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Beneath his frustration were emotions that he wasn’t ready to examine. He admired her bravery and enjoyed her feisty spirit, but it also terrified him because she made him feel things he was not sure he could control. He had to maintain some control.

“Don’t push it, wife.”

“Perhaps it’s time you reconsidered what it means to be a husband,” she said quietly, “because I won’t be a wife who is merely seen and not heard.”

Hector stared at her even as her words sank in. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond. But then, the walls he had built around himself began to crack just a little.

“Juliet,” he said somewhat breathlessly, “is that what you want? Is that what this is all about? You want to claim me as your husband?”

“That…that was not what I…You are…” Juliet sputtered, looking baffled and flustered.

“If you merely wanted some attention from me, all you had to do was ask. Turning my house upside down is unnecessary.” Hector allowed himself to smirk at her discomfort.

Juliet stared at him as though he had grown two heads then nodded and appeared slightly more at ease.

“This has less to do with my supposed wants and more to do with what you desire. You are the one who is fond of picking fights over the littlest things, and now, you want me to report my every move to you before I take them. Ifyouwanted to seememore often, all you needed to do was say so, husband,” she smiled innocently.

Juliet looked so enchanting in that moment. In an instant, the mood between them lightened into something gentler. Hector stopped himself as his hand twitched to reach out to her.

“Your Grace?” Worthington knocked on the door quietly. “The business papers you requested have arrived.”

“Ah, yes,” Hector cleared his throat and took a step back, thankful for the interruption as he tried to regain his composure. “I shall head to my study right away.”

“Hector…” Juliet began as she extended her hand towards him.

“Enjoy the rest of your afternoon, Duchess.” Hector nodded in her direction then walked out of the room.

“I did not know that someone could be so stubborn,” Hector grumbled distractedly as he turned the page and Juliet’s voice continued to echo in his ears.

He had retreated to the library in the hope of finding some relief in a book, but peace eluded him.

Hector was unclear about his true feelings for his new wife and what he was so bothered about. His attempts to exile thoughts of her had been futile.

“Why can’t she just…” he muttered, letting the unfinished thought hang in the air.

Juliet was nothing like other women he had encountered. Those women were docile, compliant, and willing to cater to his every whim, but Juliet was nothing like them.

She was fiery, passionate, and unapologetically herself. She infuriated him because he had never been in a position where he did not have the upper hand. The situation left him immensely frustrated.

Overcome by his restlessness he snapped the book shut and left the library, desperate for some air. He needed to rid himself of the bothersome notions that dredged up memories of the only woman he had ever known to stand up against a man in her life.

Mother.

Hector’s hand tightened into a fist as he remembered the night his world had irreversibly changed. He had been young and had no concept of how cruel his father was until he had walked in on him as he rained blows upon his mother.

The cold detachment in his father’s eyes as he struck her and the tearful pleas of his mother still haunted him.

I am nothing like him.

He shook his head, trying to dispel the vision. He refused to be compared to his father. However, during each of his heated exchanges with Juliet, he feared that he was slipping further into his abusive father’s shoes.

Worthington straightened as Hector made his way down the hall.

“Fetch my coat, and have the carriage readied.”

Hector knew that the peace he desired wouldn’t come to him as long as he remained within the confines of Islington Hall. He needed a few hours away to clear his head.

“Where to, Your Grace?” the coachman questioned as Hector stepped into the carriage and adjusted the collar of his coat.