Page 14 of A Bride for the Cruel Duke (Claimed by Regency Devils #1)

Chapter Fourteen

A nthony sat patiently as he waited for Caroline to arrive so the two might break their fast together. This was not discussed as a prerequisite of their marriage, but Anthony felt that it was important. I was at pains last night to establish that there were certain expectations to be upheld in this marriage, the most important being the bearing of an heir. And where breakfast is not quite so traditional, hopefully she will see what I am trying to do.

Further to that point, although he hated to admit it, Anthony suspected that his wife would appreciate seeing that he waited for her before beginning.

While waiting, Anthony was sure to have a plate set for her with a standard array of breakfast stuffs. There was toast with butter and marmalade to spread. A pot of tea and hot coffee. As well as fried eggs and cold pork chops, both of which happened to be favorites of Anthony’s.

By the time she arrived, Anthony was famished.

“Good morning,” he said when she appeared in the doorway. She was dressed in a simple cream-colored muslin gown, paired with gloves, while her hair was worn up in a bun. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and he wondered if she had rushed to be here.

“Oh...” She started in surprise to see him. “You are here.”

“Should I be anywhere else?” Anthony asked with a coy smile.

“I… I just did not expect you to join me.” She looked away sheepishly. “Based on my experiences so far, the less time we spend together the better.”

Anthony chuckled at that. “I am sure we can make it through at least one meal without wishing to attack one another. I mean, if we can’t do that…” He exhaled sharply, but there was a smile on his lips. “Then I don’t much like my chances.”

“Chances?”

“Five chances,” he corrected, his smirk coy. “And just to confirm, this isn’t one of them.”

“Oh, yes…” She rolled her eyes. “Thank you for letting me know. I will not have to be on my guard that way. Very kind of you.”

“A rare instance,” he said jokingly. “Do not get used to it.”

It was subtle, but already Anthony could sense the slightest of changes occurring between himself and Caroline. There was still some hostility there, a sense of distrust, but it was waning. That told him that she was at least open to the idea of him getting to know her. Maybe even that she was looking forward to it. Although I won’t get ahead of myself just yet.

“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.”

“Excuse me?”

“Pretending that you are something you are not,” she said. “Being nice to me when I know how hard it must be for you. I have agreed to your proposition, and I will keep my promise. So please, all of this…” She gestured vaguely around them. “It is not necessary.”

Despite himself, Anthony actually laughed. “You don’t trust me very much do you?”

“You haven’t given me a reason to.”

“Fair enough,” he agreed. “But not everything I do is some ploy or trick or game. I asked if you were enjoying your food because I wished to make sure you were, because I was serious last night when I told you I didn’t want this marriage to be a barrage of argument and hostility.”

“Oh…”

“I know what people say about me,” Anthony continued, raising an eyebrow at Caroline, which had her looking away. “And where some of it might be true…” He sighed and shook his head, his stomach turning because he hated being forced to remember his past. “Most of it is only rumor. Exaggerated rumor, at that.”

Surprisingly, Caroline did not attack him back. She appeared chastised, even embarrassed, and looked away. “I am sorry,” she said softly. “I did not mean...”

He sighed. “It is fine. Just know, you do not have to distrust everything I do.”

She rolled her eyes. “Only once the sun drops, is that right?”

“You make me sound like some sort of vampire.”

“Oh, most certainly not.” She smiled to herself, eyes flicking at him. “A vampire would be much better company.”

There was humor in her tone and a glimmer behind her eyes, which told Anthony that she was joking. That finally she was beginning to relax around him. He laughed at the joke and shook his head.

“Speaking of, tonight,” he then began. “I hope you have no plans.”

“I do not,” she said. “In fact, my entire next few weeks are free.”

“Good,” he said. “Once evening sets in, you are to meet me in the main dining room. Looking your best, I do not think it needs to be said.”

“The dining room?” She tilted her head.

“We are to have a feast,” he explained. “As part of my endeavor to...” He chuckled to himself, realizing how foolish it all sounded in the light of day. “To prove that you can stand to be around me, for want of a better description.”

“We will have to work on the phrasing,” she snorted as she went back to her plate of food. This time, she cut into the cold pork and took a bite, and he watched as she grimaced to chew and swallow. It was clear that she did not enjoy it. What was not clear was why she didn’t say anything.

Strange that she can be so shy and well behaved in one instant and so rebellious in another. Is it only me who brings out that side of her? Or is it always there, and she just needs a push?

Whatever it was, Anthony supposed he would find out tonight. A night that despite himself, he was looking forward to. But not because tonight might see him bed his wife as his more amorous side wished to do. Rather, it was a chance to do as he promised, and as he suspected she wanted. To get to know one another better.

How very strange that such a concept might excite him. Although that just spoke to the nature of this marriage, a most strange affair indeed.