Page 13 of Not his Marchioness (Daughters of the Ton #2)

Charlotte woke up the following morning disoriented by the huge bed. She found herself in a chamber much grander than the one she had at Lowey House.

The canopy was dark blue and dotted with silver stars, not pale pink with roses like her old one. But she had to admit the mattress was considerably more comfortable.

She swung her legs out of bed and stepped onto the cold floor. The fireplace was already roaring. How peculiar that she hadn’t heard the maids coming in. Back home, there was always clattering and banging. If not from the maid, then from her father or her sisters or her aunt.

She stepped to the window and saw that snow had fallen overnight. It was beautiful and tranquil so early in the morning; there were a few people out and about. Across the street, she spotted a newspaper stand, and a young boy was just now preparing his stack.

Undoubtedly, something would be written about her wedding. Perhaps not in great detail, not yet. But the following day, certainly. Perhaps for the entire week. She was well aware that every single step she took would be watched and judged by Society.

With a sigh, she walked to the door and pulled the heavy cord that would alert the maid to come up.

What was the girl’s name? Charlotte had already forgotten. It was one of those things she would have to grow accustomed to—having a lady’s maid and not sharing the housemaid with her sister.

As she waited, she walked into the next room—the dressing room. It was large but empty. Her trunk still stood in the main chamber, the maids having only unpacked a portion of her things.

She rolled her shoulders and walked back into the main room. The space was large but sparsely furnished. There was a bed, a dresser, and several sideboards, as well as two armchairs. That was all.

This was something she had noticed yesterday as she toured a part of the house, with Rhys walking beside her like a sullen child being dragged away from his pastimes.

Many rooms were empty. Some were still covered with white sheets. It was curious that such a grand house that had once housed a large family was now so empty.

A knock sounded at the door, and then a maid entered. She was balancing a porcelain basin on her left hip and carrying a large pitcher, along with a washcloth and soap that bounced against her chest.

“Good morning, My Lady,” she greeted with a curtsy.

Charlotte hurried to help her with the door.

The maid appeared to be about her age, if not younger, with hair the color of straw, a ruddy face covered with freckles, and green eyes. She placed her supplies on one of the sideboards.

“Good morning,” Charlotte said, mortified that she couldn’t remember her name.

“Suzette,” the maid supplied, noticing her confusion. “Don’t worry about it, My Lady. There are so many new people here, I can barely remember their names myself.”

“You make me feel less foolish,” Charlotte said with a chuckle. “I felt quite the fool for not remembering your name, but you’re right. There are so many new faces here. And new not only to me.”

“Indeed. Only Mrs. Henderson knows her way around the place.”

“Mrs. Henderson,” Charlotte echoed. “The housekeeper? She knows her way around here? I did not realize.”

“She used to work for His Lordship’s parents many years ago. His Lordship let her go two years ago when he became a marquess. He said he didn’t need her anymore.”

“I see,” Charlotte murmured. “So this house was fully staffed not too long ago.”

“Yes, My Lady,” Suzette confirmed. “Are you ready for your morning toilette?”

“I am,” Charlotte said.

Suzette poured water into the basin, then helped loosen Charlotte’s hair and brushed it out, before moving on to washing.

“Suzette, what have you learned about this house so far?”

“I beg your pardon, My Lady,” she said. “I do not understand.”

“The house. I toured it yesterday, and I was under the impression that it needs, shall we say, the kindest attentions.”

“Oh, yes.” Suzette nodded. “Even though it had been severely understaffed for only two years, there is much that needs to be done. The dust is so thick that I could mistake it for snow.”

They both chuckled at that.

“It is a shame. It is such a beautiful house,” Charlotte said. “I had no idea when I first called on His Lordship. I was under the impression that it was a rather small residence, but it is quite grand.”

“Indeed,” Suzette agreed. “I hear that His Lordship reinstated the library for you.”

“He did.”

“He must adore you,” Suzette said with a small smile on her lips that spoke of blissful ignorance regarding the true circumstances of this marriage.

Good. That was good, Charlotte thought to herself. Although at the same time, it was rather awful. Absolutely dreadful because it meant that she had to keep up the pretense even in her own home.

She could not gossip with her maid whenever Rhys upset her, or confess her frustrations. She would have to keep up the facade of a devoted wife even within the confines of her own walls. At least for the time being.

She thought back to their conversation the night before. Who had overheard them? Anyone? And had they noticed that they did not sleep in the same chamber?

“It is so very romantic,” Suzette continued. “How you two were forced out into the open because of that wretched Lord Emery. But I wonder why—” She stopped and shook her head. “Now I’m being presumptuous. Never mind.”

“Ask away,” Charlotte allowed.

The truth was, she desperately wanted a friend, even if she couldn’t be entirely honest with her.

“I wondered why you did not court publicly. That is all.”

“I am afraid that I cannot divulge such details,” Charlotte said. “Perhaps once we get to know one another better.”

And once I have come up with an answer.

They continued in this manner, subtly interrogating one another for the next half hour until she was fully dressed.

She looked at herself in the tall mirror, much grander than the one she had at Lowey House. She was wearing a lemon yellow gown with puffy sleeves and white lace along the hem. Her hair was styled in an updo she hadn’t worn before, and a white bandeau kept the stray curls out of her face.

She didn’t feel particularly different, but she certainly looked it.

“Right.” She clasped her hands together. “I think I am ready for the day. Has His Lordship come down for breakfast?” she asked, thinking it might be a good idea for them to be seen having breakfast together.

“No,” Suzette replied. “He is still abed.”

“Abed? Still? Is that his habit?” Charlotte shook her head.

Of course, the maid did not know. He had lived like a hermit until recently, and none of the new servants would know either.

“His valet says it is his habit. He does not enjoy rising early on account of his…” Suzette paused and bit her bottom lip.

“Go on,” Charlotte prompted.

“His evening habits.”

“I see,” she said. “Well, he has no reason to be sleeping so late today. We both retired early yesterday, since we were so exhausted from the celebrations.”

Suzette’s face turned red, and she looked down.

Charlotte realized something. Rhys hadn’t gone to sleep early. Rather, he had gone out.

But where had he gone? And why had he lied to her and said he was fatigued?

Instantly, she bristled. They were supposed to prove to the ton that they were a devoted husband and wife so that they could, in due course, go their separate ways and live life as they pleased. If he was venturing to gaming halls or worse, that was only going to stir worse gossip.

No, this would not do. Not at all.

She had to work to establish them as a loving couple. The sooner the ton forgot about the circumstances that had brought them together, the quicker they could part ways again.

But for the time being, they had to look like the most dazzling pair in high society.

She turned to Suzette. “Will you ask the housekeeper and cook to meet me? I am planning a tea for next week.”

“So soon? We had thought you would want to enjoy your honeymoon.”

She tilted her head to the side, wondering if Suzette could be trusted.

“We will enjoy our honeymoon at home. But since we had to conduct our courtship privately, we would like to share our joy with everyone we hold dear. I shall provide you with the guest list.”

“Of course.” Suzette nodded. “When shall I arrange the meeting?”

“Noon would be wonderful,” Charlotte said. “And now I should explore the house further.”

Suzette scurried away, and Charlotte walked down the long hallway of the surprisingly large house she now called her home.

She was going to do everything in her power to make her and Rhys look like the most dazzling of pairs, even though in reality, she would have liked to chase him down with a pillow and beat some sense into him.

No, she would invite every lady of quality and ensure that Rhys was home when they arrived, so they could see them doting on one another.

By the end of the tea, everyone would talk about nothing but how magnificent a hostess Lady Ravenscar was and how very much in love she and her husband appeared to be.

It was a good thing she had always been fond of acting, for this would require all the skills she had learned from watching actors and actresses on the stage.