He was bound to her now. Yes, she was bound to him as well, and legally speaking, that was all that mattered, but Basset was a man of principle, she was learning. He would not take this lightly any more than he would take anything else of import lightly.

They might not be on equal footing in this marriage, but at least it was more equal than it might have been otherwise.

“You should eat something.”

Adelaide jerked and looked at Basset beside her. He still looked the part of a splendid groom, his dark cutaway perfectly enhancing his broad shoulders and chest, a gold waistcoat almost eerily matching the gold hints of her gown, and the pristine white linen of his shirt and cravat would find no fault from anyone.

Least of all her.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she muttered, more out of habit than anything else.

He raised a brow. “I did not. I said you should eat something. It was a suggestion. If you are not hungry, then, by all means, do not eat.” He shrugged as if it did not matter to him, then smiled with due politeness at some guest or other.

“I am a little hungry,” Adelaide murmured when the person passed. “It is a good suggestion.”

“Is that an apology for snapping at me?” Basset asked without looking at her.

Her mouth quirked just a little. “No.”

“I thought not. Oh well.” He glanced at her once more. “Shall I play dutiful husband and fetch you a plate?”

“I do not trust you to fetch me anything that I will enjoy,” she replied through a smile. “You may spit in my drinking chocolate.”

“A gentleman does not spit in a lady’s drink.”

“Is that written on the walls at White’s?”

“At Oxford, actually. I wrote it there myself in my school days.”

“Ah, so a gentleman does not spit in a lady’s drink, but he does vandalize.”

“Well, we could hardly have a rule for everything. Otherwise, there would be no distinguishing one from another.” He cast a half smile at her, and Adelaide could not help but give him one in return.

No matter how this marriage came about, or how they disliked one another on principle, they were quite matched in their bantering. Could one sustain a marriage on banter alone?

“Do you know the Grangers?” Basset asked rather suddenly, gesturing at an approaching handsome couple.

Adelaide put a perfect smile on display. “Only in name. And I know their story.”

“You think you know their story,” he corrected. “Everybody does. Even I did, until I really knew them. They are our neighbors in Cornwall, of a sort, so we will see much of them.”