yet. It was still night. She would wake in the morning and realize this was all a nightmare. Then when she did marry Aaron, she’d realize her fears weren’t anything like this.
Miss Britcher instructed the butler and coachman to leave then shut the door. Kitty pinched herself several times, but the dream didn’t dissolve.
I can’t be awake. This is too terrible for me to be awake.
But no matter how much she willed it, she wasn’t waking up.
Miss Britcher opened one of her trunks. She picked out a gown, scanned it up and down, gave a curt nod, and put it in the armoire. She picked out another gown, gave the same inspection as she had with the other one, offered the nod of approval, and then hung it next to the other one. The third gown, however, did not meet up to her approval, for she shook her head and tossed it to the ground.
“What’s wrong with that one?” Kitty asked.
“The neckline is too low,” Miss Britcher said. Without waiting for Kitty to respond, she pulled out a red gown. “This color is inappropriate.” She tossed it to the floor.
“Why?” Kitty liked the color red. It was a vibrant and fun color to wear, and it brought out the color in her cheeks.
“A harlot wears red. You will not play the harlot while you are in this residence.”
“I’ve never played the harlot, nor do I have any intention of ever doing so.”
Miss Britcher ignored her and picked out a peach gown. She hung it in the armoire.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Kitty muttered and glanced at the door. “I suppose your bed is there to make sure I don’t leave the room without you knowing.”
“I am to stay with you at all times. It’s the only way to preserve your virtue.”
“Surely, I must be afforded some privacy.”
“Absolutely not. I take my job seriously.”
“Are you telling me you’re going to follow me everywhere I go?”
“That is what your husband hired me for.” She put another gown in the armoire.
“Can I go anywhere by myself in this townhouse?”
“Not without me.”
“Are you telling me my overbearing husband thinks I’ll have a dalliance with a lover in his townhouse?”
“One can’t tell where a lady might entertain a lover.” She pulled out a purple gown, held it up to the sunlight coming through the window, and after a long moment, she tossed it to the ground. “The shade is a little too dark. Choose something lighter next time, and I’ll allow it.”
Kitty couldn’t believe this was happening.
“Lord Northton gave me instructions to monitor your monthly flow,” Miss Britcher continued.
Kitty grimaced. She hadn’t thought this whole thing could get more invasive, but it just had. “I’m not with child. I’ve never been with a gentleman in that way.”
“When do you expect me to see proof of this statement?”
Was the lady really serious? She was really going to check her rags?
Miss Britcher stopped sorting through the trunk and made eye contact with her. “Well?”
“I don’t keep that careful track of it,” Kitty finally said when it occurred to her that the lady was going to keep staring at her until she gave her an answer. “I go by the light cramping I experience a couple days before I’m due to have it. I use my cloths at that time.” She forced out the last part. All of this was much too personal, much too invasive. And she didn’t know how to avoid it.
“In less than a month’s time, we’ll know the truth either way,” Miss Britcher said then picked out another gown.
Kitty closed her eyes and fell backward onto the bed. She didn’t want to have this conversation anymore. She didn’t want to be here. She never thought she’d want to be back under her brother’s roof, but she wanted that more than anything right now. She’d had moments where she’d felt helpless, but she’d always had hope. Now she had no hope at all. Turning onto her side so that Miss Britcher couldn’t see her face, she gave in to the urge to silently cry.
***
Aaron couldn’t bring himself to stay in the townhouse for longer than an hour, so he went to the one place where no lady would invade his life. He went to White’s. But despite the fact that there were no ladies nearby to make his life miserable, he couldn’t get rid of the sense of impending doom hovering over his head. This must be what marriage was like; a gentleman suddenly