Page 39

“I suppose we shall.”

She hesitated for a moment, then held and braced her hand along the curve of his arm. He led them to the carriage and helped her into it, settling in the seat opposite hers seconds later.

The carriage began to move, and all he could do was stare at her as she fiddled with the embroidered patterns on her dress. She was clearly uneasy, but he could not fathom why. Although he considered asking, he could not help but feel as though he had been involving himself in her matters too much as of late. They had decided he would be focused on their children, and their marriage would not change much, except that he wanted to be more involved in the children’s lives and upbringing.

However… there seemed to be something pulling him closer and closer to her, yearning for more than the curt and cold sentences between them. It seemed that there was perhaps something more beneath their casual relations a few days ago, but Hudson had not yet decided on what he intended to do about that strange moment they had shared.

Time passed in silence, the both of them contentedly keeping their gazes locked away from each other until the carriage came to a stop at what was apparently their destination.

“Are you all right?” Hudson asked, while they waited for the coachman to open the carriage door.

Anna inhaled sharply, raising her eyes to look at him for a moment. Her lips parted, then pursed together, and she shook her head.

“It is nothing. I am just unsure of what to expect, given that I have not been perceived publicly in a long time. Things are… much different now.” She spoke up uncertainly.

He nodded as the carriage door swung open. “That might be true, but we will be able to navigate the evening without much concern, regardless. There is nothing different about this sort of seemingly engagements. You’ll make some polite but inevitably empty conversations, drink some punch, and go home when you think you have rubbed elbows with enough conceited people. There is hardly anything important about such a gathering – at least not to us. We’re just here because we need to make our existence as a united front clear, ahead of when it will be time for our children to march forward on their own.”

Hudson disembarked from the carriage and turned around to hold a hand out to her.

“And I will be by your side every step of the way.”

Anna visibly swallowed and reached out to take his hand slowly, stepping down from the carriage.

“Thank you,” she whispered eventually.

Hudson nodded curtly, trying to ignore the strange feeling curling around his insides. He could not understand the strange warmth spreading through him as she held onto his arm again, and he did not know what to do about it as he stepped forward to the entrance of the mansion.

The master of ceremonies announced their names and titles, which, just like he expected, incited some surprised reactions. He felt Anna tighten her grip on him and told himself to focus on the night ahead of them, although he could already tell that it was going to be quite difficult to do so.

A man and his wife approached them almost as soon as they had descended into the crowd, and Anna slightly flinched when she noticed them, but Hudson stood his ground, keeping his expression open but mildly uninterested.

“Good evening, Your Graces,” the man grinned as he bowed while his wife curtsied. “What a pleasant surprise. We have not seen you attend such occasions in a little over a year. We had nearly begun to think that the rumors of your marriage were –”

“What my husband means to say is –” the wife interjected quickly, unwittingly saving him from Hudson’s inevitable wrath. “We are delighted to see you both here together. He has often remarked about how grateful he is that he has been able to partner with you on multiple business ventures.”

Hudson narrowed his eyes slightly and realized he did indeed know the man who approached them. His attention had been so focused on Anna that he had almost failed to recognize someone he had worked with for quite a long time.

“Lord Byron, Lady Byron,” he nodded at the earl and his countess in acknowledgement. “Working with your husband has been… an enlightening experience to say the least. I am sure he will be rewarded for his efforts, sooner or later.”

Lord Byron had been making careless mistakes as of late, investing in poor ventures, knowing fully well that they would not yield good returns. He only took such risks because a large chunk of the investment fees was from Hudson’s funds, so his loss would be more than the earl's.

And now that Hudson had made it subtly apparent that he was more or less aware of what Lord Byron was doing, he was not surprised when the earl paled and quickly took his wife by the hand.

“It was nice to see you as always, Your Grace. Do enjoy the rest of your evening,” he said before walking away.

“That was rather odd,” Anna mumbled. “I barely said a word to them.”

Hudson watched them until they were out of sight, feeling a strange sort of relief when he was able to focus all his attention on her.

“Better still. Such cretins aren’t worth your strength or time. Now, come with me. I have a few good people I would like to introduce you too. people who are more likely to help you than leech of you,” he responded, placing a hand on the small of her back.

At first, she flinched slightly at his touch, then she leaned against into it slightly, looking up at him.

“Lead the way, Your Grace.”

Hudson felt trapped beneath her gaze, and when he tried to look away, his eyes fell on her lips, which were torturous to ignore.

“Well then,” he cleared his throat, taking her hand and draping over his arm so she could hold him. “Right this way.”