Page 138 of Married to a Frozen Duke
"I know."
"And eventually there will be social events where we have to appear together as a couple."
"I know."
"You're being very accepting of all this."
"I'm resigned to my fate."
"Your fate being a life entangled with Coleridges?"
"My fate being a life with you. The other Coleridges are an unfortunate but apparently unavoidable addition."
"You could learn to like them."
"I could learn to tolerate them."
"You already tolerate them."
"Then I could learn to tolerate them without grimacing."
"Progress."
"Your favourite word."
"Because we keep making it."
They stayed in the library until the fire died completely, talking about everything and nothing, planning future visits (with strict supervision), discussing which spheres could bereturned to their proper places (none, they decided, at least not until Charles had visited several more times without incident).
As they finally made their way upstairs, Alexander reflected on how things had changed since that disastrous wedding day. He'd married a stranger, fought with her for weeks, gotten drunk and confessed feelings he didn't know he had, and now was planning regular dinners with her chaos-inducing brothers.
"What are you thinking about?" Ophelia asked as they paused outside their bedchamber doors.
"How unexpected this all is. If someone had told me on our wedding day that I'd voluntarily invite your brothers to dinner, I would tell them they are insane."
"And if someone had told me you'd defend me against Lord Harrington and drunkenly confess to loving my laugh, I'd have thought the same."
"We're both quite insane, then."
"Apparently. But it's a pleasant sort of madness."
"The best kind," he agreed, pulling her close for a kiss.
When they finally separated, both a bit breathless, Ophelia smiled up at him. "Should we stay in your chamber or mine tonight?"
It was a bold question, one that made him flush slightly. They hadn't... that is, since the drunken confessions, they'd maintained separate rooms, despite the growing affection between them.
"Yours," he said finally.
Later, much later, as they lay together in the darkness, Ophelia said, "Thank you for tonight. For trying with my brothers."
"They're important to you."
"So are you."
"Then I suppose I'll have to learn to coexist with them."
"Peacefully coexist?"
