Then he took her hand and walked her off the floor, and she did not say a single word — mostly because she could not immediately locate any.
CHAPTER 20
GIDEON
The countryside flew by, still not quite familiar to him. He had only been to his country estate twice before — once immediately after inheriting it, and a second time when he had stayed longer to satisfy himself that everything ran as it should. The countryside surrounding the estate was beautiful. At this time of year the fields were gold with ripening wheat, stretching out flat and peaceful in every direction, utterly unlike London in every possible respect.
Across from him, Helena slept, leaning against the side of the carriage with Lavinia lying along the bench, her head in her mother’s lap.
He looked at them with a smile. They were his family now. Truly his, in every way that mattered.
He closed his eyes, and his lips tingled at once — because he immediately thought of the kiss after the wedding dance, which had been two days ago and which he had been thinking about at inconvenient intervals ever since. He knew it had worked.Everyone in that room had been fully persuaded by their performance. He knew this because he had seen that morning’s headlines —Suddenly A Duke, Suddenly A Husband — the Fairytale of the Duke of Blackthorne and His Beautiful Bride— which had been only one of several. He had brought all the papers with him and read through most of them in the first hour of the journey.
It had worked. There ought to be no more rumours now. At least, he hoped so.
Now came the next — perhaps more difficult — part of the journey. The journey toward actually being husband and wife.
He watched her sleep. She looked almost angelic. They had spent the previous night at a posting inn, in separate rooms, and since they were to be in the carriage most of the day she had not troubled to put her hair up. Her auburn hair fell around her shoulders in a way that he had not seen before and that he found it rather difficult not to stare at. Her gown, a soft off-white, completed the effect considerably. He took a careful breath and looked out of the window.
It was true that he thought of her more often than he ought, but given the amount of time they’d spent together, surely that was natural, was it not? It meant nothing. Did it? Was he being a fool to entertain such thoughts? Certainly.
The carriage made a sharp turn that jolted him sideways. The sound of the wheels changed — from the soft grinding of a country lane to the harder clatter of a stone drive. He leanedto look out of the window, and Blackthorne Manor rose in the distance. It was a grand, beautiful house, far more so than he had remembered. He reached across and touched her arm gently.
She blinked at him, her eyes growing wide as she came back to herself.
“We are home,” he said. It felt strange to call it that — he had never considered it home before. But it was. For both of them, now. Or one of their homes, at any rate.
She sat up so as not to disturb Lavinia, who slept on, and looked out of the window. Her lips formed a small O. “That is a very grand estate. I had no idea how large Blackthorne was.”
“That is nothing,” he said. “Behind the house there is a lake — large enough for boats. My cousin who held the estate before me used to let the local families sail there. I intend to continue the arrangement. I have no wish to make myself unpopular before I have even had a chance to become acquainted with anybody.”
“That is a very wise decision,” she said. “What else is there?”
“A sculpture garden of some sort. Greek gods, I believe, though I confess I have not examined them very closely. And there was a maze, though it was quite overgrown the last time I visited. I had them cut it back before we arrived so that nobody should find themselves lost in it.”
“I appreciate that considerably,” she said, and he felt a small, private warmth at having done something right.
“There is a stable, of course. And several curricles. I have absolutely no intention of driving any of them at speed.”
“Good,” she said. “I would not wish to lose my second husband to some bizarre accident. I would also appreciate it if you were to refrain from crawling about on rooftops.”
“I shall do my utmost to curb any urges I may have in that direction,” he said gravely.
They looked at one another and laughed. The sound filled the carriage and woke Lavinia, who sat up and looked around with the alert, slightly accusatory expression of a small person who suspects she has missed something.
“Home?” she asked. She had been producing more recognizable words of late, which Helena said was a very good sign and which Gideon found both impressive and slightly alarming.
“Yes, little one,” he said. “We are home.”
He watched Helena’s eyes travel across the approaching house, taking it in with a thoroughness he had come to recognize as characteristic of her. “There are other families in the area,” he said. “Some titled, some not. Many of them have children, and more will. Lavinia will have plenty of friends here. And when weare in London, she will have the children of our friends. She will be well protected in every direction.”
Helena’s eyes shimmered. “Thank you,” she said. “For giving her this.”
“It is not only for her,” he said. “Do not forget that.” He wanted to say considerably more, but he knew this was not the moment. Besides, he was not certain what he would have said even if it were.
Before he could give the matter any further thought the carriage came to a halt. He stepped down and handed her out. She reached back for Lavinia and settled her on her hip, and together they turned toward the house.
“Oh no,” Helena said.
