The Duke's Unexpected Visit
“Oh, Lara! Madam, no no no! Don’t move. Stay still and rest. The event is here. Tell me what you need.”
The next afternoon, when Mabel opened the door to her cabin, she found Carlisle sitting on the bed with a groan of pain. He had completely misunderstood what he saw: her clothes scattered all over the floor.
While tidying the mess on the floor, she muttered under her breath in French, “My lord… this is my first time. Couldn’t you have been a little gentler?”
That’s not it…
Mabel turned her face away, cheeks burning crimson.
The splitting headache and queasiness from seasickness were almost more than she could bear, but the deepest wound was her shame. How am I supposed to look my lord in the eye…?
Last night Carlisle had been the perfect gentleman. He had simply taken off his jacket and shoes so the bride could sleep comfortably and had not so much as touched her with his fingertips.
She tossed and turned, pressing her flushed face into the pillow.
Mabel woke in the middle of the night with a terrible thirst. The moment she sat up on the bed, nausea surged up her throat.
She barely made it to the bathroom and emptied her stomach before the alcohol haze began to fade. She staggered to the closet, peeled off her dress, and slipped into her chemise. She drank a full glass of water, then crawled back into bed and did not open her eyes again until noon.
Memories flashed through her mind of the awkward silence they had shared alone in the cabin, her endless chatter trying to fill it.
In truth, Mabel was not much of a talker. She only ever swallowed words in silence. She hated drawing attention to herself, and the strict atmosphere of the Dalton family had made listening rather than speaking second nature.
Her throat burned because she was unaccustomed to it. That was why she had kept downing champagne.
The real problem came afterward. She could not remember when or how she had slipped out of the dining salon and back into the cabin.
Mabel let out a despondent sigh.
“The drunk bride…”
New York was the only saving grace; otherwise she might have become the latest gossip in society. She hoped those who had witnessed her disgrace last night were few and far between.
She had felt a little dizzy after drinking the whiskey flask Louise had given her, and she had wrongly assumed she could hold her liquor.
“Was it watered whiskey…?”
It was common knowledge that bootleggers diluted their whiskey with water.
She had been hiding in the cabin ever since, using seasickness as an excuse, for three days.
It was not an illness. The terrible headache and queasiness had left her unable to eat anything but dry toast and water.
Meanwhile Carlisle had left early in the morning and returned to the cabin very late at night.
Suddenly she wondered if he was avoiding her too. When she asked Isaac about it, the answer was that he was busy moving between his study and the telegraph office, handling a backlog of work.
Once she felt a little stronger, the fact that she was locked inside the suite made her restless beyond endurance.
Mabel decided to take a walk on deck. She reached for the button beside the bed to summon the steward, then paused.
Wait… since we’re married, do I really need the chaperone anymore?
Once she realized this, she sprang out of bed, pulled on her coat, and even packed her camera into her handbag.
She could wander freely without anyone watching her. Just a simple walk, yet her heart raced.
With her pulse quickening, Mabel threw open the cabin door and stepped out, only to stop short.
When had he come back? Carlisle was lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed, reading the newspaper as if he had all the time in the world.
The man she had not seen in three days greeted her calmly without even looking up from the paper.
“Good morning, my wife. How are you feeling after your seasickness?”
Mabel’s ears turned scarlet.
She had actually been grateful that he had said it was seasickness instead of a hangover.
“It’s much better now. Thank you.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
That ended it. An awkward silence fell over the sitting room. The sound of him turning the newspaper page was unnaturally loud.
Mabel peeked at him nervously, then slipped away. She moved quietly toward the door, putting as much distance between them as she could.
Her fingers closed around the doorknob. She hesitated, then looked back. It would be only polite to tell him where she was going.
“Then I’ll go for a stroll on the promenade deck.”
Just as she turned the knob, the sound of the newspaper crumpling reached her.
Mabel flinched and turned her head.
Carlisle frowned deeply at her from behind the newspaper. His cold blue eyes seemed to pierce straight through her.
“…You’re going alone?”
Mabel’s shoulders visibly drooped.
It seemed she now had to ask her husband’s permission the way a sister-in-law did. The color that had been returning to her face drained away.
“Yes. Calling the steward would be a bother… I’ve been locked in the cabin for days and I was starting to feel claustrophobic. I won’t be gone long. May I go?”
Carlisle folded the neatly creased newspaper and set it on the table. He picked up his coat and fedora from the hook, then approached her.
“I was just about to go for a walk myself. Perfect timing. Shall we?”
***
Mabel and Carlisle walked side by side along the long promenade deck.
It was a spacious area created so that first-class passengers could enjoy the fresh air without worrying about the weather, surrounded by windows that offered views of the sea.
On one side of the walkway, elegantly dressed passengers sat at small tables, chatting. Others lounged in deck chairs, reading books.
But Mabel could not enjoy her walk. The deck had become crowded because the other passengers, who had just finished lunch, had spilled out as if on a mission.
People approaching from the opposite direction. Carlisle placed a light hand on her back, turned his body to shield her from the flow of traffic, and wrapped her in the circle of his arms.
His broad shoulders blocked her view. When he came so close she could feel the faint aftershave on his skin, Mabel felt her face heat up.
“Oh, the sunlight today is lovely. It feels like spring weather.”
She tried to hide her awkwardness by talking about the weather.
“Indeed.”
“I’ve never been to France before, so I’m looking forward to it very much. What is the estate in Épernay like?”
“It’s a beautiful place.”
“Ah…”
She trailed off, searching for more to say.
Carlisle was much quieter than she had expected. He answered every question in a single word or two and never boasted like other men.
Why had he followed her when he clearly disliked both walking and conversation?
Mabel gave up on talking and simply kept walking in silence.
At the end of the promenade deck stood the door to the cabin and the door to the outdoor deck, facing each other.
Mabel slowed her steps at the fork. Carlisle, who had been heading toward the cabin as if nothing was wrong, turned to look at her.
“I want to feel the breeze for a moment on the deck. You don’t have to come with me. You must be busy with work… I wouldn’t want to waste your time because of me.”
The expression on Carlisle’s usually impassive face cracked.
“I finished my urgent business this morning. Come with me.”
It sounded almost angry.
Mabel had expected him to go back to the cabin. She was surprised, but she had no excuse to refuse.
The sky was clear, with not a single cloud. The afternoon sun poured down onto the gleaming deck. The wind was still cool, but the warm sun made everything feel spring-like.
Mabel ran to the railing and leaned against it. The open space felt like freedom after days of confinement. As she gazed at the beautiful view, the awkward tension in her heart slowly melted away.
She leaned her upper body over the railing and took a deep breath. The cool air carrying the scent of the sea filled her lungs.
Haaah…
Just as she thought she had made the right decision, strong arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her clean off the ground. Her legs dangled in midair.
“Hah!”
The air left her lungs in a rush as if she had slammed into a solid wall.
“What on earth are you doing?!”
Carlisle called from behind her.
It was the very question she had wanted to ask.
“I-I was just breathing, that’s all.”
Mabel managed to squeeze out the words between ragged breaths.
The body pressed against her back grew suddenly rigid. His breathing slowed, then he loosened his hold and carefully set her back on her feet.
She turned slowly and looked up at him, eyes wide with bewilderment.