Page 11 of The Duchess' Replacement

She took in the changing scenery from the busy city to the quiet dirt roads of the country. “Are we going to your country estate?”

Charles remained quiet, his gaze trained on the passing trees.

Sarah chewed her bottom lip She was never one comfortable with silence.

“It’s a beautiful day. For sure I thought it would be another day of rain like we’ve been having. Perhaps we’ve hit a bit of luck after all.”

Charles continued to sit, watching the outside pass them.

Sarah pulled at the lace cuff around her wrists.Surely he heard me.

She began to tap her fingers against her lap. She thought the ceremony would be the hardest to get through, little did she know she’d be cooped up in a carriage with him for God knows how long without a drop of conversation.

Nerves danced up and down her spine causing her to shift in her seat. She opened her mouth again, but quickly closed it when she saw Charles looking at her.

The brief moment of compassion he showed her at the church was long gone and from the looks of his expression that may be the only time she’d ever see it.

His eyes were darkened and a crease formed above his eyes.

Sarah sat straighter and audibly swallowed. Without a word he told her he was in no mood for a discussion.

An itch began to form at the base of her spine. She wanted to lash out and question his authority. It was the same itch that drove her to him residence that fateful night. However, the stress from the month paired with the swaying motion of the carriage lulled her body to relax against the back of the seat.

There was no point in trying to start a conversation with him. Not with him sitting stick straight, and her barely able to keep her eyes open all of a sudden.

She snuck a peek at her husband as her eyes drifted closed. He sat tall in his seat, his broad shoulders seemed to take up the entire side of his bench. His long legs were still, not stretched out in relaxation, but bound beneath him. It was almost as if he was readying himself for an attack on the carriage. His green eyes were shuttered, giving away no emotion or inkling of what he was truly thinking. There was not a single trace of familiarity found amongst his features. It was if they were strangers sharing a carriage ride home.

And, yet, he is now my husband.

CHAPTER 4

The carriage halted and the carriage door swung open. Charles bounded from the cab without looking back to help his wife out. Sarah stood crouched in the doorway, holding her skirts, and watched her husband disappear into an inn.

A footman appeared and helped her down. She nodded her thanks.

“Why have we stopped here?”

“We have another half day travel to reach the country estate.” The footman gestured to the inn behind him. “His Grace stays here at the Greyside Inn when he travels back from London.”

“Ah.” Sarah looked up at the exterior of the inn that looked more like an elongated house than an inn. Not that she had much experience with staying at inns, she never had the need. However, from the stories she read they always seemed more elegant and decadent than the modest building in front of her.

She entered through a creaky wooden door and saw her husband exchanging a coin purse with a man. Sarah tucked her head and walked further into the galley. She joined Charles just as he turned towards her.

“Are we staying the night?” Her voice was cautious as she took in her surroundings. People were milling around, some laughing, some sat in solitude, all were looking at her.

“We are.” Charles said, still refusing to meet her eyes.

Sarah nodded. The realization of having her wedding night in an an inn began to weigh heavily on her. She was nervous about the endeavor so as it was. To experience it in an unfamiliar home was one thing, but at least she knew the bed would be comfortable and it would be an environment she would become accustomed to. But, here, in a common inn? It did not lend itself to the ambiance of romance one would be hoping for on a wedding night.

She watched as her husband directed a footman up the stairs with a piece of her luggage. Sarah gathered her skirts and followed. The steps groaned beneath her feet and she had the fleeting thought her foot would crash through the next step.

Charles abruptly stopped in front of her, causing her to crash into his back.

“This is my room. Yours is across the hall.”

She looked between the doors. “Are we not sha-”

Charles’s door shut with a thud with Charles on the other side of it.

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