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“Well, I am setting off for London this afternoon,” he said. “I could go to your cottage on my way back. I will have Ernest and two of the footmen meet me there. Do you think one carriage will do, or shall we bring two?”

“I would say two, because I have a multitude of potted plants that I wish to bring back. How are you to know what to bring?”

“You could give me a list,” he said.

She paused and looked down at the small bundle in her arms.

“I should really not like to leave her quite so soon. Well, I shall make a list and give it to you. But did you say you are going to London?”

“Yes,” he said. “I keep a townhouse there.”

“You can travel?” she asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

“Well, yes. I traveled to your home. London is merely two hours away. And I know you have not been there in some time, but I assure you they have both daytime and nighttime. And there is rather a lot to do there after dark.”

She nodded. “I simply thought that you did not venture that far. That is all.”

“I do not ordinarily. Parliament is held at unreasonable hours, and I am unable to attend. But I do have a townhouse there, and I travel there on occasion. My physician is there as well.”

“I see,” she replied. “And how long do you think you might be gone?”

He shrugged. “A few days.”

He had no need to go to London, and he hadn’t visited his physician in years. Usually, when he went to the townhouse, it was merely because he wished for a change of scenery.

And because there truly was more to do after dark.

He enjoyed walking in Hyde Park or Green Park, or sometimes even along the bustling streets of St James’s. The anonymity there was pleasant. Nobody knew who he was unless he announced himself, and if he had been careful not to go out in the sun the day before, he looked much like anyone else, apart from the large hat.

“Very well,” she said. “I shall have a list ready, and I thank you.”

He nodded. “It is my pleasure,” he said, though it really wasn’t.

“Once all of my plants are here, I shall start decorating the house. Another reason why we shall need more light. Plants need light.”

“I suggest you put your plants on the windowsills, then. That way, they will always have light.”

She opened her mouth, and he knew she was trying to start another debate, but he shook his head and bade her farewell, leaving behind her and the myriad other changes she likely wished to force upon him.

Fifteen

Ambrose had been gone for two days, and Marina had to admit that not having him there had been rather odd. It was strange not to have one’s husband at home so soon after the wedding, but at the same time, it had been pleasant not to have to worry that he’d come in, complaining about the light streaming in.

Marina pulled open the curtains leading to the balcony, unable to control her glee. Sunshine poured in, along with crisp, snowy air that felt perfect for the weeks before Christmas. She stood still for a moment, breathing deeply. She stepped forward, resting both hands upon the railing, and the warmth caressed her fingers, bringing a pleased smile to her lips.

“For the thirty years I have been serving here, Your Grace, this is the first time I have ever seen these windows and doors opened in the daytime,” Mrs. Dalton observed behind her, her tone astonished and respectful at the same time.

She turned toward the older woman standing a few steps away. Her neat uniform was immaculate, and in her hands rested two small vases of lavender and rosemary. Marina smiled at her before walking closer and taking them from her.

“These are rather heavy,” Marina murmured with a soft grunt of effort.

“You ought not to be moving them on your own, Your Grace. You are a duchess now,” Mrs. Dalton chided.

“I know, but I am rather used to doing everything by myself,” she explained.

She turned and placed both vases beneath the sunlight, arranging them against the railing. The lavender looked particularly pitiful, its delicate leaves shrunken from being kept so long in the gloom of the manor.

“Perfect,” she declared with tender satisfaction, touching one of the tiny leaves. “Now, they will live longer.”