Page 89 of His Illegitimate Duchess

The next morning, Elizabeth woke up feeling more relaxed and sated than she had in months.

“Good morning.” She smiled sleepily when she noticed Colin was already awake.

He appeared to be waiting for her to do something or lash out at him somehow, but when he noted that she was content, she saw and felt his whole body relax.

“Good morning, wife. How are you feeling?”

“Better now.”

“I shall most likely regret asking you this after such a wonderful night, but what changed?”

Elizabeth thought back to her conversation with Lady Burnham. “I made a decision.”

Colin looked at her with narrowed eyes, not understanding the context behind her words, but she was too distracted by the thin silver chain around his neck.

“What is this?” She asked as she reached for it. “I didn’t notice the locket last night.”

“Well, you had other things on your mind.” The devil smiled. “It’s a locket with a lock of your hair inside it,” he explained as he opened it.

Elizabeth’s hand instinctively flew to her head. “But how…?”

“I cut it off while you were sick,” Colin said sheepishly.

“Wait. We kept you shirtless most of the time when you were recuperating and you weren’t wearing it,” Elizabeth said almost accusingly, while simultaneously reprimanding herself for getting angry over the wrong thing.

“I had given it to Pratt for safekeeping on the morning of the duel. I didn’t want to risk a bullet damaging it.”

“Yes, God forbid, can you imagine if the bullet had damaged your locket?” Elizabeth said while pointedly staring at his bandaged arm and shaking her head.

He shrugged with his left shoulder. “I have my priorities.”

Almost everyone was already in the dining room by the time the Talbots came downstairs for breakfast. Lizzie insisted on helping Colin with his plate, and could tell he greatly enjoyed the attention.

Silly man, she thought affectionately as she observed him. His complexion was better than it had been in months, his shoulders were relaxed, and his eyes lively and bright.

“I’m only helping you because I’m worried I might have hurt your arm last night,” she whispered to him as they sat down.

He raised an eyebrow at her as he drank from his cup. She looked away, trying to distract herself from the memory.

Her gaze fell on Lady Genevieve, who was sipping hot chocolate and licking her lips suggestively between sips.

“I had the most wonderful rest last night,” she was telling someone with a smirk.

Something about her was different. Elizabeth’s eyes widened in realisation.

“I think she had as good a night as I did,” she whispered to Colin.

“What makes you say that?”

“She looks… content. Like the cat who got the cream, just look at her!” Lizzie hissed, then lifted her hand to keep his face from turning. “I mean, don’t look at her, oh forget it,” she exclaimed angrily since Colin had started laughing.

“I’m… sorry,” he managed to wheeze out between bouts of laughter. “I just love you so much,” he said, and they both froze.

“Talbot!” Sinclair greeted him loudly, and they both seemed grateful for the interruption. “Are you ready for our hunt today?”

“Good morning, Sinclair. I’m afraid I am still not well enough to participate, but I shall join you for the sake of exercise,” Talbot said, still visibly awkward from their interaction.

Luckily, Sinclair interpreted it as regret. “Don’t worry, you must come stay with us once you’re completely mended, and we shall have a second go at it.”

Other guests kept approaching them and talking to them, and before they knew it, it was time for Talbot and the other men to leave.

“What shall you be doing today?” he asked her when he came by her room to say goodbye.

“Charlotte said she wants to play shuttlecock and show us around the estate,” Lizzie said shyly, not really meeting his eyes.

“Will you go for a walk with me when we come back? I… I will bring Thunder with me after the hunt,” he added as if worried that Elizabeth would not agree to the walk for his sake alone.

“What a wonderful idea. I shall be glad to.”

“Wonderful.”

Colin hesitated a bit, then bowed and left.

In order to avoid thinking about what her husband had said, Elizabeth focused on the mystery of who Lady Genevieve might have spent the night with.

Throughout the day, she reviewed what she knew of all the men present and hoped it hadn’t been one of the married ones.

She desperately wanted to talk to someone about it, but didn’t know who.

Elinor was one of the few unattached women present, so she was most likely the best bet, but she spent most of the day at Amelia’s side, and Elizabeth didn’t want to burden Amelia with any more doubt than she already lived with.

Lizzie shuddered at the thought of how she would have felt in this situation if she hadn’t been with Colin the night before.

My jealousy would have driven me to insanity, she concluded.

“Oh, come on!” Isabella shouted when Lizzie missed again. “Just give the battledore to someone else!”

“All right, all right,” Lizzie said. “I’m sorry, I’m most distracted today.”

Lady Isabella’s temper died down a little. “It happens to all of us.”

“Perhaps you might join me for a walk?” Charlotte asked hopefully as Lizzie handed the battledore to Elinor, who looked frightened at the prospect of facing Lady Isabella.

“Of course,” Lizzie replied. “I don’t think I’ve ever been alone with you,” she said when they were out of earshot of the others.

“Well, yes, that is actually what I wish to talk to you about,” Charlotte said uneasily. “Oh, Elizabeth!” She stopped in the middle of the path and grabbed both of Lizzie’s hands awkwardly. “I am so ashamed of myself!”

Elizabeth was confused by this display of emotion from her usually cold sister.

“I’ve had a long overdue conversation with Nicholas about our father, our family, your place in it, and how we’ve all been treating you, and… I must beg your forgiveness!” She said earnestly.

“Do you mind first telling me why you’ve been so cold to me?” Lizzie surprised herself by asking.

“Oh,” Charlotte seemed taken aback.

Elizabeth got the sense she’d blush if she were capable of it.

“I don’t think I’ve set out to intentionally be cold to you – if I have, then please accept my apology for that as well. The truth is that our brother is, perhaps, the only person in my life I have a close relationship with.”

Not even your husband? Lizzie thought.

“I’ve always struggled with relating to others, partly because of my reticent nature, and partly because my mother trained me to appear unfeeling and dignified from a very young age. You’ve perhaps noticed yourself that I don’t have any real friends that I’m not related to.”

Lizzie considered the admission and compared it to what she knew of Charlotte.

She truly has no close friends, she realised.

“How do you propose we go forward? What do you think needs to change in our relationship?”

“I should like to get to know you and be more… be closer. Perhaps even like Sophie and her sisters one day. I would like to have someone I can talk to. Really be honest with.”

“I shall like that very much. Do you think we can accomplish that?”

“I’m certain in time, we could. We’d need to spend time together first, I think. You tell me, you’re the one with a lot of friends.”

Lizzie had never thought of herself that way, but could now see why Charlotte seemed to think so.

“I think this party is a very good start. Thank you for inviting us both.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Charlotte said, and they both smiled.

“There is one more thing,” Charlotte said hesitantly. “Nicholas and I have also spoken to Aunt Isolde, and she would like to apologise to you and, more importantly, to your mother. She’s given me a letter for her, and if she wants to write back, she can, but there is no pressure.”

“Thank you, I’ll pass it along,” Lizzie replied. *

“He did so well today,” Colin told her later, as they were playing with Thunder in the garden. “A few more hunts, and there won’t be a dog like him in England.”

Lizzie’s heart swelled with irrational pride. “I’ve missed him so much.”

“What did you think of Basingstoke?” Colin asked after Lizzie had finished petting Thunder, and they started walking.

“As much as I hate to admit it, you were right,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “Norwich is the superior estate.”

Colin’s bright smile told her that he had detected the truth inside her joke.

“Is something bothering you?” He asked, and she wondered how he always seemed to know.

The sigh was sincere this time, deep and heavy.

“I cannot get Lady Genevieve’s smug face out of my mind. I hope I’m wrong, but if I’m not, then there’s a good chance that someone’s husband was with her, under the same roof as his wife!” Lizzie was close to tears.

“Perhaps it was one of the unmarried men. And perhaps it was no one, and she truly did just sleep well.”

“I don’t know. I hope I’m wrong. I just hate the thought so much. If I hadn’t been with you last night…” she said, but Colin immediately stopped walking.

“No. Elizabeth. I’ve already promised you my fidelity, and, as of this morning, you know that I love you. So don’t even dare finish that sentence.”

They were both silent for several moments, and then Lizzie simply replied, “I believe you.”

“Truly?” Colin asked in a thick voice.

Elizabeth nodded, not trusting her own. Colin looked heavenwards, and she could see that his eyes were full of tears.

“I never even dared to hope…” she heard him mutter. “Thank you,” he said as his gaze returned to her face. “Thank you,” he repeated, and Elizabeth just reached for his hand in response.

That night, after dinner, everyone spent a pleasant evening together. Lady Genevieve was almost friendly to Elizabeth, which only strengthened Lizzie’s belief that the other woman had focused her attentions on a new target.