Page 81 of The Duke's Indecent Match
“And a lion, zebras, bears, and kangaroos.”
Fiona’s eyes went wide, no longer so tearful.She looked torn.
“Daniel and Jane will take care of Archibald and Robin?”
“Yes.If you have any special instructions for them, you can give them today.We’ll leave just after breakfast tomorrow.”
“Where are we staying?”Kalina asked, curious.As usual, her husband looked at her shoulder rather than her face as he answered her.
“Manchester Square.I managed to find a house for rent.Apparently, the Earl of Fife and his family had to leave London rather precipitously.”His mouth twitched, and Kalina gathered there was more to the story, which was likely untoward for young ears.
“What does precipitously mean?”Fiona asked, distracted from the deep thinking about instructions for animal care that she’d been doing.
“Very quickly,” Kalina and Hereford said at the same time.
Surprised, he met her gaze, and the shock of it made her heart suddenly start beating triple time, feeling as if it might jump right out of her chest.For a long moment, their gazes held, like a hypnotic spell.She could not look away, yet she felt wildly uncomfortable looking directly at him.
No wonder he did not usually meet her eyes.
“Are these dresses good enough for London?”Emma asked suddenly, looking down at herself doubtfully.She was wearing one of the ones that had been made expressly for her.
“They are,” Kalina reassured her quickly.“Neither you nor Julianna will be able to attend any balls, though there are some teas I might be able to take you to, and your dresses will be perfectly acceptable for those.The readymades you can wear at home.”
“There will be modistes in London, as well, and you can all visit Bruton and Bond Streets,” Hereford said.“By the time we return to Hereford Hall, you’ll all be properly outfitted for the coming year.”
“Moredresses?”Fiona asked incredulously, making Kalina cover her mouth with her hand to smother a laugh.As excited as Fiona had been about having a new dress, it seemed that she was perfectly happy with the three that she now had.
“More dresses,” Hereford replied with utter seriousness, though there was mirth dancing in his eyes.
Once again, Kalina felt her heart ache.
She liked her husband.
In fact, she could easily see herself falling in love with her husband.
But she doubted he could ever love her.
At least when they got to London, she would have her friends.Clarence House was not far from Manchester Square, which meant Tiffany would be close.Delilah was practically next door in Portman Square, and Lady Astrid’s London home in Grosvenor Square was easily within walking distance.As was Hyde Park.
Her own family was a little farther afield, but at the moment, a little distance between her and her father was likely for the best.
As she watched her husband smiling and joking with his sisters, unsure if he would ever warm to her again in such a manner, it was all she could do not to hold a simmering resentment against her father.With every day that passed, she was realizing what she had gotten herself into for the rest of her life…
She knew her father had been doing his best to give her what he thought would make her happy, but it was feeling more and more like he’d trapped her in a cage where she could envision the life she could have had with Hereford if he’d chosen to marry her but never actually get to live it.
30
Nathanial
They entered London quietly, with little fanfare.The house he’d rented was a row home.His wife would be able to have teas and at-homes but not throw a ball.A dinner party would be the largest gathering possible.
Hereford House had been rented out before the Season started.That money had been what was feeding the girls and the Milfords for the whole Season, as well as giving Nathanial the blunt he’d needed to remain in London searching for a bride.Though he could have exerted his ducal authority and returned to the house, he was not looking to make any more enemies among theton.It would also have required hiring a great deal of staff, not to mention the interest it would have garnered from the rest of Society.
Nathanial’s goal for the rest of this Season, until Julianna’s debut, was to be as uninteresting as possible.
Not only did the Baron of Fife’s departure from London mean that his house had opened up, but it had also provided a gossip cover for Nathanial’s return.Who cared about a duke who was now off the market when there was a new scandal to exclaim over?
The Baron and his Baroness had been caughtdelecto in flagrantewith the Earl of Denby’s eldest, unwed, daughter in the conservatory at her engagement ball.The daughter had been sent to the countryside, the Baron and Baroness had immediately departed for Scotland, and the lady’s fiancé had remained in the capital, putting on a show of indifference.
