"Do not be worried, Sarah," Amelia was saying as she interlocked their arms, "It is only Caroline, Mama and Mrs. Owens going with us."

Sarah let out a sigh and gave a backwards glance to the morning room where she'd taken tea with her new in-laws that morning. Lady Eleanor had planned a trip to town in order to supplement Sarah's wardrobe, which was understandable. Poor Amelia had been clothing Sarah for a week, and Lady Eleanor was insistent that the new Lady Amesbury be measured by the dressmaker in town. A heavy pit of dread had dropped into Sarah's stomach the moment the morning's venture was made known, she was nervous to interact with the guests, with Caroline and Eleanor and especially terrified of what Charles would say today. Things had been left such a mess last evening - their wedding night- that announcing a trip to go and spend more of his money did not seem like the safe thing to do.

"Won't Charles want to know that we're going shopping?" Sarah asked, trying not to cling onto Amelia for the lifeline she was.

The two had been close in girlhood, and despite their time apart, that friendship had begun again with ease. Sarah had always thought of Amelia as the closest thing she had to a sister, and Amelia was comforted by Sarah's genuine friendship amidst the debutantes she'd been competing with and the was grateful for the familiarity she found in Sarah that could not be found in Charles or Henry of late.

"It was his idea," Amelia looked at her curiously, "Didn't he tell you?"

"No, he-"

"Sarah," She spun to find Charles behind them, a somber look on his face. Sarah felt nervous all of the sudden, and involuntarily gripped Amelia's arm a little tighter.

"Give us a minute, Amelia?" he all but ordered his sister out of the corridor. Amelia only smiled, gave Sarah's shoulder a pat and proceeded down the stairs to meet the others in the Front Hall.

"Good morning, Char-"

"I asked my mother to take you in town today," he explained in a voice that was nearly void of emotion as he continued closing the gap between them with each step. Sarah felt stuck to the spot.

"Lady Sarah cannot be seen wearing a housemaid's uniform," he said it curtly, and Sarah did not laugh, "I've sent men with you for the journey," he paused just in front of her now, "You should be very safe," he finished quietly, and Sarah watched his eyes roam her face. Biting at her lower lip she scrambled for something to say, for everything to be better between them again.

"Thank you," she squeaked out, trying to find a glimmer of the man she'd glimpsed behind this mask. He took another step towards her, closing the gap of what was strictly proper between a man and woman who were not married, but they were married, Sarah reminded herself as Charles reached up to touch her face. She had to tip her head back to see him, and she found what she'd hoped for - just a glimmer of care in his eyes as his thumbs ran in tracks up against either side of her jaw.

"You will be careful, will you not, Lady Amesbury?" he asked, in that same gruff and unfeeling tone he'd adopted once again. But the way his fingers held her face up to his, Sarah felt like crying, but she only managed a nod. A moment passed as they stared at one another.

"I've given my mother specific instructions as to what you will need," he explained, dropping his hands from her face, "I advise you not argue with her," he added.

"Charles -" she began, wanting to mend what she'd broken, wishing to reach out to him again, longed to be his friend once more. But when she could not get the words out, he surprised her by taking her the lapels of her coat and pulling her even closer to himself.

"You need a new coat," he was saying so gruffly and softly, but Sarah was so distracted by the feeling of his chest rising and falling under her hands that she hardly minded his words, "Sarah," he added in a gentler tone as he tugged at her lapels first one direction and then the other, buttoning her into her coat as if she were a child.

"And try not to hire yourself out as a housemaid while you are in town," he added, adjusting her scarf with the greatest tenderness and gruffest tone, "Your place is here," he added firmly, but Sarah was so distracted by his nearness, by the feeling of being taken care of by another person after so long, by Charles Amesbury, her husband at that, she simply nodded in response.

Without another word he stepped away from her and continued down the corridor as if nothing had happened. Sarah watched him go for a moment, his words finally sinking in, 'Your place is here' he'd said, and just the night before he'd turned down her request for an annulment. Charles had always known what Broadcroft meant to her, even now he was sacrificing his own happiness to see that she had a home. The very least she could do was not be such a miserable wife, she chided herself as she went to join Amelia.

Charles words continued to roll around in her mind as the carriage took them through the barely passable road to town. Lady Eleanor and her daughter chatted quietly, Mrs. Owens offered up a pleasant comment every once in awhile, but Sarah couldn't join the conversation. She couldn't seem to get her thoughts straightened out, and she had no desire to have new dresses made at Charles' expense.

"You are still unwell," Amelia commented softly from beside her, and the other ladies continued their own conversation without notice.

"You are correct," Sarah said with a weary sigh, "I will be glad when we return to Broadcroft again."

"Charles warned me that you would be reluctant," Amelia said with a smile, "He also made me promise to keep you from being too overwhelmed, so you needn't worried," her sister in law encouraged, "This trip at least, shall be painless."

"Only this trip?" Sarah asked, her curiosity piqued.

"You've been to London before Sarah," Amelia answered brightly, "I find it a great deal less painless than a trip into Woodrow for a morning," she giggled, drawing a smile from Sarah as well.

"I did not know we would be going into London," Sarah said, finding herself drawn into conversation easily with Amelia.

"Of course we will!" her companion exclaimed, "You remember we have a house there? And Charles has spent so little time in society since his return, you yourself have been deprived of it for years I think?" Sarah nodded in response, "Perhaps now that you are here, Charles can be drawn out into society again," finished Amelia, a gleam of excitement in her eye as the carriage reached Woodrow.

"Now that I am here?" Sarah questioned, and then realized she'd been a bit rude, "I am sorry, Amelia, I am just not sure I know what you mean."

"Well," Amelia paused, as if she'd about to say something, then searched Sarah's face and changed her mind, "You are the wife of a Baronet now, my dear Sarah," Amelia's voice seemed oddly stilted but then she added in a quieter tone, "I imagine Charles would take you to China, if you asked it."

Sarah had no chance to respond to that strange comment as they had just arrived and the madame's shop. Sarah and her troupe filed inside and were taken to a kind of sitting room that had tall mirrors and a large pedestal in the middle of the room. Madame Gleason had bright orange hair, and piercing green eyes, and a thick Scottish brogue, to Sarah she looked a bit like a cat.

Amelia and Lady Eleanor settled on either side of her as they thumbed through the book of designs she was to choose from. Page after page, her in-laws considered each cut and ruffle pressuring Sarah to choose this and that. At first overwhelmed, Sarah could not imagine how much money this was going to cost Charles. Her plan all along had been to marry Richard, to force him to honor an old contract, he would've been buying her wardrobe from exactly the same accounts, but it somehow turned her stomach to be living off of Charles instead.

"Ooh Sarah! This one would look lovely on you," Amelia was exclaiming, and Sarah began to let herself be pulled in as the morning continued on.

Madame and Lady Eleanor went back and forth on fabrics and colors, Sarah gave her own input here and there, but for the most she sat back with Amelia and listened to them fuss. It was nice to be fussed over, it was nice to have a mother again, she admitted as Lady Eleanor compared trimmings and sleeves, and then dickered with Caroline on the latest trends in London. Tea was served and the room was warm, and the sounds of women began to hum around her, Sarah began to relax again.

With little effort of her own, Sarah spent the morning Madame's and was then once again piled into the carriage with four large dress boxes and the promise of many more. The coat that she'd chosen would not be delivered for another two weeks, but Sarah wondered what Charles would think of it as they arrived at Broadcroft safely once again.

Lottie exclaimed again and again as she unwrapped the new gowns that had been quickly hemmed for Sarah that morning at Madame's. Choosing a creamy frothy creation, she spun in front of the mirror, wondering what Charles would think of the new dress. Glancing at the clock, she could guess where she might find him. Sarah contemplated the venture as Lottie redid her hair. It had been more than a week since they had last been in the study together, and she missed his company much more than she cared to consider. But if Charles was going to refuse to let her leave him, then shouldn't she at least try to be the kind of wife he might want? What kind of wife did he want? She wondered to herself.