Page 21 of A Duke for Hire (The Devil’s Masquerade #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“ S he looks happy, Hugo,” Tristan stated.

Hugo said nothing, keeping his eyes trained on his wife as she stood surrounded by her friends. She had brought the new gown as he insisted, a brilliant cerulean blue gown with crushed diamonds sewn in swirling patterns over the bust and skirt. Her dark brown hair was swept up by a matching diamond hairpiece, with small ringlets framing her gorgeous face. Her lips were open and spread into a wide, joyous smile as she laughed and spoke with the women surrounding her.

She does, he thought. Despite the discomfort he’d left her in after their last conversation, she looked happy.

Suddenly, as if knowing she was being watched, her blue eyes snapped to his. He felt his entire body react to her hypnotizing gaze, and something unfamiliar surged through him as her smile softened and she dipped her head toward him in a small bow.

“Things must be going well,” Tristan went on. “Are they?”

With effort, Hugo pulled his gaze from Seraphina and tried to fathom a response.

“She is adjusting well to her life in Merrivale,” was all he could provide.

More than adjusted, really. She had blossomed. He had heard that her first few days had been a struggle, but now his entire staff and most of the village adored her, respected her. He heard praise of her kindness and intelligence almost daily. Even Mrs. Purdy had grown a soft spot for the young duchess.

“She is a fine woman,” Everett praised. “Very fine indeed.”

A flare of possessiveness shot through Hugo and he narrowed his eyes at him.

“Of course she is,” he snapped, “It is only a fool who thinks otherwise.”

Everett’s eyes widened with surprise as Tristan shifted uncomfortably on his feet. Dominic, however, chortled into his drink and murmured something about words and their accuracy.

“We have come to steal the Lord Merrivale away from you,” Theo stated, breaking up the tension as she, Seraphina, and the other women joined them. “We have yet to make a formal acquaintance and are most curious.”

“By all means, take him,” Everett replied readily, then smiled wolfishly down at Theo.

“My, my Miss Briarwood. Don’t you look ravishing in that dress.”

Hugo caught Tristan shooting their friend a glare but it was Theo that spoke first.

“Trust, my Lord, with your lithe figure I am sure it would look better on you than me,” she stated quickly, smiling prettily at him.

Dominic choked on his whiskey as he let out a burst of laughter, and even Hugo smiled with Tristan at the woman’s quick response.

“Go away now,” Theo said, her tone sweet as shooed Everett away, “Save your words for someone who will actually pay attention to them.”

“Hugo, may I formally introduce my dear friend, Miss Theodosia Briarwood,” Seraphina giggled, waving her fingers toward the bold woman. “And these are my other dear friends. Miss Rosamund Gravesmoor, Miss Ophelia Wexley, and Miss Amelia Hollowcraft. Ladies, may I please introduce my husband, Lord Hugo Fenwick, Duke of Merrivale.”

“Ladies,” Hugo stated with a cordial bow to them all. “It is a true pleasure to meet you all. Seraphina has done nothing but sing your praises. Please know that you are always welcome in Merrivale and my home.”

Hugo caught the intimidated glance Rosamund threw toward Seraphina first. The poor woman looked as if she was barely containing her fear of him, and he immediately noticed how his wife caught her hand, giving her a comforting squeeze and a calming glance.

“We would have so much fun,” Seraphina told her gently. “It is truly a beautiful place.

“Well I was quite disappointed that my brother did not bring me along on his visit two days ago,” Theodosia stated, casting her brother an annoyed look before smiling warmly at Hugo.

“Do me a kindness and insist he bring along the next time he does so,” she said to him.

He bowed his head, taking a liking to her immediately. She was as strong headed as Tristan had mentioned.

“I will be sure to do so,” he assured her.

“Seraphina has mentioned some discomfort with your staff’s behavior,” Amelia stated, eyeing him up and down. “I trust that you have helped remedy this situation?”

“Amelia!” Seraphina gasped, but Hugo only chuckled.

“I assure you my wife needs no help from me,” he replied. “She has done quite well and from what I understand she is nothing short of adored.”

“Well of course she is,” Amelia sighed, looking at him intensely. “She deserves no less.”

“I could not agree more,” Hugo stated with equal insistence.

A small, brief smile touched the woman’s lips then, and she gave him a small nod, as if signifying her approval.

“Speaking of adoration,” Ophelia said, speaking up next, “You two cannot seem to keep your eyes off of each other. Is it possible that the scandal that brought you together has grown into a love match?”

“Oh, good heavens,” Seraphina sighed, covering her eyes as a deep red blush consumed her face.

Hugo’s smile widened. Seraphina in distress stirred his rage, but Seraphina in playful embarrassment was adorable.

“My poor wife has found herself married to a beast,” he replied, “But I cannot deny that her kindness and patience have begun to strip some of my more feral parts away.”

Slowly, Seraphina lowered her hands, hope glittering in her eyes.

“How very romantic,” Ophelia mused, looking from Seraphina to Hugo with a side smile.

The urge to apologize to her came over him with great strength, and he offered her his hand. Calmness enveloped him as he took it, and she stepped to his side.

“It was lovely to meet you all,” he said, bowing once more to her friends. “Now if you would not mind, I would very much like to dance with my wife.”

“I am sorry if my friends were inappropriate,” Seraphina stated as Hugo led her to the dance floor.

I’m sorry for pushing you too far the other day, she thought.

“You have nothing to apologize for. Your friends are bold and loyal, and I am certainly not offended by that.” he assured her, twirling her into the dance.

“Perhaps it is I that owes you an apology,” he stated in lower tone, his expression shifting into one of remorse. “For the other day.”

Relief coursed through Seraphina, and she quickly shook her head.

“Please, I just want to put it behind us,” she urged, following his leading in the dance. “I would match rather focus on better things.”

“Very well,” Hugo agreed. “Are you enjoying your return to London?”

“I am happy to see my friends again,” Seraphina replied truthfully, “But if I am honest, I am looking forward to returning to Merrivale with you tomorrow.”

Hugo’s brows perked in surprise.

“You truly like your life there?”

“Very much,” she replied emphatically, then blushed.

“What is it?” Hugo asked, pulling her closer.

“It is—unseemly,” she whispered, though her smile grew.

A sound of approval rumbled in his chest as she felt her skin become alive with tingles beneath his touch.

“All the more reason to tell me,” he whispered wickedly, a devilishly handsome smile appearing on his face.

“Perhaps what I enjoy most is the lessons you impart to me,” she whispered back, her cheeks growing hotter. “Particularly the ones when we are alone.”

Satisfaction sparked in Hugo’s eyes, and he reached up to cup her enflamed cheek as the song ended.

“We can certainly arrange that,” he told her.

The deep timber of his voice was laced with seduction, and it sent a shot of arousal deep through her veins.

“Fenwick!” Someone shouted then, interrupting their moment.

Seraphina’s eyes dipped to the floor as Hugo let out an unhappy groan, letting his hand slip from her face.

“Duty calls,” he sighed, already sounding bored with whatever conversation he was about to be pulled into.

“Have another dance with me when I come back? Then perhaps we could depart for the evening and see to those lessons.”

Seraphina nodded readily, already trembling in anticipation.

“Hurry back,” she whispered as Hugo placed a kiss on her knuckles. He gave her a nod, then headed toward the group of men calling him over.

“Poor girl.”

“Look at her. Moon-eyed over that monster.”

“Corrupted. Absolutely corrupted.”

“There’s no saving her now. Not that there was much to save, given her birth status.”

It was not the talk of trade that Hugo was focused on, but the multitude of whispers coming from beyond it. He glanced away from the conversation he’d been pulled to, and swept his eyes over the ballroom.

It was not him that the others were staring at, but his wife. Same as the subject of their whispers.

“At least she is rich now.”

“What does that matter if her soul is damned to be tied to that man?”

“She’ll disappear. I heard he hunts people. Lord Repington even swears he admitted to it.”

“Pretty but foolish,” another sighed. “Oh well. Serves her right I suppose.”

“Fenwick,” Dominic boomed in Hugo’s ear, nudging his elbow. “Are you paying attention?”

“No,” Hugo admitted, not caring who he offended.

Dominic cleared his threat, and stepped back from the group with him, bending his ear toward the crowd. Hugo could tell when he’d caught the whispers by the way his friend sighed next. Dominic was not like Tristan or Everett. Much less boisterous. Some even said uncaring. But Hugo knew that was untrue. He just had a different way of showing it.

“Pay them no mind,” Dominic murmured, his tone insistent. “Seraphina wants to be with you, and that is all that matters.”

Hugo said nothing as he searched the crowd, wanting, needing to see Seraphina. When he finally spotted her his heart wrenched painfully in his chest. She was smiling, talking quickly with a man who was standing far too close to her for his liking. Jealousy and possession exploded through him at what he saw, and his hand tightened on his glass, making it crack under the pressure.

At his side Dominic heard the sound of strained glass, and his eyes widened as he caught Hugo’s intense stare.

“Hugo,” Dominic warned.

“You with us, Your Grace?” A gentleman in the circle joked.

“Excuse me,” Hugo gritted out and took a step away.

“You said he was good at business,” Hugo heard the man seethe toward Dominic.

“I would shut your mouth if I were you,” he then heard Dominic warn. “Now is not the time.”

“I am simply trying to ask how you are, Your Grace,” Lord Carrigan insisted, drawing closer. “Is that not what friends do?”

Seraphina inched further away from him, unsettled.

“We were never friends, Lord Carrigan,” she replied as politely as possible as she continued her forced smile. Things were going well, and she did not want to cause a scene. “We courted for a short time, that is all.”

Carrigan stepped closer, his eyes raking over her neck and breasts, making her infinitely more uncomfortable.

“What are you doing?” She seethed, stepping back as her smile faltered.

“No bite marks or scratches,” he murmured under his breath, continuing his inspection. “You seem well fed. Perhaps that’s the beast’s way. Getting his victims to feel comfortable.”

Rage boiled through Seraphina. Her palm itched to slap him across the face as harsh words clawed at her throat.

“Seraphina.”

Relief coursed through her as she heard Hugo’s voice, and she broke her gaze from Carrigan to see him stalking toward him; a tense look on his face.

“Your Grace,” Lord Carrigan stated, finally stepping away from her. “What a pleasure to-”

“Save your lies for someone else, you pompous arse,” Hugo seethed as he snatched Seraphina by the wrist.

“Thank heavens you came,” she breathed as he led her away, “I was just about to-”

“What the bloody hell was that?” Hugo growled, cutting her off as he pulled her into a dance.

Shocked at his sudden change in mood, Seraphina misstepped.

“Excuse me?” She whispered, glancing around them to see if anyone noticed.

“Carrigan,” Hugo snapped, “Regretting your choice in husband?”

Seraphina narrowed his eyes at him, angry that her reason for relief was turning into discomfort.

“The only remorse I have is coming back to this awful city,” she hissed. “If you had only heard what he was asking me–”

“I have heard plenty,” Hugo grumbled.

Seraphina pulled herself away from his grasp, not caring if it stirred more whispers or not.

“I want to go home. Now.” She stated.

“Fine by me,” Hugo seethed as they drew more stares.

“Tell me what is going on right now,” Seraphina demanded as soon as they were back in their London house.

He had not spoken, had not even looked at her in the carriage ride back.

“You tell me,” Hugo sneered, pulling off his cravat as he passed the bedroom floor. “What were you doing with Carrigan? Smiling at him like that? Letting him get so close?”

Frustrated, Seraphina began pulling off her gloves.

“ I did not allow him to do anything,” she insisted, “And I was only smiling to hide the utter rage he was making me feel! I was trying to avoid a scene! Everyone had their eyes on us tonight.”

“I am well aware,” Hugo snapped, shedding his jacket. “They were not just watching us. They were talking about us.”

“Oh, trust me,” she snapped, “I know. Carrington was inquiring when I would be your prey.”

Hugo froze, letting his jacket fall from his grasp as his angry gaze settled on her.

“He what ? It looked as if you were flirting with him.”

Seraphina was taken aback.

“ Flirting with him? I wanted to slap him for the things he was saying!”

Hugo’s shoulders dropped slightly.

“I thought you wanted him,” he murmured. “He would have been much better for you. A safer choice.”

Seraphina’s mouth dropped agape.

“I do not want him!” She insisted, pulling her jeweled hairpiece from her head. “I was disgusted by the things he was insinuating.”

She put the hairpiece down on the nearby dresser, and went to him. She reached for his hand but he pulled it away, giving her a distrusting look.

“I have never been like this before,” he said with annoyance, “Never felt jealous over a man paying any woman any attention.”

“Jealous,” she echoed, understanding dawning on her. “Is that why you are so angry? You truly think I would want someone like him?”

“Is that not exactly the type of man you wanted before our scandal?” Hugo insisted.

Seraphina had no defense. It was true. Her only goal in marriage had been to rise above her station.

“That was what I was told to want,” she said quietly, “And for a while, I believed it myself. I know otherwise now, though, and what I want is what I have. To be your wife.”

“You being my wife has done you no favors,” Hugo rasped, still looking like a predator ready to pounce.

“That is not true,” she insisted quickly. “It has shown me what protection feels like. What peace feels like.”

She paused, mustering up the courage to speak the next part.

“What desire feels like,” she added quietly.

Hugo’s body relaxed further, and the anger in his gaze slowly shifted to intense contemplation.

“You do not desire him?” He asked, his tone still wary.

“No,” she said in a rush.

Unable to take the distance between them any longer, she stepped forward and laced her arms around his neck. Hugo body tensed for a moment, but then his hands came to her waist.

“What I desire is you,” she whispered, looking at him with begging eyes. “Just you. I don’t care about him. About the rumors. All I think about- all I want- is you, Hugo.”

His grip on her waist tightened until she was pressed tight up against his chest.

“Is this true?” He demanded.

“You were honest with me about being jealous,” she murmured, “I am simply in turn being honest with you. I do not care what my life would have been like. All I care about is the life I have now. Even if you still haven’t let me in. Even if you don’t want consummate this marriage with me. I still want you.”

A tortured sound slipped from Hugo’s throat, and he ground his jaw.

“Is that what you think?” He rasped, pressing his forehead against hers. “That I do not want you in every way? I am trying to leave some part of you uncorrupted by me. Saved from me.”

“I do not want to be saved,” Seraphina whispered back, drawing her hand to stroke the scar above his temple. “I want to be yours.”