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“Don’t,” she spat. “Don’t ever speak to me like that again. I won’t have it.”

He glared at her. “I am not in the mood for your theatrics,” he scolded. “Let’s go.”

“You go on ahead,” she snapped. “I will find my way back.”

“Because that worked out well the first time.”

“You’re the most annoying man I have ever met.”

“You would do well to remember that,” he shot back, already tired of the argument and wondering why she couldn’t understand his anger.

She’d been walking carelessly in the lion’s den and could have been hurt if he didn’t get to her in time.

“Why are you being like this?” she cried. “We were having a good night.”

“Even good things must come to an end.”

She nodded, as though she understood. “Indeed.”

“Get your coat,” he ordered. “We’re leaving now.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” She curtsied, before walking past him in a cloud of lavender and rose.

Shite.

He hurried after her because he… he feared she would get hurt.

He paused in his tracks as it finally came clear to him why he had behaved the way he had. He had been worried about her, and it scared him how much he had worried.

Shite.

ChapterTwelve

Over the last fortnight, Helen would have loved to believe she had forged deep connections with Alexander that would require him to treat her with a little more respect than he had.

Even if he didn’t love her, she believed he desired her, she thought he respected her, and she would love to think they shared a beautiful friendship and chemistry both in their matrimonial bed and outside of it, but it seemed to her that those connections didn’t extend to trust.

She had known that he had a cynical and suspicious personality courtesy of the demons that thrived in the dark corners of his mysterious past. She had always known he had a strong distrust of people, but for the first time, she was getting firsthand experience of what it felt like to be an object of his distrust.

Now that she knew what it felt like having him watch her with a look of distrust and anger for some perceived crime she had no idea about, she had never considered it before, but living with the constant weight would fast become exhausting.

She knew her marriage was not a love match, but she also knew that a partnership of any kind could not survive if there was no good communication and trust between parties. She couldn’t continue being open with him while he clammed up and kept all his secrets. If this marriage was going to work, he had to give her something to work with.

At this moment, she already felt her anger giving way to exhaustion, and she needed space and fresh air to regain clarity in her thoughts.

“Excuse me, Your Grace, I would like to step outside to get some air,” she said, gathering her skirts and hurrying past him towards the corridor without waiting for his permission.

Dimly, she could hear him calling her name, but she was not in the right state of mind to have a conversation with him, so she needed to get away from him. She walked at a brisk pace until she got to the corridor. Gently she released her tight grip on her skirts and took several deep, calming breaths until the feeling of suffocation abated and the chaos in her mind quietened.

* * *

Alexander had never felt the kind of panic before that he had experienced within those few minutes when he had searched for her. So many thoughts ran through his mind. His overactive imagination provided him with several scenarios, all of which showed Helen in danger. It did not help matters that he had caught a glimpse of his malevolent siblings plotting something, with their gazes glancing in the direction that Helen had left.

He should have known that he should not let down his guard so easily, not when he was within the same space as his siblings. They were creatures who thrived on his discomfort. It seemed they had decided to change tactics, choosing to attack his wife rather than go straight for him.

Over the years, he had built his cold demeanor as armor to ward off their attacks. Not that it worked, but at the very least, it made them wary of him and far less likely to attack him.

It seemed they thought Helen an easy target, the fastest way to create chinks in his armor, and he hated the fact that they were right and that Helen made him vulnerable. She had fast become his weak point, and that made him angry and afraid.