate lives.The Alderton ball suddenly loomed, not as a glittering occasion but as a stage where their carefully constructed façade would be tested under the brightest lights.
A cold dread, entirely at odds with Thomas’ open enthusiasm, began to pool in her stomach.
CHAPTER 19
