Dressed in a white wrapper, Elinor sat on thesettee in her bedchamber, her eyes fixed on the crackling fire. She was a wife now. Everything had changed, yet she felt exactly the same. How was that even possible?
She didn’t regret marrying Alden, but she wished it had been under different circumstances. She cared for him, more than she dared admit, but she was scared. Alden was a perfect gentleman, but she wanted more than just a marriage of convenience- she wanted love. The thought of spending her life pining after a husband who might never love her back filled her with dread.
A soft knock came at the door, interrupting her thoughts. The door creaked open, revealing her aunt with a knowing smile. “I see that I was correct in my assumption that you would still be awake.”
“Of course I am awake,” Elinor responded, her voice tinged with frustration. “I can’t get my mind to stop racing.”
Her aunt closed the door and approached her, concern etched on her face. “Anything you wish to share?”
Elinor sighed deeply. “I am married now.”
Her aunt’s smile grew. “I know,” she replied, settling beside her. “I was there when Alden saved you from your uncle.”
“He did save me, for which I am most grateful, but I find that I am angry at my uncle for forcing my hand,” Elinor shared.
“There is nothing wrong with that, especially since Lord Inglewood is a blackguard,” her aunt said firmly.
Elinor clasped her hands in her lap, searching for the right words. But what could she say that would express her internal turmoil? Finally, after a long moment, she settled on, “I am scared.”
“You, scared?” her aunt teased lightly. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
“I don’t know how to be a wife,” Elinor said, her voice trembling.
The humor left her aunt’s expression, replaced with compassion. “When I married John, I felt the same way. I was thrust into a home that I was unfamiliar with, and I was expected to run the household. But I buckled down and I got the job done.”
“Surely it couldn’t have been that simple,” Elinor remarked in disbelief.
Her aunt laughed. “No, it wasn’t,” she replied. “I made mistakes- loads of them. But there is no shame in asking for help, especially from your husband.”
Elinor’s gaze turned downcast. “I do not like to ask for help.”
Her aunt placed a gentle hand over Elinor’s clasped hands. “Trust your husband. You may have started off your marriage differently than you expected, but you decide how the story goes from here.”
“But he won’t ever love me,” Elinor said, her voice barely above a whisper. “He has told me as much.”
Her aunt lifted a brow. “Do you love him?”
Elinor brought her gaze up to meet her aunt’s. “No, but I could,” she admitted softly.
“Give it time, my dear,” her aunt counseled. “You never know what your future will hold around Christmastime.”
“And if he doesn’t come to love me?” Elinor asked.
Her aunt removed her hand and leaned back. “Then I shall play my bagpipes for him until he changes his mind.”
“I am serious.”
“So am I,” her aunt said with a twinkle in her eyes.
Elinor felt her stomach rumble, drawing another laugh from her aunt. “I am famished,” she admitted.
Her aunt grinned. “I assumed that would be the case since you didn’t eat very much during dinner.”
“How could I?” Elinor asked.
“It is quite a simple process,” her aunt joked. “You dip your fork into food and bring that said fork up to your lips.”
Elinor rose and walked over to the window, staring out into the expansive darkness. “How can you make light of everything right now?”
