Page 17

Chapter seventeen

Alexander

As Alexander stood in the foyer and waited for his wife to come down the stairs, he took a deep breath.

Her father should be home from his travels by now. So while he was bringing Beatrice home to get her things, he was also potentially meeting his father-in-law for the first time.

The thought should not have rattled him. He was a lord, and Beatrice's father was merely a trader, but the idea of meeting his wife's father made him twitchy and he wasn't sure what to do with that.

Beatrice hadn’t said much about her father, but she’d hinted that he wasn’t a particularly kind man, and something in Alexander wanted to grind him to a pulp for even potentially mistreating Beatrice.

What kind of man could have a daughter like Beatrice and not make her the center of his entire world?

And from what he'd gathered, the man had been leaving her alone for most of her life. He probably should have asked Beatrice for more details instead of snooping, but he’d discussed it with Dietrich. He’d found out just how often Beatrice had been with Dietrich and his mother while her father continued working and pretending she didn’t exist.

Alexander had never particularly considered having children, but if he ever had a daughter with a smile like Beatrice's, there was no way in the world that he would be able to leave her for that long.

His thoughts were interrupted by a noise at the top of the stairs as his wife began to descend. The corner of Alexander's mouth started to turn up at the sight of her. She was wearing one of his mother's simpler gray dresses, probably in an attempt to appear less grand in front of her father and the folks in town. Knowing her, she wouldn't want to appear as if she was lording her new status over them, and he admired her for it.

But even in a simple dress, she looked stunning.

“Are you ready, my lady?” he asked her as she reached the ground. He held out an arm to steady her, just in case she fell. For some reason, she was prone to falling around him.

“I am ready,” she said, with one of her smiles that instantly made him want to give her anything in the world.

Why did she have such an effect on him? It blew his mind that he could be so enamored of her when they had only just gotten married.

This wasn't normal, was it? It couldn't be.

But as Jenkins opened the door and ushered Beatrice out to the waiting carriage, he couldn't help wondering if maybe it was like this for everyone. If these feelings were the reason why so many people loved being married.

His parents had had a good marriage. Not that he'd particularly cared to notice when he was a young man, but he had never seen them speak harshly to one another, much like Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins. It seemed as if he’d had two good examples of being married, but that didn't mean he wanted to fall in love with his wife.

On the contrary, the thought of opening up to Beatrice the way his parents had been in love with each other was terrifying. Surely he could have a more neutral marriage, one in which they respected each other and cared for each other, but not one where his wife would be willing to die for him.

That seemed a step too far, and yet, it was dangerously close to his reality.

He settled into the carriage next to Beatrice, their shoulders brushing. Perhaps he should have sat across from her, but sharing warmth was a good reason to sit next to her.

It wasn’t as if he was looking for reasons to be close to his wife…but maybe, just maybe, he was.

He could pretend that he wasn’t, but if he was being honest with himself, he knew that there was nothing he wanted more than to sit next to Beatrice and hold her hand.

But holding her hand seemed like reaching too far.

What if she tried to hold his, though?

The drive to town seemed to take far less time than it usually did. Not that he went to town often; he knew what the rumors were—that he was standoffish and didn’t like people—but he had never had much reason to go to town.

The nobility didn’t spend much time there except for the festivals, and a big bonfire didn’t hold any appeal for him for obvious reasons.

But going to town with his wife felt different. It felt like he was a part of something because she was a part of something there, and he was looking forward to meeting all the people who were important to her in her life.

Except her father.

“I thought we could start at your home and collect your things,” Alexander said.

Beatrice smiled up at him. “That sounds like a plan,” she said. “I would love to introduce you to my father. He should meet you.”

“Yes,” Alexander muttered. He would not love to meet her father, but he had no choice.

It would probably be good to meet him though, even if only to cement the fact that he didn’t like him and to put a face to the name he knew too much about. There was something to be said for knowing the person you didn’t like.

The corner of Alexander's mouth tilted up in a smirk. Perhaps it was wrong of him to be so prejudiced against his father-in-law before he’d even met him, but he had never been one to think the best of everyone. Gerald Montgomery had never had his good opinion and most likely never would.

But he would tolerate the man for Beatrice’s sake, if that’s what she wanted.

As they hit the northern edge of town, Alexander tried to think about the last time he had been into town himself. He didn't go often—in fact, he hadn't been in years. The idea of being around so many people did not seem appealing when he had no idea what their intentions were.

A lovely side effect of your parents being murdered.

No, he had no reason to be around others.

There was a lump in his throat as he watched the houses roll by. Maybe he shouldn't have come. Perhaps it would have been better for Beatrice if he hadn’t come.

He was starting to feel nauseated, and they hadn't even gotten out of the carriage yet.

What would happen if he threw up in front of everyone in town? The last thing he wanted, in addition to freaking out, was to be humiliated.

He could always stay in the carriage and let Beatrice go alone.

But no, that was cowardly.

He had come with his wife for a reason. At some point, he would have to join the townsfolk again. He couldn't remain a hermit for the rest of his life. Even if he wanted to, it was not an option—especially not now that he was married and had a wife who was from the town.

She deserved to have a husband who was able to meet her friends without having a panic attack. Even if he wasn't sure he could be that husband for her.

He started breathing a little harder as they rode past the mayor's home and toward the center of town. He still recognized it, which surprised him. Things hadn’t changed much.

It was almost easier that way, because he could pretend he was just going into town to spend time with the Rendon boys.

While they’d all had private tutors at their own estates, there had been children’s activities in town that they’d attended. Those had been some of his favorite times as a child.

Alexander took a deep breath. He could do this. He didn't have a choice. He was already in the carriage, and it was quickly rolling through town.

He looked over at his wife, who was watching the buildings roll by outside the window. He took another deep breath before returning his attention outside, and then something occurred to him. “Does the driver know where your home is?” he asked.

“Yes, he does,” Beatrice said. “I told Jenkins before we left, and he informed the driver.”

Alexander nodded. “I see. I am glad you had the forethought to tell him.”

“Of course,” she said. “Being prepared is my job. One could argue that as the lady of the manor, I should be even more aware of the need to be prepared than I was as the librarian in the Northlands.”

The words coming out of her mouth were right, but the tone of her voice was off.

What was wrong? Was she concerned about her position at Eldenwilde?

She hadn’t had much chance yet to become the lady of the estate. She was learning quickly, though, despite only being in her new role for a few days. He already couldn't imagine his estate without her.

So why did she sound so stiff?

The carriage pulled to a stop, and Alexander took a deep breath.

Apparently it was time to meet his father-in-law. Figuring out why she was acting strange would have to wait.

He turned to Beatrice. “Are you ready?” he asked.

She seemed frozen for the first time since he’d met her, at least from something other than snow. Her hand clutched at the side of the carriage. “We don’t have to go in.”

“We need to get your things,” Alexander said.

“And you should meet him.” The words were stilted, as if she were resigned to the fact.

This wasn’t the Beatrice he knew.

“What’s wrong?” Alexander asked, reaching for her hand.

Beatrice took a deep breath. “He’s probably not going to be very happy that I’m married,” she said slowly. “He enjoyed the fact that I was here when he came home, that he had a kept house, that I would be at his beck and call. He won’t be thrilled that has changed.”

Alexander frowned. His wife, who was usually so confident and bubbly, was sounding unsure of herself and maybe even a little intimidated.

He was ready to do battle on her behalf.

“Has he ever hurt you?” he asked, hating that he had to ask it.

But Beatrice shook her head. “No, he wouldn’t, but he will be very upset,” she said with a sigh.

Alexander clenched his jaw as the footman opened the carriage door, and he stepped out, turning to offer a hand to Beatrice.

If Gerald Montgomery thought he was going to intimidate his daughter, he thought wrong, because Beatrice was no longer alone.