and Robert intended to marry, Athena had no time to herself whatsoever. Every second of every day was filled with visits to various shops: florists, milliners, confectioners, modistes, haberdashers, and even goldsmiths. Never in her life had she imagined how much work went into becoming a wife. According to her mother, her sister, and her three sisters-in-law, she needed monogrammed bed sheets and towels, new day dresses and evening gowns. When Athena protested, they told her the clothes she currently owned wouldn’t do.
“You shall be a married woman,” Sarah said, “and as such, you will be permitted to wear brighter colors.”
Athena could only sigh while the whirlwind continued around her. There were silk chemises and velvet robes, embroidered stockings trimmed with Belgian lace and ribbon, stays crafted from slippery satin, and they’d not even started discussing her wedding gown. It was exhausting.
Drumming her fingers against a bolt of fabric while her mother informed the third dressmaker they’d seen in the space of a week of a riding habit that simply had to be ready within the next fortnight, Athena decided she’d had enough. This wasn’t her, and she was fairly certain Robert wouldn’t give two figs about seeing her trussed up in some feminine concoction fit for a courtesan. But she believed there might be something else he’d like.
So she stood and went to join her mother. She waited patiently for her to finish the description of all the frog closures she wanted to line the front of Athena’s jacket, how they had to match the trim and the black feather in the ridiculous hat she wanted to order, before telling the modiste, “Since my mother insists upon this order, you must make it, even if I have no intention of ever putting it on.”
“Athena,” her mother hissed.
“I do not ride sidesaddle, Mama, and what you’re describing would be incredibly impractical for anything else.”
“But—”
“All I want is a shirt.”
“A shirt?” her mother sputtered.
“Madame,” Athena said, addressing the modiste, “I have a penchant for wearing breeches. From what I have gathered, my future husband likes the way I look in them, so a shirt – something light and airy, cut in a masculine style but with a feminine touch meant to entice, would be splendid.”
The dressmaker gave her a sly smile. “A translucent white muslin shirt with stays to match would surely entice any man. Perhaps with a sleeveless gown worn over it. I trust your breeches are snug?”
“I have them on underneath my dress so I can easily show you,” Athena said with a grin while her mother groaned in horror. “If you think you can make a better pair, I’ll happily add it to my order.”
Two weeks later, Athena met Robert for a walk in the park. He’d visited Townsbridge House a number of times for dinner, but this was a chance for them to speak more freely, without her family hovering nearby. Instead, a maid followed at a respectable distance.
“I cannot wait for this precise hour the day after tomorrow,” she said, “because then you and I shall be married, and the hell I’ve been subjected to these past few weeks will be over.”
“Has it really been so bad?” he asked.
She gave him a dry look. “We ought to trade places and then revisit that question.”
He grinned. “Just wait until my mother arrives tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll want to take you out too. In fact, she writes that she’s very excited to see you again.”
Athena winced. She’d not seen the dowager marchioness since being ushered out of her home with several heartfelt apologies spoken from Athena’s father. “Do you truly think so?”
His arm wound around her and pulled her close in a show of affection that wasn’t the least bit proper in public. Certainly not by an unmarried couple. “With Papa gone, her greatest wish is for me to be happy.”
“Will she be staying at Mivart’s as well?” Athena asked in reference to the hotel. Since Robert had let the London mansion he’d been bequeathed as part of his inheritance, he’d chosen to rent a room for the duration of his stay in London.
“No. She prefers to visit with her sister instead.”
“You do not wish to join her?”
“As fond as I am of my aunt, she would only want to dictate every hour of my day. Staying at Mivart’s allows me to retain my independence. And privacy.”
“Ah,” Athena sighed. “How I envy the privilege of being a man.”
“And how delighted I am by the fact that you’re not