Page 18 of The Duke and the Hellion Bride (Duchesses of Convenience #7)

Chapter Eighteen

D iana arrived home later than she had intended. The sun had set a good hour earlier, she was physically exhausted from a full day spent with Ophelia, and she limped inside the manor, her purchased wares in a box tucked under her arm, half-hoping to make it to her bedroom without being noticed because she was just about ready to collapse.

I need a warm bed and a soft pillow, my only fear being that my legs might give out before I am granted both.

The manor was silent as she slunk inside. The lights had been extinguished, save for those leading up the staircase which she planned to follow.

And she did too, taking it one step at a time, wishing not to make a noise. Her mind still raced with all she had learned today of her husband, but she endeavored that for now, she would keep what she knew to herself., hoping that when the time came, Magnus would tell her himself.

It was as she crept down the hallway that she spied a light coming from around the corner, toward the end, past her room. She frowned at the sight of it, recognizing it to be Magnus’ study. A smile crept across her lips as she pictured him hard at work, and she thought it best to leave him to it. Although...

Would it be so bad if I saw him? Even just for a moment. I know it has only been a day, but I find myself missing my husband. What a thought!

As if it was subconscious, she passed her room and made her way toward the study instead. The doorway was open, and she was careful to remain silent as she peeked her head inside.

Typically, Magnus was at his workbench, head bent over, unaware of her snooping. The single lantern on the edge of the desk provided light, and she could have stood there all night watching him. The way the shadows fell across his face made his features even sharper than usual, adding to his rugged facade, pronouncing the dark and menacing exterior that he worked so hard to promulgate.

There was also something different about him. Not the mean, closed off, often temperamental, and quick to anger duke she had always thought of him as. There was a sadness to him now, a softer side, one that seemed to beg for her comfort.

She smiled and was about to turn and leave him when she noticed in the corner of the room, asleep on the settee, were Josephine and Adeline. They were curled together, having clearly asked to sit with their uncle while he worked, despite how boring it was.

This made her smile further. She liked to think that part of it was her doing, but no doubt the two girls were growing closer to their uncle than they had been. Not as scared of him. Not as wary. And he too, letting them grow closer in a way that suggested one big happy family.

“Diana?” Magnus spoke suddenly.

Diana started and snapped her head back around to find Magnus watching her. “Oh... Magnus... I did not...” She blushed furiously as if she had been caught doing something wrong.

“I did not hear you come home.”

“I did not wish to disturb you.”

“And you didn’t,” he assured her as he rose from his chair behind the desk. “Although lurking in the doorway watching me does make me wonder what your intent may have been.”

She rolled her eyes. “Just passing through.”

“Is your bedroom not before my study?” he frowned but the smile in his eyes told her he knew that she had come to check on him. “How curious.”

“Would you believe that I got lost?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“Diana!” Josephine cried out, having woken from their bantering. “You’re home.”

“Look who it is,” Diana said with a huge smile. “The two terrors. What are you both doing here?”

Adeline yawned and stretched herself out beside her sister.

“We were helping uncle,” Josephine said.

“Is that right?” She looked at Magnus who laughed and shook his head. “It looks to me like you were sleeping.”

“They were waiting for you to arrive home.” Magnus stepped around the table. “Convinced that you might have bought them a gift...” He eyed the box under Diana’s arm. “Although I told them not to get their hopes up.”

“Did you?” Josephine asked, trying and failing to temper her excitement.

“A gift!” Adeline cried out.

“Girls...” Magnus swept toward Diana and then, most shockingly, leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her eyes widened at the gesture, and even Magnus pulled back suddenly, seemingly surprised by his own actions. “I told you, we will go shopping next week.” He turned away from Diana as if embarrassed. “Diana was shopping for herself.”

“Actually...” Diana pumped her eyebrows at the two girls and lifted the box from under her arms. Ophelia had suggested buying both girls a gown of their own, and Diana had jumped at the chance. “I might have gotten them something.”

“You did!” they cried together and jumped down from the settee.

Diana dropped to her knees and opened the box, pulling out two colorful gowns; one pink, one yellow. “I do hope that they fit.”

“Pink!” Josephine exclaimed and took the dress. “Oh, I love it!”

“As do I!” Adeline agreed when she took her own.

“Girls, what do you say?” Magnus prompted.

“Thank you!”

“Thank you!”

“It is not a problem,” Diana assured them. “But before you thank me anymore, you best make sure they fit. And if not, we can take them back and have them – wowoa!” she cried out as the two girls rushed past her and from the room, no doubt sprinting to their own rooms to try on the dresses. “I guess we will find out soon enough.”

“You spoil them,” Magnus chuckled.

“Your grandmother does, actually.” She winked. “But don’t tell them that.”

Magnus chuckled further, and then his eyes drifted to the box. There was a third dress inside, one which Diana had hoped to keep hidden. “What’s that?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she said quickly, moving to cover it.

“It’s not nothing.” Magnus was quick, snatching the box away.

“Hey!”

“And what is this?” He pulled the third dress out. It was a silky piece, cream colored, and no bigger than one of Magnus’ shirts. “This doesn’t look like a gown to me.”

She snatched it back. “The gown is being fitted to be dropped off during the week. This is...” Diana tried to look at Magnus but could not bring herself to do it. She had hoped to reveal this dress in her own time, perhaps when the mood was right. This, however, felt like an ambush. “This is for you.”

“I do not think it will fit.”

“No, not in that sense...” Her entire body turned red, and she could see Magnus grinning because he knew very well what it was. “It is a nightgown. And if you are lucky, perhaps one day I will wear it for you.”

“A nightgown...” Magnus’ grin widened. “Diana, are you trying to seduce me?”

“Trying?” she cocked an eyebrow at him.

The tension was beginning to melt. That was what Diana noticed most of all. The last few times that they had been in a situation like this one, it was all she could do not to shake from the nerves, her entire body rebelling against her because the anticipation was more than she could bear.

And while all of that was still there, it felt more natural now. She looked up at the duke, met his dark green eyes, held them without blinking so he could see exactly what she was thinking.

The darkness of the room only added to the moment. That single lantern. The two of them, very much alone. Magnus stepped in closer, his hand moving to her spare one, taking it and holding it as he continued to meet her eyes. He too had changed in the way he approached her, no longer unsure, excited now, confident because they both knew what the other wanted. At least where their more amorous desires were concerned.

“And what must I do?” he asked. “To convince you to gift me that nightgown?”

Her eyes flicked to his lips. “You can start by telling me how pretty I look. I know I do not, but a lady still appreciates hearing it.”

“You look ravishing,” he said, his voice a deep growl. “I ate but an hour ago and yet I find myself hungry again.”

“Hungry? Whatever for?”

His eyes flashed that hunger, and he leaned in to kiss her --

“It fits!” a voice cried from down the hallway, followed by loud footsteps. “It fits!”

“Mine too!” another joined in.

A second later and the two girls were back in the room, having hastily squeezed themselves into their gowns. They were not laced up correctly. And both wore them over their shifts. But the dresses did indeed fit them, albeit with a little bit of creativity required to squeeze them in.

“And don’t you both look a treat,” Diana said, gushing appropriately.

“Young women indeed,” Magnus agreed with a smile that looked genuine. “I can’t believe how old you both look.”

“Really!” Josephine beamed and held her arms out to show off the dress.

“Your father would be so proud,” Magnus said.

That single sentiment hit Diana in ways she had not imagined. She felt it in her chest. In her throat. In her eyes, which brimmed with tears. She looked at Magnus, the tears now beginning to stream gently, to see him smiling at his two nieces with what could only be described as love.

He was not a monster. He was certainly not cold or callous or mean. He was a man who had suffered so much and was desperate to make amends for mistakes that were not even his own. Everything he did was for these two girls, for his brother also, for everyone other than himself. And as Diana watched him admire his nieces, she began to feel something deep inside which was alien to her, but she recognized instantly.

As strange as it was to think, although she supposed it was the most normal sensation in the world, Diana was beginning to fall in love with her husband. And I couldn’t be happier for it.