The thought struck him harder than he anticipated. Was he destined to spend his days pining for a wife who saw him only as a loyal friend?
He didn’t regret marrying her—he never could—but he feared he had made a grave miscalculation. Love, unrequited, was a lonely thing.
He glanced up at the morning sky, knowing there was still time. Time to win her heart. Time to build something real.
But it would take patience. Courage. And no small amount of hope.
Drawing in a long breath, he climbed into his carriage, resolved to try.
10
Dressed in a jonquil morning gown, Olivia descended the grand staircase. Her blonde hair had been arranged in a demure chignon, a single pearl comb gleaming in the early light that streamed through the windows. Though outwardly composed, a strange sense of unreality clung to her. She had been married for a full day now—an entire day—and still it felt as if she were playing a part in some elaborate charade.
As she neared the dining room, she smoothed her skirts with a nervous hand. The scent of warm bread and roasted ham wafted through the corridor, mingling with the faint polish of beeswax on the oak paneling. She paused just outside the threshold, peering in.
Lord Everwyck sat alone at the head of the long table, clad in a dark jacket, his silver hair immaculately brushed and the newssheets unfolded before him. There was no sign of Evander.
Olivia's heart sank. Breakfast alone with the Earl of Everwyck was hardly how she wished to begin her second day as a married woman. His dislike for her was not just assumed—it had been demonstrated repeatedly over the years, each interaction laced with disdain.
She took a quiet step back, already retreating in her mind to the sanctuary of her bedchamber, where she could ring for a tray and spend the morning in peace.
But fate intervened in the form of an aged floorboard that groaned beneath her slippered foot.
Lord Everwyck looked over and his expression soured instantly. “Olivia,” he said, his voice clipped and void of any welcome.
She dipped into a curtsy. “My lord.”
He gestured towards an empty chair. “Will you not join me?”
No, she wanted to say. A hundred times, no. But she was a guest in his house. His daughter-in-law, she reminded herself. It would be unforgivably rude to refuse.
With her chin slightly elevated, Olivia moved to the indicated chair and sat. “Good morning,” she said, infusing the words with all the warmth she could muster.
Lord Everwyck grunted and returned his attention to the newssheets, lifting them as though she were no more than a draft of air.
She clasped her hands in her lap, grateful she would not be forced into tedious conversation. A footman approached and set a plate in front of her. She turned politely towards the servant.
“Is chocolate available this morning?”
Before the footman could reply, the earl lowered his newssheets. “We do not indulge in such frivolities,” he informed her.
Olivia’s smile remained, though a faint strain touched the edges. “Ah. That is disappointing. I am rather accustomed to a cup of chocolate with breakfast.”
“You shall have to develop more practical habits,” he said. “Juice, perhaps. Or tea.”
“I assure you I am far more agreeable with chocolate in the mornings,” she quipped, attempting lightness.
He did not so much as blink, already hidden behind the newssheets once more.
Silence settled between them, awkward and heavy. Olivia lifted her fork and began to eat, chewing slowly, wishing desperately for Evander’s presence.
A sudden rustle of paper accompanied a low scoff from the earl. “Your wedding has made the Society page,” he said with a sneer, tearing out the article. He extended it towards her with reluctant fingers. “You might as well read it yourself.”
She accepted the page delicately. The piece was penned by Mr. Fairchild—blunt and factual, but thankfully lacking any biting commentary. Still, the speed with which it had been published startled her.
“I suppose it was only a matter of time before thetondiscovered our nuptials,” she murmured, setting the newssheet aside.
“My son should never have married you,” Lord Everwyck said.
