Chapter 10

Rey stood, nonplussed, staring at her open doorway for several minutes, at a loss over what had just occurred and what it meant. Eventually she walked over to her vanity and sat down, attempting to remove the pins from her hair. As she pulled them out, her mind matched pace with her racing heart, reliving Ren's kiss and everything leading up to it.

She could not make sense of it, having assumed up to this evening that, at best, Ren merely tolerated her. Of course, they had developed somewhat of a rapport of late, but Rey had no idea that Ren thought of her as anything other than the malleable piece of clay he had called her during their engagement. That he would kiss her seemed wholly out of character with the man she had interacted with thus far.

And why would he forbid her to associate with his childhood companion, and seemingly agreeable man, Captain Dameron? It occurred to her that perhaps jealousy was the root cause, but she quickly dismissed the idea as absurd. And even if it were true, surely Ren did not have such a low opinion of her as to assume she would break her marriage vows. It's true they had yet to properly consummate the marriage, but Rey would never think to bring such scandal upon herself or Ren. It was enough to deal with people's assumptions regarding their marriage without adding rumors of infidelity to the mix.

So consumed with her thoughts was she, Rey did not notice Beatrice had entered the room until she started pulling the remaining pins out of Rey's hair. When asked how she enjoyed the ball, Rey replied distractedly that it was fine but did not elaborate further. Sensing she did not wish to talk, Beatrice continued her work in silence. Once her hair was down, Rey stood up and allowed Beatrice to help her out of her dress and into her bedclothes. Once she was dressed, Beatrice gathered the dress, gloves, and shoes, and turned towards Rey.

"Will there be anything else?" she asked, concern etched on her face.

Rey shook her head, forcing a smile to try to put Beatrice at ease. "That will be all. Please feel free to sleep late tomorrow, as I am sure I shall be asleep much later than usual."

Beatrice nodded, curtsied, and then left, closing the door behind her.

Rey climbed into the bed, pulling the covers up to her chin as she lay on her back, staring at the canopy above her. Though her weariness still persisted, her mind was racing far too much to allow sleep, and her thoughts once again turned to Ren's kiss, now etched into her mind in vivid detail. She recalled the feel of rough calluses on her cheeks as he grabbed her face, the feel of his lips, surprisingly soft, pressed against hers. He had closed his eyes and she now recalled how long and full his eyelashes were. Details she did not recall noticing were now on full display in her mind, and yet the most confusing detail to sneak its way in was the realization that she had not found the experience unpleasant. In fact, as she thought of it now, biting her lip, she felt a nervous flutter in her stomach.

She thought now of her first impression of Ren as not quite handsome. At the time, though she had thought his appearance striking, she had felt his nose was perhaps a little overlong and his ears stuck out quite a lot. Now, instead, she found herself remembering the softness of his hair as it brushed her forehead, the map of freckles and moles across his face that, rather than detracting from his looks, seemed to add to his overall handsomeness. Rey frowned slightly as she realized that she had, quite without her own foreknowledge, begun to think of her husband as a handsome man, one which caused nervous flutters to take up residence in her stomach.

Rey turned on her side, pulling her knees up to chest as she stared out her darkened window, quite at a loss for how to process her feelings and what they might mean for her marriage and general happiness.

Though she dozed on and off at various points of the night, it wasn't until the sun had begun peaking above the horizon that Rey fell asleep properly. When she awoke, the sun was high in the sky and she was disoriented a moment, unsure why she waking so late in the day.

The events of the prior evening came flooding back, however, and she sighed as she got out of the bed. Rey worried her lip as she contemplated how she would address Ren's kiss, if she would at all, when she saw him. She walked over to her vanity to brush and braid her hair when she noticed a note with her name scrawled on it sitting on top.

Frowning, Rey picked up the letter and opened it.

My Dear,

I have been summoned by His Majesty and must leave immediately.

I expect I shall be in London for several weeks.

Regards,

Ren

Rey stared at the handsome scrawl of letters on the page, her general grogginess confusing the meaning of the words at first. Rereading the letter a second, and then a third, time Rey felt an ache in her chest, which seemed suspiciously akin to disappointment.

Still holding the letter, Rey sat at her vanity, staring down at her hairbrush as she contemplated this turn of events. Had she received the same letter yesterday she had no doubt her response would have been relief. That it was now no longer that, but a strange and empty disappointment, added to Rey's already confused feelings.

Biting her lower lip, she glanced down again at the letter, still clutched tightly in her hand. My dear, it said. It was not the first time Ren had called her so, and yet today the two words felt different, more intimate than they had previously.

Rey suddenly huffed a quiet laugh at herself, shaking her head. A single kiss, and a note, and she was swooning. How silly she was. Folding the letter and placing it in one of her drawers, Rey got up and walked over to the bell pull, though as she glanced out the window she wondered if it was worth getting dressed when the night would surely arrive in but a few hours.

Rey returned to vanity, glancing once at the drawer which contained Ren's note before returning her gaze to the mirror and pulling the brush through her hair.

When there was a light knock at the door, Rey called for them to come in. Turning, she smiled as Rose walked through the door with a tray in her hand.

"I begged Beatrice to let me bring you your tray," Rose said by way of greeting, walking over and setting it on the coffee table by the window. Sitting in one of the chairs, Rose turned over two cups and began pouring tea, adding cream and sugar as she knew Rey liked. While she did so, Rey quickly braided her hair and walked over to join her.

"I feel a little foolish receiving you in my night clothes at such an hour," Rey said, picking up a slice of toast and dunking it into her tea.

"Oh, never mind that," Rose said, waving a hand. "I want to know about the ball. You must tell me everything."

Rey chewed her toast slowly, biding her time as she contemplated what to say and how much.

Finally, after her second sip of tea, she responded. "The house was smaller than this, though many are, I suppose. Lady Holdo seemed a gracious woman, though I was very surprised when she referred to Ren by his Christian name."

Rose nodded. "That would make some sense, yes. His mother and she were good friends from before His Grace was born."

Rey cocked her head, only now realizing how much her friend knew about her husband's family. Perhaps she could help Rey unravel the reason behind Ren's dislike of Captain Dameron.

Setting her tea cup down in favor of grabbing a finger sandwich, Rey voiced her query. "Have you heard much of a Captain Dameron?"

Rose nodded. "Yes, he frequents the house when his regiment is in town."

"What do you know of him?" Rey asked, taking a bite of the sandwich.

Rose sipped her own tea. "Only that his mother was a friend of the Princess's and that she died while he was young. Her Grace took it upon herself to see that he had a mother figure in his life. Though he had a home of his own, I hear he spent a great deal of time at the Skywalker manor as a boy. He and His Grace used to play together as children."

Rey frowned, as Rose's words offered further confusion.

"Did you meet the Captain last night?" Rose asked.

Rey nodded, distracted. "Yes." Looking up she added, "And he seemed very amiable, but Ren does not like him at all. He forbade me to have contact with the man and I can't figure out why. When I asked, he offered no explanation."

"Did something happen when you met?" Rose asked, also confused.

Rey shook her head. "He was perhaps a little forward given our new acquaintance, but it was clear that he knew Ren well, so I did not think much of it. When he asked me to dance, though perhaps a bit out of line, Ren became upset and pulled me away to dance with him instead."

Rose's eyebrows rose. "And that's all? How was the captain with His Grace?"

Rey sighed. "He treated him as if he were a dear friend or brother, while Ren showed nothing but contempt for the man."

Rose narrowed her eyes in thought, sipping her tea and looking at Rey over the rim of the cup.

"I cannot claim to know His Grace well," Rose said, "but have you considered it was jealousy?"

Rey frowned. "Yes, the thought did cross my mind, but it seemed more than that. Ren was cold with the captain from his first hello."

"Strange indeed," Rose said, seeming lost in contemplation. "I'll ask Finn to see if he has any more insight into the state of their relationship."

Rey smiled. "Thank you. You're such a good friend."

Rose returned her smile and waved her hand. "Of course, it is nothing. Tell me more of the ball. Were you able to make any acquaintances?"

Rey sighed. "Too many."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Ren took it upon himself to introduce me to half the people in attendance. It shall be a miracle indeed if I remember any of their names next we meet."

Rey grabbed another sandwich as Rose chuckled.

"That seems very out of character, no?" Rose asked. "Everything I've heard has His Grace very reclusive in his acquaintances."

"It does seem so, doesn't it," Rey said, cocking her head as a thought occurred to her. "It was rather a sweet gesture on his part, now that I think of it."

"How so?" Rose asked, leaning over to grab a finger sandwich as well.

"He pointed out that as a Duchess, I would have to approach people first in order to form an acquaintance. When I expressed distress at the idea, he took it upon himself to introduce me."

Rose raised her eyebrows, but said nothing, taking another sip of tea. Rey sat back in her seat, to distracted to remember her manners, sighing as another thought occurred to her. Had she missed signs of Ren's affections, clouded by her own sense loneliness and unease in her station?

Rey glanced over at Rose, considering if she should share Ren's kiss with her. Rose, as a married woman, may have more insight into the situation. However, to properly explain it, Rey would have to admit to her friend that she had not yet consummated her marriage. She recalled the awkwardness when Rose had informed her of her duties as a wife. It was not an experience Rey wished to repeat. However, her friend had been kind enough to set aside the fact that they were new in their friendship when she suspected Rey might be entering marriage with no idea of what to expect. Surely she would not judge Rey, or Ren for that matter.

Rey took a deep breath and sat up straight. Placing her hands in her lap, she forced herself to look Rose in the eyes as she asked, "Can I speak with you about a personal matter regarding my marriage?"

Rose opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Rey rushed on to add, "Do not feel obligated to say yes if it would make you uncomfortable."

Rose smiled kindly. "I am happy to be of assistance in any way that I can. In return, I must request that you too not feel obligated to share more than you are comfortable."

Rey nodded and swallowed, gathering her courage, reminding herself that her friend has been nothing but helpful and nonjudgmental in their friendship thus far.

"After we left the ball, I fell asleep in the carriage. When we arrived back at the house, Ren escorted me to my room. I did not notice at the time, as I was still groggy from my brief nap, but Ren kept hold of my hand on the walk to my room. When we arrived -" Rey paused, thinking back through the conversation. "When we arrived, he forbade me from having contact with Captain Dameron. When I requested to know why, he…he kissed me."

Rey chewed her lip as she watched Rose, who stared at her a moment before comprehension dawned on her face.

"Was this the first time he has kissed you?" Rose asked, surprise coloring her voice.

Rey nodded, heat rising up her neck. "We…We never consummated the marriage." She wrung her hands nervously as she continued. "He seemed so put off by the idea at the time, and has shown so little interest in me thus far, that it has never occurred to me that he might have developed feelings for me. Even now the idea feels absurd, though I know there must be some merit to it or he would never have kissed me." She looked over at Rose, seeking her confirmation. "Right?"

Rose frowned in thought, looking as confused by the situation as Rey felt. "Has he ever said why he chose to marry you?"

Rey huffed a laugh. "He told me he was ordered to be married and he chose me because he would be able to mold me into a suitable wife."

Rose's eyebrows rose. "That's a very shocking thing to hear."

Rey pressed her lips together. "Indeed, it was. However, Mr. Plutt had made it quite clear I had no choice but to go through with the marriage."

Rose reached over. "You poor dear. I could see you were nervous, but I had no idea that you were being put through such an ordeal."

Rey's mouth tipped upwards. "It hasn't been all bad. I no longer spend my every waking moment keeping house for Mr. Plutt. I'm getting a proper education." Rey felt her cheeks warm again at that admission. "And of course, I get to spend a good part of every day in the company of my dear friend." She smiled shyly at Rose, who returned her smile with a broad one of her own.

"Yes, your marriage has been fortunate for the both of us," Rose replied with a laugh. "I dearly love the Solos, but I have to admit it's been refreshing spending my time with a friend." The smile dropped from her face as she continued. "As for your concerns, I do not know what objection His Grace has with Captain Dameron. However, I'm quite certain you received a kiss because your husband thinks of you as more than a woman to be molded. I'd go so far as to say he's fond of you."

Rey leaned back in her chair, sipping her now tepid tea as she pondered the possibility.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I keep hoping I can update every week and every time something comes up. I wanted this chapter to be longer, but the next section is probably too long since this is already 2700 words, and I didn't want to wait a 3rd week to update, so I decided to post it. Ren won't be gone long, at least in the fic, so no worries about 8 chapters minus Ren. ;) We've also reached a turning point in this fic, with this and the next chapter bridging the first and second parts of the story, so to speak. I'm so happy we've gotten here and I can't wait for all the reveals to come. Again, thanks so much for reading and I always appreciate hearing from you. :)