Page 14 of Stolen By the Rakish Duke

Leo nodded.

A proper lady, indeed.Perceptive and eloquent.

Her detachment regarding this marriage mirrored his own, which should have been reassuring. Instead, he found himself curiously dissatisfied.

“Indeed. However, there are specific conditions I wish to establish now that we have exchanged vows.”

She straightened, a subtle shift that lent her a quiet air of command despite the softness of her nightgown.

Leo’s gaze traced the motion before catching on the delicate column of her throat, vanishing beneath silk. Heat threatened to anchor him there, but with practiced discipline, he draggedhis eyes back to her face. As if sheer will alone could cage the impulse.

“I am listening, Your Grace,” she encouraged with a raised eyebrow.

“Firstly, while our marriage may be one of convenience, I see no reason why it should be characterized by mutual misery,” Leo began, his tone even, calm. The kind of tone he used with business associates when negotiating deals. “You will find that Stagmore Manor offers every comfort and luxury befitting your station. The staff is at your disposal, the accounts are open to your management for household matters, and you may redecorate any chamber you wish. Except for my study and bedchamber, of course.”

He paused, gauging her reaction. Her expression remained carefully neutral, and he couldn’t detect any give in her eyes, which stirred an irrational irritation within him, as though he had lost a point in a game whose rules remained undefined.

“Additionally,” he continued, “you will receive an allowance to spend as you see fit. Jewels, gowns, charitable endeavors… I leave the particulars to your discretion.”

“That is… most generous, although I suppose that is to be expected, as I am the mistress of this house. Others will expect to see the two of us fully falling into our new roles.”

His lips curled into a smile that did not reach his eyes. “I assure you, Duchess,” he said, “that I am not in the habit ofperforming any duty by half-measures. You are now the Duchess of Stagmore and will be treated accordingly, both by Society and the staff.”

“And by you?” Her lips twitched downward, as though she regretted asking the question.

“I’ll treat you with the courtesy due your position,” he answered finally, his tone deliberately neutral. “And I expect the same in return.”

Disappointment darkened her features, though why she’d be disappointed at such a reasonable response, he could not fathom.

“Furthermore,” he added, steering the conversation back to practical matters with almost desperate precision, “we need not constantly be with each other. The estate is vast, and the London townhouse is similarly accommodating. We may pursue our separate interests, meeting only when social obligations require our joint appearance.”

“You propose we live as strangers beneath the same roof?” she asked, furrowing her brow.

“I propose we live as individuals who respect one another’s privacy and independence,” Leo clarified.

He felt a strange, uncomfortable twinge of reluctance in his stomach as he articulated those terms.

After all, they were precisely what he wanted, weren’t they?

“An arrangement far more desirable than the cloying pretense of affection that characterizes so many ton marriages, would you not agree?”

Beatrice’s gaze dropped to the intricate embroidery on the covers as she considered his words.

“You remember, however, that feigning affection is the hinge upon which you promised to salvage my reputation, do you not?” she said after a brief moment.

The lamplight caught the curve of her cheek, the shadow of her lashes against her skin, and Leo found himself momentarily captivated by the simple elegance of her profile.

She was beautiful, yes, but it was a beauty rendered more compelling by the intelligence and character evident in her features.

A dangerous observation.

Especially when he meant to keep his distance from her.

“So, what about when we are in company? What role am I to play then?”

“That of the devoted Duchess, naturally,” Leo replied with a dismissive wave, deliberately breaking the spell of his unwelcome appreciation. “I promised you the performance of a whirlwind romance, and I shall deliver. We will present ourselves as a united, happy couple. The whispers about Philip’s disappearance will fade soon enough if we offer no fresh fuel for speculation.”

He watched the wheels turn behind her eyes, fascinated. And he decided that perhaps he should control just how much fascination he allowed himself to feel at her mere existence. It spelled nothing but trouble.