Page 55 of The Odyssean Duke

Evelina nodded. “Yes, that would be good.”

She would rest and compose herself. By the time Stephan returned from his club, Evelina had resolved to have all her thoughts in order and all her hesitations vanquished. It was a good plan. She could do this. Shecould.

Evelina managed a shaky smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Newbury. You have been…most helpful today.”

Mrs. Newbury’s face brightened, as if Evelina had just given her the entire world. A spark of guilt twinged in her chest, for she had done nothing to deserve that joyful, gentle look. After having breakfast, Evelina had wandered around the townhouse, spoken to the Dowager Duchess of Rothbury, and retreated to the gardens, where she had stayed for hours in the cold. She was a failure of a duchess, a woman who had accomplished very little on her first full day as the mistress of the house.

“If there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask,” Mrs. Newbury said. “We are so pleased to have you here, Your Grace, and I know that all the staff just wants to see you happy here.”

Evelina paused, considering the woman for a moment. “I suppose you are acquainted with the Dowager Duchess of Rothbury.”

A flicker of hesitation appeared in Mrs. Newbury’s face. “I am, Your Grace.”

“She seems…” Evelina trailed off, the thought falling apart.

Evelina was so very tired, and she did not even remember what she had been going to ask Mrs. Newbury. What would the woman have to offer, anyway? She likely knew as much about the Dowager Duchess of Rothbury as Evelina did.

“She is a powerful woman,” Mrs. Newbury offered.

“What a tactful answer,” Evelina murmured.

There was no denying that Her Grace was powerful, which made her presence in the house all the more worrisome. Evelina had been careful in making her arrangements with Stephan, but a knot of uncertainty twisted in her stomach. What if she had made an error of some kind? What if Her Grace was cleverer than Evelina was and had already uncovered some fatal flaw in Evelina’s plans?

Mrs. Newbury said nothing, but she looked guilty, as though there was more she wished to offer, but she did not know how. “I am sorry, Your Grace.”

“No matter,” Evelina said. “Enjoy your evening.”

As she walked to the house, her limbs were leaden. Her exhaustion was like a physical weight, pressing mercilessly down on her. She ached as she climbed the stairs. It was not the pleasant ache she had felt when she was with Stephan in the bedroom, but a deep-seated pain that sank all the way down to her bones.

With every passing moment, she felt worse and worse. Evelina walked into her bedroom, her chest burning and her breath coming in harsh, uneven pants. She stumbled to her bed and rolled onto her back, her chest heaving. Evelina was disoriented and uneven, her thoughts stumbling over one another.

She was unwell.

Evelina groaned and rolled onto her side. She had not even removed her gown. Evelina swallowed hard and considered calling for Helena, her lady’s maid, but she did not wish to be a burden. If Evelina did not have her independence, she had nothing. Even if she was a little sick, there was no reason that she could not undress herself.

“You can do this,” she murmured, stumbling from the bed.

Evelina’s hands shook as she removed her gown and fumbled with the familiar laces of her stays. She tossed both garments onto the floor, her entire body shivering so badly that Evelina was a little surprised to find herself still capable of standing.

She climbed into the bed and heaved the bed linens over her cold, trembling body.

I am sicker than I originally assumed.The thought came to her from a fog of confusion and fragmented feelings.That is most unfortunate.

Evelina smothered an exhausted laugh and closed her eyes. Maybe she would feel better after rest. She had to recover by the time her husband returned, after all. Evelina had already decided upon that. She had to recover, so they could properly consummate the marriage.

Then, she would be a step closer to having the child she had always wanted.

CHAPTER 24

By the time Stephan returned to the house, his blood roared in his ears like waves crashing against the shore. He was gripped in the strangest of contradictions, excited to be with his wife and pull her into his arms and bone-weary. A strange exhaustion crept inside him, a lethargy he recognized from the brandy he had consumed earlier.

It was nearly midnight, and the house was quiet. Stephan frowned, weighing his desire for Evelina against reason. What if the woman had already gone to bed? It would be unkind of him to rouse her. On the other hand, maybe Evelina was wide awake and waiting for him. He had given her an entire day to think about their inevitable congress and to prepare herself for it.

He would simply look; he decided. Stephan would simply open the door to her bedchamber and see if she was awake, and if she slept soundly, he would leave. That was the kindly thing to do—the gentlemanly thing.

Stephan desperately hoped she was awake. His entire body grew hot as he thought of her spread naked over the bed linens. She could do this;theycould do this. He only had to coax her into it, and after they had their amorous encounter together, Stephan was certain that she would not regret her decision. She would want to try again and again until an heir was produced.

He opened her bedchamber door, wincing as the door creaked. Stephan slipped inside, his eyes sweeping over the darkness. His eyes settled on the massive four-posted bed. There was Evelina, her soft form wrapped in the bedlinens. He stepped closer, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light.