Mara extended her hand to shake. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."
"So, you're the future Mrs. Trent. You're the hot topic tonight."
"I am?" Mara glanced around warily.
Nancy took a sip of her drink. "Don't worry about it. Before long someone else will be getting a divorce or going into rehab. Then people will have something else to talk about. So, what committees are you on?"
Mara had to resist the urge to rub her temples. People here had a way of talking in circles. "Committees. What do you mean?"
"Well, I work with the Garden Society and the Children's Hospital. I assume you've been working with Antonia on some of the Townsend charity initiatives."
"No, I'm not. I'm not on any committees."
The other woman looked at her strangely. "Really? None at all?"
Mara finally started to lose her patience. "Well, I've never had time. Until recently I had a full-time job."
At the other woman's blank look, Mara just shook her head. "A job. Where you work all week and then you get a paycheck at the end." While she was digesting that, Mara grabbed a champagne glass from the tray of a passing waiter. "It was lovely to have met you," she said before walking away.
The drink cooled her off slightly but she didn't stop moving, fearful that she'd get pulled into another inane conversation. When she finally saw Trent walking toward her, she could have cried with relief. He headed straight for her, ignoring several people who tried to stop him on the way.
When he reached her side, the first thing he said was, "You look upset. What did Sophia do?"
She gulped down the rest of the champagne in her glass. "It wasn't Sophia. She was actually nice and introduced me to her friends. It's these people."
Trent looked around them and then back at her. "I told you these parties were boring."
"I just met a woman who asked me what committees I'm on. When I told her none, that I used to work a job, she looked at me like I was an alien. I guess she assumed that I should spend my days the way she apparently does, flitting from luncheon to luncheon
gossiping about people and writing checks instead of actually getting my hands dirty."
Trent cupped her elbow and led her to the side of the room, angling his body to block out some of the crowd. She expelled a breath and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm complaining. I wanted to come, it's just so far from the world I'm used to. I think it's culture shock."
"This was part of my fear," he admitted in a low voice.
"What?"
"Your ability to have a normal life will be curtailed if you're with me. If you’re my wife, it’ll be nearly impossible for you to work a normal job with people who actually need their paychecks. You saw the way your friend at work reacted. Imagine if everyone there knew. You could stay home but eventually it'll feel like I'm keeping you prisoner."
She looked up to see Trent watching her with sad eyes. “Welcome to the gilded cage,” he whispered.
Mara wanted to deny that what he said was true but then she tried to imagine going to work every day, having lunch with her coworkers while they complained about bills and how to make each paycheck last and just couldn’t envision it. She looked down at the gorgeous lavender evening gown that Sophia had chosen for her. Even though Trent’s sister hadn't given her the warmest reception when they'd first met, she hadn’t allowed that to prevent her from choosing well. The dress was perfection. It also cost almost as much as the new gutters she’d had installed on the townhouse last summer.
That bill had made her cry and now look at her. Walking around with several thousand dollars on her back like it was nothing.
As much as she would like to tell herself that money wouldn’t change her, it was impossible. She’d already changed and there was no pretending.
Trent entwined their fingers, rubbing a slow circle over the back of her hand. “Do you regret coming here?”
She put her other arm around his waist, pulling him closer. “No. I don’t regret anything. I love you. All this other stuff will take some adjusting to but I can do it." She looked up at him, feeling like her heart was in her throat.
"I can live in a cage if you’re in there with me.”
III.
“But we loved with a love
that was more than love—”