Nellie thought him unattractive and licentious as Charles took her to meet other distinguished personages.
Charles’s mother hugged her and then Charles. “A lovely ceremony. I look forward to spending time with you when you come to Shewsbury Park, Nellie.”
“I hope you’ll forgive me when I ask you a hundred questions,” Nellie said. “I have so much to learn.”
“You shall do very well,” the dowager said. “But please don’t hesitate to ask me anything. I approve of both my sons’ brides. I am hopeful at last of gaining at least one grandchild.”
“Just one, Mama?” Jason asked, coming to join them.
She smiled at him fondly. “I’ll leave it in the Lord’s hands.”
Nellie saw the glance which passed between Jason and Charles. They worried about their mother. Although she was elegant and poised and had cast off her blacks to wear lavender, she seemed fragile, and Nellie noticed again that slightly distant air, as if she wasn’t wholeheartedly there with them.
In the supper room, Marie-Antoine Carême’s wedding cake took center stage on the long buffet table. The English plum cake was a tall affair with stiff white icing, lavishly decorated with French flair. An array of delectable dishes and desserts to tempt the guests’ appetites covered the snowy white linen tablecloths.
When the orchestra stuck up the waltz, Charles led her onto the floor and took her in his arms. “And how are you bearing up, my beautiful bride?”
“I feel as if I have one foot in my old life and one in my new,” Nellie confessed.
He gave a wry smile. “It’s my hope that you will feel more like my duchess in the morning.”
“Your Grace!” she murmured, her cheeks heating. Some guests were now joining them on the floor. Sir Lawrence was within earshot and chuckled.
“You are incorrigible, Your Grace.” Nellie couldn’t help smiling. She was happy. She had not tripped or committed some terrible faux pas. At last, she could begin to breathe. Soon, they would depart for Shewsbury Court, leaving the guests to continue to enjoy the party.
Her first night with Charles. She would try to remember what Marian had told her but feared her anxiety would turn her brain to mush. “Surely I must take Charles’s lead and try not to resemble either a startled fawn or a poker,” Nellie had told her sister earlier.
Marian laughed. “As long as you forget everything Mama has told you,” she said.
Nellie finally had a chance to talk to Marian. “The wedding will be talked about until Christmastide,” her sister said with an approving smile. “You looked beautiful, and you didn’t stumble or choke on the words as you feared you might.”
Nellie smiled with relief. “Where is Alice? I wanted to congratulate her on her poise. She really is extraordinary for someone of her age.”
“Indeed. She was most indignant when Mama had Miss Dale take her upstairs.”
“I must go and see her before we leave.”
Her visit with Alice over, she left with Charles.
He gave her hand a squeeze in the carriage. “Nellie, you’re trembling.”
She huffed out a breath. “It’s been quite a day, hasn’t it? A perfectly lovely day,” she amended, resting against his arm.
His smile sent her pulse racing. “Yes, my sweet. And it’s not over yet.”
“No.” She cleared her throat. “I must speak to my maid. Lilly is from the country and has much to learn.”
“Why not replace her?”
“Because I like her.” Would he expect his duchess to engage a superior lady’s maid?
His answer reassured her. “My valet is a rascally fellow. Although competent at his job, having made it his business to charm John Weston, who makes my coats, Hobby my boots, and Lock and Co, the hatters, he is not what you’d expect. Perhaps because he is not at all toplofty, I enjoy his company.”
“Yes,” she said, smiling with relief. “When one must spend so much time with a person in such proximity, one must like them. I never wished for a French lady’s maid like those my friends choose, although they say the French are tres chic…” At the sudden thought of his mistress, her voice petered away. You won’t hold him, the woman had said. Nellie drew in a sharp breath. “Lilly has much to learn, it’s true, but she is intelligent and very keen.”
“Jane, my mother’s dresser, might be of help.”
“Oh, yes. I’m sure she would be, that’s an excellent idea.”
“You worry too much.” Charles smiled and folded his long fingers over hers in her kid glove.
*
As they traveled the short distance to Shewsbury Court, Charles observed his nervous bride. In the blue and cream striped dress, a stylish bonnet covering her hair, Nellie sat tensely beside him. She always looked beautifully turned out, so it appeared her maid from the country had already learned her craft well. Charles completely approved of her intention to improve the girl’s lot in life. It was a sign that Nellie’s view of the world matched his.
When they entered the house, his staff, from the butler, housekeeper, and footmen, down to the maids and the boot boy, stood on the black-and-white marble floor of the hall waiting to be introduced to their new mistress.
Nellie greeted each one in a friendly, natural manner, which was sure to warm them toward her. Charles approved. A happy staff was an efficient one.
When they entered the duchess’s apartment, her maid was busy in the adjoining dressing room unpacking the trunk. All thoughts of spending a few moments alone with Nellie fled.
“I have some work to do in my study,” Charles said. “I’ll leave you to organize your unpacking. We’ll dine at seven here in the ducal suite.”
With a nod, he left her, noting the panicked expression she cast him. He was aware he’d have to be careful. While they were physically drawn to each other, Nellie was an innocent, while the women he’d known were experienced. He wanted their first time
