Page 86 of The Viscount and the Vixen
They would be. Everyone had a perverse curiosity regarding the Hellions, and the fact that Locksley hadn’t been to London in a good long while made people all the more inquisitive about him. “They’re certain to ask how we met. What will we say?”
“That my father arranged the introduction and I couldn’t resist marrying you.”
She laughed. “Clever. Not quite a lie.”
“Not a lie at all. You tempted me the moment I opened the door.”
He’d enticed her as well. As London shops passed by the window, she considered that she really should have gone after the mail coach. She wouldn’t be back in London if she had. Marsden never would have brought her here. She’d have remained safe at Havisham.
“And how could I resist the charms of your set-downs?” he asked.
How quickly the months had passed since that day. Had she known then how much she would come to care for him she’d have never married him. While her stomach tightened each time she thought of being in London, she wanted to make him proud, glad to have her at his side. Even as she prayed that being in the city wouldn’t provide the opportunity for him to discover the facts surrounding her, to come to despise her with every fiber of his being.
Learning the truth would destroy him and the fragile bond between them. It would devastate her as well because she’d done the unthinkable. She’d come to love him.
As the coach pulled through the gates and onto the drive that circled in front of a large residence, Portia realized she’d walked past the manor when she’d first come to London. She’d taken a tour of the nicer areas because she’d expected to be living in one of them shortly after her arrival in the city. What a silly young girl she’d been then. And how odd that her hopes had come to pass, just not in the manner or during the time in which she’d expected.
The lawn was beautifully manicured; colorful flowers edged the pebbled drive lined by towering elms. The manor itself was tall and wide, lacking the turrets and spires that characterized Havisham.
“It looks well maintained,” she said.
“More so than Havisham. I don’t usually open all the rooms when I’m here but they’ve not been left to fall into disrepair. You’ll find the staff is small, only enough servants to see after the most minimal needs whether I’m away or here. You may, of course, hire additional staff.”
“We’ll make do with a small staff.”
“Portia—”
She gave him a pointed look, cutting him off. “A small staff suits just fine. I don’t see the need to open everything up if we’re not going to be entertaining.”
“We might.”
Her stomach felt as though it had tumbled to the ground, but it was only the coach swaying to a stop. “What sort of entertaining?”
“We’ll decide later, but for the babe’s sake, we need to ensure you are accepted by all of London.”
Her world could not seem to stop spinning. “It seems a bit soon to be worrying about what we must do for the babe’s sake.” The irony of her words didn’t escape her, as it was something she worried about constantly, ever since she’d realized she was with child.
“It’s never too early to put one’s best foot forward.”
He was correct, of course. She pushed the overwhelming thoughts bombarding her aside. She’d won over his friends. What were a few hundred more?
The door opened and a footman she didn’t recognize offered his hand to her while saying to Locksley, “Welcome home, my lord.”
He handed her down. Locksley disembarked, extended his arm toward her. She closed her fingers around his sturdiness, grateful for it, knowing she’d be relying on it in the days and nights ahead. Oh, she should have given more thought to the fact that marriage to a younger man would mean returning to London and being part of Society.
“At some point you’ll be introduced to the queen,” he said casually.
She halted, her stomach roiling as it hadn’t in weeks now. “Why?”
He studied her as though she’d sprouted wings and was on the verge of taking flight. “Because you’re a viscountess.”
“I’m a commoner.”
“By birth, but by marriage you are now a lady. My lady.”
For how long? For how long would she be his lady if everything unraveled? She had married him because of the protection he would provide. He didn’t have to offer it himself. She merely needed to use the threat of him to ensure no harm befell her. He was correct. She was a lady now. She couldn’t be treated as though she was worthy of nothing. And if she were to make a favorable impression on the queen—well, that sort of alliance could serve her very well indeed. With a perfunctory nod, she said, “I shall need a new gown.”
He grinned, the wide satisfied one that he always bestowed upon her whenever he thought he’d won his way, the one that made her sometimes willing to relent simply to see it appear. “Replace the blue while you’re at it.”
