Page 12 of The Duke and the Hellion Bride (Duchesses of Convenience #7)

Chapter Twelve

D iana never thought that writing a simple letter would feel so dangerous. Words were all they were. And they weren’t even controversial. A simple invite written to her mother and cousin to visit her in her new home at their earliest possible convenience.

Yet her hand quite shook as she penned the letter. Her heart raced. The hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention; part anxiety, part fear, part excitement. It was so much more than just a letter, she knew, and the consequences might very well be dire.

So what if they are? I am doing nothing wrong. This is my home. And I should be allowed to invite my mother and cousin to visit me, if I so choose.

The reason that she felt as rebellious as she did was rather silly, but that just spoke to how strange all of this was. She had not bothered asking her husband permission before penning the letter, deciding that he could and would find out whenever he chose to speak to her next. If he did.

In fact, she couldn’t even say for sure if he would be upset. She expected that he would be, and she sensed that he was a man who liked to be in control. But at the same time, the contradictions in the way he behaved toward her were so vast and unexplainable that she truly could not say for sure how he might react.

I hope he is upset. I hope he is furious. I hope... I hope... dammit, I hope this leads to another fight because at least then he will speak to me.

It wasn’t that Diana enjoyed fighting with Magnus. Frustratingly, it was only when they argued that they spoke at all. He avoided her otherwise, such that she had not seen him since the previous evening after he had fled the garden and left her sitting in the mud.

She had spent hours that afternoon and night trying to fathom what her husband wanted from her. And what she wanted from him in return. This was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, and he had been at pains to ensure that nothing was expected from her as would be a normal marriage. All well and good, barring the simple fact that twice now they had kissed in the heat of passion, and twice now he had fled immediately after.

Was he embarrassed? Was he ashamed? Or was he simply not as attracted to Diana as she was to him – even if she wished it to not be the case. Oh, how much easier this would be if I did not covet the feel of his lips and the touch of his skin as I do.

It was the morning following the incident in the garden that Diana sat down and, with a huge smile on her face, wrote the letter to her mother and cousin. She told herself it was a simple act of rebellion to teach the duke a lesson. But deep down, she wanted it to bring him to anger. She wanted the confrontation. She wanted him to take her in the heat of passion and finish what they had twice now started...

She wrote the letter quickly and then sealed it. Smiling happily to herself, she pushed back her chair and rose from the table, turning about to leave the room, only to leap into the air in fright because Magnus was standing in the doorway watching her.

“I’m not interrupting, am I?” he asked.

“N -- no,” she said, composing herself and then standing tall as if in challenge. “You simply startled me.”

“I did not mean to.”

“Yes, well, perhaps you should not lurk in doorways as you are.”

“I’ll try and remember that.” He was smiling coyly to himself as if amused. Typically, this only annoyed Diana further.

“If you do not mind...” She put her head down to walk past him.

“What’s this?” He blocked her passing and indicated the letter in her hand.

“Nothing,” she said a little too quickly, hiding the letter behind her back.

He snorted. “That’s clearly a lie.”

Diana’s eyes flashed in anger and a fire lit inside of her. “It is none of your business, is what it is. You have made it perfectly clear that the only thing you care about are your nieces, and this has nothing to do with them. So, if you do not mind...” Again, she tried to walk past him and again he blocked her.

It was easy for him to do, too. He was so much bigger than her. So much stronger. He was a mountain, and she was but a molehill, totally at his mercy such that he could have snatched the letter from her hand if he so chose to. The power he had over her... it did not frighten her, for she did not think he was violent in any way. Rather, it elicited excitement inside of her and again she wondered if perhaps she should push and test him as she had yesterday.

“You are angry with me,” he said simply.

She scoffed. “And you are not as big of a fool as I thought.”

She had expected that to do it. In fact, she braced for his visceral reaction. Shockingly, the duke smiled in amusement, his dark green eyes matching the smile as he looked down at her.

“I think I owe you an apology.”

She jolted. “Wh -- what?”

“An apology,” he repeated. “For yesterday. How I behaved. And...” He sucked through his teeth. “And how I left you.”

“In the mud, you mean,” she said sharply.

“Yes, that. Admittedly, that was wrong of me. Damn despicable, truth be told. You are my wife, and you did not deserve to be treated that way. For that, I am sorry.”

Diana did not know what to say. Surely, the shock written across her face was indication enough of how unexpected this apology was. It added even more confusion to the situation, furthering that gap which existed between herself, her husband, and her understanding of their relationship.

Her first instinct was to accept the apology, but she curbed that instinct because she also reasoned that a simple apology was nowhere near enough. Was this short sighted of Diana? Most likely. Did she care? Not one little bit.

“And you expect what from me, exactly? Should I be gracious that you saw it in yourself to apologize finally? That a full day later, after having left me in the mud – after having acted as if I was the one who was responsible, mind you. Should I get on my knees and thank you for your kindness? Is that what you wish, oh master?”

Magnus leaned back as if struck. “I... I am only trying to apologize. I wronged you. You did not deserve it and...” He hesitated, somehow sensing that whatever he said would not be enough. “I am sorry.”

“I heard you the first time.”

To that, his lip twitched, and she could see him biting back anger. “I appreciate that you are upset with me --”

“Oh, you have no idea how I--”

“But I am still your husband. This is still my home. And I do not know how things were done where you were raised, but in this home, when somebody goes out of their way to apologize for a transgression, it is expected that they are not insulted in return.”

“You did not come here to apologize,” she said.

He frowned. “That is exactly why I came here.”

“No.” She shook her head. “You came here to make yourself feel better. You did the wrong thing. You realize it. And all this is...” She waved him down dismissively. “Is a vain effort to alleviate your guilt. Admit it.”

Again, his lip twitched. “I take it you are not going to accept my apology.”

“Give me one reason why I should.”

She expected him to explode. In a way, she almost wanted it. She braced herself, her mind wandering ahead as she pictured them fighting, and where that would inevitably lead.

“You are right,” he sighed. “I do not deserve your forgiveness.”

“What was that now?” she stammered, sure she had misheard him.

“Since the moment you arrived here – since the moment we married, really, I have treated you poorly. So much so that I shouldn’t expect a single apology to simply fix everything.”

“You... may you please repeat that?” she blinked with confusion.

“Duchess Alb – Diana,” he corrected, smiling in a way that unnerved her, while making her stomach flutter at the same time. “I need to be honest with you, if I may?”

She eyed him curiously, feeling a sudden need to take a step back because surely this was a trick. “You may...”

“When I approached you about this marriage, I was shockingly naive. Embarrassingly so, it seems. Desperate for a mother to raise Josephine and Adeline, I had convinced myself that a marriage was the answer to this – and that whomever it was that I married would be perfectly content to fill this role and this role only.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “I am speaking of course about our marriage of convenience.”

“I am aware of it.”

He chuckled as the cheek. “Since then, I have learned that marriage is nowhere near as simple as I believed or wanted. And you, Diana...” The smile he wore reached his eyes and then pierced her heart. “You are nowhere near as simple as I believed or wanted.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” she asked with a tad more aggression than was necessary. A subconscious reaction, borne from every other time they had interacted.

“That we should start again,” he said. “I understand that I have been unfair to you, perhaps unnecessarily harsh at times. And if you would let me, I would like to prove that I am not the monster you think I am.”

Diana had not expected this.

An apology? An admittance of wrongdoing? Honesty? Who is this man and what has he done with the duke?

“I... I do not think that you are a monster,” she said, looking away, feeling her cheeks flush red with embarrassment because he was trying to be kind, and she had responded with hostility. “I hope you know that.”

“Prove it then,” he responded coolly. “Show me what it is that you hide behind your back.”

Diana’s eyes went wide, for she had completely forgotten about the letter! Written almost with the intent of antagonizing the duke, she now felt foolish for wanting such a thing. As if she was somehow in the wrong.

“It is nothing,” she said nervously. “I... I was not going to send it. I just... I was angry with you, and... and... and I am sorry.”

He frowned. “I am sure that whatever it is, it cannot be that bad. Come now, tell me.”

She still could not look at him. “It is a letter to my mother and cousin, inviting them over for tea at the earliest opportunity. Tomorrow, was my thinking.”

“Huh,” the duke said, and Diana braced herself for his anger. “I shall make sure the staff are well prepared. If you mother is to come here, we must impress her, yes?”

Diana’s head snapped up. “What?”

“I said we should --”

“I heard you,” she cut him off, her brow creased as she studied him, searching for the lie. “But... but you are not angry?”

“Why would I be angry?”

“Because I did not ask for your permission. The truth is...” Her cheeks reddened further. “I wrote this letter hoping to anger you.”

Magnus laughed. It was deep, like thunder rumbling from over the horizon “And why does that not surprise me.”

“I am sorry.”

“Oh, somehow I doubt that,” he laughed again. “This right here is the problem, is it not? We have spent so much time fighting that we assume it to be the only way that we can talk. I do not enjoy fighting with you, Diana.”

Despite herself, Diana smirked. “Are you sure about that?”

Magnus’ eyes widened at the presumption, but his lips curled into a smirk and he glanced down at her before he could stop himself. Her body… he had thought about it often. Too often, for his own liking, because he had convinced himself he would never have to himself. Only now…

Is it possible? That all this time...

“I do not mind our arguments,” Diana said bravely. “At least not...” She felt her heart racing as she considered what she was about to say. Was it too bold? Or was she finally starting to understand her husband? “At least not always. In fact...” She could hardly breathe she was so nervous, but she took courage in the way the duke began to fidget. “I might even go so far as to say that I enjoy them.”

He seemed to understand her immediately “Is it the arguing you enjoy? Or what it does to me?”

“That depends...” She stepped toward him, into his space, close enough that if he wished it he could reach out and grab her. I hope he does. “What exactly does it do?”

How quickly things could change. How unexpectedly. Magnus stood firmly in the doorway, erect now, confidence brooding from him as he knew exactly what was on Diana’s mind – she was making it clear enough! He eyed her with a cool smirk, a slight tilt of the head, a lick of the lips which made her legs shake.

It was strange that Diana had assumed they needed to fight to illicit this reaction in one another, when really all they had needed was honesty. She had felt attraction to Magnus from the moment she had met him, and now she was certain he had felt the same way. Why had he taken so long to explore it? She did not know. And to be honest, all things considered, she did not care.

“I think you know,” he said, his voice a low growl.

“I would not have a clue,” she said innocently.

Suddenly, Magnus stepped into the room. Just as suddenly, he swung the door closed behind him. She gasped as he swept toward her, almost daring her to back away. But she did not. She stood up to him, chin raised and meeting his eyes as he stood over her, tall and brooding and powerful.

“I told you before we married that I would never take advantage of you,” he said in a deep whisper. As he did, one hand moved to her waist, squeezing as if to keep her from moving. She gasped but pressed herself into it.

“A shame that I did not promise the same of you.”

His eyes flashed excitement at the answer. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you are trying to seduce me.” His hand squeezed her harder.

“I do not mean to take advantage of the situation,” she purred back, holding his deep stare, pressing her body in close to his. “Or you, for that matter. But I am rather new to this marriage business, so I was hoping...” She looked away as if shy suddenly. “If you might show me how?”

“Only if it is convenient for you.”

“Nothing has ever been more convenient.”

His hand reached under her chin and brought her eyes back to his. His other hand continued to hold her waist. They both seemed to sense that the time for words was over, that action was now required. Diana’s heart raced like it never had. Her entire body flushed. She waited for the duke to make his move... agonizingly, she waited... licking her lips... looking at his... her entire body shaking and still he did nothing.

“Will you just do it already --”

Magnus pulled her in suddenly and kissed her full on the lips. There was no fighting this time. No anger. No heat or fury. But that did not matter. The second their lips met, the same sparks that Diana had spent days remembering flew so fully that the room itself seemed to catch fire around them.

What was more, as one hand moved to the side of her face and the other wrapped her waist, she knew that this time, it would not end at a simple kiss. Not if she had anything to say about it.