Page 30 of Loving Mister Stratford
Or dress.
(Her husband had made itveryclear that he’d simply remove any item of clothing she managed to don, so it was hardly worth even the smallest bit of effort.)
The door remained bolted against any interruptions or servants. Wood for the fire was left outside the door, along with other necessities. Simon had even ordered their meals left on a tray to be retrieved by a mostly-naked Simon when the hallway was deserted once more. Together, they’d shared the pies and stews, wine, freshly baked bread, and even some pastries the innkeeper’s wife had baked herself. Simon saw to her every need, so much so that she didn’t even see Alyssa at all until they all departed days after their initial intended date. Nor did she see the sea…which had been the point of taking their brief honeymoon detour to the coast.
Odette had blushed at the raised eyebrows with which Alyssa had greeted her; she was even more embarrassed by the realization that it would no doubt get back to her mother just how little anyone had seen of the new Mr. and Mrs. Stratford since the wedding day. But one look into Simon’s face and everything else melted away. How could there be shame in enjoying the time spent with one’s new husband?
Odette climbed into the Aldborough carriage and Simon followed shortly thereafter, waiting until she settled her skirts before, this time, taking up the rear-facing cushion.
“We should reach London by nightfall,” he said as he situated himself and laid his books out beside him on the seat before rapping on the roof twice and they jerked into motion.
“Will we be going to your flat?” Odette asked though she felt more than a little silly at not having considered their actual destination before—aside from the metropolis of London, of course. Now that she thought about it, however, she was quite intrigued about seeing where Simon lived and worked.
“No,” he said flatly.“It was one in a building with suites bachelor’s rooms and it is unsuitable to bring one’s wife. Women, in general, are not allowed.”
“Oh.”
“The flat was vacated and emptied this past week.” They rocked along for another minute before he added,“I do hope they followed my explicit instructions on packing up my work, otherwise it’ll be a bloody nightmare to set to rights,” beneath his breath. He turned his attention out the window.
When he failed to elaborate further regarding their living arrangements, Odette asked,“So where shall we be staying, then?”
Simon turned back to her, his eyes slightly wide as if he hadn’t realized she didn’t know—or if he thought he’d already told her, but the conversation had taken place only in his mind.“Why, we’ll reside at Aldborough House until we can pick new accommodations – no one is in residence at the moment anyway and my parents will allow us privacy and remain at Bridleton until we are well situated. My father’s solicitor has already prepared a list of four rental properties for us to tour tomorrow.”
Her own home.
The realization that she was to be the lady of her own household—in charge of herself for the first time in her life—had occurred to her like a faint undertow. Now, however, it was reality. She could choose her own furnishings, dress how she wished, arrange her own meals, break her fast with any food she fancied! No one would be looking over her shoulder to question her. She felt bubbly, giddy like the next good bounce of the carriage would send her floating up to the heavens.
Then again, no one would be there to help catch her if she stumbled.
Odette’s stomach felt a little less buoyant.
A woman gave up a great deal when she married; she laid her life and her future in her husband’s hands. There was something to be said about the faith a husband had to have in his wife, too, though. Even if her mother had an unorthodox lifestyle, Odette had had it drilled into her when away at boarding school that a woman was responsible for running the day-to-day. She managed a multitude of infinitesimal tasks men often never saw and even more often took for granted. She would handle household accounts, plan their social calendar, take up her new place in Society as a respectable matron, and generally make her husband’s family proud. She was now Mrs. OdetteStratford.
Odette snuck a glance at her husband, but he’d already laid one book open in his lap and held another one in his hands, his blue-green eyes darting back and forth between the pages. He’d already moved on to other mental occupations, while Odette’s thoughts danced and spun.
She was grateful that their new household wouldn’t be too large—fewer things for her at which to fail or get wrong.
As part of the marriage arrangement, Simon had told her his annual portion as a second son and, while they would not be supremely wealthy, it was far more money than Odette had ever dreamed would come to her life without working herself to the bone.
As for their social calendar, she strongly suspected (rather, sheknew) Simon would be quite content never having to go out into Society. For her part, she’d likely feel much the same. As comfortable as she’d become around Simon and his family, she wasn’t ignorant enough to believe that the rest of thetonwould be nearly as welcoming as her new in-laws. It still wasn’t widely known that she was Mademoiselle Stella (née Estelle) Auclair’s daughter, but it would inevitably be brought to light that she did not come from“good stock”, as they said. (She didn’t even know who her father was, for goodness’sake!) Truly, the Stratfords had done more than their share in welcoming her and she knew the support of the Earl and Countess of Aldborough, Viscount and Viscountess Sommerfeld, as well as Baron and Baroness Shefford, was going to go a long way toward gaining her entrée into certain circles, but, set that aside, and she was still only the illegitimate daughter of a French actress. Educate her, dress her up, marry her off to a man whose pedigree dated back centuries, and she was still going to be that girl beneath it all.
Odette’s nerves set in and she stewed in them all the way to Aldborough House.
*****
The London home of the Earl of Aldborough was a stunning building hewn of white stone, soaring columns, and several stories of glinting, evenly-spaced clear glass windows. The butler and housekeeper greeted Simon and Odette when they arrived. Both appeared to have been a part of the household for a significant length of time, given their advanced years and their keen knowledge of Simon’s habits.
“Your belongings have been moved to your old room and unpacked, Mr. Stratford,” said the apple-cheeked housekeeper. Meanwhile, the white-haired butler nodded to a pair of footmen as they met Alyssa and began unloading the trunks from the roof of the carriage.“I’ve taken the liberty of having Lady Lily’s former room prepared for Mrs. Stratford.” Odette had been addressed thusly less than a handful of times at that point, and hearing it on the lips of someone she’d just met sent her heart skipping.
“Thank you, Mrs. Lang,” Simon replied, already leading the way further into the house.
As the housekeeper’s words sank in, Odette tried not to overanalyze how she and Simon would no longer be sharing a bed chamber. Perhaps he was acting out of respect for his parents’household; maybe he was simply going along with the living arrangements common with her new social class—surely it was through no malice of the housekeeper, judging by the kind twinkle in her gray eyes as she curtseyed in greeting.
Odette followed her husband further into the large, open foyer with its black and white tiling, wide curving staircase spiraling in an elegant curve to the upper floors. Larger-than-life portraits of Aldborough ancestors graced the walls alongside majestic landscapes in thick, gilded frames. Having spent two weeks at Bridleton, she should have expected nothing less than this stunning opulence…but it was another thing to be confronted with it. How different this small portion of the population lived from the majority of Londoners.
“Mr. and Mrs. Stratford.” The butler’s voice stopped Simon’s retreat further into the house. Both of them turned on their heels to see the older man holding a silver tray with a thin, cream-colored envelope.“This arrived for you this morning.”
Odette’s brows knit together. Who would be writing to her? Who would be writing to them? Was it possible that the news of their marriage and return to Town had spread so quickly?
