Page 48 of A Duke to Undo her (The Husband Hunt #1)

Why could she not have the same as they did?

And where Lord Robert was not perfect, he wasn’t evil.

He wasn’t wicked. Such that perhaps there was a chance for them, if fate allowed it.

Truly, it was all she’d been able to grasp hold of to keep her from losing herself in the weeks leading up to the marriage.

Now, Iris knew this dream, however slight, was dashed. She forced herself to look at the duke once more, seeing in him a dispassionate, uncaring partner who she doubted cared for her at all. Just as he never would.

“It doesn’t matter,” she scoffed and looked away. “As I said, you don’t care.”

“Is that what you think?”

She laughed bitterly. “I doubt you have it in you. That you could even comprehend what it is like to care about anyone other than yourself and—”

“Enough,” the duke growled suddenly, cutting through her rancor as if he had slapped the words from her mouth.

Her words caught in her throat and her stomach dropped when she looked at him again, finding that he was now glowering at her with a fury of his own.

“The first thing is this: I will not be spoken to that way. Is that understood?”

Iris found her bravery fading in the light of the duke’s cold gaze. “I… I am sorry.”

“Secondly, you have clearly gone ahead and formed your own opinion of me. Opinions which are based on nothing save for the little you think you know—and it is very little,” he emphasized. “Tell me, as you seem to know so much, what do you really know about me?”

Iris hesitated, not certain what answer she should give. Worried now that anything said would only anger him further.

In truth, she knew little of the duke outside of his roguish brother.

There was a rumor about another brother of his, younger, one born out of wedlock.

But she didn’t know the circumstances exactly, or if they were even true.

As ashamed as she was to admit it, she knew nothing about His Grace, and indeed everything she said was based on little more than opinion found in the moment.

But that was not the point! This was not about the duke, but the fact that she was being forced into a situation to which she had no control. And worse than that, not a soul seemed to care.

“Not… not as much as I might,” she said quietly.

He scoffed. “You seem to think that this marriage is something I want. Worse, that it affects me little and that you are the only one made to suffer.” His lips curled with derision.

“It might surprise you to hear that like you, I had no desire to marry. None.” Behind his dark eyes she saw a flash of rage that he seemed to be struggling to keep control of.

“I… I did not… I wasn’t thinking—”

“No, you were not,” he snarled. “I did not marry you for me. I did not marry you because I want to punish you or I enjoy lauding myself over you. I did it because I had to. Duty is what forced my hand, and for that there is nothing I will not do.”

“Duty?” she asked carefully.

“My brother has shamed me,” he said darkly.

“Not the first time, likely not the last. So please, before you insist on feeling sorry for yourself and acting as if you are the only one inconvenienced here, you might do well to remember that I did this as much for me as I did for you. A little gratitude might be nice.”

Iris suddenly found herself on the back foot, wary of the duke’s outburst and the danger inherent in being found in front of it.

Not to mention the guilt which swarmed her because she had not stopped to consider the truth of what he said just now.

As with her, the duke was only doing what he must, not what he wanted. This wasn’t personal…

And yet, despite her now understanding this, her anger still got the better of her. Such was the way this day seemed destined to play out.

“Grateful?” she scoffed. “You cannot be serious.”

“I could not be more serious.”

She shook her head with derision. “If it is thanks that you want, you will not get it.”

“I do not expect you to thank me,” he said coldly. “But I would appreciate it if you took the time to understand why this has happened. Maybe then, if you are not nearly as stubborn as I think you are, you might be able to avoid future follies.”

“So, it is my fault!”

“Just as it takes two to marry, it takes two to produce a scandal.”

Her eyes widened. “How dare you! Your brother… he was the one… I did nothing!”

“And yet as is so often the case, others are left to pay for it. Now, if you do not mind, we have a long journey ahead of us and it has been a long day.” He turned to look out the window.

“No,” she said. “I am not… I will not be made to feel guilty.”

He turned back and cocked an eyebrow. “Is that what you think I am doing?”

“You are blaming me.”

“I wondered why my brother ran,” he said as he looked at her, a smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. “I am beginning to see the reason. No doubt he wanted to avoid conversations like this one.”

“How dare—”

“Enough!” he growled, the effect cutting through her words like a knife through butter. The duke sat up in his seat, the inside of the carriage suddenly seemed smaller than it had, and Iris looked away as her heart began to race. “It has been a long day and—look at me when I speak to you.”

She did no such thing, purposefully turned away. Although it was more out of making a point than anything. She had no power here, that was made perfectly clear, and she was desperate to claw back some semblance of control.

“Just as I don’t enjoy being spoken down to…” Out the corner of her eye, Iris saw movement, the duke’s hulking frame leaning forward. She gasped and then her breath left her as she felt his hand take her chin and force her to look him in the eyes. “I don’t enjoy being ignored. Not by my wife.”

That word… wife. It sent a ripple of nervous energy through Iris’ body. It made her pulse quicken and her throat run dry. Or perhaps that was from the way the duke was touching her? How close he was sitting. How his eyes locked onto her own and forced her to stare into them.

A silence passed between them. Eyes held. Faces inches away. It burned where he touched her, the warmth spreading down her neck and to her chest. She could hardly breathe, and where she wanted to look away from him, she found herself unable, once again held by the pull of his dark eyes and power.

“As I was saying.” He dropped his voice to a whisper; she could feel his breath trace across her lips. “It has been a long day, and it promises to be a longer one if we keep bickering like this. So, if you do not mind, I would appreciate silence. Can you do that for me, wife?”

She shuddered again to hear him use that word. “I…” Unable to speak, she offered him a nod of her head.

“Good,” he said with a satisfied smile. Then, he released her. She fell back with a gasp, and he turned once more, back to looking out the window.

Iris’ heart was racing. She could hardly breathe. And it was so hot in the carriage all of a sudden that she was sweating through her dress. What just happened… Iris knew she should have felt afraid. For how powerless she was, how weak and helpless and utterly at the duke’s mercy.

But that wasn’t it at all.

Excitement rose inside of her. Confusion, brought by such a thing.

She was still angry. She was still annoyed with everything that had happened.

But the feel of his hand on her chin, the look in his eyes, and how her body had reacted to his touch…

maybe this marriage won’t be nearly so boring as I thought.