He knew he would need to keep an eye on her. If she was turning away from him emotionally already, before they had even had a chance to try to form a bond, it was going to be a problem.
Then again…maybe they didn’t need to form a bond. He was surprised to find himself so concerned about that. It wasn’t as if he was in love with her. This marriage had nothing to do with love. He was marrying her so that she wouldn’t be disgraced, and that could happen even if she chose never to speak to him for the remainder of their lives together.
He wasn’t sure why he was so bothered by the fact that she was simply being agreeable. He only knew that he was.
While Lady Madeleine was measured for gowns, Thomas and his mother sat at the front of the shop and waited for her to emerge. It took less time than Thomas would have imagined before she came back, wearing something rose-colored and elaborate.
Thomas frowned. He didn’t like the gown. But perhaps it was what Lady Madeleine had chosen.
The color was lovely enough—that was no problem. But everything else about it was wrong. It was covered in big ruffles that hid her figure instead of accentuating it. It looked big and heavy—it was clear she was having trouble moving at all. And the fabric covered her neck, coming almost all the way up to her chin. To Thomas, it looked as if the gown was trying to swallow her up.
“I’m sure you’ll want to have something specially made for the wedding,” the shopkeeper said. “But I had this handy, and I thought perhaps it might provide some inspiration.”
“Oh, I think it’s perfect,” Thomas’s mother said.
He turned to her. “You do?”
“Don’t you like it, Thomas?”
“No, I don’t,” Thomas said. “I’m sorry,” he added to the shopkeeper. “I don’t mean to insult your wares or your taste.”
“You should say what you think, of course, Your Grace.”
“It’s just so…” he thought for a moment. “There’s somuchof it.”
“But it covers that scar,” his mother said. “At least, for the most part. And we’re going to want that covered up.”
“Are we?” Thomas looked at Lady Madeleine.
He hadn’t spoken to her about her scar, of course. There had never been what felt like an appropriate moment for that conversation. As a consequence, he had no idea how she felt about it. Was it something she would want to hide? If that was what she wanted, he would support her choice, but unless that desire came from her, he saw no reason to outfit her in ugly gowns just to hide her scar.
“I think it’s a very good idea,” the shopkeeper said quickly. “And, you know, if the three of you are not enamored of this style, there are different things we could try—things that would still provide the same coverage to the neck.” She didn’t mention the scar, but she wouldn’t. She was trying to impress everyone there.
“I just don’t see why this is necessary,” Thomas said.
“It’s what’s dignified,” his mother said. “Especially for a duchess.”
“But you’re a duchess,” Thomas challenged her. “And your gowns don’t look like this. What’s the difference?”
“Your Grace,” Lady Madeleine spoke up.
Thomas turned to look at her. It was her opinion that mattered most here, so he was glad she was speaking. He had worried that she might spend the whole day quietly agreeing to everything someone else said to her. It worried him to see her so docile.
She’s not being forced into this, he reminded himself.She didn’t want to do it, but she agreed of her own free will, and that’s no different than me. I wouldn’t have chosen this marriage for myself either—I don’t wish to marry at all—but I still decided of my own free will. No one is forcing either one of us to do this.
Knowing that that was true, he had a hard time explaining why he felt so guilty.
Lady Madeleine was looking down at her gown. “I think your mother is right,” she said.
“Right about what?”
“About conduct befitting a duchess,” Lady Madeleine said. “She’s right that nobody wants to see my scar. We can’t cover all of it—”
“We may be able to, actually,” the shopkeeper said, clearly pleased that she was being listened to. “A gown with a nice high collar might do the trick.”
“Oh, it might indeed,” Thomas’s mother said. “If the collar rose above her chin a bit, it might hide her cheek, especially if she turned her head while in front of people—it’s really not that bad, the scarring, especially in the right light.”
“This is ridiculous,” Thomas objected. “Lady Madeleine isn’t going to turn her face away from people whenever she’s in public. Everyone will know soon enough that she has a scar. That’s not something we can keep hidden.”
