Will kept his features cool. “We can invite them for lunch, if you like.”
Harriet shook her head. “They are aware I’ve returned, are they not? You must have sent word, and my trousseau was gathered and removed from the house.”
“Calstone did send word,” Will admitted.
“Well, then, there is nothing to be concerned about since my father is clearly not concerned.”
The priest coughed behind his hand.
Will didn’t bother to glance at him as he pulled Harriet to the side. “They are still your parents. I don’t want you to one day regret not including them.”
She held her ground. “I have never been a priority to my father since he remarried.”
“That’s not true. Your father loves you very much.”
“My father loves my stepmother and half-brother. I lost all importance the day my mother died. While I might have thought otherwise for a while, the very betrothal agreement you signedwithout my knowledge reaffirmed that as a fact. I won’t regret my decision not to invite them. For all we know, he may have believed we were already married since I never returned home.”
Will’s heart clenched.
“Harriet . . .”
She shook her head. “I do not need your pity, Leeds. I have long accepted my position in my family.”
“I will do my best to make you happy.”
She didn’t reply, but Will could almost hear her heart retorting:If you wanted to do that, then you should not have married me.But if it hadn’t been him, it would have been someone else. Someone evenlessworthy. With the wagers luring all sorts of ruffians out of the shadows, he was the best possible choice for Harriet.
He believed that with all his heart.
He cared for her. He would not do anything to hurt her. He would give her anything in his power to provide her the best life possible. Even if it took his entire lifetime to accomplish.
“I do not expect you to believe me. All I ask is for a chance.”
“We shall see,” she murmured. “Now, if you will excuse me, I can’t keep my guest waiting.”
Will arched a brow, but he let her go.
Patience, Will.Just take one step and then another.
That thought seemed to have become his lifeline.
He hadn’t given his wife a proper courtship. They both were keenly aware of that. But now that they had the biggest obstacle out of the way, Will could pay more attention to wooing his wife. To winning her heart.
Once the conviction settled in his own heart, the corners of his lips lifted. Despite everything, today was a marvelous day. If he were still a child, he would be doing a merry little dance right about now. As a grown man, however, he refrained—it was better not to provoke his wife’s ire, after all.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Calstone asked. “And this is two smiles in one day? Wedded bliss must be real.”
Will flattened his lips. “Who is smiling?”
“You are,” Calstone said. “However, you should practice your lip movements in the mirror. You are smiling like you just smelled something foul.”
“Would I smile if I smelled something foul?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t really tell whether it was a smile or not, but it was more of a smile than it was anything else.”
Will punched his friend in the arm.
“Damn it! What was that for?”
