“He gave me a wedding gift,” she murmured out loud to herself. She had never known her cousin to be so thoughtful. “Who knew he had such good taste in books?”
She plucked one from the shelf and settled down with it on the bed, not even bothering to get out of her dress and undo her stays. She needed to distract herself from everything that had happened today, and there was no better way to do that than to read. Even when her maid came by later, knocking on the door and telling her it was time for dinner, Rosalie didn’t move from the bed.
“I’m not hungry!” she called from where she was propped up on the pillows, already over a hundred pages into the book. “Tell the Duke to eat without me.”
“Do you want a plate sent up at least, My—Your Grace?”
“That won’t be necessary, Clara, thank you!”
She had no interest in eating, especially not with the Duke. All she wanted was to disappear inside of a novel with a happily ever after and try to pretend that she hadn’t ended up in the exact opposite of a romantic novel.
“I am beginning to grow worried about the Duchess,” Nathan said, looking over the top of his spectacles at Her Grace’s lady maid, who stood before him, trembling slightly under his imperious gaze. “She has now missed a whole days’ worth of meals.”
“Her Grace says she is not hungry,” the maid said in a squeak of a voice.
They were sitting at the dining room table where the footmen were laying out supper. It had been more than twenty-four hours now since Rosalie had moved into the house, and Nathan had not seen his wife once. If this lady’s maid was to be believed, she had been locked in her room the entire time.
“How can she not be hungry?” Nathan asked through gritted teeth. His frustration was getting the better of him, and he had to work to keep from yelling. Rosalie was acting like a child, and as much as he didn’t want to take it out on the maid, his patience was wearing thin. “It has been a day. No one can go a day without food and not be hungry.”
The maid hesitated, and a guilty look snuck across her face.
Nathan’s eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to him. “Has this happened before?” he asked more slowly. “When she was living with her cousin and her sisters?”
The maid swallowed, and her eyes darted to the door, as if contemplating escape.
“I’m sorry for speaking so harshly earlier,” Nathan said, modulating his tone as best as possible. “I am merely worried for the Duchess. No one should go this long without food. She’s my wife now, and she’s my responsibility. And I will not allow her to starve on my watch.”
The girl bobbed her head, and her shoulders seemed to relax a little. “I’m glad you’ve noticed, Your Grace,” she said, lowering her eyes. “Her cousin never noticed; he was too preoccupied with himself.”
“Ahhh. So, this has happened before.” Nathan leaned back in his chair.This is good information to know. And the maid is concerned as well which means she might be my ally.
“Sometimes, Your Grace. Her Grace is never hungry when she is upset.”
“I see.” Nathan didn’t like to think that marrying him had made her so upset that she wasn’t eating, but for now, he would have to put his pride aside. There were more important matters at stake. “Well, that isn’t acceptable. Not when we have food enough to feed a king’s court.”
He pushed back his chair with a loud scrape and stood up.
“What are you going to do?” the girl asked, staring up at him with wide eyes.
“I’m going to see Cook. And you’re coming with me.”
Five minutes later, he was down in the kitchen with Cook, and the lady’s maid—Clara was her name—was telling her all of her mistress’ favorite foods.
“Can you put a tray together of all these?” he asked when Clara was finally finished.
“I think so, Your Grace,” Cook replied, and she snapped her fingers at one of the scullery maids and began to shout orders. “Anything for our new Duchess,” she added with a smile to Nathan. “I hope you don’t mind me saying, but we are all very excited to welcome the Duchess here. We hope she will be happy with our service.”
“I’m sure she will,” Nathan said uneasily. He hoped it hadn’t given the servants offense that so far, Rosalie hadn’t shown her face.
“It’s been too long since we had a woman’s presence in the house,” Cook said with a sigh. “It will make the house cheerful and lively again, don’t you think?”
Nathan couldn’t remember a time the house hadeverbeen cheerful and lively—certainly not when his father had been alive—but he nodded anyway.
“Do you think the Duchess will want to give a ball soon?” Cook asked as she began to set the tray with biscuits, cream and jam, several mince pies, and plum cake.
“Er, I don’t know,” Nathan said, frowning as he thought this over. “I have not discussed it with her yet.”
“Well, if she does, tell her that I will create a feast fit for kings!” Cook said proudly. “Although I admit, I am out of practice with large events. Your mother and father, may they rest in peace, rarely entertained.”
