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“I have had a plate made for you,” Anthony said,, gesturing toward the seat on his right. “Please.”

Caroline hesitated before entering the room. Her brow furrowed as she moved between the plate of food and him

“It is not poisoned,” Anthony said. “If that is your concern.”

She snorted. “It wasn’t.”

“What then?”

She frowned as she looked between the plate of food and then him. “It is just unexpected, is all. In my house, I have to fight for the attention of the staff, and I don’t think I have ever arrived at breakfast to find my food ready for me.” She shrugged, but her smile was there. “It is nice, is all.”

“I surprise myself sometimes.”

She laughed again and shook her head before taking her seat.

As she did, Anthony tried his best not to stare. She was dressed simply this morning, more covered than she had been the previous evening, but no less attractive because of it. It made it difficult for Anthony to focus, and had him questioning as he had been all last night what it was exactly that he hoped to achieve from this little deal he had made.

I wish for an heir, is why. That is all this is. And as I am not the type to force myself on a person, nor will I beg, this seemed like the best option. A means to an end…

It was a lie that even Anthony was having a difficult time swallowing fully.

The truth was, there was a part of him that was excited for what this might bring. When he had first decided to marry, he had given up on the notion that his marriage would be a companionable thing, as finding a bride willing to be with a man of his reputation would be hard enough. Women, he had found, were generally terrified of him, not willing to give him a chance because that, they all seemed to think, would spell their doom.

He was not like that. Yes, he was emotionally distant, a little cold at times, and not exactly conversational or warm. But he wasn’t evil or mean and he just wished people could see it.

Caroline was different. Putting aside how often they bickered, she at least stood up to him, even challenging him in ways he’d never experienced before. Sometimes she went too far. Sometimes, Anthony did also. Even last night, when she had been on his lap and they had been kissing…the animal inside of me threatened to emerge in ways that even I do not fully understand.There was a danger there, he knew, but one he wanted to explore.

First, he wanted a chance to get to know Caroline. More than that, he wanted a chance for her to know him. To see him as more than the Cruel Duke, and to understand that married life to him wouldn’t be a death sentence.

For this to work, Anthony had to control himself. That, he knew, would be the real challenge.

“How did you sleep?” Anthony asked simply as he began to butter his toast.

“Fine,” she said without looking at him. She eyed her plate of food as if unsure.

“No tossing and turning?” he asked with humor. She shot him a glare and he chuckled. “Just checking. What of your things? I assume most of what you brought is still packed?”

“It is…” She finally picked up a piece of toast and began to spread it with butter and marmalade before taking a bite.

“If you require any help, do not hesitate to ask the staff. That is what they are there for.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I will, thank you.”

Silence descended as they ate. She focused mostly on the toast, while he attacked his eggs and pork. And as they ate, Anthony continued to study her.

He hated how attracted to her he was.This would be so much easier if I didn’t find her so darn desirable.Again, that side of him that he did not very much like was the problem. The animal that he became when she pushed him. He needed to keep an eye on it, winning her to his side before daring to unleash it. He would not prove himself to be the Cruel Duke. That is not who he was.

“Is everything alright?” he asked as he continued to watch her.

“Hhmm?”

“Your breakfast?” He indicated the plate before her. The toast was gone, leaving the eggs and cold pork behind. And where she was eating the eggs without some sense of enthusiasm, he noticed her prod at the pork but not touch it. “Is it to your liking?”

“It is fine.”

“Are you certain? I can have something else made, if not.”

She put her fork down and looked at him flatly. “You do not have to keep doing this.”