The Duke's Wife (The Three Mrs #3) - Jess Michaels Page 0,49
a wedding,” Ophelia said with a light laugh. When she smiled, it did soften her considerably. “I think you have lived mostly in London, though, haven’t you? At least since your marriage to Erasmus Montgomery.”
Nathan stiffened. He leaned forward. “You know, there’s really no need to discuss—”
Abigail kept her gaze on his sister and interrupted. “I don’t agree, Your Grace. I think it’s very important we address this subject. It is the elephant in every room I enter, and your sister has a special interest in the topic because of her own past with the man.”
There was a slight flutter of emotion of Ophelia’s face, but she wiped it away almost immediately. Still, that brief glimpse of pain was one Abigail recognized. She’d certainly felt it, herself. That was their common ground, after all. At least some of it.
“I can understand why you would want to know more about my past with Montgomery,” Abigail continued. “So did the others.”
“The other wives,” Ophelia said softly.
“Yes. You will surely meet Pippa and Celeste, as they are great friends to me and to your brother. Their husbands are the best of men.”
Ophelia wrinkled her brow. “How could you all become friends, I wonder?”
Abigail smiled. “It is a unique sisterhood that we entered thanks to my feckless husband and his wicked actions. We bonded over our anger and our loss at first, and came to truly care about each other later. There are things I can say to those two women that no one else in the world would understand because we’ve been through a common ordeal. As have you. So I hope you know you are welcome in our circle.”
Ophelia seemed to consider that offer. Then she leaned forward. “I suppose you and I will also share a different kind of sisterhood. Since you are to marry Nathan.”
There was an edge to her voice that carried a warning. It was one Abigail didn’t ignore, nor would she avoid this confrontation if that was what Ophelia desired. They might as well get it out into the open.
Though judging from the way Nathan had leaned back in his chair, covering half his mouth with his knuckles as if he was physically trying to keep himself from intervening, he was less comfortable.
“Yes,” Abigail said slowly. “It is true that you and I will share a different bond because of my marriage.”
“Was that by design?”
Abigail blinked. “By design? You mean…I would marry him to get to know you?”
“No.” Ophelia arched a brow. “That you would marry him to benefit yourself. To save yourself.”
“Ophelia!” Nathan snapped.
Ophelia turned toward him with a scowl. “You asked me to be nice. I am asking nicely.”
Abigail straightened slightly. “You are as protective of His Grace—of Nathan—as he is of you. You two are very lucky to have each other.”
Ophelia’s attention shifted back to her. “You don’t have brothers?”
She managed to keep from flinching. “No. Only a sister.”
“And where is she?”
Abigail cleared her throat, fighting against the pain that answer still caused in her. “She died.”
The hardness on Ophelia’s face fell away in an instant, revealing nothing but empathy and sadness, a touch of guilt. In that moment, Abigail saw the potential to be friends with this woman. If she could get past her trust barriers, a woman like Lady Ophelia would likely be a very good friend.
“I am sorry,” Ophelia said softly.
“Thank you. I am as well.” Abigail leaned forward. “My engagement to your brother was sudden, and yes, it was born out of a scandal caused by imprudence. However, it was never by design. And since I have endured a very unhappy marriage, I am compelled to do everything in my power to make sure I don’t repeat that. Despite the fact that I think your brother is occasionally an overbearing arse…”
Nathan barked out a laugh at that, and Ophelia’s eyes grew wide as she smothered a smile.
“…that does not mean I wish to torture him.” Abigail glanced at him. “Much. We will have to find a way to come to terms and not hurt each other. That is all that I have in mind when I think of a marriage to him.”
Nathan’s expression softened at that statement and her heart lurched a little. They had avoided discussing the definition of what this marriage would look like in the whirlwind of what had caused it to come to be. This was the first time either of them had dared hint about it.