Chapter 6

CHAPTER6

The table was laid out with all sorts of delicacies, even chocolate cake. Edward was told that was Leah’s favorite, although neither he nor she even touched the piece that was served before them. Edward had completely lost his appetite, and the same seemed to be the case for his wife.

Wife.

The term echoed inside his mind, like the explosion of a million little needles, piercing through his every defense. The paper was signed. The wedding breakfast was being brought to an end. The two of them would be left alone to start their new life. Their married life. For the rest of their lives.

Edward felt like his collar was suffocating him. He was barely able to breathe. He tried to loosen it a bit, but that barely helped, because the grip on his throat was inside of him. It was not the result of any tight clothes.

"May the newlyweds live a life of joy and merriment!" Edward heard his best friend, Andrew Gillingham, the Marquess of Coston, announce with his hand holding a glass. He was the only invited guest on Edward’s side. As for Leah, she had her father and Lady Alicia Finch by her side. Only three guests. That was all. Yet, Andrew was doing his best to keep the spirits high.

Leah’s father was the next one to raise his glass. Edward followed suit. He was in no mood for drinking or any merriment, but this was the polite thing to do. Eventually, everyone raised their glasses in a toast, and about an hour later, it was time for the guests to retire to their respective homes.

Edward stood by Leah’s side as she bid her father and her best friend goodbye. He shook the man’s hand and kissed the lady’s. He did not wave goodbye the way his wife did. Then, he saw Andrew off, who was equally polite to Leah, complimenting her and wishing her all the best. The two men agreed to meet up later in the week for some business talk, although Edward knew that Andrew would be more interested in how this whole wedding came to be rather than talking about business. Edward had shared the short version of the story, but Andrew, who had been by his side throughout everything, regardless of the effects it could have had on his own reputation, deserved to know everything.

Finally, when Andrew’s carriage was seen leaving the grounds of the Repington Mansion, Edward knew that he was alone with his wife. He had no idea how to go about this, where to start, what to say. It was all new to him, especially taking into account that they were not really newlyweds in the real sense of the word, excited to spend the rest of their lives together.

"Come," he said, deciding that business would be the safest thing to commence with. "I shall introduce you to the staff."

Several minutes later, the entire staff was lined up in one long row before him and Leah. He introduced everyone, and his housekeeper, Mrs. Livingstone, offered to take Leah through the entire mansion a bit later, once Leah was settled. When the introductions had come to an end, Edward dismissed everyone, and the moment he had been dreading all along had finally arrived.

The easiest solution would be to simply take her to her chamber and leave her there until it was time for Mrs. Livingstone to come for her and show her around. But something wouldn’t let him do that. She was in a new home. She must be feeling all alone, probably as lost as he was. He tried to understand her position, but at the same time, he could not forget the fact that she tried to escape and leave him to deal with the aftermath of everything on his own. He would have turned out to be the monster yet again in the eyes of the ton. He could not have cared less what they thought of him. However, he was surprised to find out that Leah was willing to run away, instead of facing the music that she herself had created.

"I can show you where the library is," he suggested, finding this to be yet another painless solution to their first day predicament. He remembered that her father told him Leah liked to read. "I have quite a selection of classics. I don’t know if that is what you enjoy."

She didn’t say anything. She merely looked at him, unwilling to move. He sighed. "You know, this can’t work unless you actually talk to me."

"Who says I want this to work?" she said, catching him off guard. She had been mostly silent all this time. Somehow, he believed that she had come to terms with the way things were, with the way things had to be. He could see now that he was wrong. "I have to live here with you, but I do not have to do anything else. I do not have to even look at you."

Here she was again, that spitfire he had seen in front of the carriage. She was usually obedient and calm, but occasionally, he could see that fire burning inside of her. He wondered how come she was able to control it so well most of the time. Then, he remembered. Her mother was the adventurous type. Everyone knew that. Her father was the calm, stay-at-home, brooding type. Now, Leah was left with her father. Of course, she was forced to subdue her wild side, because her mother was no longer there to feed it.

"You had no problems looking at me when you woke up that night in my bed," he pointed out, and this statement brought him much more pleasure than he initially thought it would.

"Well, you probably brought me there in the first place!" she snapped back. He had to admit that he liked this fiery side of her much more than the docile kitten looking down at her feet.

"I never laid a finger on you," he said. Then added, just to make her more annoyed. "Nor do I ever plan on doing that."

This time, she was taken aback by this, but she quickly regained composure. "As if you would ever get the chance," she snarled.

"Why don’t you just admit it?" he suggested. "Your father isn’t here. For whatever reason that is known only to you, you came to my chamber, and you started that fire. I do not know what you planned with it, but I suppose I should be grateful that you woke me up in time to put it out before the damage was irreparable."

"You scoundrel!" she exclaimed, her cheeks taking on a crimson hue. Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief, and her chest rose quickly, tightened by the confines of her gown. "I am a lady, and no lady would ever dare to do what you speak of! You are trying to shift the blame now and make it seem like I am mad!"

He inhaled deeply, shaking his head. "Why would I do that? What do I have to gain from any of that?" To his surprise, he realized that he wasn’t annoyed or angry any longer. He was slightly amused but interested in this mystery more than anything else.

"You would not have been able to get married any other way," she pointed out. "Because of your reputation, I mean." Her voice was suddenly softer, much less loud and almost apologetic.

He had to admit she was right. But he was damned if he were going to do that aloud. "My prospect of marriage was no one’s business but my own," he said instead. "I honestly do not mind your nightly visit at all. What I’m deeply interested in is the reason you would start that fire."

"I did not," she tried to reassure him again, but without rage. There was just insistence in her voice, along with something else, something he could not quite decipher yet. "Why on Earth would I start a fire in the mansion where I myself am? I mean, it makes no sense. If I did start the fire, I would not be in there, with it, where I could get hurt, don’t you think so? That would be rather foolish, to risk my life like that... and for what? I still haven’t heard you come up with a single reason as to why I would risk my reputation and even my life to set your mansion on fire with me in it."

When she put it like that, he had to admit that it sounded rather insane. No person of sound mind and body would even consider something like that, let alone go through with it. She was right. But again, he would rather die than actually tell her that.

"This mansion is filled with memories of my parents, of my childhood," he pointed out. "Why would I set it on fire myself? Again, with me in it?"

"Perhaps it was all too much for you?" she said, and the moment those words crossed her lips, she pressed her hand over it. He could just see her eyes wide and curious... and apologetic.

He swallowed heavily. Regardless of everything that had happened, ending it all never even crossed his mind. He valued his life far too much to even consider such a thing. He owed it to his parents to continue with his life and be happy. Anything less than that was out of the question.

"I am sorry," he suddenly heard her say when she pulled her hand away from her lips. "That was a mean thing to say."

"It was," he nodded. "But I appreciate the apology."

"I lost my mother," she added. "I know that pain. I should not have used it to make you feel worse or to win this argument."

He tilted his head a little, as if to take a closer look at her. Only now did he see how breathtakingly beautiful she was, with those deep-blue eyes, those rosy cheeks and those plump lips which he saw pouting so often.

"I suppose we can agree that setting the mansion on fire with us in it was not something either of us would be inclined to do," he said, hoping to meet her halfway. Strangely, she accepted.

"Yes, we can agree on that," she nodded. "None of those things make any sense."

"They don’t, do they?" he chuckled. She smiled back at him. It was a smile unlike any other he had seen, a smile of sunshine in this bleak old mansion which had been chained in darkness for far too long. "Do you suppose we can also agree that we aren’t each other’s enemy here?"

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded again. "But that still doesn’t explain how I ended up in your chamber at night."

"I know," he inhaled deeply, feeling that burden find its place deep inside the confines of his chest, resolute to remain there for a very long time, regardless of what he thought of that. "That is what worries me the most. Something must be happening here, something neither of us knows about."

"Something dangerous," she added.

"Absolutely," he agreed. "The fire perhaps wasn’t a direct attempt to kill us, but it certainly was a threat." He shuddered at the thought of someone trying to kill him. And her as well. Why on Earth would anyone want to hurt Leah? He had been the object of much hatred, but why her? What had she done to deserve this?

Still, he kept all of this to herself. He didn’t want to worry her more than she already was. "Why don’t I show you that library?" he suggested again. This time, his offer was welcomed with another smile. "You can wait for Mrs. Livingstone there. I need to go into town, to see my attorney. When I return, we can have dinner together and perhaps discuss this more."

"All right," she managed to nod.

He could not tell if she liked the idea of having dinner with him or not, but he wanted them to have at least some semblance of a normal married life... whatever that might mean. Then, he remembered something else, something that would probably be of much interest to her.

"If you wish to freshen up, Mrs. Livingstone will show you to your chamber," he added.

"My own chamber?" she echoed.

"Of course," he confirmed. "We are married, but I know that we shall never be true husband and wife, in the real sense of the word, and I want you to feel safe here, to have your own space where you shall not be bothered by anyone."

She thought about it for a moment, then granted him yet another smile. "Thank you," she said softly. He smiled back a little awkwardly, then turned around and started walking.

"This way," he said, and she followed.

He could only hope that he knew where exactly he was heading from this point on.