Winterbourne Hall, England

July 21, 1816

The Wedding Day

Rain walked through the expansive gardens of Winterbourne Hall with a ridiculously large smile on her face. Guests at their wedding breakfast kept stopping her for a chat and to offer their congratulations. It had been a lovely day with beautiful weather and she was happier than she'd ever been before. When she had travelled to London at the start of the Season, she never would have considered she would be the Duchess of Winterbourne by the end.

The sun was waning, but it was still warm. Servants had lit lanterns across the garden to keep the festivities going. By now, everyone had consumed plenty of food and drink, and the mood was merry. She caught sight of her new husband across the lawn where he stood surrounded by a group of men who were all laughing and congratulating him on his nuptials—or offering joking condolences. He was several inches taller than most of them. A veritable giant among men.

He caught her eye and nodded towards her with a little smile, and her insides did an awkward somersault. To think this handsome man was hers now. That tonight she would share his bed for the first time. Exhilaration mixed with a fluttering of her nerves put a spring in her step. So far, they had only shared a few chaste kisses, but she very much hoped he would be much more passionate tonight.

While she had a theoretical idea of what was about to happen, it wasn't quite the same as knowing it would happen in actuality. She was grateful to her brother's wife, Angel, for having sat her and her sister down as soon as Rain's engagement was announced and told them they could ask her anything they wanted about the wedding night and what to expect from the marital bed. Her sister, Nick, had asked a little more than strictly necessary and she suspected by now she knew a lot more than most young ladies did on their wedding night. When her Aunt Jane had given her the official 'talk' last night, it had seemed quite tame compared to the things Nick had made their sister-in-law tell them.

Another glance at her husband. Her cheeks heated as she imagined them doing some of the wicked things she'd been told about.

"Rain!"

She turned around to find her good friend, Dash, smiling down at her. Of a similar age, they had joined the London society around the same time and had been fast friends ever since. He was a handsome young man with windswept dark brown hair and blue eyes, but was a little too similar in personality to her sister Nick for her to be attracted to him.

Taking a sip from the glass he carried, he gave her a lopsided smile. "To think you are now my sister." He shook his head. "I still can't wrap my head around it."

She laughed. "I'm not sure I have quite understood it myself yet."

"I never thought my brother could charm a woman," Dash admitted with another grin.

"Be kind," she admonished but was still smiling, used to Dash's humour. "I think he is rather likeable."

"One would think." Dash lifted his glass in a mocking salute. "To the happy couple."

Her friend wasn't quite himself, even if she couldn't quite pinpoint why. Perhaps he had imbibed a few glasses too many. "Is something the matter?" she asked.

"No. No, everything is swell."

"Dash?"

He drew a deep breath before smiling at her. "I am happy for you, Rain," he said. "Truly I am. I wish the best for you and my brother."

"Thank you," she said, even if she still felt like something was slightly off with her friend.

"I believe it is time for me to charm some ladies of my own." He grinned and, with a quick bow, he disappeared to speak to a group of her friends.

After looking at them for a few moments, she shook her head and continued across the lawn towards her brother. The entire Howerty clan had come for her wedding, and Nathaniel was currently chatting animatedly with his best friend, Wortham—who was married to their sister, Jessica. She could see her brother's face grow red as he obviously didn't agree with his friend's replies. Wortham looked mainly amused, which he would be, as he loved winding her brother up.

A hand on her elbow stopped her in her tracks and she turned her head to see her husband smiling down at her.

"I missed you," he mumbled as he lifted her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss above her knuckles. "There are far too many people in attendance and they all want to talk to me. It is quite tedious."

"It is not a small thing when a duke marries," she said with a little giggle as his fingers trailed up along her arm. As he reached the patch of skin between her gloves and the short sleeves of her wedding dress, she drew in a sharp breath as gooseflesh spread over her arm and up along her shoulder.

"I wish they would all leave," he admitted while his fingers traced a light pattern on her bare arm. "I am not a particularly sociable man."

She smiled up at him. He was so tall she had to crane her neck to meet his eyes. "So I have heard. You seem perfectly pleasant to me."

He looked out over the gathered guests. "Well. I happen to like you," he muttered.

"I'm relieved. Considering you just married me."

The corners of his mouth twitched at her teasing words. "When do you suppose they will all depart and leave us alone?"

"I imagine most will leave already tomorrow. We cannot expect them to start their travel back to London in the darkness." She smiled as he looked displeased at the idea of sharing his home with such a large number of people. "It is nowhere near as many as when your mother hosts her annual Winter Ball."

"That is true." He leaned down to place a chaste kiss on her lips and part of her wished it had been more, but she was also aware that they were still in public, with many curious eyes on them. It wasn't seemly to display too much affection in front of others.

"I believe there are people wanting our attention," Winterbourne said with a wry smile. "Until tonight, darling."

"Until tonight." She watched him as he walked off. She couldn't wait.

She'd only made it a few more steps before the next person approached her. By now, she really should be used to being constantly interrupted by well-wishers. They had opted for a large wedding rather than the usual intimate affair with only family and close friends. Well, technically, her mother-in-law and her aunt had opted for the large wedding. She would have been happy with something smaller, but she didn't mind a grand affair. Not like her husband appeared to.

With a smile, she greeted the man who had come up to her. He was one of the men who had pursued her during her two Seasons. Lord Peregrine, if she remembered correctly. Quite a few years her senior, the top of his head was already thinning, and he was already quite deep in his cups judging by the way he swayed lightly.

"My congratulations," he said with an unsteady smile. "I suppose it should surprise none of us that the Season's most coveted young lady snagged herself a duke."

Her smile tightened. "Thank you, Lord Peregrine."

"And he is lucky too, of course." The middle-aged man chuckled to himself. "All that money. No wonder he married you. Every man in London wanted to be the one who won."

She blinked. "Won? Won my hand?"

"Yes. And no." He chuckled again. "The wagers at White's. We all had bets on who would finally secure your hand in marriage. The winner made a handsome sum, indeed. Enough to make anyone consider marriage."

An icy shiver travelled down her back. They had all been placing bets on her? Winterbourne too? Her eyes travelled across the lawn, finding her husband next to his brother. It didn't look like he was enjoying whatever discussion they were having.

"And Winterbourne won?" she queried softly.

Lord Peregrine let out a guffaw. "Nearly all of them! None of us thought he could do it. Thought you'd find him too haughty and silent. But we should have realised the title would negate most of his faults."

"I didn't marry him for his title," she said coolly.

"Of course not, love." The man gave her a condescending grin that ignited her temper.

"Perhaps you are only sore that I declined your own offer, my lord."

"Ha! No, Your Grace." The way he enunciated her new title made her feel dirty. "You could ask any man who visits White's and he will tell you the same thing. The betting books were full of wagers regarding you."

Any man? She thought of her brother. Of Dash. Had they known and decided not to tell her? Without looking at him, she excused herself to the inebriated lord and hurried her steps to where her brother and Wortham stood. With her pulse pounding in her ears, she caught Nathaniel's attention.

"Did you know?" she asked without preamble.

Her brother's dark eyes clouded as he frowned. "Did I know what?"

"About the bets on me at White's?"

A dark chuckle to her side made her turn to Wortham—her brother's friend and her sister's husband. The handsome earl was shaking his head slightly, an amused smile on his lips. "Of course he did. I had to stop him from beating the man who started the first one."

"Bastards, the lot of them," her brother muttered.

Wortham shrugged. "It's crass, but it's not uncommon. White's has a long tradition of wagers. Some more savoury than others."

"After the first few, I simply had to give up." Nathaniel sighed. "They were going to place bets whether I threatened to beat them to a pulp or not. Why do you ask?"

She shifted from one foot to the other, uncertain if she wanted to share her worries that it might be the reason her husband had married her. It was rather humiliating when she had gushed about how in love they were to everyone. "I only just found out," she mumbled. "It surprised me."

"Pay it no heed," Nathaniel said. "The men at White's will make bets on anything."

"Most definitely," Wortham said with a chuckle. "Recently, I saw a bet on whether Prinny has a tail or not. How they expect to confirm that, I do not know."

She forced a smile, but she couldn't quite let go of the niggling worry at the back of her mind that the money had played a bigger role in her courtship than she would have liked.

"How much?"

The two men looked uncomfortable as they stared at her. Nathaniel cleared his throat. "Pardon?"

"How much did Winterbourne stand to win by marrying me?"

It didn't escape her that her brother and Wortham shared a quick glance. What were they keeping from her?

"How much?" she asked again, her voice terse.

"A small fortune," her brother admitted. "If he cashed in on all the ones he won. I can't imagine he'd be coarse enough to do that. You do realise this would have been the same for any man who pursued you? They all knew about these wagers."

"Thank you for being honest." She flashed another quick smile before leaving the two men. As much as she wished to ignore her new findings, she found it difficult to stop her mind from imagining the worst.

Her eyes strayed back to her husband. A few well-wishers were slapping him on the back and laughing, while he looked like he'd rather have been somewhere else. Anywhere else. He did love her. Did he not?

~~~~~~