"Thank you," Gabrielle said, her green eyes flicking so briefly to Felix that he didn't even have time to smile at her before she looked away again.
For a moment he regretted the necessity of taking her away from her stepmother and friends and out to the estates where she would know no one, but he had already made his decision. She needed to meet his parents - his mother would already be beside herself that he was wed without so much as notifying her - and they needed time away from London and its busy schedule to... connect. Their hasty disappearance would not go unremarked; he was sure rumors were already spreading this morning that Gabrielle had attempted to run off with Fenworth last night. It would be up to their friends to spread the word, far and wide, that Felix and Gabrielle had married immediately and that he'd swept her off on a honeymoon.
After last night's events, such gossip would actually benefit Gabrielle's reputation and make for an easier return to Society in a few weeks. They couldn't miss the entire rest of the Season after all, they would need to put in an appearance before the capital emptied of the most influential members of the ton. By that time, he was sure that his friends and family would have everyone convinced that Felix had been interested in Gabrielle all along, but had chosen to stand back for her first Season, only to erupt in a violently jealous rage when Fenworth tried to turn her head, and had immediately staked his claim in the most legally binding way possible.
It was close enough to the truth after all, although Felix's hesitation in making Gabrielle his wife had more to do with his confusion over whether or not she was interested in him. He wanted a faithful, loving wife... as a rake, he knew very well how bored matrons of the ton would cavort. It was not the kind of relationship he wanted to have with his own wife, especially not after seeing the successes of a love match.
So he had three weeks to whisk Gabrielle away and try to build the kind of relationship he wanted with his wife. Since she had actually been living with a successful love match, he was hoping that she'd see the benefits of such. That she'd tried to run away with Fenworth didn't bolster his confidence on the matter, since Fenworth obviously didn't love her, but he couldn't help but think she was running scared.
Cordelia had confessed to him that she rather thought Gabrielle did have some regard for him, and that was why she tried so hard to push him away. The poor dear was used to being ignored or devalued by the men in her life, and he had done a particularly poor job in courting her before now.
******
Leaving Dunbury house was much harder than Gabrielle had anticipated. She'd already said farewell to Arabella after the wedding breakfast, hugging her friend tightly and exchanging promises to write. Arabella had mourned the loss of Gabrielle at her side for the Season.
"Now I'll be trapped with all the ninnies who just want to speak with me in hopes of an introduction to him," she pouted, jerking her head at her brother, the Duke. The Duke just raised an eyebrow at her and turned back to the Marquess and Cordelia to say something. "Stodgy bore," Arabella muttered. She pulled Gabrielle in for another tight hug. "When you get back, you must tell me all about it. Perhaps you should take notes so that you don't forget anything important."
Trust Arabella to make her laugh, even at a moment such as this! Gabrielle clung just as tightly to her friend.
"Maybe it won't be very impressive," Gabrielle murmured back, hiding her real fear, which was that Mr. Hood wouldn't be interested in doing it with her. Although, from what she'd heard, men didn't need to feel any emotion with the woman they did it with. Otherwise, they wouldn't go through so many mistresses. And Mr. Hood was a rake. He must have done it with countless women.
Which just made her feel sick and sad again. She really must push past these emotions that bubbled up when it came to him.
Giggling, Arabella whispered back. "Well then you must tell me all about how disappointing it was."
"What are you two talking about?" The Duke of Manchester's voice was full of suspicion - as well it should be - as he loomed over them. They broke apart, Gabrielle now giggling as well, a nervous burble of laughter that felt perilously close to hysterics. Arabella's brother was an imposing figure with his meticulously styled dark brown hair and brooding eyes; every inch of him was pressed, starched, and - as Arabella would say - stodgy. Although he was certainly handsome enough to be a rake, and had the supreme confidence of one, he lacked the air of danger. There was something very safe about him, as if he exuded honor from his every pore.
It was a sad joke on him that he was responsible for a high-spirited, mischievous, little imp like Arabella. While they looked very alike in facial features and coloring, they were nothing alike in temperament or spirit. Arabella had been an eager accomplice to Gabrielle's romantic misadventures since her come-out, just for the delight of making mischief and so that she could badger Gabrielle for the details at a later date. She was very cynical about her own suitors and their supposed romantic interest in her.
"I was just wishing Gabrielle well on her journey," Arabella said, batting her eyes up at her brother in a way that she probably thought made her look innocent. Gabrielle had discovered very early on that Arabella was a terrible liar. However, she was stubborn enough to just keep silent about a secret once it was told to her, no matter what dire threats her brother might rain down upon her head. Arabella shook her brown curls at the Duke. "You have no faith in me, brother."
"I have no reason to, sister," the Duke said dryly. His gaze moved to Gabrielle's face and his stern countenance softened. "Do have a good journey though, Mrs. Hood."
Gabrielle jerked, a kind of shock going through her as she was addressed by her new name for the first time.
"Oh that does sound strange!" Walter Hood, her new brother-in-law jostled in to give Gabrielle a buss on the cheek. She smiled at him, although weakly. She got along quite well with both of her new brothers-in-law; they were just as charming and handsome as Felix was, although for some reason they'd never made her heart race like her new husband did. "Mrs. Hood, my sister-in-law. Who'd have thought Felix would be the first to tie the knot?"
"Anyone who's met us knows that I'm the mature one," her Mr. Hood said, stepping up beside Gabrielle and putting his arm around her, tugging her against him. She looked up at him in a kind of shock; the movement had been strangely akin to one she'd seen the Marquess use on Cordelia when one of his friends was flirting with her.
He was giving his brother a dark glare, the way Arabella often did when challenging her brother. Gabrielle had watched the way the sibling relationships worked and she could tell when they were teasing each other and when they were in earnest. This was teasing but... with an edge that wasn't normally present.
Perhaps now that she was his wife, he felt possessive of her?
It shouldn't make her feel happy, but it did. Just a little. At least he wanted her in some way, considered her to be his, and put a small importance on her person. That was more than she'd expected.
"It's time we were off," he announced, tugging her towards the front door of Dunbury house where the carriage was waiting outside. Arabella had been her last - and longest - farewell. "We have a ways to go today, but we can be there before nightfall if we make good time."
"I sent a runner ahead to inform mother that you're coming," the eldest Mr. Hood said with a grin. He was the most serious of the three brothers, probably because he was the heir to the Viscountcy, so Gabrielle was unsurprised he'd taken responsibility for such an important chore. "I wish I could be there to see how you're received."
"I'll just bet you do," Mr. Hood muttered as he escorted Gabrielle out of the door.
She almost balked at the precipice, but there was really nothing to do but allow him to lead her to the carriage and help her in. For all that she'd hated Dunbury House when she'd first arrived, hated how out of place she'd felt, how alone, now all she wanted to do was turn round and barricade herself behind the door.
Why hadn't she thought through the wider implications of what mig
ht happen if her plan failed? Although, even when her thoughts had touched on it - during those few times she'd allowed herself to think of failure - she had never imagined that Mr. Hood might put himself forward to save her. At worst, she thought she'd be dismissed to the countryside, to live out her days in seclusion. It would mean giving up the excitement and events in London, but she'd quickly found that such things didn't mean as much to her as she'd thought they would.
While she'd enjoyed having suitors, loved the flowers and poems showered upon her, especially appreciated her friendship with Arabella, and had even begun to value her relationship with Cordelia and the Marquess, it had all paled when she'd realized that her suitors were probably more interested in her dowry and connections than in her, and that her... attraction to Mr. Hood was not reciprocated. The situation had become intolerable when she'd realized that his regard was for Cordelia, and that living in Dunbury House meant being forced to watch him fawn over her stepmother constantly.
And now he was her husband.
Gabrielle's pace slowed as they neared the carriage; she felt as though the air was made of molasses. Of all the changes her life had gone through, this had to be the most frightening. Her breath caught in her throat as panic welled.
Her new husband relinquished her hand to wrap his arm around her waist, driving her inexorably forward.
"It's too late to change your mind," he whispered in her ear, his voice harsh. Gabrielle blinked back tears that threatened, unable to reply, because she knew that if she tried to speak she'd burst into tears and she certainly wasn't willing to let him see her do that. "Into the carriage."
His arm tightened about her waist, his fingers almost caressing her hip and Gabrielle made a strangled sound as she went from dragging her feet to practically bolting for the perceived safety of the carriage. It was a gorgeous conveyance, boldly decorated on either side with the family's coat of arms to make it quite clear who was inside. The heavy maroon velvet curtains had been drawn back so that it would be easy to look inside.
Gabrielle supposed that it was so anyone who wanted to look would be able to see her and Mr. Hood; another tactic in dispelling the rumors that were surely already winging their way around town. Anyone who saw them would immediately want to know why they were together in the carriage, and where they were going. By mid-afternoon, the gossip-mongers would have descended en masse upon Dunbury House, and Cordelia and the Marquess would be ready for them.
All for her.
Their efforts warmed her while simultaneously filling her with guilt and remorse.
Settling into the middle of the seat, Gabrielle hesitated. She didn't know if she wanted Mr. Hood sitting across from her or next to her. Both had their pitfalls.
He made the choice for her when he climbed in and sat on the other bench, facing her. Unwilling to face him just yet, Gabrielle looked back out the window. Cordelia was smiling at her, in a hopeful kind of way, and Gabrielle managed to smile back at her stepmother. She was doing as best she could for Gabrielle; this situation was not her fault. It was not lost on Gabrielle that mere months ago she would have found a way to blame Cordelia for it anyway. Waving at Arabella, Gabrielle drew out the time until she would finally have to sit back in her seat with her new husband facing her.
Chapter 2
As London began to roll by, Felix cleared his throat. His bride peeked at him through her lashes. The subdued, passive figure that she made irked him. In a pale pink muslin dress to travel, her hair still styled as it had been for their wedding, her hands folded in her lap, she looked nothing like the fiery, flirtatious, sometimes bratty young woman that she often presented to her suitors. She also showed no sign of the compassionate, sweet, and charming face that he'd glimpsed on occasion.
Instead she seemed almost submissive.
While Felix liked his women submissive in very particular circumstances, a carriage ride following his wedding was definitely not one of them. Truth be told, he'd expected Gabrielle's inner spark to flare up once they were alone; he'd rather been looking forward to having her vent her feelings upon him. He wanted that clash, that truth from her. Instead she'd withdrawn inside of herself and he felt as though he was farther away from the true Gabrielle than ever.
The carriage rocked as they began to move down the London streets. It was late enough in the day that a closed carriage with open curtains would certainly draw attention, although the picture that he and Gabrielle currently painted was not what he wanted portrayed.
Felix cleared his throat. "My parents' estate is about a four hour journey from London." Looking at him from underneath her lashes, Gabrielle dropped her gaze again when she saw him looking directly at her. Sighing inwardly, Felix reached out to take her hand. He felt the small jerk of response when they touched, as if she wanted to pull away, but didn't dare.
"I think you'll enjoy the visit," he said, leaning forward, his voice gentle. "My mother will harangue me for marrying without her presence, probably continuously for the first few days." A tremor of a smile curved Gabrielle's lips, heartening him. "My father will just shake his head and let my mother have at me, while sneaking you off to the kitchen for treats. His favorite are Cook's blueberry tarts, which should be in season now." Her smile grew a little bit.
Encouraged, despite her silence, Felix began to slide his thumb over her gloved hand, wishing that he could touch her bare skin. Soon enough.
Still leaning forward, he started to describe the estate to her - the manor house, the summerhouse where they would stay during their visit, the fields of hops that his father grew, the small but well-bred kennel of hunting hounds, the nearby town of Brentwood with its array of local shops and assembly rooms. By the time he got round to telling her about the creek where he and his brothers had played pirates in their childhood, the carriage had left London and Gabrielle's smile was still hovering about her pink lips.
As much as he longed to lean forward and kiss her again, he'd noted how she'd slowly relaxed as they'd traveled and he'd talked, but how she'd tense again whenever he changed how he was holding her hand. Despite her sneaking off to kiss Mr. Pressen during a ball, Felix was quite sure that she had little to no other experience at intimacy with a man. Which both relieved him and made him feel even more possessive than he already had.
After her rendezvous with Pressen, Felix had wondered whether she'd had true feelings for the man or if she'd just been in search of excitement and passion. Both he and Cordelia had noted her need for attention, and he'd decided that she just wasn't very discriminating about the kind of attention. It had been part of why he'd been so indecisive about actually courting her - he wanted a relationship like Philip and Cordelia's, and he knew all too well how easily it was for wives of the ton to arrange affairs outside of their marriages. Felix was determined his own wife should never need to.
Hopefully removing Gabrielle from London would assist him in focusing her attention. London was full of distractions by way of its entertainments and her large circle of suitors. By the time they returned, Felix was determined to have his wife's attention fixed upon him. He needed to show her that she had no need of distractions outside of their marriage, and he was certain of his ability to fulfill her passions and desires... once he was given a chance to.
As he extolled the virtues of his family's estate, he could see her interest, even if she didn't respond. It wasn't until he changed the subject to their stables that she finally spoke.
"I don't ride very well." Her green eyes flicked up to meet his, full of wariness, before she looked away again.
This wasn't a surprise to him, as Cordelia had already mentioned it before. Gabrielle's father hadn't encouraged Gabrielle to do much of anything other than shop, embroider, and manage the servants in between stepmothers. He simply smiled and squeezed her hand.
"You can certainly learn to, if you like," he said. "Some of the horses will be too big or too spirited for you, but my parents always keep at least one or two on hand for learning purposes.
" Of course, anyone in their family learned how to ride when they were small children - Felix had been riding almost before he could walk - but they always kept a few gentle horses in the stable for the less experienced. His mother loved to have guests, and not all of them were able to handle the steeds he and the rest of his family preferred.
Gabrielle just nodded, almost shyly, and glanced out the window.
Frustration built as he realized that was the end of the interaction for her. Keeping his hold on her hand, Felix got up from his seat and slid in beside her, making her scoot across the carriage bench as she stared at him with wide eyes. The sudden rise in anxiety made the atmosphere quite tense as he settled in beside her.
Ignoring the alarm in her eyes, he turned his focus out the window and began pointing out some of the sights with his free hand. Slowly, he felt her hand in his begin to relax again, and her shoulder pressed against his arm as she leaned against him to see where he was pointing. A little surge of triumph pulsed through him.
For some reason, Gabrielle was behaving very much like a skittish horse. He supposed he could understand, as she had been thrust into a new environment and a new relationship very quickly, and he doubted she'd ever been alone with another man. Inwardly he frowned as he suddenly wondered if Cordelia had even had time to speak to Gabrielle about what went on between a husband and a wife. If she hadn't... well, no wonder Gabrielle was a bit skittish. Then again, if she had, that might also make Gabrielle skittish.
Allowing his voice to gentle even further, Felix allowed himself to celebrate the small victories, as he felt Gabrielle's fingers curl very slightly around his own. Not much later, her head dipped onto his shoulder and he grinned to himself as he heard her even breathing. At least he could be sure she trusted him not to ravish her in her sleep.
Relinquishing her hand, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her head against his chest, closing his own eyes. It had been an exhausting twenty four hours, what with last night's dramatics, his rush to secure a special license, and then this morning's wedding. Enjoying the feel of her head nestled into his shoulder, one small hand pressing against his chest, Felix let himself drift off to sleep as well.
Gabrielle's Discipline (Bridal Discipline Book 3) Page 2