Page 34 of The Baron Takes a Wife

Chapter Ten

When Elena awoke at the light of dawn, it took her a moment to realize that she was not in her own bed. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she became aware that she was on her side in a strange room, with her husband’s arm spread across her chest.

“How do you feel?” She had not noticed David was awake as well.

She had almost just said “happy,” but something within her held back, so instead, she answered, “Warm.” She did not think she could put into words how something had both unlocked and started to heal inside her.

He pushed the bedclothes down to her waist.

“I can help with that.”

She smiled as the cool air hit her skin and turned toward him.

“I-I enjoyed what we did last night. I should like to do it again sometime.”

“Me too.” He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

They lay in silence for a moment, drinking that in. Then Elena remembered why this day was important and sat up suddenly, clutching the bedclothes to her chest.

“Aunt Sophie is coming today!”

She grabbed the nearest item of clothing she saw and put it on, which happened to be a sizeable blue robe that went past her feet. She heard a small puff of air behind her and then turned to see her husband watching her with a bemused expression.

“There’s so much to do!” she exclaimed.

“Nothing more important than a few more hours of sleep.” He grabbed her hand and playfully tugged. “Come back to bed. Aunt Sophie does not stand upon formality.”

“But—” He began kissing up the inside of her arm, and Elena felt pleasure and warmth overtake her again, and she did fall back into bed for several hours in the most pleasant of distractions.

****

As David correctly predicted, Aunt Sophie never stood on formality. She arrived promptly and sat for tea, though she didn’t seem too pleased with the practice.

“Tea is for aristocrats. They are the only ones with time to spare for sitting around.”

“Aunt Sophie,” David said, with a touch of affectionate exasperation, like they had had this conversation many times before. “With all due respect, I know many outside the aristocracy who stop for tea. It’s what is done in this country.”

They went on like this for a few minutes, then turned the discussion toward the business. From what Elena could gather, things ebbed and flowed with the popularity of temperance movements and the kinds of tariffs or taxes they might face. Elena understood some of this, as her own father was a textile merchant, but she had never paid much attention to how any disruption to the trade route might impact the price of things until the early days of the war.

She had not seen her husband interact much with his aunt, having gotten to know both separately. They appeared to have a deep respect and easy comradery she rarely saw between people her age and their elders back home. She always treated her grandmother or village elders with respect and reverence. Not that David was disrespectful, just more casual than she would have been. After having been to more aristocratic functions since the Season began, she was coming to realize that David’s family was different from most in that they all truly cared for each other. She had rarely seen the deep love she held for her family among the ton, or at least not openly, though she supposed David’s family were not quite of the ton, with their merchant background. Upon reflection, she recognized family was so important where she was from because it was how they withstood all the changes over the years. If the family stood firm in a deep bond of love, they could weather wars, hunger, and invasions. Empires could crumble, but they would remain strong together. Maybe this was why the loss of hers hung so heavily on her, why she blamed herself so severely for not realizing what they meant to her until they were gone. Why she so stubbornly refused to let anything or anyone replace them in her heart, she thought, feeling a stab of guilt. Elena inwardly recoiled at the dark direction of her thoughts and mentally shook herself to pay attention to the conversation.

She noticed that Irene was unusually quiet around Sophie, but Elena put it down to wanting to give David time to see his aunt. When Elena looked back from Irene, Sophie had turned her direct gaze toward her.

“Elena, you look well. How are you finding the Season as a foreigner?”

Elena weighed how to respond. Sophie despised the ton and valued honesty above all, but she didn’t want David or Irene to think she was ungrateful.

“I know I am a bit of an oddity to them, but I am grateful to my husband and Irene for paving my way.”

“Hmmmpff,” replied Sophie, which seemed to be her final thought on the topic. “Now, where is this dog you wrote to me about? He sounds like a handsome fellow, and I should like to meet him.”

Elena smiled, thinking of Goliath, whom she had left in the kitchen with the remains of a hambone.

“He is resting right now, but he is walking again. One of his hind legs was broken, so it will take a little while to heal, but he uses the other three legs to compensate.”

“Yes, that’s right, you were some sort of a nurse, weren’t you? I’ve always been thankful David married a useful lass like you and not one of those simpering twits they put on the Marriage Mart. No offense meant, Irene.”

Irene crinkled her nose affectionately. “None taken, Aunt Sophie. Though, in truth, I think you are becoming a bit of a reverse snob.”