Page 29 of The Beast’s Unwanted Duchess (Icy Dukes #1)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

" I can’t believe you got the duke to fetch us punch," Lavinia said with eyes wide, shaking her head.

"He seems like a different person," Emma added. "Is this real? What happened?"

"We had a long overdue conversation and it looks like things might be better between us." Alice was unable to hide the hopefulness in her voice.

The week leading up to the garden party had seen a change in their relationship that had surprised her and had the feelings she had come to realize she had for her husband growing deeper.

They hadn’t had much time for conversation as they had the night of her parents' visit, but she had seen him more often than usual.

He had often opted to respond to correspondence in the orangery with her working on embroidery or having tea with her rather than in his study.

She had noticed his eyes on her more often than usual. Perhaps because he noticed she had put a little more effort into her appearance, but he had said nothing even if he had.

"Oh thank you, Your Grace," Lavinia thanked him once he returned to their party.

She was thankful he hadn’t berated her for choosing to sit with her friends rather than mingle, and even though she could feel the curious eyes on them, she paid them no mind.

Her usual anxiety at parties had dissipated with Victor by her side. His arms had received the brunt of her anxiety when they had stepped into the Bellworth gardens, but he had said nothing, squeezing her hand and sending her a reassuring nod.

"I need to speak with some of my friends," he whispered in her ear. "Will you be alright on your own?"

She nodded as her friends smiled brightly at the intimate gesture, her cheeks flaming with bashfulness. He smiled and squeezed her hand, walking off.

"You love him, don’t you?" Emma accused.

"I do not," she defended, still red.

"It is all over you, Alice." She laughed. "You are literally glowing with it."

"I like him. That I can admit but love? I do not think so," she admitted finally.

"I cannot tell you the truth of your heart, but I can tell he has feelings for you."

Her eyes roamed over to him where she found him talking with a man she didn’t know. Even if he had feelings for her, it would not be easy for him to admit. He wasn’t one to trust so easily.

"I should warn you, Alice," Lavinia said with a frown. "Lord Pembroke is here."

"He has returned? When?" she asked.

"I do not know exactly but…"

Her words trailed off as Alice’s eyes landed on him.

He was looking right at her and seemed to be approaching them.

Her friends notice and scamper off, leaving her alone with the man she would rather not be seen with.

A few eyes were already turning to them, and she knew if she didn’t shorten their conversation, it would turn into a scandal she could not afford.

"Miss Robins," he greeted with an embarrassed smile.

"It is the Duchess of Ravenmoor now," she corrected him.

"Oh you have married," he smiled. "Congratulations."

"Why are you here, Lord Pembroke?" she asked. "Surely it is not to offer overdue felicitations."

He winced at the abrasiveness of her tone, but she didn't care how she sounded. He needed to leave before too many people saw them conversing and rumors started.

"I came to apologize," he answered. "I should not have embarrassed you as I did but I was in love, and I didn’t want to be trapped in an unhappy marriage. Surely you can understand that."

She said nothing, and he took her silence as an avenue to continue.

"I know an apology is not enough to make up for the embarrassment, but you are happily wed now so something good came out of it."

"I really do not want to discuss the past, Lord Pembroke. We should…"

"Alice," she heard Victor call.

Her eyes went wide as she noticed him. How long had he been standing there?

"Yes?"

"We had best take our leave."

She noticed he had blatantly ignored Edward, who was now looking between them in shock. He ended up walking away once he saw his presence wasn’t going to be acknowledged.

"Why? It’s still early," she protested. "It would be too improper if we were to leave now."

He ignored her protest and turned, leaving her to decide if she wanted to follow him or walk home. Anger burned inside her at his rudeness, as he didn’t even give her room to say her goodbyes, and she intended to let him know he had annoyed her by ignoring him.

She stepped into the carriage herself, ignoring the hand he held out to support her and turning away from him when the carriage began to move. She could feel his eyes on her, but she didn’t turn to him. It wasn’t until they entered their home that she finally voiced her thoughts.

"Why would you do something so rude?" she queried. "The party was still in full swing. Do you want new rumors to start up again?"

"I am not the one giving fodder to rumor mongers," he retorted.

"Excuse me?"

"You and Lord Pembroke seem to be on good terms considering he jilted you."

"Is that what this is about?" she asked incredulously. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I am not worried, " he replied. "I do have concerns that your continued friendship with your former betrothed would breed talk we do not need."

"There is no friendship between me and Lord Pembroke," she argued. "He came to apologize and I warned him never to speak to me again."

"It didn’t look like it," he murmured.

She scoffed, disbelieving that he would think she would intentionally jeopardize their good standing. She was not one to hold grudges, but that didn’t mean she lacked common sense.

"It has been two years and there were no feelings between him and I," she protested. "It is not fair that you would accuse me of something as foolish as intentionally ruining our reputation, but I do not fault you your thinking."

She turned to return to her chambers in anger, but his hands on hers stopped her.

"Please don’t leave," he begged. "I apologize."

Her eyes went wide at his vulnerable expression, and she stopped wondering what he could possibly say.

"When are you going to introduce me to your wife?" Andrew asked with a wolfish smile.

"Never," he answered, sipping at his punch. "I do not trust you around her."

Andrew wagged his brows suggestively.

"I would never put my hands on my friend’s woman. You know that."

"It is not your hands I fear, my friend," he quipped. "It is your mouth. You do not know how to keep secrets."

"And you think I would spill secrets of your escapades to your loving wife? Never. You wound me with your distrust."

"My apologies then."

"I spied a pretty red head with your wife before. Who might she be?"

"Please keep your eyes off my wife’s friends," he warned. "They are lovely girls and do not need your terrible influence on them."

"I am appalled you would think that I have nothing other than good intentions for the beautiful maiden."

They chuckled, and he basked in the warmth of their friendship when his eyes finally roamed back to Alice to check on her. A frown crossed his face when he spied a man talking to her. He couldn’t identify who he was, and it angered him how close they stood together.

"Who is that discussing with Alice?" he asked Andrew, who knew every member of the ton .

He squinted and smiled a devilish smile.

"Why he’s your wife’s former betrothed. The runaway Lord Pembroke."

He frowned as he watched them converse.

Why was the bloody man standing so close to her?

"Why is he talking to her now?" he grunted despite himself.

"Perhaps he is trying to rekindle old flames." Andrew laughed.

"He had better not."

He stormed over to them, ignoring the man looking at him in surprise.

He knew she would have been angered by the abrupt way he had ordered them to leave, but he couldn’t see past the looks he had been getting as the two of them had spoken. Did she not know what talk would come of her speaking with the man who had jilted her?

"Please don’t leave," he begged. "I apologize."

Victor was shocked to see himself reaching out to touch Alice on his own accord, worse still, hearing the words come out of his mouth.

In truth, he was apologetic for accusing her as he had and rudely forcing her home.

He had seen nothing in his blind rage, and now that he had considerably calmed, he saw the truth of things even though he was content to deny it.

He had been jealous when he had seen how close they had stood, and it annoyed him when Andrew teased him about it. He wondered if perhaps that was what the other members of the ton could see.

"I just… I do not know if perhaps my marriage to you is keeping you from being with who you love."

"There is no such thing."

"You and your parents seemed heartbroken over the ended engagement to Lord Pembroke. It almost seems as though I was nothing more than an inconvenience."

"I never cared for the match between Lord Pembroke and me. I am truly glad it ended although I would have preferred if it had been a little less embarrassing." She laughed humorlessly.

"You seemed so offended by the fact that I all but dragged you away from him."

She laughed, shaking her head at him.

"I was upset you had us leave the party early without even saying goodbye to my friends or our host."

Oh.

"So you never loved Lord Pembroke?" he asked.

He tried to ignore how his breath hitched, anticipating her response, and if she noticed, she did nothing to show it. It annoyed him that her answer meant a lot more than it should have to him.

"I have never loved, nor will I ever love Lord Pembroke," she answered, shaking her head. "It was a match my father arranged, and I knew it was doomed to fail from the start. I was trying to tell him that before you came and pulled me away."

"I should have trusted you to handle things."

"You should have," she affirmed. "You will have to beg my forgiveness now."

"How?"

"Perhaps you could have dinner with me and afterwards you’ll let me beat you at cards."

He nodded and watched her skip off, hating the relief he felt knowing she had no feelings for her former betrothed.

He had begun a dangerous game by opening up too much to her, and if he were to continue down this path, he would no doubt find himself in deeper trouble than he was now.

He couldn’t deny now that he had fallen for his wife even though he had been trying to put her away from him.

He had known from the moment he had seen her walk down the aisle, radiant albeit scared, that she would be dangerous to him, but he hadn’t known just how much till he had returned to his family’s estate and he had seen just how capable she truly was.

Her stubborn way of voicing her feelings, even when he attempted to intimidate her into silence, had him thinking about her much more than he should have until she had imprinted herself firmly in his mind.

He couldn’t continue down this path if he wanted to protect her from the monster he truly was.

He couldn’t keep pretending he could be the man she wanted him to be, a man with whom she could live a normal life.

It would hurt both of them, but with time, she would come to see that this was the best path he could take.

For that night, he would enjoy the fantasy he had spun for both of them.