He opened the carriage door for her. “Thank you, Wiren.”
He still looked shocked as he shut the door behind her.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of leather and polish. Lord Halverton smiled faintly. “I am pleased you made the right choice.”
His gaze fell on her clothes. “You can change as soon as we reach the house. From now on, you will need to look the part.”
“What part is that?” Aoife asked.
“My wife, of course.”
Aoife shuddered. “Your wife?”
Halverton smiled charmingly. “Not right away. You will need a few improvements. Your manners and your accent, for a start. And we will need to put meat on your bones. You will be quite the lady when I am done.”
“A lady?”
“Are you going to echo everything I say?”
“Sorry, my lord. This is all quite a change.”
“You will adapt.” He leant closer, reaching a hand up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You are beautiful.”
He was waiting for her to speak. “Thank you, my lord.”
He put a hand under her chin, tilting her head to the side, examining her like a bug under a spyglass. His finger traced the small scar that ran from the bottom of her ear, under her hair.
“How did this happen?”
“Crow attack,” Aoife said. “I disturbed its nest.”
“That was foolish.” He smiled as he said it, stroking the scar again, leaving behind a chill where his finger brushed her skin.
“I was only a child.”
“I imagine you learnt your lesson.”
Aoife didn’t know what to say. “Yes, my lord.”
Halverton’s fingers lingered a moment longer. He sat back with a sigh. “Tell me, why did you offer to take your father’s place?”
“My Lord?”
“I want to understand you better.”
Aoife thought for a moment. How best to say it? “I have two younger siblings. They need their father.”
“Hmm. Your family is important to you.”
It wasn’t a question, but she answered anyway. “They are.”
“After you have settled in, I might allow them to visit.”
“That would be very gracious of you, my lord.” Was she overdoing the number of times she’d said ‘my lord’? Halverton seemed pleased.
They’d left the village behind as they passed through empty fields. She risked a question. “My lord,” she said carefully, “do you know what caused the crop failures?”
He looked out of the window. “Poor farming practices.”
