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‘You can atone for it later tonight,’ he suggested. Then he asked, ‘What would you have done if your father had tried to set you up with a man like Harrowby?’

Her gaze turned discerning. ‘I would have found a way to choose the man I wanted. Just as I chose you.’

To his surprise, her words filled him with satisfaction. Alaric stopped to buy her a small posy from a flower seller, and her smile was his reward.

Charlotte stopped for a moment to admire a bolt of bright yellow silk at the dressmaker’s.

‘Your favourite colour?’ he mused. ‘Like the bedchamber you decorated without my approval.’

‘Yes. It’s like sunshine.’ She smiled and turned away. ‘But quite impractical. If you don’t mind, there are other things I should buy while I am here.’

He found it interesting that she was so careful about her spending, given her vast dowry. As he opened the door for her, he remarked, ‘You may buy what you wish. I’ve already set aside all the funds necessary for the repairs at Severn.’

She shook her head. ‘Although I am glad to hear that the repairs are progressing, there are only a few things I need.’

She walked towards another part of the shop, and he motioned to one of the proprietors who’d caught his gaze.

‘I want a ballgown made for the duchess in that yellow silk,’ he said quietly. ‘As soon as possible.’

‘Of course, Your Grace.’ The woman inclined her head. ‘But we will need her measurements.’

‘Send someone to my townhouse and get them from her maid. I don’t want my wife to know about the gift.’

‘Of course,’ she said. ‘We will be discreet.’

He motioned the dressmaker away and went to rejoin Charlotte. He’d never surprised a woman with a gown before. But he wanted to see her face when she wore it for the first time.

He wanted his wife to be noticed at her next ball, for her to feel beautiful. And, in a way, he wanted to prove to Lenora that he didn’t need her any more.

Seeing the countess with her husband at the ball last night had made him angry in a way he hadn’t expected. Lenora had appeared dismayed to see him—but what had she expected? That he would simply fall into a melancholy and never marry?

Hardly.

The truth was, despite the unusual beginning to his marriage, he was pleased with the union. He and Charlotte had fallen into a comfortable pattern of sharing meals and living their lives. Even their marital relations were far better than he had hoped for.

It was an arrangement that was working well for both of them.

He studied his wife on the other side of the shop and noticed that she was choosing handkerchiefs. Practical, indeed. But as he walked towards her, he noticed a scandalously sheer nightgown, and he nodded to the same woman as before to wrap it up discreetly and have it delivered to his townhouse.

Charlotte started to reach into her reticule to pay for the handkerchiefs, but he stopped her. ‘They will send the bill to me. We will have them delivered.’ After a pause he asked, ‘Do you need anything else?’

‘Perhaps your socks?’ she countered with a smile.

‘No, thank you. I’m rather partial to the pair I received for Christmas.’ Alaric was rewarded by the softness in her expression.

They finished with her purchases, and he led her outside. The late morning sunlight was melting the snow, and as he led her towards their carriage, he saw Lord Selwyn farther down the street. The earl was talking with Mr Thompson, and it made Alaric wonder why his father’s former secretary was speaking with the earl. His suspicions sharpened.

To Charlotte, he said, ‘Go back to the townhouse without me, please. I will join you later.’

‘Why?’

‘I want to know why Lord Selwyn is talking with my father’s secretary.’

Before he could help her inside the carriage, she held his arm a moment longer. ‘Be careful. I don’t trust either of them.’

‘Neither do I.’

After she was safely inside, he walked swiftly until he caught up with the two men.