Though she had no idea what she was going to say when she reached him, she figured that at the very least she would know in a few moments if this marriage had a chance at working or if it was doomed to failure.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“We will have to have you and Her Grace around for supper,” Lord Bartholemew continued, now gripping Hudson by the arm as if to try and keep a hold of his attention. “Emily has complained recently of boredom, and I know she and your young wife will have much to bond over.”
“Perhaps a promenade this coming week?” Lord Heatherington agreed, taking Hudson by the other arm. “Weather pending, of course. But Diana and I go almost every weekend, and we would love to have you.”
“Count me in,” added Lord Stirling. “It sounds like a time not to be missed!
To this, and to every other suggestion and invitation and insistence given, Hudson said nothing. He stood in silence, arms folded, expression bored, doing what he could to pretend that he was anywhere else, other than engaged in middling palaver witha group of men he did not know nearly as well as they seemed to think.
I suppose this is the irony, isn’t it? I married so that my peers would think me normal and a man not to be avoided, and I am now cursed with their attention because that is exactly what has happened.
Hudson needed an escape, and quickly. So desperate was he that he was about to opt for blunt rudeness, seeing as he cared little for what these men thought and knew their type well enough to know that regardless of what he said, they would still hound him incessantly.
It was just then, as he opened his mouth to excuse himself, that he spied a most unexpected sight. His own wife, making a beeline toward him, a look on her face that was hard to read but had Hudson feeling somewhat concerned.
Was it so strange that even though today was his own wedding day, and even though it had been two weeks since his engagement, that Hudson hardly thought about his wife?
Oh sure, he had wondered briefly if this marriage might be bearable and not at all unpleasant—and he had considered whether he had been too hasty in its organization and if his new wife was the right choice—but he had been so busy with his businesses and the sudden influx of their success that he hadn’t unpacked it nearly as much as he really should have.
He supposed this was because he wasn’t marrying for reasons some might consider normal. His businesses were what he cared about, his name and reputation especially. That was what had taken up most of his time, and already he could say without fear of being proven a fool that he had made the right decision.
Now that he was married, however, and with his wife coming at him as she was, Hudson realized suddenly how underprepared he was. And if there was one thing Hudson hated, it was being caught off guard.
“Excuse me, gentleman,” she said as she stuck herself between the men who had surrounded him. “But might I borrow my husband for a moment?”
“Oh! Your Grace, of course,” Lord Stirling said, quick to step out of the way.
“Never mind us,” Lord Bartholemew smiled. “This is your day.”
“Please, please,” Lord Featherstone insisted. “Although you owe my wife and me a promenade. Do not think we will forget!” he tittered.
She barely paid the men any mind, reaching between them and linking her arm in Hudson’s. The coolness of the extraction, and the sheer determined force of it, almost made him smile.I could not have done it any better myself.
“I am sorry about that,” she said once they were free from the throng. They walked slowly together through the room, and Hudson had the distinct impression she was purposefully leading him away from the other guests. “But it looked to my eye as though you needed saving.”
“Not at all,” Hudson said. “Although I do appreciate it.”
“You are most welcome.” His wife smiled to herself, seemingly pleased. “I take it that I didn’t miss anything? They weren’t speaking ill of me, I hope.”
“It was droll in the most literal of senses,” Hudson sighed. “In fact, I was preparing to remove myself just as you appeared.”
“Oh...” She hesitated, then tittered. “Perhaps I should not have bothered saving you? I made it too easy on you.”
“I would have been fine,” Hudson said simply. “I do not require saving wheretheyare concerned.”
“Ah. That is...” She frowned and he felt her stiffen. “That is good to know.”
Hudson knew he was not what most would call an expert at social interactions. Having grown up caring little for what others thought of him, he’d never aspired to be liked or loved as many others did—his brother, for example. For that reason, he was often slow in reading cues, and almost always said the wrong thing.
In most instances, this did not bother him. He was a duke, after all. And he had other matters to concern himself with, beyond what people thought of him. But he sensed that he had upset his wife just now, as her efforts to help him were thoughtful, and she clearly wished for him to realize it.
If she was anyone else, he might not have cared. But this was the woman with whom he would be spending the rest of his life, and while he didn’t expect much from this marriage, it would not be the worst thing if they enjoyed one another’s company. After bearing witness to the travesty that was his father’s marriage to Florentia, he would have liked to avoid that at the very least.
“I do appreciate it, however,” he said. “Thank you.”
To this, his wife smiled. “You are most welcome.”
