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Although most of the carriage was black, there was a bright stripe of gold around the door. She wondered if the Duke had purchased it before he met her, or if this was a gift.

Alicia attempted to school her features into something other than intense excitement. It was the first time she had ever felt like a duchess. She climbed inside, sitting back in her seat, looking forward to arriving at the tearooms.

Katie and Bridget will be beside themselves.

The journey was smooth and pleasant as they rode through the tall trees on either side. The sunlight filtered through the leaves above and caught in the beads on Alicia’s bodice.

Today, she had chosen a normal gown made of fine silk, with soft stripes down the skirt and white lace around the sleeves. It was a relief not to feel on display for once.

After fifteen minutes, the carriage drew up to theOmingham Tearooms.It was a quaint establishment that appeared small on the outside, but upon entry, it opened into a wide space, tastefully decorated in pale greens and whites.

The owner could not have been more accommodating, and Alicia grinned happily when she saw Bridget and Katie at the back of the room.

They were huddled together, whispering, looking out the window at the carriage, and it took her ten full minutes before they would even contemplate another topic.

“It issofine!” Katie gushed as the carriage rolled down the street to wait until Alicia was ready to return home.

“I confess I did not know I had my own barouche,” Alicia murmured, keeping her voice low so as not to draw more attention to herself.

Several other ladies were in the tearooms that morning, and macarons and scones had been served on delicate plates.

The china was beautifully mismatched in its design, taken from several sets of different porcelain that gave the establishment a quaint and eclectic feel.

Katie and Bridget settled back in their seats as Alicia poured the tea. They fell into companionable silence until Katie leaned forward and took Alicia’s hand.

“So how are you?” she asked. “How has it been? I hope our plan has been successful, and he has not… that is to say, you can still annul the marriage. We have both been thinking of you every day.”

Alicia looked between her friends, puzzled by the concern on their faces. Then, she remembered that when they had last seen the Duke, they had all believed he was a murderer.

How strange it is to see such fear on their faces. I suppose I should still be scared of him, but I am not.

She shook her head. “Do not worry about me, either of you. The Duke is many things, but he is not the terrible man we fearedhim to be. But yes, I will still be able to annul the marriage if our plan works.”

“Ifit works?” Bridget asked. “Have you tried to do some of the things we suggested?”

Alicia huffed a laugh. “Several! You should have seen my dress last night. It was hideous. I wore a foot-long feather in my hair, and he did not even blink twice.”

Bridget snorted loudly, then clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.

Katie, who had just taken a sip of tea, tried not to choke on it.

“What do you mean? He did not notice it?” Bridget asked.

Alicia shrugged. “He did, but he was unperturbed by it.”

She picked up her cup, taking a sip of tea before leaning toward Katie.

“I decided that speaking about fashion would irritate him. I went on and on about your gown for the Heartlands’ ball. I myself love speaking about it with you, but I was certain Seth would be bored to tears. Yet, he asked more questions than I did! I cannot seem to bore him, even when I try.”

Bridget and Katie exchanged a look.

“So…Sethis not what we thought him to be? Is he treating you well?”

Alicia felt color rush to her cheeks at the memory of just howwellhe had treated her in the privacy of his woods.

“Certainly. He is well aware of the rumors circling about him and assured me that he did not have any intention to harm me.”

“Well, that is what hewouldsay,” Bridget muttered. “Is he not a fearsome duke? Why does he not find your behavior vexing?”