“He’s not used to women saying no to him,” Aurora said. “You were a challenge, I suppose.”
I wasn’t sure if she meant it as a compliment, but it sure didn’t sound like one. The way Ryder had described their relationship was that she and her family had been keen for Aurora and Ryder to marry but there hadn’t been any affection between them. That might be true for Ryder, but it was clear from the adoration in Aurora’s eyes that what she felt was real.
After the soup was the pheasant, which was a just like chicken. I wasn’t sure what to expect so was grateful for it to taste so familiar. Each course was served on beautiful china, beautifully presented, and tasted delicious. It was just like a restaurant meal. Did they ever just order Chinese food?
“You okay?” Ryder asked quietly as the rest of the table talked. He shifted his seat slightly toward me and put his hand on my leg. “You’re fitting right in. You had nothing to be concerned about. You see?”
“A little,” I said, patting his hand. He laced our fingers together.
“You do look really beautiful tonight, Scarlett.”
“We didn’t get a chance to see your ring,” Victoria said, interrupting Ryder’s easy charm.
I pulled my hand from Ryder and held it up, flat against my chest, not wanting to hold my hand out.
“Oh, it’s new, is it?” she asked, reaching for her wine glass and flashing her own antique wedding ring. “I thought Ryder may have given you his grandmother’s. She left it to him, you know.”
“Victoria,” Ryder growled.
“What? It’s a simple observation.”
Victoria was clearly trying to make a point, but she didn’t realize that far from causing trouble for Ryder and me, our arrangement made comments like that simply amusing.
“I’m sure such a young, pretty thing like Scarlett doesn’t want an old-fashioned ring like the duchesses’ canary diamond ring. Fashions change, isn’t that right, young lady?” the duke asked, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
I didn’t know how to react. Would I be insulting his dead wife’s taste if I agreed with him?
“I didn’t want her to feel obligated to accept an heirloom simply because she loves me,” Ryder said as he stretched out his arm along the top of the chair behind me.
Victoria rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything.
“Are you planning to move back and live here?” Aurora asked, clearly trying to change the subject. “You know, after the wedding.”
“We’ll spend time here, but our lives are in Manhattan,” Ryder replied. I took another gulp of wine and almost instantly Lane refilled my glass.
“But you won’t come back to run the estate?” Victoria asked as if the mere idea was ludicrous.
Ryder fisted his hands. “Things remain as they are—grandfather runs the estate and Darcy assists him.”
Victoria was speaking as if the duke was already dead. It was my turn to reach across to Ryder’s lap. He brought his hand down to meet mine and we linked fingers, acting like the newly engaged couple we were pretending to be. Except, I wasn’t acting. I genuinely wanted to soothe him. Whether or not she knew it, Victoria was being insensitive.
“Are you going to Scotland for your honeymoon?” Frederick asked, as if his wife hadn’t just speculated about the consequences of the duke’s death.
Honeymoon? We hadn’t even discussed it.
I took the opportunity to speak so Ryder didn’t snap at Victoria. “We’re spending a week here and then flying back to Manhattan. There will be plenty of trips during the course of our marriage, but being here with the duke after his fall is what we both want to do now.”
I’d thought we’d prepared well but I couldn’t wait to escape back to our bedroom, for it just to be the two of us again. At least there I could relax and just be me for a few hours.
“Are we shooting tomorrow?” Frederick asked Ryder.
Shooting? Was I being left on my own tomorrow?
“Let’s see what the weather does—Merriman may need us,” Ryder replied.
“He won’t let us take the deer anymore, which is a shame,” Frederick said as he placed his napkin alongside his empty plate and sat back in his chair.
“That’s because you’re a terrible shot,” Ryder replied.
“Now, now, boys,” the duke said. “There’s always plenty of pheasant. What will the girls do if the boys are shooting?”
“Maybe we’ll go shooting, too,” Darcy replied.
The duke chuckled. “Oh yes, well, you are just as good a shot as anyone, Darcy. But Scarlett might not want to join in.”
“I don’t mind,” I said. As much as I didn’t want to be murdering deer or anything else, I wanted to be away from Ryder even less. “I’ll probably have horrible jet lag anyway. I can catch up on my sleep.”
“Did you bring your dress?” Darcy asked.
I nodded. “Yes, I need to make sure it survived the journey.” I’d bought the dress with Harper two days before I’d left New York. It was off the rack, which had felt appropriate for our business arrangement, but fit as if it had been made for me.
“I can’t wait to see,” she said. “Maybe you can show me and then we can go get pampered. Do pre-wedding body prep. There’s a hotel with a great spa about ten miles from here.”
“I love it there,” Aurora said.
“We should all go. We can get to know you better,” Victoria said.
“Let’s just see, shall we?” Ryder said. “Scarlett and I both have jobs to check in on.”
Thank God. Today had been overwhelming enough without the thought that I’d have to spend tomorrow with Victoria without him.
We were a team and I didn’t want us split up. I hadn’t known him long, but so far he’d kept his word on absolutely everything he’d promised. And his sister and grandfather clearly adored him.
When it came to husbands, I’d chosen worse.
I came out of the bathroom to find Ryder lying on the bed, his jacket off, his bowtie undone and his shoes kicked off to the floor, but otherwise still fully clothed.
An uncomfortable dinner, jet lag and the stress of being on display all evening had taken their toll. I was exhausted.
“You did really well tonight,” he said, propping his head up on his hand as I walked to the other side of the bed.
I shook my head. “It was a lot to take in. Thank God for you,” I said, climbing up onto the mattress that came up to my hip. “I think Victoria was out for blood.” I lay back on the pillows and sank into the bed.
“Yeah, she’s clearly not happy.”
I chuckled. “I can’t believe she said that thing about who was going to run the estate. It was so disrespectful.”
“That’s what she’s like. Her eye has always been on the prize—Woolton—then you waltz in ready to take that away from her, and looking like you do.”
What was he saying?
“You’re very beautiful, Scarlett,” he said, his finger trickling down the side of my arm.