Page 26 of Married to the Icy Duke (Duke Wars #3)

G abriel did not stay long. Charlotte hadn’t expected him to. It was something of a shock, however, to learn that Thalia planned to leave, too.

“You’re leaving me alone? With him ?” Charlotte whispered, pulling Thalia aside.

They were making preparations to leave, and Gabriel was already standing out by the Harding carriage, quietly seething.

Thalia’s boxes were being stowed on top of the carriage, and that was when Charlotte had understood that her sister-in-law intended to go home.

“I’m sorry, Charlotte,” Thalia sighed, “But I want to go home. Gabriel misses me terribly, and I miss him. You’ll be here until the wedding, and I really cannot stay for so long.

We know now that the duke won’t harm you, so you’re perfectly safe.

And as for a chaperone, Sybella is going to be here. You’ll be fine.”

Charlotte folded her arms tight across her chest. “You really can’t spend another handful of nights away from my brother?”

Thalia chuckled wryly, glancing away. “When you are married and in love, my dear, you’ll understand entirely what I mean.”

There was a brief pause after she had spoken, and Charlotte pursed her lips together.

“Well, I’m not likely to be in love, am I?” she said at last, her voice quiet.

Thalia reddened. “Oh, my dear. Please don’t speak that way. You don’t know what the future holds, after all.”

“Don’t I? I know very well. I am marrying the Duke of Arkley, and that will be my life.”

Thalia chewed her lower lip. “Well, at least he is not old and ugly.”

This was an undeniable point, and Charlotte sighed to herself. For all his flaws, for all the uncertainty he aroused in her, Isaac could never be described as ugly.

Thalia pulled Charlotte into a tight hug.

“You have Joan, and Sybella will be here. Take this time to get to know the place. This will be your home, after all. You’ll be the mistress of this house.

And by the by, I fully expect to be invited to tea at your house every week.

Tea twice a week, I think, once at yours and once at mine.

And if Madeline ever secures herself a husband, we’ll meet at hers, too. How does that sound?”

Charlotte smiled despite herself. “It sounds excellent, Thalia. And I am sorry to make a fuss about you leaving, it’s just … Well, I’m unsettled at the moment. I can’t imagine that that will get better any time soon.”

Thalia laid a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. “Your brother and I had our own struggles, you know. Things can be difficult at the beginning. Relationships can be difficult, and when one adds love into the mix …”

“There’s no talk of love between Isaac and me,” Charlotte interrupted, a little more tartly than she intended. “It is a marriage of convenience, and that is all. I mean no disrespect, Thalia, but please do not muddy the waters between us.”

Thalia seemed a little taken aback by Charlotte’s firmness, but after a moment she nodded, glancing away.

“Of course, of course. Forgive me, my dear.”

“Thalia, we must go,” Gabriel called, striding across the gravel towards them. “Charlotte, are you sure you won’t come back with us?”

She breathed out slowly and met her brother’s eyes. “I’m sure.”

He gave her a short nod, and she could have sworn that she saw a little flash of respect in his eyes.

“Very well,” he responded, his voice calmer than before. “Come along, wife.”

Thalia smiled at him, placing her hand in his extended one.

There was a flash of warmth between them, and Charlotte was shocked to feel a little …

well, a little envious. What must it be like to have someone love you like that?

Gabriel was a complex man, she knew that, but he had a large heart and deep, powerful feelings.

She had not imagined that a woman would ever be able to tap into those feelings, much less a wife , but Thalia had done it.

They were perfect together, in Charlotte’s opinion. However, that perfection had a price, and that price was the fact that there was no longer room for Charlotte between them.

Oh, they would argue until they were blue in the face if she said that. They would insist that they loved her, and it would be true. Charlotte wasn’t a fool, though. They could never blossom as a couple with her at their heels every step of the way.

She stood at the top of the stone steps and watched as the carriage rolled out of view. Swallowing hard, Charlotte forced herself to turn away. Outside, the sky was growing gray, threatening rain.

She found Sybella waiting for her in the parlor.

“I thought I’d let you say goodbye to your brother and sister-in-law in peace,” she explained, pushing a steaming teacup towards her. “But I ordered tea.”

Charlotte smiled gratefully at her. “Thank you, Sybella.”

“It can be hard, saying goodbye to family,” Sybella continued, taking a sip of her own tea. “Even if it’s just for a little while. You did well in diffusing the tension between your brother and mine, by the way. Men are wretches, aren’t they?”

Charlotte giggled and sipped her tea. “I have to agree. They would not really have come to blows, would they?”

Sybella snorted. “You can never tell. They might, you know. At the moment, Isaac is … not himself. That is the best way I can describe it. He’s all about Tommy, you know.

He’s desperate to help him, and so far, nothing has worked.

” She shot an inscrutable look at Charlotte. “Except for you, of course.”

Charlotte sniffed. “Well, perhaps I don’t terrify him.”

The other woman chuckled at that. “I am not sure Isaac knows the first thing about dealing with children. But you needn’t worry, my dear.

Once you are married, I am quite sure that you won’t have to deal with Isaac at all.

I imagine that he’ll leave you entirely alone, and you shall be free to do nothing but spend time with our handsome little boy. An exciting prospect, don’t you think?”

A flinch ran through Charlotte. The answer, plain and simple, was no .

She did not consider it an exciting prospect.

Of course, she loved Tommy already; that was clear, but was she really to dedicate her whole life to raising a child all by herself?

Would the whole of Society know that she was a wife in name only and laugh at her accordingly?

Was her husband truly going to disappear as soon as he’d placed a ring on her finger?

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to drink down the last of her tea. It was too hot and scalded her tongue. She set the tea down with a clack .

“I haven’t painted for a while, I think,” she announced brusquely.

Sybella shot her a surprised glance. “I had no idea that you were a painter.”

“I am not much of an artist, to be sure, but I can paint well enough. I have some supplies, and I only want a room for my work. Do you think Perling could help me find one?”

“I am sure he could,” Sybella responded, recovering. “Would you like company while you paint, or would you prefer to be alone with your thoughts?"

“Alone with my thoughts, I think,” Charlotte responded, smiling wryly. “I appreciate your asking.”

Sybella chuckled. “The world assumes that we ladies must always be chaperoned. It can drive one mad, to be always lonely but never alone.”

This seemed quite a cynical and rather shocking speech, and it gave Charlotte something of a start. She decided that later, she would ask Sybella a little more about her history. Isaac had not ventured anything, and it was clear that something had happened.

Patience, she warned herself. All will be revealed sooner or later.

“It is not a particularly nice room, Lady Charlotte,” Perling explained, looking faintly anxious. “I could find a nicer …”

“No, thank you, Perling, this is perfect,” Charlotte interrupted, stepping past him into the room. It was, he’d said, an unused music-room, or perhaps a writing-room, or something. At any rate, it had long been forgotten about.

There were no carpets on the floor, and a thin film of dust lay over the bare boards. There were no curtains, which allowed light to pour through the wide windows into the room. There were a few sticks of old furniture here and there, but mostly, there was only bare space.

“Perfect?” Perling echoed, visibly confused. “I must have it dusted before you begin, Lady Charlotte.”

“That won’t be necessary,” she responded, striding into the room, hands on her hips.

There was a low stool in the corner, she noticed, which would make a perfect seat while she worked.

“Look at all this natural light! I shall enjoy painting here. Perling, might this room be set aside for my express use? As an art room?”

“Well, I imagine so, Lady Charlotte. We will, of course, have to check with his Grace, but once you are mistress of this house …” Perling trailed off meaningfully, and Charlotte bit back a smile.

“That is just what I wanted to hear,” she murmured. “Could you fetch my easel and canvases? I believe they’re packed in my room. Oh, and my paints! We mustn’t forget those.”

“Certainly not, Lady Charlotte," he responded with a wry smile.

Shortly afterwards, her easel, canvases, paints, and brushes had been brought down and set up. Perling had offered refreshments, been refused, and had since slipped away, leaving Charlotte to her peace and quiet.

There’s nothing like a little painting to clear the mind. I have no wish to think of Isaac, or his rather likable sister, or that sweet baby who still cannot speak. I am marrying Isaac for them and to get myself a place in Society. There are no other reasons.

I have no need at all to like the man. And I don’t! I don’t like him. Quite the reverse, in fact.

The blank canvas stared accusingly back at her. She could not think of anything to paint.

At last, Charlotte heaved a sigh and opened her paints, setting them on a low table beside her. She would paint the room in front of her. It was a silly thing to do, but it would be a good exercise to bring her back into the habit of painting.