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"I have already gathered as much," Julian noted with a faint smile.

"The dynamic rarely improves," she added humorously.

"I am certain of it," he replied.

Adelaide watched him carefully. He was smiling freely—not with the guarded reserve she had observed during his first visit to Ashwood, but with a genuine, boyish warmth that transformed his sharp features.

Catching her gaze, his expression softened further. Reaching beneath the table linen, his warm fingers found hers, threading through her gloved hand and holding it securely out of sight while the conversation continued around them.

No one else observed the gesture, nor did they need to. Adelaide held his hand tightly in return.

Adelaide leaned out the carriage window, waving until the townhouse receded into the distance. Octavia remained upon the stone steps, waving both hands with tears and laughter upon her face. Verity stood beside her, composed and smiling, while Elowen waved a lace handkerchief. Lucien stood with his arm around Charlotte, who called out final congratulations over the clatter of the iron wheels.

Then the carriage turned the corner onto the main avenue, and her family vanished from view.

Adelaide settled back against the leather squabs as the cool interior surrounded her. The vehicle swayed gently as the familiar sounds of London filtered through the glass: iron-rimmed wheels grinding against cobblestones, street vendors calling out their wares, and the distant tolling of a parish bell.

A quiet stillness settled within the carriage.

Adelaide became conscious of Julian's steady gaze. He observed her with the same intense focus she had noted in his library—a look that made her feel seen with profound clarity.

Looking down at her lap, her fingers began tracing the silk ribbons of her reticule, moving the beaded tassels back and forth in a quiet rhythm.

"You are remarkably quiet," Julian observed softly, his voice breaking the silence without disrupting the calm.

Adelaide looked up, meeting his blue-gray eyes. In the dim light of the carriage, his sharp features held the tired look of a man who had spent long years surveying distant horizons.

"I am reflecting," she replied.

"Upon what matter?"

"Upon whether I have made a grave error."

Julian's brows drew together slightly. "You believe you have committed a grave error?"

"I stated that I am reflecting upon the possibility," she corrected gently. "Those are distinct mental exercises."

"In what manner?"

"One represents a final conclusion, while the other constitutes an inquiry. I remain in the process of inquiring."

Julian shifted his position slightly, his knee brushing against hers as the carriage navigated a sharp turn. Neither moved away from the contact.

"Did you harbor reservations?" he asked quietly. "At the church entrance, you paused."

Adelaide considered his inquiry. She could easily dismiss the moment with a polite quip, yet the quiet intimacy of the carriage made complete honesty feel necessary.

"I felt a sudden apprehension," she admitted.

"Regarding the crowd outside?"

"No," she shook her head. "The crowd was of little consequence. Gossip and public speculation hold little weight with me."

"What provoked your apprehension, then?"

Adelaide's fingers stilled upon the silk ribbons. She looked at him directly.

"I possess very little understanding of how to fulfill the role of a duchess."