Page 23 of A Bride for the Cruel Duke (Claimed by Regency Devils #1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

D espite having just left the small glade so that she and Anthony might make their way home—as the hour was getting late, and the night had brought with it a strong wind that chilled them both so they were shaking—Caroline’s mind was still very much on what had just happened.

She wore a smile which would not leave her. She had a skip to her step that made her want to break into a dance. And she laughed freely, not because something funny was said, but because she was just that happy.

“Are you going to tell me what is so funny?” Anthony asked her when he heard her laughter.

“Oh, nothing in particular.” As they walked, they held hands. “Think of it as general merriment.”

“General merriment?”

“I am happy,” she explained, laughing again. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all,” he said, still holding her by the hand. “I like it when you are this happy. It tells me I did something right.”

“Oh?’ She cocked an eyebrow at him. “That’s very bold of you.”

“Am I wrong.”

She grinned. “No comment.”

They broke through the forest, finding themselves on the paddock that surrounded the forest. The moon had vanished behind some clouds, turning the night near pitch black.

“Will you be fine to ride in the dark?” Anthony asked as he began to untie their horses. “Perhaps we should walk?”

“What’s the matter...” She flashed her eyes menacingly at him. “Scared you might fall?”

Even in the darkness, she could see the unimpressed look he fixed on her. “Is that a serious question?”

“One you have not answered.”

He considered her, glancing to the moonless sky. “Just be careful. The ground is uneven, and the grass is overgrown. We shall take it slowly.”

“I was right about you,” she crooned as she came in behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, he turned stiff, but she ignored it because she sensed it had merely caught him by surprise. “Not a monster at all.”

To this, Anthony said nothing, and Caroline chastised herself for being so stupid. I need to stop acting as if Anthony has changed or is different to what he once was. He has always been this kind and this caring, so why mention a side of him that was never real?

Still, Caroline could not believe how this evening had turned out. When she had planned their picnic, all she had wanted was to prove to herself that what she was starting to feel for Anthony was reciprocated. That she wasn’t a fool. A pleasant evening is what she had in mind, companionable conversation, perhaps a kiss or two to seal it.

That all changed rather quickly.

Truthfully, she was glad for the cover of night, because her entire body flushed when she thought of it. On top of Anthony. His manhood inside of her, pulsing as she rode him. The way they kissed. His lips around her breasts. And how he hadn’t demanded that she beg him. How he had wanted her as much as she had wanted him.

That was what mattered and that was why she smiled.

They rode across the grassy fields in silence. Side-by-side, with Caroline sitting to face Anthony. She tried to catch his eye so he could see her smile. She tried to read his expression—impossible to do in the dark. She tried to sense what he was thinking, getting back nothing but stony silence.

Caroline was certain it was nothing. From the looks of things, he was just being cautious, his eyes scanning the way ahead as he continued to check on her to make sure she would be fine to ride in the dark. And where she knew she could have just continued on, not worrying about the silence, she was far too excited for that.

“Say...” she began with a wicked grin that flashed in Anthony’s direction. Not that he noticed. “What’s say that we make this interesting?”

“Interesting? What are you speaking of?”

She pumped her eyebrows. “If my memory serves, you still have one more chance to try and convince me this marriage is worth pursing, yes?” She purred and then giggled.

“Oh...” He cleared his throat, looking ahead again. “Let’s not talk of that now. Tomorrow we can?—”

“No, no,” she cut him off. “That is what I was saying. I do not know what you might have planned, but I am thinking now that we have some fun with it.” She looked right at him, waiting...

“Fun?” he said eventually, with great caution because he must have sensed where her mind was going.

“The first one back to the stable gets to choose what we do,” she said. “And the other cannot say no.”

“Caroline, that is not a good idea.” There was no humor in his voice. “It is too dark, and the horses?—”

“—will be fine,” she spoke over him, waving him down. “That is unless you are scared.” She pumped her eyebrows and chuckled.

Even in the dark, she could see the unimpressed look on his face. She chose to see past it, figuring he was just being overly cautious and protective, which she loved. So, why not go a little further with it? Why not give him a chance to further prove how much he did.

“I do not think so,” he said.

“Oh.” She sighed, feigning at being upset. “That is a shame...” Then the smile returned and before Anthony had a chance to say anything else, she kicked her heels into the side of her horse and it took off.

“Caroline!”

“Catch me if you can!” she cried out with glee as she raced across the paddock. “But you’ll have to ride faster than that!”

Caroline laughed as her horse bounded ahead. It was too dark to see properly, the only real source of light being that of the manor well over a mile away. But she did not care. Nor did she worry. Behind her, Anthony called out again, sounding more worried than angry, and she took that as a good sign,

“Faster!” she shouted as she clung on. “You will have to do better than that!”

She could not see Anthony properly, but she liked to imagine he was laughing as she was. The great big brute like to pretend that sullen and morose were his natural settings, but she knew different. This even had proven that there was so much more to Anthony than anybody had known—himself, included.

“Oh!” Caroline cried out as her horse lurched suddenly. “Oh! She exclaimed as its knees buckled and it reared back. “Argh!”

It all happened so quickly.

Her horse whinnied and kicked back. Then it lurched forward, its feet slipped through the grass. It tried to find its balance, its rear legs kicking up, only to balk and then tumble, sending her flying from the saddle and through the air.

The world turned around her. Her stomach went through her mouth. Fear wrapped her like a blanket. She fell and crashed into the ground with a thump. And that was the last thing she remembered.

* * *

The first thing Caroline noticed when she woke up was how much pain she was in. Her body felt bruised. Her head felt as if it was split open. And her eyes felt as if they were being gouged out by a pair of invisible hands. She winced as she regained consciousness, eyes still closed, doing her best to not to move because each time she did that pain rolled across her body.

“Caroline...” Anthony spoke softly from beside her.

“Anthony?” she said, smiling through the pain because hearing him by her side told her everything she needed to know. “What... where am I?”

“Your bedroom,” Anthony said. “In bed.”

She moaned and then groaned as she forced her eyes open. Luckily, it was still dark, so there was no pain from the light. The room was blurred, but she blinked it into focus as she carefully shifted herself to a sitting position.

“Argh—” She gasped as more pain stabbed through her body.

“Careful.”

Deep breaths, Caroline said to herself as she tried to relax through the pain. She was able to feel all of her body, and move her legs and arms and finger and toes, which she took as a good sign. Sitting now too, the room coming into focus, the first thing she saw clearly was Anthony. He was seated by the head of her bed, his expression unreadable as it was far too dark for her to make out. Even his eyes were covered in shadow.

“What happened?” she asked with a wince.

“You don’t remember?”

“I...” It came to her slowly. In hindsight, a most foolish thing to have done, and considering the result, Caroline could not believe she had been so stupid. “I came off my horse.”

“You make it sound like an accident.” His spoke without emotion, as if they were discussing the weather. She might have liked to have heard a sense of worry in his voice, but that he wasn’t shouting was as good a sign as she could have hoped for.

“No, not an accident,” she sighed. “I should have listened to you.”

“Yes, you should have.”His tone was harsher than she expected it to be, and she winced to hear it.

“I’m sorry, Anthony. I don’t know what I was—” She stopped short as more came back to her.

Caroline remembered well enough now why she had insisted on trying to race Anthony in the dark. It had been a foolish ploy to continue the good mood found earlier. What had I even hoped to achieve? Honestly, I cannot say. A stupid decision made in the moment, leaving me feeling mortified with embarrassment. Although...

That Anthony was by her side was a good sign. Dammit, it was a great sign. He did not have to sit here and wait for her to wake. Indeed, the Anthony who she thought she had known would have put her to bed and not thought twice about her wellbeing. So, that he was here, willing to sit in silence until she came to could only be read as a good sign.

She breathed a sigh of relief. He does care for me. I knew he did.

“I am sorry...” she said, bowing her head in what she hoped to be an appropriate amount of shame, trying not to smile because despite it all, she was beyond relieved.

“It is fine.” Anthony sighed loudly. “I am glad you are not seriously hurt.”

“Is that right...?” She chuckled sarcastically.

“You are bruised,” he confirmed. “Battered. But I have had the doctors see to you and they assure me that nothing is broken. A few days of rest and you will be back to your old self.”

“How horrible,” she tried for the joke. “And here you were likely hoping I’d be out of action for weeks. Give you some time to yourself, yes? That peace and quiet you are so desperate for.”

Oh, how she wished she could see his face properly. At least then she might have been able to see if her joke hit the mark. Or if Anthony even recognized it as a joke! But he did not chuckle. His body did not shake from laughter. He was a block of shadow, unmoving and unreadable.

No, Caroline, do not read into this. He is just tired. Worried, also. The fact that he is here! That is what matters!

“How long was I out for?” she asked, needing to fill the silence.

“Only a few hours,” he said. “The fall was not nearly as bad as it could have been. Honestly, Caroline...” His tone hardened and she braced herself for his reprimand, strangely hoping for it. At least that would show that he felt something for what had just happened. That it had affected him in some way. As things stood, she felt like an inconvenience, rather than his wife. “I am just glad that you are not too seriously hurt,” he finished instead, not sounding at all like he meant it.

She winced despite herself. Her head throbbed. Her entire body was one big bruise. Tired. Hungry. Dehydrated. Mind in a million places at once. There was little that Caroline could do right now, so she decided to do nothing.

Let this tragic day play out and see what tomorrow brings. That will confirm that everything is fine and this is all in my head.

“I should be leaving you.” Suddenly, Anthony rose from the chair.

“You’re going?” she moved to reach for him but winced as pain shot through her right side.

“You need sleep.” He stood over the bed, but away from it, as if careful not to get too close. “Bed rest. Doctor’s orders.”

“But...”

“If you need anything, I will be right outside,” he assured her. “And I will have the staff check on you hourly—do not try leave your bed, Caroline.” Through the dark, she could see him looking down at her.

“Is that an order?” she said with a smirk.

“Good sense,” he said without humor.

“Oh...”

He turned on his heel and walked across the room. He did not take her by the hand first and kiss it. He certainly did not kiss her! Again, Caroline felt it was all likely in her head. It had been but one night, and she knew how hard this was for Anthony—a man who had spent his life being so distant and closed off was not going to change completely in a single evening. She knew this.

And yet, as he reached the door, Caroline felt a pain in her chest that had nothing to do with the fall. The door opened, light streamed into the room, and a thought came to mind that was almost as stupid as her decision to try and race him on horseback in the dark. Another vain effort to prove to herself that Anthony did care for her. Another idiotic decision made that was the height of self-sabotage.

“Anthony...” she said softly as he stepped through the door.

“Hhmm?” he turned back and looked at her, his face still drowned in the shadow.

“I...” Do not say it. Do not dare! “I love you...” She knew it was the wrong thing to say the moment it left her lips.

Unable to see Anthony’s face clearly, she was forced to imagine the horror that passed his eyes. He stood there frozen, looking at her, saying nothing and doing even less.

“Goodnight,” he said finally, a single word that felt like an arrow through her chest. “I will see you in the morning.”

Anthony closed the door and darkness fell upon the room once more. A darkness that Caroline felt in the pit of her soul. A darkness that ate at her until there was nothing left. Tomorrow will be different. Once he has some time to think on it. To catch up on his sleep. Then... yes, then all will be well.

She repeated this lie to herself again and again, knowing that’s exactly what it was. A lie. Caroline the fool had done the one thing she had promised herself she would not. She had slept with her husband, a man who she had thought loved her as she loved him. Only now, she was nowhere near as confident in that assumption as she had been.

What had changed? If anything? Had she been wrong this whole time, and all Anthony had wished for was an heir—to get her into bed, as he had told her wanted from the beginning? She found that hard to believe, looking back at this past week, focusing on the times they had shared, knowing those to be proof of his feelings for her.

But if they were true, then she would not be sat here in the dark alone, unsure and doubting everything she thought she had known. Was she wrong? Or had she not known her husband nearly as well as she thought?