Mother purses her lips, clearly able to ascertain what Letitia is trying to do, but being unable to do anything about it.
Which is clearly my new wife's plan.
"Shall we make our way inside?" I ask. "We should not be late for our wedding breakfast."
"That sounds most pleasant, My Lord," Letitia says.
Mother seems less happy, though I am uncertain as to why. She wanted me to marry, and even if the situation isn't the one she had in mind, the results are more than satisfactory. Perhaps she wrongfully believes that Letitia was trying to trap me into marriage and that is why she dislikes her.
It is a shame that my word seems to mean nothing to her in terms of what the actual truthbehind the situation is. I have to hope that over time, she will come to realise that Letitia is going to be an asset to the earldom, and isn't here because she simply wants to take Mother's place as the Countess.
The second carriage pulls up behind the first, and Letitia's parents disembark, which I take as my signal to lead my wife into the house and through to the dining room which is already laid out for the feast to come. Not having had any input into the dishes being served, I'm surprised to see a baked marzipan swan surrounded by flowers sitting in the middle of the table.
At first glance, it appears as if it is a thoughtful touch given the fact we are all swan shifters, but knowing Mother as well as I do, I suspect it has been intended as a way to display our wealth as opposed to being any kind of gesture towards my wife and her family.
I lead Letitia to the head of the table and help her to her seat, receiving a grateful smile for my trouble. Things may not be off to the best start, but I am looking forward to being able to spend some proper time alone with her where we can talk about what we want from our marriage without any input from either of our parents.
Judging by the way things have progressed sofar, it would appear that they are going to be our greatest obstacle when it comes to our marriage and our happiness.
Nine
Letitia
I enterthe parlour and try to calm the slight nauseous feeling building within me. If anything, I'm more nervous about tea with Lady Swancove than I was about the wedding to her son. And that says something considering how I felt before that.
"Lady Swancove," I say as I dip into a curtsy.
"Lady Cygnus," she responds curtly, a slight hint of distaste in her voice. "Take a seat." She gestures to the chaise opposite her.
I know there is no reason for me to feel as if I have to do precisely what his mother says, not whenthere is nothing anyone can do about my marriage to Lord Cygnus. Even so, I have no wish for my marriage to be unbearable, nor for my life at Swancove House to be fraught with tension. There's nothing any of them can do to annul my marriage, but it's the same the other way too. I can't change it, even if there are parts of life that I'm not particularly pleased with either.
Lady Swancove pours a cup of tea for the two of us without asking how I take it.
I simply smile and thank her, knowing there's not going to be a better way to deal with it.
"I wished to speak to you about the expectations that are going to be part of your life now that you are married to my son," Lady Swancove says. "One day, you will take my place as Countess, and it is important that you start to act the part immediately."
"Of course, Lady Swancove, I hope to be an asset to the earldom."
"Hmm, we shall see about that." The way she looks at me makes it clear that she doesn't believe I'm going to be.
"I want to be the best wife to your son that I can be," I assure her.
"In which case, you can start by acting properlyat social events and not sneaking around into retiring rooms when you think no one is looking." The disapproving expression on her face says everything about her opinion of me and who she thinks is to blame for the situation her son has ended up in.
I suppose to some extent, it is at least partly my fault.
"I can assure you, that is not something that will happen again." Mostly because Lord Cygnus is the only person I have ever done anything so reckless with. No one else held the same appeal to me, though I'm not sure precisely what that means.
"Hmm." Lady Swancove doesn't seem particularly impressed by my promises. "Regardless of what you say, I will need some assurances."
I frown. "I'm not sure what more I can give you than my word."
"Then we shall settle for a threat," she responds. "If you do not behave yourself in a way that is acceptable for the future Countess of Swancove, or if you in any way bring shame to my son or this family, you will find yourself sent to the country and unable to attend any of the social events I've heard you love."
My whole body freezes as I consider what thatmight mean. I won't be able to see Georgiana and Mary nearly as much as I do now, nor will I be able to visit with my own parents. While I can't say I'm particularly close to either of them, I don't want to lose the ability to see them.
Lady Swancove takes a sip of her tea. "Do we have an understanding?" she asks.