Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"I'm so glad you're in London, Hermione," Charlotte said a few days later. "I cannot tell you how hellish it has been for me."

It was amazing how wrong things could go within minutes. One moment, she was about to kiss her husband and the next, Henry and William had been fighting over her. She blamed Henry for the most part, but William had his part to play. He had doubted her, and she didn't know why. Charlotte hadn't given him a reason to suspect she was remotely interested in his brother.

She had meant it when she said she didn't recall speaking to Henry about going to the ball. In fact, even if she didn't hear anything, she doubted he had said anything about the ball because she hadn't been around him long enough. Henry wanted to cause a fight and achieved his objective far too easily for her liking.

"I hoped you would tell me your relationship with His Grace had improved," Hermione said.

"It did, but..."

Charlotte didn't know what to say, so she shrugged her shoulders and dug her foot into the ground. Fortunately, she wore dark shoes so dirt wouldn't be easily seen. The earth was still slightly damp from the previous day's rainfall, so her foot made a considerable hole.

"Don't do that," Hermione chided. "You'll encourage Luna to dig a hole. She's quite obsessed with them. I hope she'll eventually grow out of it."

Charlotte looked behind her, where Templeton was playing with the Pomeranian puppy. Hermione's husband, Lord Dalton, recently bought the puppy as a companion because she had never had a pet. Charlotte suggested they bring it to the park so it could frolic around because it rarely went outside at home. Hermione was afraid her husband's bigger dogs would harm the puppy, so she never let it out of her sight.

"She's preoccupied with Templeton at the moment," said Charlotte. "She won't care about me making holes with my shoes."

"Still, you'll ruin your shoes doing that," said Hermione. "Now, tell me more about this matter with His Grace and your brother-in-law. Is Lord Henry trying to put you at odds with your husband?"

"I think so," said Charlotte. "No, I know so. He makes me so uncomfortable and always finds a way to be near me. It's always my dear sister-in-law this and my dear sister-in-law that. It's annoying."

"Are you certain it's not just brotherly interest?" Hermione asked.

Charlotte shook her head. "It's not. He has made that abundantly clear. He doesn't think William and I are suited to each other and hinted I should have married him instead. Henry is cunning enough to avoid saying he wants me for himself, but his intentions have been rather obvious. They even fought over me after the ball. It was horrible."

"Goodness," said Hermione. "This all seems rather dramatic."

Charlotte nodded. Her situation was like something straight out of a book. She looked ahead and watched a mother duck and her ducklings enter the river, running through part of the park. Hyde Park was the biggest park she had ever seen and was well-maintained. She hadn't seen all of it yet but hoped to do so with William. However, at present, it didn't seem possible.

Charlotte was still annoyed with him and had not taken a meal with him since the night of the ball. Louise had been understanding and supported her, but she believed a married couple needed to be able to talk to each other about everything, no matter how difficult. Charlotte agreed but needed time to come to terms with the matter.

Perhaps her age worked against her in this instance. She was only nineteen and didn't have many life experiences to know if her method of dealing with something so stressful was working against her marriage. She just knew that she didn't want to be around William or Henry because it caused her anger and pain. Charlotte needed perspective.

"How do you feel?" Hermione asked, breaking into her thoughts.

"I think that is rather obvious," Charlotte replied with a sigh. She crossed her arms and leaned her back against the bench. "Men might be more trouble than I ever thought. I do not know how wives deal with their husbands, especially when they've done something wrong. Do you just forgive them despite your pain, or do you make them understand that their actions hurt you? How do you overcome challenges within your marriage?"

Over a year had passed since Hermione's marriage, so she had to have some words of wisdom to at least survive the first year.

"If I'm perfectly honest, it depends on your husband," Hermione replied. "How understanding is he? Is he patient? Affectionate? A hard man to please? These are all factors you must consider. What has His Grace said since the argument that night?"

"Nothing," Charlotte said. "I have avoided him, but he hasn't made an effort to talk to me or even apologize. Well, other than the night of that terrible argument."

She slammed the door in his face then because she couldn't bear talking to him when she was crying so much. Charlotte recalled coming home after the ball and hoping William wasn't far behind. She had wanted him to apologize for doubting her and understand that Henry was putting stumbling blocks between them. Instead, he returned hours later, even later than Henry. It had been a slap in the face that worsened the state of her heart.

"I cannot tell if he is staying away because he feels that is what he wants or he is doing it because he doesn't care," said Hermione. "I think it's the former reason. I believe the duke cares for you."

Charlotte's heart rose with hope. "How can you tell?" she asked.

Hermione didn't immediately answer but watched a mother and her three little boys walk past them. All three were clutching ices in their little hands. Charlotte glanced at her friend and noticed the wistful look on her face. It suddenly occurred to her that most women would typically have had their first child by now, but Hermione had not mentioned anything about children. Charlotte knew her friend loved children, so she was likely feeling some type of way.

"Everything happens at the right time," Charlotte said.

She didn't dare say anything else because she wasn't sure how her friend felt yet. She could easily explain away her words if they seemed offensive.

Hermione turned to her. "What do you—" She looked down where her hand lay. "Oh. I see." She smiled sadly. "Am I that obvious?"

"Probably only to me because I know you so well," Charlotte told her. "I cannot think of anyone more deserving to have children. I believe you will have them at the right time. Perhaps you and Lord Dalton need time together to build a stronger bond for the sake of your future children."

"But do children not strengthen a bond between a husband and wife?" Hermione asked. "Is it not a wife's duty to bear children?"

"I'm not an expert at such things, but I believe children are likely to weaken the bond," said Charlotte. "Your attention shifts from each other to the children, so if your bond isn't strong, you'll slowly drift apart. Not because you want to," she added. "It's that children are demanding of your time and attention. As a mother, you want the best for them. Even though your husband also wanted them, he might begin to feel neglected."

"But our children will have nannies," Hermione pointed out.

"Will you place the entirety of rearing of your children in the hands of other women?" Charlotte asked in surprise. "You always said you wanted to be the one they see first thing in the morning and the one they see at night. You want to be the one they call when something happens. You said you wanted to be close to your children."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "That is what I want," she said. "I want to be close to my children, but not at the expense of my marriage."

"Then use this time to strengthen your bond," said Charlotte. "Take this as God-given time for you and Lord Dalton."

Hermione nodded, letting her tears fall. "Perhaps it is for the best," she said, briefly touching her belly again. "You give rather good advice for someone so young."

Charlotte chuckled. "It is rather unfortunate that I cannot help myself."

"It is always the one in the middle of a matter who cannot see the solution," said Hermione. "All I can say is that I believe His Grace cares very much for you, and I believe you should speak to him about your worries. Be honest with him about everything. Only then can you make a decision about where you stand in your marriage."

Hermione was right. Charlotte couldn't continue to be angry when William didn't know everything. Their next step in their relationship could only be determined once he learned what she had been keeping from him.