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She looked from him to the food and then back to him. “We have never done that before.”

“Yes. I imagine it is time we began.”

“Why?” she blurted, not understanding why she was being so unrelenting.

“Because you are my wife. And I am your husband.”

“Are you just now realizing that?”

He sighed in annoyance, looking away from her. “If you want me to leave, why not just say so?”

She felt her heart constrict in her chest and realized that she did not want him to leave. “I am sorry. You had me at a disadvantage. I was unprepared, but I would like to have breakfast with you.”

He nodded. “Good.” He indicated to the stool. “Will you please take a seat?”

She looked around. “And what of you? Where will you sit?”

He pointed towards the bed. “I think that will be good enough for me.”

She nodded, feeling her cheeks heat at the thought of him sitting on the bed in which she had been sleeping. Her reactions both troubled and confused Georgiana

She took a deep breath, leaning forward to pick up the teapot. “Shall I?”

“Please,” he replied politely.

She poured each of them some tea, handing Robert his cup.

They sipped their tea simultaneously before they both reached for the same honey cake. Their fingers brushed, and they looked up at each other, as Georgiana quickly withdrew her hand.

The air was suddenly thick with tension, but Georgiana was at a loss how to ease it.

She cleared her throat. “You never told me what brought you here,” she said.

“The same reason you are, no? To stop Lord Newston from marrying your sister.”

“How did you know that?”

“Oh, well, it is an amusing tale. Lord Newston, who I had the misfortune of rooming with at Cambridge, found himself a likely bride. His uncle, with whom I often conduct business, informedme that Newston had asked him for money so he could run off with his paramour. That is, your sister.”

Georgiana’s lips pressed into a tight line. “I suppose he neglected to mention that my sister lacks the financial means he is expecting?”

Robert’s mouth quirked wryly. “I suspect that detail may have escaped him. His uncle seemed rather displeased. He told me that he refused to give his nephew the money he had requested.”

“How were they able to travel without funds?”

Robert shrugged, “I assume Newston found some way to fill up his pockets for the journey. Either way, I have every intention of bringing him back before he can do any lasting damage.”

Georgiana sighed, the weight of her concern evident. “Daisy is young, and easily swayed by a scoundrel’s charms.”

Robert nodded, his eyes softening. “Then it seems we are both here to prevent a disaster.”

She held his gaze, a tentative warmth stirring in her chest.

For all his faults, Robert was here to help protect her sister, just as she was. She felt a flicker of gratitude and something else as well, though she could not bring herself to name it.

“Yes. I am here to get my sister before she ruins her life with that man.”

He nodded in understanding. “Well, seeing as we are here for the same purpose, we might as well travel together.”