Page 41 of Seeking Ruin

Chapter Fifteen

The wedding was a simple affair conducted in the drawing room. The proceedings passed by in a blur for Kitty, and the next thing she knew, it was done. How terrifying. She watched as Sebastian exchanged pleasantries with Lord Amberwood and Mr. Barrow, her father all but glowering from his place in a chair near the fire, her mother resting a calm hand on his shoulder. Kitty wondered with no small amount of embarrassment if anyone had heard the lovemaking last night or even her dazed footsteps as she snuck back into her chamber at dawn. Well, she thought with inward amusement, it didn’t matter any longer. She was a married woman now. A duchess, to be precise.

Oh, God. She was a duchess. Kitty giggled to herself at the absurdity of it all, even as a small spark of panic crawled up her back at the thought of holding such an illustrious title. All eyes would be on her, would bear gleeful witness to every inevitable mistake that she made.

“A penny for your thoughts?”

She blinked out of her musings at the sound of Sebastian’s soft voice beside her. She hadn’t even realized he had approached. Kitty looped her arm around his elbow. “Only contemplating my sheer terror at becoming your duchess.”

“It won’t be as bad as all that.”

“I fear I’ll besmirch the title within the year,” she replied bluntly.

“Well, I’ve already mentally prepared myself for that inevitability,” he said matter-of-factly. His other hand reached over to pat her arm. “Don’t worry. Everyone is far too afraid of me to voice their censure aloud. Besides, Amberwood and his wife are still the talk of London. I’ll never abandon him, so we have companions in our shame, you and I.”

“Do you really not care about the damage my reputation will do?”

He looked at her incredulously. “I am best friends with a bastard gambling club owner and rather public about it. Do you really think I have a care?”

“I suppose not,” she replied, some of her fear replaced by relief and more than a little bit of admiration at his loyalty to his friends. It was something they both had in common, and she was happy their values aligned on that front. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised at his base manner. He did have an utterly shameless reputation, after all.

“Shall we get going?” His face turned slightly sour. “As much as I hate to say it, my mother is likely being left waiting for your arrival, and I’d like to mitigate any further ire on her part.”

The dowager’s absence at the ceremony had been an obvious and rather nerve-racking feature of the morning, even if Sebastian didn’t seem bothered in the slightest by it. “Is she very upset?” Kitty asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

“Utterly furious.”

“How reassuring.”

He shrugged. “You wanted the truth.” The hand on her arm tightened reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right there beside you. You’ll only need to tolerate her for a few weeks until I get the dower house aired out for her.”

“You’re sending her away?” As relieved as Kitty felt about the prospect, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for Sebastian being forced to do so. The woman was still his mother after all, and Kitty couldn’t imagine that being booted from one’s house would be pleasant.

“The pity will leave your eyes once you meet her, I assure you. She’s a vile woman at the best of times. Honestly, I’ve been looking for a reason to send her away for a while now.”

“But, she is still your mother.”

Sebastian’s gaze hardened, his mouth firming into a thin line. “Perhaps she should have thought of that before subjecting me to such a wretched childhood. I owe her nothing.”

Sensing that the topic was a sore one for him, Kitty decided to drop the subject and perhaps wait until meeting the woman before deciding whether or not the situation could be salvaged. Perhaps the baby would prove to soften her once it was born. “Let us get moving, then.”

“Fleeing from me already, my girl?” her father said with a chuckle as he approached them. He clapped Sebastian on the shoulder. “Take care of her, Your Grace. She’s wiley at the best of times.”

“I am well aware,” her husband replied in amusement.

“Your things are all ready,” her mother said, coming to stand in front of her. “I’ll be following soon.”

“Thank you,” Kitty said, admittedly relieved that Mary had insisted on remaining her maid for a little while longer, for she would make a useful ally against the dowager.

After some well wishes and more than a few tearful hugs from Sophie, her and Sebastian were safely ensconced in his carriage and well on their way. Kitty watched her home vanish around a corner, a small prickle of homesickness already forming. She’d had decent memories there, even if her seasons had gone poorly, and for all that she had railed against being confined to her father’s country estate, the place had still been home to her. Now, rather abruptly, she had a new home, one with a dragon waiting within.

The trip was short, and Sebastian spoke about idle topics for the entire journey, likely in an attempt to put her more at ease, for she was sure he could feel her hand trembling in his as they ambled along. Kitty stared in poorly disguised awe once they arrived. Haverston House was a white bricked monstrosity that dwarfed her father’s comparatively modest townhome. Though that was to be expected considering Ashford’s rank, Kitty had been unprepared to see her new home up close. She assumed, were she not so blinded by terror at the prospect of being mistress of it, that she would have found the structure, with its lovely front walk and brilliant marble visage, quite pleasing to behold. Currently, however, it loomed like a beast, as if just waiting to swallow her whole. The impressive line of livered servants and uniformly dressed maids bowing and curtseying in unison along the walkway did not help matters in the slightest. She nodded tightly at them as Sebastian led her to the front door, where the two top ranking servants waited to greet them. He introduced her to their butler first who, to his credit, greeted her warmly. The head housekeeper was decidedly more chilled about the whole affair, looking her up and down with her beady, spectacle adorned eyes and seeming to asses Kitty for every bit she was worth. Which wasn’t much, apparently, as the servant gave her a grimacing smile and a brittle curtsey.

“They will treat you with respect, or I will be hearing of it,” Sebastian murmured into her ear as he led them through the front door, his hand a comfortable presence on her lower back.

“Thank you,” she replied with a nod, happy to have his support.

“I am loyal to you, and you alone. Remember that.”

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