Page 38 of A Virgin for the Duke of Scars (Ton’s Beasts #1)

One Month Later

T heresa dismissed Emma after she finished styling her hair in the latest fashion. Intricate braids framed the crown of her head, while the rest of her hair fell like a waterfall down her back.

She was still looking in the mirror when Aaron came behind her and swept her hair over one shoulder. He pressed his lips to her neck and dragged his teeth over her sensitive skin. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation.

“I will have to return to my chambers if you will not let me finish getting ready.” Theresa laughed.

It had been a month since they had made love in the clearing. A month since her husband told her he loved her.

They had not spent a night apart since that moment. While she still kept the Duchess’s Suite, she moved her things into the tower as soon as they returned. Aaron had instructed the footmen to unload her trunk from the carriage and take it to his quarters.

Juliette gave her a knowing look when she returned to Blackwell Manor on the arm of her husband, her trip abandoned.

She laughed as the couple scurried up to the tower while the Dowager Duchess looked on.

The older woman had had her own arranged marriage, and she knew what had likely brought them back to the manor in such a state.

“You will do no such thing,” he murmured against her skin. “Because if you return to your chambers, we will not be able to do this.”

He tugged her to her feet and pulled her into him as if they were going to dance.

One arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her body flush against his, while his other hand held hers, their fingers laced together.

Theresa was only too willing to go along with it.

She stood on his toes as she had done when he had first taught her to dance.

Tonight, she was hosting her first ball, and she would be expected to dance with many gentlemen. Aaron had promised her every dance, but now she knew enough about social conventions to know that he would not be able to keep his word.

He led them in a dance across the room, but when they reached the mirror again, he pulled her even closer. The bulge in his breeches made it clear what he would do to her if given the opportunity.

But that would have to wait until after the ball.

“Your guests are waiting, Your Grace,” a footman called from the other side of the door.

It had become a common occurrence for the servants to catch them like this these days, and Theresa no longer felt embarrassed by the open display of affection.

“We should not keep them waiting, husband,” she said, pulling back from their embrace. “These are your friends, after all.”

“I should have no friends if they take me away from you,” Aaron scoffed, placing her hand on his arm and leading her down the stairs to the ballroom.

The entire place had been transformed with the help of Juliette and the Dowager Duchess. It was expected of the new Duchess of Blackwell to host a ball this Season, but Theresa knew not the slightest thing about throwing a party.

It took many lessons with the Dowager Duchess and Lady Sophia before she felt confident enough to send invitations to Aaron’s friends. After a month of attending balls and garden parties, she finally felt like she had a grasp on who was who.

The first person to greet them was Aaron’s friend, Morgan. She bobbed a curtsy, more from long practice than need.

Morgan took her hand and kissed the back of it, all while cocking an eyebrow at her husband.

“He has no reason to be jealous.” Theresa laughed at their silent exchange. “My husband knows that he is the only one I have eyes for.”

“You have chosen well, Duchess,” Morgan said with a chuckle. “I cannot imagine what attracted you to him in the first place, but he deserves to be loved by someone like you.”

“We need to greet the other guests. I must steal my husband away, though he would be glad to spend the evening with you.”

“The gentlemen will be getting together at Olympus soon. We can catch up then,” Morgan assured her. “I must return to the refreshments table anyway. The punch is excellent, Duchess.”

Theresa smiled, and it lit up her whole face.

She had spent an entire afternoon in the kitchen with the cook to come up with the recipe for the punch. It was the best part of every party. It would not do for her to serve mediocre refreshments at her very first ball, so they had labored over every detail.

She and Aaron wove through the crowd, greeting their friends. It took the better part of an hour for them to make it around the room.

Only when they finished greeting everyone did Lady Sophia take Theresa’s arm and steer her around the room to introduce her to her acquaintances.

It mattered not who stood in front of him or who attempted to engage him in a conversation. Aaron kept his eyes trained on her. While Theresa talked with his friends, she looked up to find him watching her with rapt attention.

His eyes were for his wife only.

Theresa laughed as Ashball leaped from under someone’s skirt as they passed by. He darted from one person to another, weaving expertly through the crowd as if he had done this all his life.

He was not unlike Theresa in that way. Neither of them had grown up among the ton , but both had made adjustments in their expectations and had risen to the occasion when duty called.

The truth was that Theresa no longer thought of her arranged marriage as a duty. It was so much more than she had expected when her father took her elbow and marched her down the aisle toward a stranger. Now, she viewed it as a blessing.

They could have stuck to Aaron’s arcane rules on the night they wed. Their marriage could have been a passionless union where they did their duty to one another and nothing more. She could have allowed her jealousy to completely cloud her judgment and ruin their relationship.

While part of her was unhappy that Aaron had sent Lady Isabella to the same convent Theresa had once called home, she also appreciated that she did not have to compete with her anymore.

Tonight was not the time to think about Lady Isabella, though. It was time to dance with her husband.

Theresa excused herself from Lady Sophia as soon as they made it back to the Duke of Blackthorn and his wife. Aaron had waited patiently enough for her return, and he met her halfway across the ballroom with a sly smile on his face.

As she turned in his arms, she was interrupted by a soft throat clearing behind her. Aaron looked beyond her with a tight smile on his face. Theresa knew who it was without having to turn around.

“Father,” she greeted him. Aaron had never quite forgiven her father for the part he played in banishing her to become a nun rather than raising her as a lady in the ton .

“May I say that you look quite beautiful tonight, Theresa?”

“You may.” Theresa laughed. “Are Mother and Hope here as well?”

“Your mother is over by the refreshment table, but Hope… Well, she was not quite ready to join our family at a party like this. I hope she will be ready to join us in London next Season.”

Theresa nodded, understanding that her sister still felt awkward around her husband. How could she not? She had refused him when they were to be a married couple. It mattered not that Theresa was beyond happy with the way things turned out.

“I will not keep you from enjoying the festivities,” her father said. He reached out and shook Aaron’s hand. “I hope we will see you at Wyndham Park for dinner very soon.”

“I would not miss it for the world,” Theresa answered with a smile.

Since she opted not to travel to meet her family, she spent some time with her father. Her mother traveled back and forth between Wyndham Park and the country where Hope had fled. Both her mother and father had been welcoming of Theresa into their family and even got along with Aaron.

But tonight was not about her family. It was about assuming the role of Duchess here in the ton . It was about spending time with her husband.

“Shall we dance, husband?” She asked as she turned back to him with a smile, remembering the first time he had taught her to dance.

“I would love nothing more,” Aaron replied.

He held out his hand and guided her to the dance floor, where couples were twirling to the music.

She stepped slightly into his arms, but he pulled her closer until she could feel the heat of his body. Any closer and it would have been considered indecent. They would scandalize their guests, Theresa was certain.

As they twirled around the dance floor, Theresa looked around at the people she loved.

Juliette was dancing with an eligible bachelor across the room, while the Dowager Duchess was watching them all with a look of satisfaction.

After all, this was everything she had hoped for—to see both of her grandchildren happy with bright futures ahead of them.

It would not be long before Juliette took a husband. Then, they would be free to explore the ton for themselves. She pictured teaching Juliette to ride through the streets, knowing Aaron would never deprive her of time to spend with her new sister.

“As much as I love dancing with you, husband, I must pause for a drink,” Theresa said, trying to catch her breath.

Aaron loosened his hold on her and guided her to the refreshments table.

As she scooped punch into her glass, she realized how late the hour was. The ball was wrapping up, and some of the guests had already stepped off the dance floor while she was preoccupied with Aaron.

What kind of hostess was she that she did not see her guests off?

A glance at her husband told her everything she needed to know—it mattered very little to him whether she was the perfect hostess. He looked at her with soft eyes through his mask, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“The party is almost over, wife,” he murmured into her ear. “But I have one more surprise for you.”

He took her hand and led her out to the terrace. The cool night air kissed her skin, sending a pleasant shiver down her spine.

“We should not leave the party before our guests,” she chastised him, but he only laughed.

“I had to make good on my promise, dear wife. Do you recall what I promised you before your first garden party?”

“I remember very little except what happened in the gazebo,” she said.

Aaron’s eyes darkened at the memory, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. Instead of pulling her in for a kiss, he spun her around, so that she was facing the gardens.

“Before the gazebo,” he whispered in her ear, “I dragged you away from Lady Sophia, and you complained that you would miss the fireworks show. I promised you I would put on a show at our estate.”

“For my eyes only,” Theresa added.

“And I am here to make good on that promise,” Aaron said, pleased that she remembered.

At that moment, a streak of fire shot into the air and exploded with a bang . The display of bright colors mesmerized her. It seemed like the fireworks were almost on the terrace with them.

They stood with Aaron’s arms around her waist and her back pressed to his chest for a long while, enjoying the show.

“You have made good on more promises than this one,” Theresa reminded him when the fireworks wound down. “You have made an excellent husband despite your rules when we first wed.”

“The little nun did not deserve to marry a beast,” Aaron said, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.

“Indeed,” Theresa agreed, turning her head so that he kissed her lips instead.

Aaron did not hesitate this time. He did not look around to ensure that no one could see them. Here on the terrace, only the two of them existed. The outside world simply faded into the background.

It would not be hard for someone to stumble upon them, as they were openly together out on the terrace. The lights illuminated them, but that did not stop Theresa from kissing him back.

She was aware they might scandalize their guests, but she did not mind them gossiping about her. She would love her husband when and where she chose, as was her right as Duchess.

She had proved over the past month that she could be the Duchess the ton needed her to be. Tonight was the perfect example of that. But she would forget the ton’s need for perfection in pursuit of her husband.

As the kiss deepened, Theresa pulled back and gently tugged at Aaron’s mask. Now that he had shown her what was beneath it, she took every opportunity to see him without it.

And he allowed her to pull it off, despite the guests in the ballroom.

She kissed him again, pressing her lips to his tenderly this time.

“You are a better husband than I dared dream of in my time at the convent,” she said, nuzzling his chest.

“Is it better to be married to a devil than to the Lord?”

“I would not know. I married neither the devil nor the Lord,” she said with a smile. She pulled back to look him in the eye. “I married the only man I could have ever loved.”

“I love you, little wife,” Aaron rasped, lowering his lips to hers for another kiss.

The End?