There was enough room for both of them, but he’d not cause her distress. He’d give her time to adjust to her new home. And a husband. Small steps covered just as much ground—it just took longer.
“Thank you, Cameron.” Her voice barely moved the air in the room.
“For which part, exactly? Marrying you by accident, bringing you safely to the castle, or sharing my food with you at dinner?”
“Everything, actually. I had come so close, but if you hadn’t scared off the tracker it would have been all for naught. I would be on my way back to London to face my sentence.”
“Not to worry. I was looking for a way to get out of my work anyway.”
She laughed softly at his jest. The warm sound calmed him.
Maybe this would work after all. Lachlan hadn’t wanted to marry Kenna, but now they were happily in love with one another. Who was to say the same couldn’t happen for him and his new bride?
Nay, not the love part; he didn’t want that. But having someone to share his life with would be nice. As would the physical aspects. His wife was bonny, and he hoped he could convince her someday soon they’d be good together in that way.
“You haven’t asked me why I killed him,” she said, changing the course of his thoughts.
“I saw the scar on your cheek, and I’m certain there are more. I have no doubt you had your reasons. I can’t imagine you would have willingly given up a soft life as a duchess for one on the run, married to a man you don’t even know, without cause. When you want to tell me, you will, and I’ll listen.” And hopefully remain calm for the telling.
“You’re not worried to sleep in a room with a woman who killed her first husband?”
“Nay. Not at all.”
He heard a slight sniffle and then a louder sniff. The sounds of a woman crying. He wondered if he might have misunderstood the situation. Had she loved the duke and killed him by accident? Did she mourn his death?
“Do you miss him, lass? Your husband?”
“God, no.” The answer came quickly in a voice rough from tears. “He was a monster. I’m glad he’s gone.”
“Then why are ye crying?”
“I never thought I’d feel safe again.”
She was sleeping in a room with him—a near stranger—and yet she felt safe.
“Welcome home, Mari.”
At his words a sob broke out, and he had to force himself to stay put. Eventually, she quieted and fell asleep.
He had just fallen asleep himself, when she woke him with her screams.
Chapter Six
Marian was sure it was a dream. After all, she’d already lived through this hell once. She couldn’t possibly be made to live through it yet again.
But there she was, looking in the mirror as her new maid, Lucy, came in behind her. Marian looked back to her own reflection as she sat there in her gorgeous gown, a garment created specifically for her, for this day. The day she’d married the Duke of Endsmere.
She was a duchess, and as all had told her throughout the wedding party, she was a lovely one. And now, in a matter of moments, she would lie with her new husband and truly be his duchess.
“Don’t be nervous, Your Grace,” Lucy said as she undid the gown and drew the pins from Marian’s hair. “It is not all that bad. Have you been told all that is expected of a wife on her wedding night?”
Marian felt her cheeks warm and saw the maidenly blush in the mirror.
“Yes. I’m aware of what I’m to do.” According to the letter Kenna had sent, they’d had things all wrong. The pain, according to her younger sister, was insignificant, and making sounds and moving were encouraged by one’s partner.
Marian had to admit, she found this perplexing. Perhaps it was different with a Scottish laird than what she was told to expect from an English lord.
Nodding, she imagined she had the right of it. Her new husband was not at all like the men in the Highlands. While she’d tried her best not to be disappointed by his stature, she would have liked to have braw arms to hold her and a chiseled jaw dusted lightly with stubble.
But no matter, she was a duchess now and she would get through this night, whether the pain was insignificant or not.
Throughout her years of training, she’d mastered the art of fitting in and adapting to whatever environment she was exposed to. Tonight would be the same. She would follow along with her husband and make him happy. If it was truly pleasurable as Kenna had sworn, she would be happy in it as well. Though she couldn’t imagine it as so.
The duke—Mathias, she could call him now that they were wed—seemed much too serious to enjoy the bedding. Certainly someone of his standing wouldn’t fall victim to his baser needs. Dukes were beyond lust.
Throughout their wedding, and the meal that followed, he’d hardly looked at her. His thin lips stayed firmly in a straight line that appeared neither happy at the occasion nor displeased. He was simply there.
The few times she’d attempted conversation he hadn’t said more than a few terse words. Eventually he’d frowned at her impertinence and she’d tried no more.
Theirs was not a love match. He’d checked her over during her visit at court like a prized gelding and had written her a few short notes to determine her willingness to marry him. Everything seemed rather cold, but she hadn’t expected anything different.
She’d been prepared for this duty since she was a girl. With her nerves in check, she donned her fancy new night rail, frowning at the low cut of the neckline. It was obviously created to entice a man, with strategically placed areas where only lace covered her bare skin. One such place exposed her navel, and
