Page 20 of A Necessary Wife

“I’m so pleased to hear it.” However, Amelia’s smile faded by degrees. She gulped. “I am glad you both passed a better night than the ones before.”

The duchess gestured to the other chairs. “Please, won’t you sit with us? The servants will get you anything you want.”

“I’d be happy to,” Amelia said, but she turned to fuss over getting the children settled first and then helping them choose food for their plates.

Milo waited for Amelia to finish with them, then pulled out a chair for his bride, taking the one beside her for himself. It occurred to him, as he reached for the teapot, that he had no idea how she liked her tea yet. He glanced at her with one brow raised.

“Black with a hint of milk,” she whispered.

Father snorted his displeasure at the proof that Milo hardly knew his new wife. A complaint he’d thrown out multiple times the day before.

Milo poured a cup of tea and some for himself, as well. He reached for the milk and added a healthy drop to her cup as well. She was quick to take a sip and then set the cup aside. Amelia then devoted herself to ensuring the children paid attention to their manners, ignoring the frost emanating from his father.

Milo glanced at his younger brother. “And how is Charlie this morning?”

“He’s in much better spirits than the day before,” Gillian murmured, and then sighed. “Perhaps it is on account of the stern lecture his older brother gave him yesterday.”

“I do hope he heeds all my warnings,” Milo answered, laughing softly as he accepted food from several dishes offered to him. “After breakfast, I plan to take Amelia and the children to visit Jessica and Mr. Whitfield at Quigley Hill.”

“A very good idea,” Gillian agreed. “We cannot count on Jessica visiting us every day of late, even with this party of ours, and she will enjoy being the second to know your news. Luckily, our guests are all to take breakfast in their rooms this morning. Perhaps luncheon or even dinner tonight would be the perfect occasion to announce your good news to everyone else.”

Milo nodded, but a grand announcement wasn’t what he’d hoped for or told Amelia to expect. “Perhaps.”

He fell to eating, noticing belatedly that Amelia was only picking at her food. She was too intent on ensuring the children ate neatly or had father’s welcome spoiled her appetite?

Father threw his fork down as soon as the children declared they were no longer hungry. He gestured to a nearby servant to come closer. “Take the children outside to play by the pond but watch over them closely. We will continue our discussion from yesterday,” Father announced.

Amelia shifted in her chair, clearly disliking his ordering the children away but wise enough not to protest yet. Father had a bee in his bonnet still and it would be best if the air was cleared as soon as possible.

Milo glanced sideways at his children as they obediently departed the room with a servant looking sad for their exclusion. He winked at them and promised to come and find them soon. Yesterday’s discussion with father was the first major disagreement he’d had in years, and Milo had hoped it was done with quicker than last time.

Amelia was the woman he had chosen to marry—not a love match.

He covered Amelia’s hand with his, noticing it was cold. “There is nothing further to be discussed, Father.”

“This marriage is a mistake that you will regret,” Papa warned.

“So you said yesterday.” Amelia’s hand twitched under his, but he kept a firm hold on her. “If Amelia accepted my proposal, I do not see why you can not. It should not matter to anyone else what I’ve done or why either,” he answered evenly.

Father glared. “It is unbelievable, after all you’ve said on the subject of women and wives of late, to have taken this woman—a near stranger—to be your bride.”

The duchess put out her hand to cover Father’s, clearly uncomfortable with the renewed discussion underway. “It is done, my dear. It was always his decision to make.”

“What I want to know is whether she left him no choice.”

Amelia reclaimed her hand and her eyes flashed with irritation. “I beg your pardon?”

“Well, there must be a good reason for my heir to propose to someone once embroiled in a scandal that forced her own family to shun her,” the duke exclaimed.

“Father have a care for how you speak to my wife,” Milo growled. “It was Amelia who was betrayed by her beau and her own sister.”

“I did not expect a proposal from your son,” Amelia shot back, refusing to be cast as a villain or ignored. “In fact, I was more surprised than you must be and I refused him, too.”

“And yet you are wed.”

Milo wasn’t about to let his wife defend herself alone or explain how he’d haggled like a fishwife to get her to accept. That was between them. “Remarriage was a matter I gave much thought to over the holiday while I was here with you last.”

Father gaped. “You never told me that.”