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Olivia felt a warm thrill spread through her at the simple certainty of his words.

My wife.

The phrase sounded astonishingly wonderful when James said it. She had imagined escaping Boulton and never looking back, but she had not quite allowed herself to imagine standing beside James as his wife because the possibility had seemed too extraordinary to trust.

James turned toward her, and his expression softened again. "Are you and your sister packed?" he asked.

Olivia rose from the sofa, unable to keep the happiness from her face. "We shall see to it right away," she replied, giving Louiza's hand another squeeze.

Louiza stood beside her, trying valiantly to maintain a solemn expression. Lady Charnley made a strangled noise behind them, but Olivia did not look back. She and Louiza hurried from the parlor and up the stairs, their footsteps quickening as soon as they reached the corridor.

"We are leaving," Louiza whispered, her eyes shining.

"We are," Olivia whispered back, grinning. "And Aunt Jane is going to have to survive the tragedy somehow."

They reached their bedchamber, and Olivia closed the door behind them before the two sisters finally burst into laughter. Yet beneath the laughter was something deeper, something Olivia had not dared to feel until that moment. Relief. James had come for them. He had kept his promise. And in two days, if everything went according to his plan, Olivia would no longer be facing Lord Boulton's carriage to Scotland. She would be walking toward a completely different future, one that frightened her almost as much as it thrilled her, with James, Louiza, and the abandoned baby waiting at the other end

"I cannot believe he has come through on his promise," Louiza finally said, pressing a hand to her chest as she looked at her sister. Olivia gave a breathless laugh and shook her head.

"I cannot either. I kept telling myself that I had to trust him, but a part of me feared I had been terribly foolish."

Louiza glanced around the room and then smiled. "Well, there is not much to pack, since you came here with nothing at all. It is just my things." She crossed to the wardrobe and began gathering her gowns.

Olivia immediately joined her, opening the trunk at the foot of the bed. "Then let us get started," she said, determined not to waste a moment. They began folding dresses, stockings, ribbons, and the few personal treasures Louiza had brought with her, packing them carefully into the trunk while the sounds of movement drifted through the house.

After a few minutes, Louiza paused with a gown in her hands and studied Olivia. "Are you nervous?" she asked gently. "You are set to marry a duke, after all."

Olivia stopped folding a shawl and drew in a slow breath. The thought of becoming James's wife was so enormous that she scarcely knew where to place it in her mind.

"I prefer not to think of that now," she admitted, closing the trunk for a moment. "I want to think of one thing at a time. Right now, I must escape Lord Boulton. Let us leave this place, and then I shall worry about the next thing to come."

Louiza smiled fondly. "I find you a marvel. You can confine your thoughts to whatever is directly in front of you and somehow refuse to worry about the rest."

Olivia returned her smile, but privately she knew her sister was mistaken. She was worried about marrying James, about the baby, about what the future might demand of her, and about whether she truly understood the life she was choosing. Yet Louiza had already endured enough uncertainty. Olivia would not add her own fears to them.

For now, there is only one thing that matters, getting us safely out of Charnley Manor … and away from Lord Boulton.

Chapter Ten

The carriage rolled steadily along the country road, its wheels striking the stones with a rhythmic clatter that filled the silence between James and the two sisters. James sat opposite Olivia and Louiza, one arm resting against the side of the carriage as he watched the passing countryside through the window, though his attention had been wandering everywhere except where it ought.

The entire arrangement had happened with astonishing speed. Yesterday, Olivia had been trapped in her aunt's house, this morning James had arrived to collect her, and now the three of them were travelling north with a marriage scheduled for the following morning. It was precisely the sort of reckless undertaking James normally avoided, which was perhaps why he felt compelled to ensure that the two women sitting opposite him had not changed their minds.

"Are you absolutely certain about this?" he asked, looking first at Olivia and then at Louiza.

His tone was deliberately calm, though he was genuinely concerned. There was still time to turn around if either of them wished it, though James was not entirely certain what he would do if Olivia told him she had reconsidered. He suspected the answer would involve considerably more persuasion than was dignified for a duke.

Olivia met his gaze without hesitation. "Yes," she said firmly.

James's eyes shifted toward her sister. Louiza smiled politely with a nod, and James realized with some embarrassment that there was one rather important detail he had neglected. "We have not formally been introduced," he said. "Have we?"

Olivia's eyes widened, and she immediately looked at her sister. "Oh, my, I am so sorry," she said, giving a small, embarrassed laugh. "Your Grace, this is my sister, Lady Louiza Shirley."

Louiza inclined her head gracefully.

James returned the gesture. "It is a pleasure, Lady Louiza."

"And it is a pleasure to meet you properly at last," Louiza replied, folding her hands neatly in her lap. "I am very grateful that you have offered to take us in. I have heard so much about you."