Edward smiled.
It amazed him.
He hadn’t expected to smile today. He had assumed the whole thing would be nothing but drudgery. That was how it should have felt. Here he was, being forced into this marriage he’d never wanted at the risk of losing his business associates. Here he was, in the middle of a room full of people, trying to prove that he was something he knew he wasn’t—the kind of man who could be compromised by matters of the heart.
It made no sense to him that anyone would want this. Why would a gentleman be considered more trustworthy, more capable, if he was the sort who could lose his head at the sight of a beautiful lady? It wasn’t sensible.
But if that was what people needed to see in order to trust him, he could comply. He could play that role and show them that character.
That was what today was supposed to be about.
He hadn’t honestly given much thought to Lydia as a person. She had a role to play here just as he did, but he hadn’t thought about what it would be like to do this with her by his side. He hadn’t considered the question of whether they would like one another.
Now, he realized that he did like her.
She was funny. Her wit was quick and sharp, and she never acted as if she felt any need to placate or appease him. She wasn’t frightened of him, and he liked that about her.
She seemed to know what she wanted, and she was unafraid to ask for it. To Edward’s intense surprise, he liked that about her too. It made things interesting.
For a moment, he allowed himself to imagine what it might be like if this was a different kind of marriage—if he really was the character he was pretending to be.
He would spend the next few weeks and months getting to know her, just as she had suggested. He would learn more and more interesting things about her as time went on, and he was willing to believe that each new piece of information he learned would make him like her more. Perhaps he would fall in love with her, and she with him. That was something that could happen if you weren’t being careful to avoid it.
What would it be like to spend every day with someone you loved? What would it be like if he wanted that kind of future, the kind Colin had with his wife?
Edward knew his brother would be happy if he ever discovered Edward had fallen in love. Love meant the world to Colin. He wasn’t capable of understanding that not everyone wanted what he had.
“I don’t want it,” Edward told himself. But there was a part of him that nearly did.
He knew that he needed to remember the reason he had gotten himself into this in the first place. It had never been out of any desire for love or the usual trappings of marriage. That wasn’t something he wanted. This was a business arrangement. The only point to it, the only reason he had done it, was to help get his affairs back in order. With Lydia in his home and on his arm, that would be seen to.
It didn’t change anything that she made him laugh.
It didn’t matter that she was beautiful, with her sleek blonde hair and light freckles like a constellation dusted across her nose.
It didn’t matter that he had more fun with her out here on the dance floor at their wedding than he could ever remember having with anyone at any social function in his life, in spite of the vow he had made to himself.
None of that changed anything.
The only thing that mattered was that now he had a wife. He could return to doing business, and no one would question him about this ridiculous matter anymore. The problem was solved.
And he wasn’t going to allow himself to fall in love. He had just fixed one weakness. He wasn’t about to allow himself to develop another one.
CHAPTERTEN
As the wedding ball began to wind down, Lydia’s anxiety increased.
The guests left the house, slowly at first, then more and more rapidly. Margaret commented that she was ready to retire and disappeared upstairs. The last two people to leave were Colin and Nancy, and when the crowd had diminished to just the four of them, Lydia knew that the moment when she would be left alone with her new husband was at hand.
She had promised herself that she wouldn’t be nervous when it happened. But now that the time had come, she found she couldn’t help it. Her nerves were getting the best of her.
“You’ll be all right,” Nancy said. The two of them were standing in a corner by themselves, separated from the two gentlemen, who seemed to be having an intense conversation of their own. “I know the wedding night is frightening, but really, it’s not as bad as you think it’s going to be. In fact, it doesn’t have to be bad at all! Colin and I had a lovely time.” She gave a soft, secret smile, and Lydia couldn’t help feeling hopeful.
Maybe her friend was right. Maybe this was going to be a pleasant experience, after all.
Nancy squeezed her hand. “We’ll have tea very soon,” she suggested. “I’m so glad that we’re family now, Lydia. This is all so exciting.”
Lydia nodded. “I feel the same way,” she assured her friend. “I don’t know what the future has in store for us, but I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful.”
