My Wife, My Rules – 8. chapter

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Tess woke into muted silence. It took her a few seconds to understand where she was. The carriage. She was still in the carriage. She sat on the hard, padded bench which, after so many hours, felt as hard as the floor. Slowly she straightened. Something was wrong. There was no movement. No swaying. No voices of the coachman, no hooves striking stone. Only an unsettling stillness.

She frowned, reached for the small window, and peered out. The glass was faintly fogged, the shapes beyond blurred. Yet even those few outlines were enough. Thick wooden beams. Stacks of straw. Deep shadows.

A barn. Her heart leapt. Why were they in a barn? Warning bells rang in her head, her throat tightening. She tried to draw her legs beneath her, but the wedding gown, those heavy, rigid layers she had hated from the first moment, had become a prison. She could not even pull her knees up to her chin. Instead she pressed herself into the corner of the carriage, wrapping her arms around her body as though to shield herself. Her thoughts fled to him at once. Aiden.

He has never harmed me. What will he be now? Will he remain as he was, or will he be cruel? He likely will not be the same. He said more than once that what he could not allow himself with a woman who was not his own, he could with his own wife. But that is only natural, is it not?

Still, the fear did not ease.

At his house, Aiden was finishing the last preparations. There was little to be done. The room had been set in order while he was gone, and he only needed some food brought in. Most importantly, everyone had been removed from sight, so Tess would fear only as much as was necessary, not be tormented further by strangers.

Though the servants did all they could, as always, everything felt unbearably slow to him. He was unsettled by not knowing whether Tess had awakened. And if she had, whether she had obeyed him and remained in the carriage, or whether she was wandering the grounds, lost and terrified.

At last, with only a few people still in view, he barked at them to disappear somewhere and hurried toward the barn.

From a distance he saw that the carriage door remained closed. That eased him somewhat. When he opened it himself and Tess looked at him, frightened though her gaze was, he smiled.

“Come,” he said, offering his hand.

She rose. Her movements were slow and cautious, yet she accepted his help.

“Where are we?” she asked softly, like one who fears the answer.

“At home,” he replied, intending comfort.

It did the opposite. Panic seized her instead.

“We will go upstairs. Do you want to walk on your own, or would you rather I carry you?” he offered with care.

She hesitated.

“Should I want to walk?”

“You may. We will meet no one. You are only with me. You are safe,” he repeated calmly. His voice held the same cadence she remembered. The one she knew from his stories of stars, of books, of places he had seen. She loved that voice. So she nodded.

When they stepped from the barn, Tess was startled by where she found herself. Before her stretched a dark but clearly expansive courtyard. Moonlight traced the outlines of buildings that carried a quiet dignity. Not like a castle, but certainly not ordinary. The stones beneath her feet were clean, each laid with care, some still gleaming with damp. She caught the faint scent of lavender from the last blossoms near the entrance. The house itself, even in silhouette, was larger than she had expected. They went inside.

This is not merely a house. It is a residence.

High ceilings. Heavy drapes. A rich carpet that softened their steps. Costly paintings in gilded frames. The air smelled of wood, books, and candle wax. And yet no one was there.

Such a place must require constant tending…

But there was only silence. Threateningly perfect silence.

What does this mean?

She could not understand. Aiden was only a traveler. Educated, yes, but who pays for all of this?

“Is everything well?” his voice drew her from her thoughts, with a hint of concern in it.

“Of course,” she answered unconvincingly.

They reached the top of the stairs. Aiden opened a door and they entered. He waited. She looked around.

The chamber was beautiful. Dark blues and browns made it feel dignified and soothing. Every wall was lined with shelves of books, their scent mingling with leather and paper. The bed dominated the room. Vast. Canopied. Velvet dark and heavy as the evening sky. Two chairs stood by a table, a tray of food laid out, her two trunks nearby.

It looked like a refuge.

Yet she felt a vague tension within her.

“This is your bedchamber,” Tess said quietly.

“Of course. Where else should I bring you?” he replied evenly, as though the answer were obvious.

“I hoped I might have one of my own,” she admitted softly.

He nodded. That same steady calm in his voice.

“You do. There is a chamber of your own prepared for you in the house. But for now, you will remain with me.”

The answer clearly displeased her.

“For how long?”

“I don’t know yet,” he answered vaguely, watching the displeasure on her face.

“I am sorry, but I will not allow you to shut yourself away from me,” he continued. “I want you to grow accustomed to me. As soon as possible. As fully as possible.” His tone was firm, but not harsh.

She looked down, weighing his words.

“All right,” she said after a moment.

Then she lifted her gaze and spoke calmly, almost resigned.

“We can do it now.”

Aiden tilted his head slightly.

“Do what?”

“The wedding night,” she replied, her voice tight.

He raised a brow in surprise.

“Not long ago you would not even allow me to come near you. And now you offer this?”

“We are married. It is my duty,” she said flatly.

Though he essentially agreed, he thoroughly disliked her choice of words. Or rather, the tone in which she said them.

Not like this. Not out of duty, with her simply lying down and enduring it while I get myself off.

“I appreciate it,” he finally found the words, “but I don’t want it like this. I will wait until you are ready.”

Tess knew well that sex was precisely what men expected of marriage. She had always known that when she married, this would be the first thing she must endure. She could not help noticing the appetite in Aiden’s gaze. In a way, she was glad it would be him.

“I am ready,” she said resolutely.

Aiden knew at once that the offer came from duty, not desire. He felt no disappointment. Only resolve. He wanted to protect and tend this beautiful little flower, so she would remain just as beautiful forever. Tess must be happy, protected, and ideally even in love, if it could be managed.

That would not come to pass if he broke her by force tonight.

He smiled gently.

“Whether you’re ready is for me to decide. And for now, you are not.”