Page 46 of The Duchess’ Second Chance

She smiled. All at once, she was at ease.

How does he manage to do that? I’ll never understand how I can feel so nervous about him and so reassured at the same time.

All she knew was that in spite of her earlier anxieties, tonight was likely to be an enjoyable time. She wouldn’t have wanted to face this with anyone other than Sampson by her side.

I’m proud of this. I’m proud to be his duchess. It was a startling realization, and a very welcome one.

He led her outside. A carriage stood waiting for them in the low light of early evening. It really did seem romantic, and Amanda’s heart swelled at the sight of it. Rose would have appreciated this.

Sampson held out a hand to help her up into the carriage. If she had thought about this moment before, she would have worried about stumbling or seeming undignified, but none of that happened. She swung up into the carriage gracefully, as if she had practiced it a hundred times, and by the time he joined her, she was comfortably settled in her seat.

And then the footman closed the door, and the two of them were on their own together.

Immediately, Amanda’s nerves kicked back to life.

She stared out the window for a moment, doing her best to calm herself and regulate her breathing. She didn’t want him to see how agitated she was. It would be too embarrassing. But the fact was, this was the first time the two of them had been on their own together since he had helped her to remove her dress. She could still remember the cold feeling of air on the skin of her back, contrasting with his warm hand. And now, here he was, mere inches from her. If she reached out, she would be able to touch him.

She tucked her hands firmly in her lap. A part of her felt as though she might do that unintentionally somehow, might reach out and try to make contact with him even though she knew it would not be a good idea.

She forced her gaze away from the window and back to him.

He was smiling. “We’re going to be the talk of this party, aren’t we?”

“I’m afraid so,” she said, laughing and doing her best to seem easygoing. “But perhaps that’s a good thing. I’m sure we’re already the talk of the ton. You’ve been out and about more than I have since the wedding. Have you heard any gossip?”

“I don’t think they would say it to me,” he told her. “Whatever people think about us, and I’m sure there’s plenty that they do think, they’d keep it to themselves when I’m around. But you’re right enough, I’m sure, that things are being said behind our backs.”

She nodded as the carriage began to move.

“Does it bother you?” He squinted at her.

The question surprised her enough that she paused before answering it. “It does,” she said slowly. “But not for the reason you might expect.”

“For what reason?”

She sighed. “I just don’t like the idea that I’m bringing scandal to your name,” she admitted. “I don’t like the thought that people are talking about you because of me.”

“Well, it isn’t because of you,” he told her, raising his eyebrows. “Is that really what you think? That the whole thing is happening because of you?”

“Isn’t it?”

“Of course, not,” he said. “I’m the one who asked for this marriage, Amanda. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know about that. I think you asked for this marriage because you thought I needed it, not because you especially wanted it.”

“Are you saying that you didn’t need it?”

“No, of course, I’m not. You read the situation correctly.” She knitted her hands together. Why were they choosing this moment to have this conversation?

Well, I did start it.

“I don’t know,” she went on. “I don’t know why I feel this way, exactly. I just think that…I’m not sure how all this came to be. It doesn’t quite make sense to me, and that makes it difficult to know how to feel about it.”

“Well, it’s because of George,” Sampson said simply. “It’s as I told you. We were close in the war, and he asked me to see to his affairs. It’s really that simple.”

No, there’s nothing simple about that. George was off at war, and his biggest concern was me…someone he didn’t even know that well? We weren’t in love. I don’t know how to reconcile that.

But she didn’t argue the point. There was a limit to how much she was willing to invest in serious subjects while they were on their way to a ball. This would all have to be discussed eventually, but it didn’t have to happen right now.