Page 28 of A Virgin for the Duke of Scars (Ton’s Beasts #1)

T heresa had to invent new ways to entertain herself until the house party to keep from crossing paths with her husband.

Not my husband yet .

It had become increasingly clear that Aaron did not trust her and that he would never want to be intimate with her the way she desired. Maybe he did not desire her the same way she desired him.

She took all of her meals in her quarters, grateful for the spacious rooms he had given her. If she had to spend all her time here, it was for the best that it was not as small as her old room at the convent.

She heard the knock on the door and thought about ignoring it. There was no one she wished to see at the moment. Most of all, she worried that it would be Aaron come to tell her that he wished to return her to the convent, after all.

She did not think she could handle going back to her old life after experiencing life in the city.

But it was not Aaron who knocked on her door. When she did not respond, Juliette simply barged into the room without an invitation, just as Margaret would have once upon a time.

“You did not come down for dinner.”

“I did not wish to see my husband,” Theresa said flatly.

“Then you are both too obstinate to face one another. He did not come down for dinner either, but I dared not venture to his tower.”

Theresa did not say anything. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she thought about what her husband’s avoidance might mean. They had to attend a house party tomorrow night. How could they pretend to be husband and wife at this rate?

“I will not presume to know what you are quarrelling over right now, but I came to give you some advice about my brother.”

“I would heed your advice,” Theresa said, curious about what her sister-in-law might reveal about him.

Aaron was so multifaceted that she was eager to understand the reasons for his odd behavior.

“He acts like he does not care what others think of him. I am here to tell you that it is obvious he cares for you, even though he pretends that he does not.”

“He does not trust me.”

“His trust is earned with time,” Juliette explained gently. “You have been married for so short a time. It will take longer than you think for him to let down his guard around you.”

“I trust him already,” Theresa argued.

“It is in your nature to trust easily. The sisters have taught you well about forgiveness and love. Aaron has not had the same experiences in the time he has been back from the war.”

Theresa mulled over Juliette’s words. The kitten snuck out from beneath her skirts and bounded over to Juliette, rubbing against her. She could not think of a single thing to say.

“I do not require an answer. I just wished to share this with you so that you would be kind to my brother,” Juliette sighed.

Then, she stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her.

“Is it truly just you and me?” Theresa whispered to the kitten. “We are all alone here in this huge manor. It seems that everyone has taken sides, though no one knows the truth.”

She called for the maid to help her undo the buttons of her dress and help her into her nightgown. If there was nothing else to be done this evening, she would retire to bed early so that she could be well-rested for a late night tomorrow.

She knew she would dream of Aaron and the afternoon they had shared until the point she walked away from him. The time they had spent dancing in his study was one of the highlights of her new life.

Why shouldn’t she remember it fondly?

She would have so few memories to hold on to when she went back to the convent.

The maid came and helped her out of her gown before turning down the bed.

Theresa sank into the plush mattress and let her dreams carry her away to a time when this was not her life. When things were simpler.

When Aaron awoke the next morning, it was with dread of going another day without his wife. He wanted to go to her, to tell her that he did understand her frustration with him. That he did know why she would react the way he envisioned—because Isabella had already shown him.

Theresa was a lady and a nun. She had lived a sheltered life and would not be able to comprehend his disfigurement. She would realize once and for all that he was a beast.

The servants drew him a bath in the morning, and he tried to still his mind as he relaxed in the waters. He thought about his wife and the kiss they had shared in the kitchen, how easily it came to him this time around. He did not look to make sure that no one else would see.

Theresa made him feel more than anyone else ever had.

He could not name the emotion she made him feel, only that it was unique to her.

She made his heart feel lighter, and he knew he was more prone to laughter since the moment she walked down the aisle.

While he sometimes laughed at her, he also found plenty of occasions to laugh with her.

He enjoyed her company and her innocence. He never thought he would enjoy his life so thoroughly again. Not since the war.

When he emerged from his bath and dressed, he poured himself a glass of whiskey to help pass the afternoon.

He was still seated at his desk, the empty glass in front of him, when his grandmother knocked on his door.

“It did not escape my notice that you and your wife did not come down for dinner last night,” she said when he reluctantly invited her in. “And you were in separate quarters, according to Juliette.”

“What business does Juliette have in my marriage?”

“She is concerned that you are about to ruin the one thing that has made you happy,” the Dowager Duchess said with a stern expression. “And I have come to beg you not to do the same thing.”

Aaron did not say anything. He just poured himself another glass.

“Your silence speaks volumes,” she added. “You know that she has changed you. She has made you happier. It may not be what you want, but she is what you need.”

“I do not want anything,” he answered. “I did not need a wife. I do not need one now. And I do not need anyone meddling in my affairs.”

“Be that as it may, she has made you happy. Do not do anything you will regret.” The Dowager Duchess paused. “And I must remind you that we are attending a house party this evening. It would not do for the Duke not to make an appearance.”

“You need not worry what the ton thinks of us. I will be at the house party with Theresa on my arm. We need not make up for that to happen.”

“All the same, I wish you would reconsider. I will leave you to your vices if that is what you wish. Theresa is in the stables, so you are free to leave your quarters if you so desire.”

The Dowager Duchess stepped out of his room, leaving him to the one thing he felt he could do today: get foxed. He would attend the cursed house party, the one thing drawing him back to his wife.

Maybe it was for the best. There was little risk of touching her there, with the eyes of the ton on them. Theresa would be a novelty tonight at her very first party, and everyone would clamor for her.

He had promised he would not allow anyone else to dance with her tonight. That meant he would have to dance with her himself.

We need not do more than dance .

He tried to comfort himself with the thought that he did not need to kiss her lips or touch her intimately. She would spurn his touch if he did not agree to her demands. And he simply could not agree to her demands.

He could not take the risk of her leaving him.