Page 16 of A Duchess to Unravel (The Devil’s Masquerade #3)

CHAPTER NINE

“ I would like us to go over our arrangement again,” Theo stated, breaking the silence.

They had been traveling for hours now in a tense silence.

Theo had thought for a moment as she’d walked down the aisle toward Alistair, that perhaps their marriage could be bearable.

After the way he dragged her from the reception, though, she had started to worry that she was making a mistake.

Even if part of her had been relieved to be out of the watchful stare of their guests’ eyes, she was still annoyed that she’d had to make hurried goodbyes to her friends and Tristan.

Alistair, who had stared out the window of their carriage since the moment they’d boarded it, slowly turned his head toward her and lounged deeper into his seat. His large body took up most of the space already, but as he did that, it pushed his knees toward hers, brushing against them.

“Very well,” he acquiesced.

His bored tone instantly renewed Theo’s annoyance, and she shook her head.

“Never mind,” she huffed, crossing her arms.

The deep sound of Alistair’s chuckle both annoyed and aroused her and she silently cursed herself for being so attracted to him.

“Now, dinnae be a spoiled lass, come on and tell me what ye want to know. Have ye settled on ye wish?” He asked.

She looked back at him, tilted her chin up, and straightened her spine.

“I have several, actually,” she replied matter-of-factly.

He smirked.

“Let’s hear them then.”

“I want what you promised,” she replied. “That you will keep my secret about the Devil’s Masquerade.”

He rolled his eyes.

“That’s a given.”

“You will handle this situation with my stalker.”

“Aye, I already promised that,” he agreed, then yawned.

Theo’s annoyance sparked into fury at his bored nature.

“And once you are finished with your business in England, you will go back to Scotland where you belong.” She finished with venom.

“Gladly,” he said dryly, narrowing his eyes slightly at her.

“ And I get to choose where I live and even purchase a new estate for myself if I so choose,” she added.

“Wherever ye choose to go, I dinnae care,” he replied, still sounding bored. “Ye can buy half the English countryside if ye want.”

Though still angry at him, Theo’s brows rose up in surprise.

“Exactly how wealthy are you?” She asked, and her anger intensified as a condescending laugh broke from Alistair’s lips.

“Let’s just say I am wealthier than your brother and all of his friends combined,” he replied. “One of the many advantages of growing up outside of England is that I avoided the small mind of this ridiculous culture and have expanded my trade far beyond the social elite that is the ton.”

Theo could hear the loathing in Alistair’s voice as he spoke of English society, and even though she herself was a member of such, she could not fault him for it. She settled back into her seat, satisfied that at least everything she wanted would be given to her as promised.

“Now let us talk of my terms,” Alistair said, yanking her directly from that satisfaction.

Her eyes shot to him, narrowed.

“ Your terms?”

He raised a brow, tilting his handsome face as he gave her a warning look.

“First of all, while I enjoy your sharp tongue ye may want to be more careful with it,” he stated.

“I beg your pardon!”

“And you’ll have it,” he quipped back, leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees; his hands brushing along her outer thighs from the lack of space.

Even that small touch had her body stirring once again with desire, and she flushed as he continued to say, “This time. However, you need to be more aware of the line between amusing and disrespectful. Ye tend to toe it quite a bit. Keep in mind that my deal put you in the lap of protected luxury, Theo. A certain amount of respect is expected for that.”

The sharp retort she’d been preparing to say died on her tongue, and she took a steadying breath. She hated it, but he was right. He was doing her a rather large favor, even if that favor also benefited him to some degree.

“Noted,” she remarked, keeping her tone level. “Your terms, then?”

Alistair gave her a long studying look before leaning back into his seat, his hands brushing her thighs again as he pulled back. She hated that she instantly mourned the loss.

“Our marriage protects me from the overly insistent mamas without us doing much,” he conceded, “But you also need to act like my wife from time to time. As part of doing business, you and I will need to go to events and, sadly, host them on occasion. I will keep our home vacant of visitors as much as possible, but when the time comes, ye will have to play the part of an obedient spouse.”

She opened her mouth to object, but Alistair put up a hand and added, “I am not a proponent for such a show either, but it must be done. Remember I am not only protecting my money now, but your brother’s and his close friends. My cousin’s husband, and your friend Amelia’s.”

At the mention of her friends, the act of portraying a wife suddenly seemed more important than ever. Theo loved them, dearly, and did not want them to lose anything because of her dissatisfaction with Alistair.

“Very well,” she begrudgingly agreed, “That is understandable. What else?”

In response, Alistair nodded to her window, and it was only then she noticed that their carriage had stopped. She turned her head to look at what he’d nodded to, and her mouth dropped open.

“This cannot be the Caldermere Estate,” she said eyeing up the looming, if not slightly foreboding castle before her.

“It is now,” Alistair stated. “I did nae like my uncle’s old estate, so I bought this one. We are still in Caldermere, but this is better suited to me.”

Theo hadn’t realized he’d moved to sit beside her until she heard his deep rumbling chuckle and felt the heat of his breath on her neck.

Her skin prickled with excitement at the closeness, and she could not help the shiver of pleasure that traveled up her spine as his warm hand wrapped around the back of her neck, and his thumb massaged upwards into her hair.

“Dinnae worry, it only looks this imposing in the dark. It will appear much more welcoming in the light of the morning.”

Keeping her eyes to the window, Theo took in the stone enclosed courtyard and castle.

Torches had been lit throughout the entire place, and in their flickering light she made out at least two large battlements, two smaller ones, and three turrets upon the massive building.

It’s large, curved windows had been illuminated by candles on the first two floors, but the other two remained dark.

It was all so foreboding. It reminded her of all the dark and frightening fairy tales she’d long ago read, of evil witches and sorcerers.

“I doubt it,” she stated flatly, roaming her eyes up and down the castle again. “How long has it been since someone lived here?”

“Over a hundred years.” Alistair said as if it were not an issue. As if one hundred years was the same as a decade and that the changes needed were not at all that vast.

“Helping me get my new home ready for guests will be another one of your duties,” Alistair went on, the massaging motion of his thumb continuing as he talked softly in her ear.

“Ye will have staff to serve you. I’ll hire more if you need. But it needs a woman’s touch. A more welcoming feel for our guests. That will be up to you.”

The responsibility of such a task weighed on her, but the wonderful things Alistair’s hand was doing to her neck was taking away some of that tension. She felt her shoulders ease down as her lashes fluttered shut, and she sighed as she felt him pull her back into his chest.

When her head was nestled into the crook of his shoulder, she felt his warm lips place soft, slow kisses from her temple down to her jaw as his hand slipped to the front of her throat.

“Is there anything else you want out of our deal?” He whispered into her ear, then nipped lightly at her lobe, making her gasp then whimper.

“This,” she blurted out, not able to hide it any longer. “You offered to teach me pleasure the night you proposed.”

“Hmm,” he hummed, seductively sliding the tip of his tongue and bottom lip up the nape of her neck, “I recall you got rather angry when I suggested that.”

It was a taunt, and she knew it. He was using her own words against her, but the growing arousal was making it difficult for her to care. She liked this feeling. The way he stroked her desire into a flame, the way she too seemed to be desired by him.

“You work on teaching me pleasure,” she breathed, “And I will work on my anger toward you.”

Another deep chuckle rumbled from Alistair’s chest, and he finished his teasing with a bite to her neck.

“Well played, little kitten,” he praised, slowly easing her away from him. “You come to me when you are ready for those lessons. For now, let me show you inside. Your new staff is eager to meet you.”

“Shall I have Anne show ye to your room, Your Grace?” Mrs. Mackenzie, the castle’s head housekeeper asked.

Theo continued to look on at the massive stone staircase a moment longer.

Alistair had made his way up it several minutes ago, but she was still in shock that after just the briefest of introductions, he had left her standing in the cathedral-like foyer of the massive residence with a staff that was woefully small.

There were only twelve people to serve the entire place.

Mrs. Mackenzie, the head housekeeper. Her staff of cleaning girls, of which there were only four: Bonnie, Willa, Nellie, and Anne.

Anne would be serving temporarily as Theo’s personal maid until Norma would arrive.

Then there was Mr. Mackenzie, the head butler and Mrs. Mackenzie’s husband, and his staff: Jonas, Ailean, Callum, and Gavin.

Lastly there was the cook, Stephen, and his scullery maid, Mairi.

It might have been a decent enough staff at Alistair’s London house, but here, they’d need more. Much more.