“Never mind that.” Lord Hartford put his hand up, and a moment later, a waiter had joined them.
Lord Hartford ordered two drinks with the easy confidence of a gentleman who did this sort of thing all the time, and the waiter nodded and disappeared.
“So,” Lord Hartford said, “tell me all about your wife.”
Inwardly, Edward groaned. He might have guessed that things were heading in this direction. “What do you want to know about my wife?”
“You married after a very short courtship, didn’t you?”
No courtship at all if I’m being honest.
“That’s right.”
“You must have gotten to know one another quite a bit better over the last few weeks,” Lord Hartford observed. “What do you think of her now that the two of you are better acquainted.”
“Oh, well, you saw her for yourself,” Edward replied. “She’s beautiful.”
“Certainly,” Lord Hartford agreed. “But that’s not what I meant. You knew she was beautiful on the very first day. I’m talking about her personality. What has it been like getting to know her? I’m sure you two must spend long hours together every day since your relationship is still so new. What is she like?”
“Oh.” Edward felt a bit awkward.
What was he supposed to say? He didn’t spend much time with Lydia, and it was by design. He had nothing he wanted to say to her, and the two of them had nothing in common. Was he supposed to be forcing himself to build a relationship with someone who didn’t matter to him just because technically the two of them happened to be married to one another?
“She’s very excited to be a duchess,” he said, after thinking about it for a few moments. After all, that was one thing he could say for certain about her.
“What do you mean?” Lord Hartford asked.
“She’s been making all kinds of changes around the house. Redecorating. Making the place her own. Actually, she recently purchased three new stallions for our stables. She hasn’t been hesitant at all to make changes.”
“Well, that’s good!” Lord Hartford said. “There’s nothing like a lady who knows her own mind and has the confidence to go after what she wants, is there? I’d say you’re very lucky to have found someone like that. It’s certainly what you want in a duchess.”
Though perhaps I wouldn’t have wanted someone who spends my money so freely.
But Edward didn’t say that part out loud. “I suppose you’re right.”
Let Lord Hartford think that this marriage was a perfect one.
“And when are you planning to bring her out to a ball and show her off?”
“You know I’ve never been much for balls and parties.”
“But that will have to change now,” Lord Hartford said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You have a lady to care for, and she’ll want to have a social life. You won’t be able to stay locked up in your manor any longer. Having a wife will force you to come out and be a part of the world.”
He laughed as he said it, and Edward glowered. He didn’t enjoy the judgment he heard in Lord Hartford’s tone, and he very much would have liked to tell the other gentleman to shut his mouth. But at least he knew Lord Hartford was wrong.
There was nothing in his arrangement with Lydia that would compel him to go to parties with her. She was having plenty of fun redecorating his home. He didn’t need to take her out to socialize on top of that.
The important thing was that he had gotten his papers signed, he reminded himself as he rode home after concluding the meeting. That was what mattered. He and Lord Hartford would be in business together, which was what he had been aiming for all along.
By the time the carriage pulled up in front of Westfrey, he was in a good mood again, thinking of nothing but retiring to his study and perhaps smoking a cigar to celebrate his accomplishment. But when he stepped out of the carriage, he was met by a shocking sight.
The grounds were full of people he didn’t know—people who didn’t work for him—rushing around as if they were on a mission. He stared, wondering if he was being robbed by the world’s most audacious burglars. Would any burglar be so bold as to carry out the act in plain sight like this?
He saw his butler standing off to one side and watching the proceedings, and he hurried over. “Bradford! What’s going on here?”
Mr. Bradford looked at him warily. “I was worried you might not have been aware of this,” he said. “The staff just found out today, for the most part.”
“Found out what? I don’t understand what’s happening here.”
