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That heat she had grown to recognize in his gaze would drift down to the floor before he grimaced, rising from his chair, his face a mask of disgust.

“Go back to your room and change, before I punish you for shaming me in this way…”

Then, he would grip her arms, turn her to the wall, push her against the hard surface, and?—

No. Not again! This is precisely why I must get away from him.

With determination thrumming in her veins, she lurched for the door and opened it before she could have second thoughts.

Walking through the narrow corridor to the stairs, she saw no one until she reached the landing. A young maid was ascending below her, carrying an armful of linens.

The girl’s eyes went wide with alarm when she saw Alicia, and then flickered with surprise as they drifted down to the bottom of the dress and back up again. Her mouth twisted before she could mask her expression.

“Your Grace,” she muttered, scurrying up the stairs behind her. There was a quiet huff of laughter as she disappeared through a door above.

Alicia tried to suppress her blush, hoping she would not encounter the entire staff before finding the Duke.

They will all think I am a simpleton.

She remembered where his study was, from when the housekeeper had pointed it out during the tour.

It had not been necessary for her to enter the study, and she remembered what Bridget had said about how much men disliked being disturbed.

If only I had a cup of tea to spill all over his ledgers. I am sure that would also vex him a great deal.

With that in mind, she walked to the door and burst inside without knocking, only to hear a soft cry from a different maid kneeling by the hearth.

The maid stared at Alicia for a few seconds, open-mouthed, before hurriedly turning back to the grate and briskly sweeping out the ashes in a plume of pale smoke.

There was no sign of the Duke inside, and Alicia took a moment to look around at his sanctuary before retreating.

The study was an elegant room, unmistakably masculine in tone, with dark green across every surface and deep mahogany wood. Books lined the walls, and she longed to peruse them and discover what the Duke liked to read in private.

But then I would get to know him, and I have no interest in such things.

She backed out of the room, watching the maid very deliberately, who had kept her eyes trained on the floor.

Turning around, she walked through the rest of the house, which was blissfully empty, and decided that if she could not find her husband, she would at least put her dress to good use and go into the gardens.

If she ruined this dress, it would not matter a jot, but none of her other gowns would ever be suitable.

She rather liked the idea of gardening and breathing in the fresh air of the country, so she made her way toward the edges of the house, listening intently, should she come upon the Duke unexpectedly.

She stepped out onto the terrace and down the stone steps toward the flowerbeds, watching the rose buds bobbing in the breeze.

There was a robin with a bright red breast flitting about over the soil, and she smiled at him, nodding in greeting.

He cocked his head, one beady eye fixed on her as though considering whether she was a threat.

He was very still, his breast rising and falling rapidly, and then he went back to burrowing his beak into the earth.

At least he does not seem horrified by my attire. He will be the only one who does not gossip behind my back about it, too.

Catching a movement to her right, Alicia turned and froze in place.

The Duke was a few feet from her, kneeling beside one of the flowerbeds, his breeches stained from the wet grass, his sleeves rolled over his thick forearms.

He had a trowel in hand and was planting some bulbs in the beds.