“Well, I apologize for intruding on this most private and necessary moment.” Elinor playfully bumped her shoulder against his, hoping to coax a smile from him. “You’re getting married today. I know this isn’t what you wanted. And I know the path to getting here was unorthodox, to say the least. But I’m glad that things have worked out in this way no matter what. How could I not be, when it means you are safe and alive? No duels. No dying on the frontline. And that’s to say nothing of your lovely bride…”
“You’ve spoken to her?” Philip felt suddenly ashamed. “That’s more than I’ve done since arriving. She’s been avoiding me all morning—all week.”
“She is a bride on her wedding day. It takes hours to fit the dress, and many more to prepare herself for the way her life is about to change. She was likely up before sunrise, getting ready. I took a peek before I came searching for you. She looks wonderful, Phil.” Elinor beamed, clasping her hands together around her bonnet. “Such a darling thing. Clever and polite, and so pretty. Anna will make an exceptional duchess and, I’m sure, an even better wife.”
“But you understand that our union will not be conventional in the slightest,” Philip said seriously, dampening his sister’s spirits. “When you and I spoke with George, I made it clear to you that ours would be a marriage in name only. I am tasking you with ensuring that Anna settles into her role because I cannot take it upon myself to teach her. If that is too much to ask?—”
“You’re boring me now,” Elinor cut in, putting her hand on his arm. “I am perfectly aware of the nature of your agreement. I may not like it, but we will make the best of the situation. I complimented Anna because I was impressed by her, not because I was hoping I could convince you to try falling in love with her. So long as you do not mistreat her, I will hold my tongue. Your reaction is hardly a surprise to me. Graham told me long ago that you would do anything to eschew your duty as duke. I pretended not to know in the hope that you would change your mind. But this is your life to live, and I will support you in this new chapter. Speaking of which…”
She thrust her bonnet at Philip and reached for the chain around her neck. She unfastened it and extended it to him. A small golden ring embedded with rubies hung from the end of the necklace.
“Graham’s ring,” Philip said, watching the ring sway back and forth. “You said it was lost. Where did you find it?”
“In Father’s study, in an envelope addressed to you. I went in there looking for stationery and found it under a stack of letters in a drawer. It must have been there the whole time.”
Elinor exchanged her bonnet for the necklace, placing it in Philip’s palm. She closed her free hand around his.
“If I had to guess, Graham put it there while we were in residence at Charleton, when you were away. I think… I think he meant to leave it where you would find it once you came home. It never fitted me, and I told him how wonderful it would be for your bride to wear it instead. That’s when he confessed that you were not likely to take a wife. But I suppose… He must still have hoped that you would change your mind.”
Philip’s head was spinning. He closed his fist tightly around the ring. Graham hadn’t abandoned all hope that he would change. His friend couldn’t have been that disgusted with him in the end.
The revelation swept over him like a warm breeze. All this time, he had regretted leaving things with Graham on such bad terms, and it had all been for nothing.
“He didn’t despise me for leaving you?”
“Oh, he was beside himself when you left.” Elinor’s voice cracked, and when Philip looked up, her eyes brimmed with tears. “He was so angry with you for abandoning us, but it was only because he loved you so much. Over time, the more letters we received from you, the more he grew convinced that time away from England was precisely what you needed to overcome whatever was holding you back. He spoke at length about how things would be when you returned. The trips we would take, the memories you had yet to make together. So no, Philip. He didn’t despise you. He forgave you whole-heartedly.”
Looking down at his closed fist, Philip’s throat thickened with emotion. He cleared it, smiling despite himself. “And it is your desire… that I pass this on to Anna?”
“That is a decision only you can make,” Elinor whispered, embracing him. “But it would make me happy. And it would make him happy too. Find a moment today when things are quiet and Anna seems content. Give it to her and show her, if you cannot tell her, that she has your unspoken support and affection.”
* * *
Anna pressed her cold flute of champagne to her lips, her eyes absently scanning the ballroom. It was the largest and most beautiful room in the manor, and had been accordingly set up for the wedding breakfast that morning.
Warm sunlight filtered through the windows, refracting off the beige wallpaper. Hyacinth and daffodil bouquets decorated the sitting tables. The flowers had come out just in time for the wedding. The staff at Bristol Park had spent the better part of last week scouring the countryside for them, while Anna had watched on from the windows, too afraid to step outside and encounter old neighbors.
Her gaze drifted from the flowers to the small group of gentlemen by the doors. She wondered whether Philip was standing there in case he needed to make a hasty exit. Simon Stockton was beside him, as well as a few other young gentlemen she recognized from the Ratley ball. George, for his part, was keeping his distance. He picked at his plate of buffet food at a table across the room, smiling artificially for the women seated on either side of him, gentry daughters from Bath.
The wedding ceremony had been uneventful. Anna could barely remember a word of her vows. She had acted automatically, repeating lines like an actress on stage. Philip hadn’t met her eyes once, but he had been courteous enough to extend his arm to her as they made their way out of the chapel, where the bulk of the guests awaited them.
Anna felt a light tug on her hair and found Margaret plucking a grain of rice from her coiffure.
“Some of the guests were too enthusiastic when they showered you earlier,” Margaret joked, flicking the rice away. “How are you feeling? You’ve barely said a word since we started walking from the chapel.”
“Is that so unusual for me?” Anna returned, by way of an excuse. “The excitement of the day has tired me already.”
“That’s to be expected,” Margaret said, tapping her fingers against her glass. “It’s a shame your sister couldn’t come and take some of the spotlight off you. But with the long journey and the baby… Maybe we can cause some trouble of our own instead. Something interesting is bound to happen if we keep plying Helena with sparkling wine.”
Their group was larger than usual, Helena, Lucy, and Sophia entertaining a pair of sisters on Philip’s side. The daughters of his second cousin or some such thing. Anna wasn’t sure what they were discussing—her attention was elsewhere. The wedding breakfast would end, and then she and Philip would depart for Sussex. They would be alone in their carriage. Alone that night, too.
The thought of spending time with Philip had once filled her with excitement. Now, she dreaded what was to come.
“If you wanted to go and speak to him, nobody would blame you.” Margaret nodded in Philip’s direction. “He’s your husband now. You can’t keep your eyes off him… He does look very fetching today. That color suits him.”
Anna supposed it did. His light blue vest was the same pure shade as his eyes. It was dangerous to look at him for too long.
Her stomach tightened when she admired him—and feelings like that had no place in a marriage like theirs. She glanced down at her dress, a cream-colored gown embroidered with white flowers, and she wondered whether he felt even a fragment of the same desire for her.
