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Everything had changed. It was no longer dark and uninviting. It was no longer the room he would spend hours in with his mother.

In the center of it all, his wife was sitting and smiling, clearly having been waiting for him.

“Samantha,” he whispered, “what have you done?”

“What is it?” she asked, her smile fading instantly and her face changing to one of confusion.

“What have youdone?”

CHAPTER 24

Samantha had never thought for a moment that her husband could be so angry.

It was so sudden, and given all that she had done in preparation for his return, it had been the last thing that she had expected him to do. Her father, perhaps but never Graham.

Yet there he was, visibly furious with her. She had known from the moment that he entered that something was amiss, but she had thought it to be shock. She had completely changed his drawing room, and even though he had given her permission to change everything, it was bound to be a surprise to see such a drastic difference. But even so, when he demanded to know what she had done, she felt herself shrink away from him, unwilling to speak.

“Is it… not to your liking?” she asked.

“You cannot truly believe that I would havelikedthis.”

His voice was low, the complete perfect opposite to how her father had been when angered, but even so, it gave her chills. This was not her husband — far from it. It was as though he had been replaced by a man made of thunder, and she hated it. She wanted to leave, but he stepped in front of her.

“Do not destroy this room and then run away,” he snapped. “What were you thinking?”

“I thought you would like it. It was so dark before, and —”

“And so you decided to do as you pleased without thinking of how I might feel about it?”

“You told me that I could do as I pleased with this house.”

“Because I thought that you would at least honor my wishes.”

“What wishes?”

“Samantha, you are not incompetent. Do not act as though you are.”

“I must be because I truly do not understand what you are talking about. I thought that I was doing a good thing. Do you not see how out of place this room would have been if I had left it as it was?”

“You would certainly know what it means to be out of place.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” she snapped.

“You know exactly what I mean. You have been acting as though you are a servant rather than a wife, and you do not seem to care.”

“I enjoy being a part of things. You certainly have not made me feel a part of things by disappearing all day.”

“Dukes have roles, you know. There are things that we must do that do not concern our wives. That is something that you should have known.”

“But I do not because of my status. Is that right?”

“Do not start that again.”

“Why not? You have said it yourself many a time. My father is a drunkard, and I am practically a lowly wench. Perhaps that is why I help the staff as often as I do — because they do not make me feel lesser than them.”

“I do not think that you are lesser than me. I simply think that you need to learn what is and is not acceptable.”

“Why are you being like this?”