Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The early morning sun shone brightly on Charlotte's face, seeping through her closed eyes. She loved its warm rays, coating her skin and settling in her bones until her entire body felt revitalized and ready to face the day ahead. This morning was a little different, though. Instead of sitting outside on a garden chair like she usually did, she was in a carriage on her way to London.

William insisted they needed to leave early, so Louise stayed with them the night before. They all had a hearty breakfast around six that morning before beginning their trip. Some of that breakfast sat in a basket beside her husband, ready for them should they get hungry.

The chefs had also packed a separate meal for later in the day, so there was no chance of growing hungry. The servants had come to know that she hated being hungry and always ensured she had something to eat throughout the day.

Fruits, cold meats, and cheese were her favorite foods to nibble on, so the chefs had taken to planning elaborate tea trays so she wouldn't grow bored looking at the same thing every day.

Fruit was artfully cut, meat was prettily arranged, and they had even begun working with cheese producers to incorporate different flavors like herbs, pepper, and fruit for something different. Charlotte appreciated the effort and often praised them for their creativity, which made them wish to please her even more. It was a cycle she was glad to encourage.

"Come away from the window," Louise scolded, tugging Charlotte's sleeve. "You've spent enough time in the sun."

"Just a little more," Charlotte insisted. "There's a chill in the air."

"That is why we have a blanket," her sister replied. "Too much sun isn't good for you. Is that not right, Your Grace?"

"Do not pit my husband against me," Charlotte lightly chided. "He can only be on my side. Is this not true, William?"

William grinned. "It certainly is, although I wouldn't want you to grow ill from too much sun."

Louise looked at Charlotte as though to say, "Do you see?" which earned her sister a withering stare.

"Plenty of people work in the sun every day," Charlotte pointed out. "They never grow ill. In fact, they seem healthier than we are."

"They're accustomed to the sun," Louise said. "You're not. Now, be a good girl and sit closer to me. Better yet, pull the curtain and block it."

"Be a good girl?" Charlotte repeated. "You have a lot of nerve, little sister."

"We're only two years apart," Louise said. "That hardly makes me your little sister. Younger and prettier, but not little."

Charlotte threw her head back and released a short bark of laughter. "Goodness, but you're humble," she said sarcastically. "I wonder where you get it from." She roughly pulled the curtain, plunging the interior into a shady and cozy space. "Are you happy now?"

"Am I happy that my sister will not grow ill from too much sun exposure?" said Louise. "Yes, yes, I am."

Charlotte begrudgingly chuckled. "Oh my goodness," she complained. "You're impossible at times. I can only wonder what William thinks of us." She looked at her husband, who only appeared amused. "We're not always like this."

"Yes, we are," Louise argued. "Do not lie to His Grace."

Charlotte sighed. "Yes, yes we are," she agreed. "But we'll try not to be too overbearing and annoying."

"I do not mind at all," William insisted. "You're entertaining. This trip would be mundane without your sibling chatter."

Charlotte smiled at her husband. He was really understanding and had been nothing but kind and generous with Louisa. William wanted to pay for anything they might purchase in London, and had asked Louisa to promise that she would let him know if she needed anything.

That was asking for trouble because Louisa didn't have a good grasp on money. If she liked something, she wanted it—it was as easy as that. It didn't matter if it was too costly. Perhaps being the youngest child made her a little more spoiled than Charlotte would have liked, but she certainly wasn't as bad as other women she'd heard about.

"Do you bicker with your brother as we do, Your Grace?" Louisa asked.

Charlotte's eyes widened slightly. She should have warned her sister not to ask questions about Henry or William's past. It was a painful time for him, marked by much tragedy, emotional pain, and bad memories. It wasn't all terrible, but his good memories seemed linked to his mother alone. Even then, she sometimes saw a look of pain in his eyes when he remembered her.

"Not exactly," William replied. "I didn't spend much time with my brother, you see. We're eight years apart and do not have much in common."

"I suppose that makes sense," said Louise. "Eight years is quite a gap. I would have hated it if Charlotte and I were so many years apart. Two or three years is enough."

Charlotte doubted a small age gap would have weighed positively on William and Henry's relationship. Their father was the primary determiner of their bond or lack thereof, so they never really had a chance.

"I'm feeling peckish," Charlotte announced.

"I was wondering when you would say that," said Louise. "His Grace and I had a wager about how soon you would want to eat." She looked at him. "It seems that you won."

William grinned. "It seems I did. What would you like to eat? Some fruit?" He opened the closest basket beside him and removed a bowl of strawberries. "These are still your favorite, yes?"

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, not responding to his question. "You had a wager at my expense?" she asked. "Pray tell, what did you wager?"

"Just a friendly one with bragging rights," Louise explained. "I said you would wish to eat something within an hour and a half of leaving the house, but His Grace said three hours. It has been closer to three hours."

"Two hours and thirty-three minutes, to be precise," said William, looking at his pocket watch.

"Well, I never!" Charlotte huffed. She folded her arms over her chest. "That wasn't very nice."

William's grin fell. "We didn't mean to upset you," he said. "I like your love of food and appetite."

Charlotte was merely jesting with him but enjoyed seeing him squirm a little. Unfortunately, Louise knew she wasn't serious.

"Do not fall for it, Your Grace," she warned. "Charlotte isn't irked at all. Such things do not bother her."

William widened his eyes. "Truly? But you were so serious."

Charlotte chuckled. "I know. It's a talent."

William pursed his lips as though he disapproved, but he couldn't maintain that expression because he began smiling.

"It seems there is so much more to learn about you," he remarked.

"Charlotte can also cry on demand," Louise added. "She has used that weapon against my parents many times over the years. They have never managed to catch on to the fact that it was all a lie."

"Hush," Charlotte chided. "Why do you wish to reveal all my secrets in one day? William will grow bored with me within the year."

"Not possible," said William. "Your character is too complex to fully understand in a short period. I think it will take a lifetime to know everything about you."

Charlotte looked at him. He appeared serious and sincere, as though his intention wasn't to compliment but simply speak the truth.

"That is the sweetest thing I have ever heard," said Louise. "You didn't strike me as the romantic sort, Your Grace. I see I was wrong." She glanced at Charlotte. "You didn't tell me His Grace was so charming."

Charlotte grinned as two spots of color appeared on her husband's cheeks. "I am still getting to know my husband," she replied. "‘Tis not as though we courted before. We have much to learn about each other."

William lowered his head and shifted in his seat, still clutching the bowl of strawberries. Charlotte inwardly smiled. Her husband seemed a little embarrassed, so she decided to help him by reaching for a strawberry and taking his mind off the matter.

"You can be my table," she said cheekily. "Do not let a single one drop to the floor."

"Charlotte!" Louise cried. "You cannot speak to His Grace like that."

"On the contrary, I am the only one who can speak to him like that," said Charlotte. "We are husband and wife. According to our vows, I belong to him as much as he belongs to me. Since I possess his body, I can ask him to be my table. He, in return, can request something from me, like being his feeder."

With that said, she reached for another strawberry and raised it to his lips, lifting an eyebrow as she waited for him to accept it. William's blush deepened, but he accepted the berry. Charlotte didn't mean to add to his embarrassment; she merely wanted him to be entirely at ease and perhaps even laugh. He was still holding himself back despite joining in the conversation. He needed to be himself if he wished their friendship to grow into something more meaningful.

"Sweet, isn't it?" she asked after he was done chewing.

William cleared his throat. "Yes, sweet. Thank you."

Charlotte smiled and took another for her sister. "Open up, dear sister," she insisted. "Or would you rather I toss it in the air like we do at home?"

"Straight in my mouth like a mother bird and her chicks," said Louise. "The carriage isn't big enough to toss the strawberry."

Louise opened her mouth, and Charlotte dropped it on her tongue to avoid hitting the back of her sister's throat and making her gag. They had made that mistake before, and Louise subsequently lost her dinner.

"Your Grace, tell us about being in His Majesty's Service," Louise asked a moment later. "It must have been terrifying and somewhat exciting. How many battles were you part of? I imagine you made quite a few friends as you would have spent much time with your fellow soldiers and officers."

Charlotte had met one of his friends—Lord Gregory Stiles. He was quite the character and far livelier than William. This made her wonder what made them friends because they were so different from each other.

"Well, being part of a war is..." His words trailed off as he appeared to search for the right word. "It's not something I would want for anyone, although it served an important purpose in my life. I would not be the man I am today without those experiences."

Charlotte understood that being a commanding officer had given his life meaning beyond his father's control. She didn't know much about his life in His Majesty's Service, but she was glad he had somewhere to call home, even if it was likely filled with harrowing experiences.

"What kind of experiences?" Louise pressed.

William grew quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Being with men of one mind was a powerful motivator to defend our country," he said. "I had many good experiences while serving as commander, but war is war. It's a constant barrage of death, even during victories. You gain something, but you also lose a lot."

A pained expression crossed his face as he fell silent. His eyes grew tortured as though he had transported himself into the thicket of a terrible memory. Charlotte was willing to bet it had something to do with a battle he would rather not mention. Perhaps in time, he would be comfortable enough to reveal these memories to her.

William suddenly blinked, shaking his head. "I beg your pardon," he said. "My mind wandered a little. I think some experiences are better left unsaid. I wouldn't be a gentleman if I was so frank with you about everything."

"We understand," Charlotte said before her sister could say anything else. "War is a terrible thing, especially one that has continued for so many years."

Louise could be rather insistent at times and might have pushed William further than he was willing to go. Perhaps it was her age or stubbornness, but it made her a little emotionally blind to others.

Charlotte took another strawberry and held it by her husband's lips. She raised an eyebrow when he didn't immediately open his mouth, which made him smile before he did as she silently requested. William's breath hitched slightly as her finger unintentionally brushed against his lower lip.

She raised her eyes to his deep, brown stare and gulped. Charlotte didn't know anything about attraction between a man and a woman from experience, but she had read a lot about it in books. Apparently, an inexplicable feeling made one notice all the good things about the person while experiencing a flutter in the heart and belly.

Charlotte mentally ticked off each requirement as she sank deeper into her husband's eyes. She couldn't look away. It didn't help matters that he wouldn't avert his gaze. He seemed just as drawn to whatever was happening between them.

"I would give you privacy, but I have nowhere to go," Louise commented.

Her sister's voice was just what she needed to loosen the invisible grip keeping her mind and body from pulling away. She lowered her eyes and sat back in her seat, avoiding her sister's probing eyes. She was more interested in unnecessarily arranging her dress and picking off lint.

"Thank you for the strawberry, Charlotte," William said.

Her head lifted, and she met his gaze once more. They held a question and vulnerability that she couldn't decipher at that moment because she was still coming to terms with her own feelings and thoughts.

"A pleasure," she replied. "You can return the favor one day."

Charlotte's eyes widened when she realized how suggestive her words sounded. They were meant to be light and friendly, but they sounded anything but that.

William appeared taken aback at first, but he soon smiled. "I look forward to it."

Charlotte clutched fistfuls of her dress as her belly quivered in response. They were such innocent words, but her mind was working a tad too much at reading into deeper meanings that likely were not there. Or perhaps she was right, and her husband was flirting with her. Frankly, the latter thought thrilled her more than she expected.

Weeks had passed since their marriage, and their friendship was strengthening day by day. Perhaps this was a sign she was ready to consider the next step in her relationship with her husband.