Page 8 of Stars May Burn

He frowned. “The way you sit is very rigid, and this part of the road is uneven. There’s no need to put on a show for me. Won’t you relax a bit? You should rest. You must have had a…busy morning.”

I felt a blush creep up my neck and fought the urge to fidget. “My dress is very stiff, my lord. I’m afraid I can’t sit any other way.”

His frown deepened as if the concept was completely foreign to him. “Your dress… It’s rigid? Like armor?”

I fought a twitch of my lips. “I suppose so, my lord.”

“What on earth for? Nobody’s going to stab you. It must be uncomfortable.”

I paused to search for the right words. If only I knew him better, then I would be able to say the appropriate thing. I didn’t want to complain or seem ungrateful. I also didn’t want to lie. And he had done me a huge honor in choosing me as his wife despite my lower station and being widowed. “It is very tight around my chest, my lord. Such is the fashion, especially this season.”

He scowled, and my heart stuttered. Had I said the wrong thing? He swore. “Sounds ridiculous to me.”

My breath caught in shock at his language.

He waved his hand at me. “You’re far too pale. Even your lips. Can’t you loosen it?”

I stared at him in surprise. He wanted me to loosen my dress? In a carriage? “Ah no, my lord. I’m tied into it by a maid. There are laces on the dress, and it’s the er…the corset beneath that is tight.” I could feel my cheeks heat as my words ran out of air. He still looked bewildered, so I added, “A maid does all of it.”

Before I could process what was happening, the carriage seat creaked as the heavy weight of the general settled beside me. “Turn around,” he ordered.

I complied, my heart racing. I’d never been trained for this sort of situation. It was highly irregular. But he was my husband now, and he could do as he wished. Besides, I supposed I should be grateful for his concern.

I could feel his hands fumbling with the bow at the bottom of the bodice. My embarrassment increased as he cursed, muttered something about it being too tight and, before I could stop him, unsheathed a dagger from his thigh. I felt a pop as he cut through the bow, and the laces lost some of their tension. My stomach lurched. If he continued like this, my whole dress might fall off. How was I going to leave the carriage? It would be mortifying. And what about the man inside the seat? What did he think was going on right now?

“How can you even breathe, woman?” His breath felt hot on the nape of my neck, exposed by my bridal hairstyle in which my pale golden waves were curled atop my head. “What even is this thing under here?”

I started to count to keep calm but only reached two before he used his dagger to cut the ties on my corset. Now, only my thin shift remained intact. I squealed in surprise and horror. Air flooded into my lungs and the pain in my stomach vanished. I resisted the urge to rub my legs as pins and needles pricked my skin and the sensation began to return. I needed to keep my arms tight against the front of my bodice to prevent any…accidents.

The seat shifted as the general moved back to the other side of the carriage. “More comfortable now?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I held my bodice firmly in place and continued facing the opposite wall. I didn’t think my cheeks had ever been so red. Somebody was sure to see what he’d done. The dress and the corset were ruined.

The general rubbed his chin as he studied me. “Oh.”

He stood, though he was unable to straighten fully in the carriage, and kicked the seat beneath him. “You come out before I say, and you’re a dead man. Got it?”

There was a muffled reply. The general opened the carriage door while we were still moving and slipped out.

I gaped as the door closed behind him. Was he climbing along the side of a moving carriage? Whatever for? And where was he going? Why hadn’t he just asked the driver to stop? I didn’t understand this man at all.

I looked at the opposite seat, its top still in place. The man inside didn’t make a sound. I let out a deep breath and collapsed back. I hadn’t wanted or asked the general to relieve the pressure from my corset, but I was far more comfortable now. My body could sway with the carriage rather than the impact jarring my spine. But how would I get out once we arrived? He’d cut through everything that kept the bodice together.

What he had done, well, it simply wasn’t proper. But I couldn’t see how I could stop others finding out and becoming the gossip of Adenburg.

KASTEN

I’d messed up.

I’d been married to her for under an hour, and already, I’d humiliated her. I wasn’t cut out for this. Why had I ever thought it a good idea to ride in the carriage with her? Now she was hunched in a corner, red as a tomato, clinging to her broken dress to maintain her dignity. She couldn’t even look me in the eye.

Well, at least she could breathe now. That dress and corset-thing had been ridiculous. And now that I was sitting with the driver, she could relax in peace without having to perform to impress me. The whole thing made me feel sick.

I would make it up to her.

We rounded the last few streets, and my townhouse came into view, its tall white walls shielding it from the street. I liked my privacy, especially in Highfair.

The gates opened as we approached, the gatekeeper seeming slightly bemused by the fact I was sitting with the driver on the outside of my own carriage. I glared at him, and he bowed his head, amusement still on his face. I had clearly been too soft with him.

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