Page 27 of To Have & To Hold

He was married.

He had a wife.

There was a time long ago when he had once imagined this day, looking forward with a naive sense of anticipation. But now that it had arrived, he was completely unsure of what to do with it—and with the wife who was still a complete mystery to him.

Nathaniel liked to believe he had a talent for reading people—when you held a position like his, it made your life incredibly difficult if you didn’t. People tried to take advantage of a duke, especially one who came into the title and responsibility so young. But Emilia was a language he had not yet learned how to read. All of the information was there, he just simply couldn’t piece together what it meant.

The day they had met on the Thames, she was quick and fiery; at the Beckley ball, she was uncertain and frightened; but the last few times he had seen her, including today, she had been calm and poised. Her silence contained a strength he hadn’t realized she possessed, even when her eyes betrayed her uncertainty. It was unsettling how little he knew about her, and how permanent a fixture she now was in his life.

He had not intended to leave her alone to dine with Charlotte her first evening in her new home. He had simplyneeded a moment to himself. Before he realized how much time had passed, a servant had appeared with a tray to inform him that he had missed dinner.

Nathaniel glanced up from the account ledgers he was reviewing when the door to his study creaked open. He had expected to see a servant coming to check on the fire. His staff was used to him staying up at all hours, and no matter how hard he tried to persuade them that he could manage on his own, they always seemed to appear throughout the night to ensure he was comfortable.

Instead of a footman or a maid, Nathaniel stifled a groan when he saw his sister’s face peaking from the other side of the door.

“Charlotte, what are you doing here?”

“Me?” Charlotte slipped into the room, her robe pulled tight around her waist, and her stocking feet padding across the floor. “I believe I should be asking you that question.”

Nathaniel arched a brow. “It is my study.”

Charlotte lowered herself into the chair on the other side of the desk. “That still does not explain what you are doing here.”

“My work.” He gestured to the open ledgers scattered across the surface of his desk.

“At nearly two in the morning?” She asked.

“Charlotte, what do you want?” Nathaniel pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing he would regret asking thequestion, but desperate to help her resolve whatever had dragged her from her bed so early so he could be alone again.

She shrugged, “I was hungry. You would not be aware, because you were not at dinner, but Cook served liver again, and I abhor liver.”

She picked a book up off the desk, flipping absentmindedly through the pages as she continued. “I was on my way to the kitchen to see what morsels I could uncover when I saw a light coming from under your study door. And I thought to myself surely he is not…”

“Charlotte…” Nathaniel rubbed a hand down his face. “Is there a point to this tale?”

“Nathaniel.” She slammed the book shut, leaning forward to meet his gaze. “It is your wedding night.”

Nathaniel sat back in his chair, arms folded across his chest. “I am aware. I attended the ceremony.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “So why are you here? Instead of…” She raised her eyebrows and nodded discreetly towards the door. “…with your wife?”

Nathaniel’s mouth dropped open. Out of all the shocking things his sister had subjected him to over the years, this was one he had not been expecting.

“This is not a conversation that I will entertain with you,” he whispered, turning his attention back to the papers in front of him.

Charlotte was unfazed. She leaned across his desk, propping her arms up on the open ledger he was reading, forcing him to make eye contact again.

“Yet it seems you must,” she sang. “Oliver is gone, all the servants are asleep, and the only other person present in this house is your wife whom you are avoiding. I am your only recourse.”

“Charlotte….”

“Do you find her displeasing?”

Nathaniel felt the heat rush to his neck and his mouth went dry. “No. That is not…”

His sister would not let this conversation drop, but there was no proper way to have it. “Charlotte this is highly improper.”

She flopped back into her chair. “That has rarely stopped me before.”