“Christiana Daisy Nightingale, are you telling me you intend to murder your new husband if he goes back on his word?”
“A few moments ago, you were outraged at the prospect of him being a monster, and now you are outraged at the prospect of me defending myself.” Christiana spread her hands. “I deplore this lack of consistency.”
Laura gave a very long-suffering sigh. “I see you are determined to poke fun.”
Seeing her friend was genuinely worried, Christiana hopped down from the bed and approached the sofa, lowering to her knees before Laura and taking both her hands in hers. “I am making the best of what is a very poor situation,” she said, her tone somber enough now that Laura looked a little appeased. “He gave me a sense of his sincerity, and his scars trulyareterrible. I can see why he might not want a regular debutante bride.”
“Because she might scream and run away?”
“Quite.”
“Heavens, is that all it takes?” Laura clucked her tongue. “At least you don’t have a weak stomach.”
“Truly, it’s not so bad. Besides, I will only have to endure his company for a year. After, once I’ve launched his sister in London and she is married, I will retire to my childhood home and live out the rest of my days there.”
Laura peered at her, a line appearing between her brows. “And this prospect makes you happy? What of children?”
“I will be content on my own, and I believe he is sincere about his lack of desire for them. Perhaps he is incapable.” He was certainly burned enough for that to be the case, and it excused her from having to manufacture desire or be forced into bed with a man she cared nothing for. “This will make me happy, Laura, or as close to it as I can manage. It’s the best outcome I could see.”
“What of your father?”
“What of him?” Christiana shrugged and sat on the sofa, reaching across to pluck at a candied nut. Whenever she thought of all the ways in which he’d betrayed her, she felt another shiver of anger. To distract herself, she got to her feet and strode to the window overlooking the street.
In two days, she would be married.
In two days, she would be traveling back to Wiltshire with her new husband, and for all her bravado, she knew very little of what would occur once she was there. She knew nothing about Lady Amelia; the girl had lived on the estate her entire life, and even if therehadbeen rumors, Christiana could have given them no credence.
All she could do was wait and see.
“I think I might run away with my groom,” Laura said, so suddenly that Christiana whirled.
“Now you are the one not being serious.”
“I am. Quite perfectly.” Her eyes turned dreamy. “And you know, there are worse things than a bad marriage. I have some money put aside from our adventures, and my dowry if my father releases it, and my aunt left me a sizeable inheritance. We should not be wealthy, you know, but we could sustain a household.”
Christiana gaped at her friend. She’d known—of course she had—that Laura enjoyed her escapades, and she had mentioned the groom on more than one occasion. She and he had dallied a little when she was younger. A stolen kiss here and there, perhaps a little more; Christiana had never pressed for the specifics.
But marriage?
“Dearest,” Christiana said, gripping the window ledge so she could be certain she wouldn’t do anything dramatic in her shock, like fall. “Are you quite certain this is what you want to do?”
“Why should I not? Papa would have me marry a lecher if he were given a choice. So when the time is right, I will run away with my darling Ewan and we will be happy together.” She kicked her legs absently. “It will be a love match.”
“A love match with a groom?”
“Have you never heard of such things? Mabel ran away with a footman last year, you know.”
“And it was perfectly scandalous,” said Christiana, who’d heard of the event only because of said scandal. The youngest daughter of an earl running away with a mere footman. Thetonhad been shocked.
“You are marrying the Beast of Somerset, so I hardly know whatyouhave to say about scandal. London will be up in arms about it.”
“I don’t care what anyone says.”
“Of course not. You’ll be a duchess.”
“And you will be a nobody.” Christiana gripped Laura’s hand. “What about your friends? Your position?”
“Will you abandon me?”