The Duke's Wife (The Three Mrs #3) - Jess Michaels Page 0,48
when you meet her, you will see her character, her mind, her heart. You will see that she is not the villain you have created in your mind.”
“You want to protect me,” Ophelia said. “You must grant me the permission to feel the same desire when it comes to you.”
He sighed, then caught her hand and tugged her in for a brief hug. “I appreciate you riding to my defense. In this case, I don’t require it.”
She tilted her head. “Do you care for this woman?”
He blinked. There was a question he hadn’t allowed himself to consider overly much during the last year. But did he care?
“I won’t tell you that Abigail and I have not butted heads. It seems our pastime. But I have come to…like her.”
He said it and realized it was true. He did like the woman he had once called a menace. She was still a menace, of course…but that was no longer said in seriousness. Perhaps it never had been.
Ophelia pulled a face. “High praise for the woman you shall spend your life with. Nathan—”
He held up a hand. “The banns have already been read for the first time, Ophelia. The second is but a few days away. The marriage is happening, so there is no use in talking ’round and ’round in circles about it. You’ll meet her and you’ll see who she is.”
His sister pinched her lips. “Fine. I suppose I will. Now, it has been a long trip and I think I’ll go to my chamber and freshen up before she arrives.”
She leaned up to kiss his cheek, then turned to go. He caught her arm before she could. “Ophelia,” he said softly. “Just promise me you’ll be…nice.”
She shifted. “Ugh. Very well, I will try. For you.”
She slipped away, leaving him to watch her go. And to grapple with the fact that he wanted Ophelia to like Abigail. Which meant he was far more invested in what their lives would look like intertwined than he had originally allowed himself to believe.
Abigail’s hands were shaking as she followed Gardner to the parlor. He announced her and then stepped aside to allow her entry.
She found Nathan first, standing by the window. Their eyes locked and her heart made the funniest flutter. She hadn’t seen him in nearly a week, and she realized in that moment that she’d truly missed him. It was unconscionable.
He began to cross to her and she let her gaze flit around the room, looking for his sister. A young lady stood at the sideboard, setting down the teapot in her hand. She was pretty, with blond hair and a lovely pink dress that was fitted to perfection. She had to be Ophelia. Her eyes looked too much like Nathan’s not to be. Eyes that bored into her, though her expression was neutral as she flicked her gaze over Abigail from head to toe.
“Good afternoon,” Nathan said as he reached her. “I’m so glad you’ve arrived. May I present to you my sister, Lady Ophelia. Ophelia, this is Abigail. Mrs. Montgomery.”
Abigail flinched at the use of her married name. So did Ophelia, so at least they had that in common. She extended a hand toward the young woman and tried to make her smile bright. “My lady.”
Ophelia looked at her outstretched fingers for what felt like a few seconds too long and then shook her hand. “Mrs. Montgomery.”
Had Ophelia emphasized the name? Abigail couldn’t tell if she was being paranoid or observant. Nathan didn’t seem to react as he motioned them both to sit. Ophelia took one of the chairs and Nathan the other, leaving Abigail to take a place on the settee, staring at them as if they were a firing squad.
For a little while, it was only small talk between them. They spoke of the weather and the roads during Ophelia’s journey from Cornwall. It was a strange thing. Abigail had always seen Nathan as so certain of himself, and yet he seemed nervous as he managed the conversation. She could see how much he wanted them to like each other.
And she couldn’t help but smile, despite the fact that she had no idea if his acrobatics were working. Ophelia was still entirely unreadable no matter where the conversation moved. She did watch Abigail, though. Reading her, she thought. Just as Nathan had done back at the beginning.
Abigail smiled at Ophelia. “You’ve been away from London a while, I think. Do you have any plans for your time here?”