Page 6 of The Duke’s Replacement Bride (The Wild Brides #6)

I t took a long time for Caroline to fall asleep. But when at last she did, she awoke feeling full of purpose.

This was her life—very well. That didn’t mean she couldn’t make the best of things. She’d always been skilled at that, and now would be no different. She would find a way to turn this situation into something beneficial. She would make this a life she could enjoy.

She sprang from her bed, dressed quickly in a simple gown, and hurried down to breakfast, wondering whether she would find Levi there.

Last night, she had thought she’d never be able to face him again.

Today, she felt eager to do so. Let him see for himself that he hadn’t shaken her confidence.

Let him see she was up to the challenge of living as his wife and duchess.

And if he needed someone who was able to perform the duties of a wife, as he had so eloquently put it—well, he would see that from her as well!

She didn’t meet him at the breakfast table, so she didn’t linger there. She stayed long enough for some tea and a bit of toast, and then she was ready to move on.

In the foyer, Mrs. Mays stopped her. “Your Grace, some of the members of your staff would like to meet you,” she said, indicating a few men and women who had lined up to do just that.

“In particular, I want to introduce Mr. Brown, the butler. He’s been with His Grace for many years and served his father before him. ”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brown,” Caroline said.

The butler had to be in his seventies, but he looked spry enough and gave her a clever smile. “Your Grace. I must say, it will be nice to have a lady in the manor once more.”

“Yes, that’s what people have said to me,” Caroline agreed.

“Well, it’s very true. The duke would never say so, but he does get lonely in this big estate, and it will be a fine thing for him to have a companion.”

Caroline nodded. She didn’t know what else she could say.

A companion seemed less than an adequate description for a wife, but it also seemed like far more than what Caroline actually was.

Companion? He’d hardly said two words to her since she’d arrived, unless you counted the scene in his bedroom.

By no definition were they one another’s companions.

“This is Bethany,” Mrs. Mays went on, beckoning a girl younger than Caroline herself to step forward.

“She’s been taken on as your lady’s maid.

Inexperienced, but her mother has served in this household for a long time.

If you would prefer someone else, we can of course move her to a different placement within the manor, but we thought… ”

“No, I’m happy with her,” Caroline said quickly, for the girl looked rather nervous. “Good day, Bethany. I’m so happy to meet you. I could use a friend—I hope you’re able to be that.”

“I—I’ll do my best, Your Grace.”

Caroline smiled, hoping to put her at ease, and reminded herself to have a talk with her about the formality.

Of course, the members of staff felt the need to address her appropriately, but with a lady’s maid, it could be different.

She needed a friend, so maybe she could just be Caroline to Bethany—when they were alone, at least.

“What would you like to do today, Your Grace?” Mrs. Mays asked.

“Perhaps we could begin in the sitting room,” Caroline suggested. “I agree with what you said about it—it really does need a renovation. Maybe we could begin by examining the furniture and seeing what might be dispensed with and replaced. I did notice that it didn’t seem to match.”

“I don’t believe those furnishings were chosen with any great care,” Mrs. Mays agreed. “Some of them were inherited, and some were purchased more recently by His Grace, but I don’t think there was ever any sort of plan about them.”

“Well, there ought to be,” Caroline said firmly. “I’m going to choose some pieces that actually look as if they belong together. Let us see if anything in the current set is worth saving.”

They went to the sitting room, but almost at once, the effort was set back by the discovery that the duke was already there. He was sitting on a chair by the window with a tray of food in front of him—his breakfast.

“You took your breakfast in here?” she burst out.

He looked up at her, frowning. “I often dine in this room,” he said.

“No, you don’t.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You don’t. Look at this place. Except for the chair you’re in and the table before you, nothing in this room has been touched in months. You’re here because you didn’t wish to eat breakfast with me .”

She planted her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows, daring him to deny it.

He didn’t. “What are you doing here?” he wanted to know.

“I’m here because I’m planning to renovate this room.”

“Oh, you are, are you?” He shook his head. “Less than a day here and you’re already changing things to suit yourself.”

“Oh, no.” Caroline squared her jaw. “You aren’t going to do this to me again.”

“Do what to you again?”

“Make me feel like I’m foolish for having misunderstood you when the real problem is that you don’t speak clearly.

You told me to tend to this household,” she reminded him.

“You told me that was the duty of a wife to which you referred. Well, that’s fine—I’m going to do it!

But don’t come back now and try to convince me that you never wanted any such thing.

We both know that you did. You made it clear. ”

He laughed. “You’re very strong-willed, aren’t you?”

“I’m glad you find it amusing. Why don’t you just let me know what my budget for renovations is going to look like?” she suggested.

He raised his eyebrows. “Your budget? I don’t recall asking you to do any renovations, and now you expect me to fund the project?”

“As your duchess, I’m sure I’ll be allotted some amount of money for my needs,” she said. “You surely meant to do that much.”

“You may spend whatever you would like,” he told her. “I don’t have any reason to stop you. Mr. Brown will assist you with getting access to the books.”

It was such a turnabout from the discussion they had just been having that for a moment Caroline couldn’t make sense of it. “Is this a joke?”

“Why would it be a joke? You’re determined to renovate, and I’m going to allow it. Unless you’ve changed your mind now?”

“I haven’t,” she said. “This needs to be done, and I’m sure you can see that. Look at this place.”

“What’s the matter with my sitting room?”

“You can’t possibly think it’s fit for guests.” She gestured around at the dismal room. “I doubt you’d have come in here yourself if you hadn’t been so determined to avoid breakfasting with me.”

“You flatter yourself,” he told her, sitting back in his chair.

“I hardly see it as flattery to suggest that my husband is going to great lengths to avoid my company. Do you imagine that I’m honored by that?”

“I imagine that you think everything I do is motivated by you. I assure you, that isn’t the case,” he said. “I’m having my breakfast here for reasons that are entirely my own.”

“So, you mean to tell me that you’re avoiding the dining room and taking your breakfast in a room you very obviously haven’t used in months, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I’m in the house?

You’re just doing that entirely for your own reasons, which have nothing to do with me and it’s self-centered of me to imagine that they might. Am I understanding correctly?”

“Yes, that’s about it,” Levi said. “And if you don’t mind, I would like to finish my breakfast in peace. Your appraisal of the failings of my manor’s style can wait until this afternoon, I think. You don’t need to be here right now.”

Caroline blew a puff of air out of her mouth, but what could she say?

She couldn’t force him to allow her to stay.

And he had given his permission for the renovations she wanted to make, even if he did seem determined to make that as difficult as possible.

She didn’t want to antagonize him under the circumstances.

“Very well,” she said. “I hope you enjoy breakfasting alone in a dusty room, Your Grace. I can see why it was so important to you to take a wife. It seems I’m going to have a very significant role to play in your life, aren’t I?

I have to say…” She drew a breath, knowing that her next words would be risky.

“It’s a good thing Prudence was spared this.

I know she longed for a marriage in which she was seen as a human being and not just an accessory to some arrogant duke’s household. ”

His face darkened. “I don’t know how you dare to speak to me like that,” he said, his voice a low growl. “Think me arrogant if you will, but you’re right about one thing—I am a duke.”

“Am I supposed to be frightened of you?” she asked him, holding her ground.

“If that was what you wanted, you married the wrong person. This could have been alleviated if you had taken the time to get to know me before claiming me to be your wife as you did. But I suppose it never occurred to you that anyone could look on you without fear—is that it?”

“You needn’t fear me,” Levi told her. “But you will respect me. And you will leave this room right now.”

For a moment, she considered resisting that order, staying here just to spite him.

But it would accomplish nothing, she knew, so she simply inclined her head in a mockery of submission and left the sitting room.

Out in the hall, she found Mr. Brown. “I need your assistance,” she told him.

“Of course, Your Grace—how may I be of help?”

“You may confirm this with His Grace if you’d like, but he’s requested that I begin some household renovations and has indicated that I’m to take whatever money I need in order to complete the job.

What I need from you is to put me in contact with the vendors who can help—is that something you would be able to do, Mr. Brown?

I don’t know quite where to begin, I’m afraid. ”

“Yes, I can assist you,” Mr. Brown agreed.

“I’ll put together a list of people for you to contact, and I’ll also see to it that you have access to the estate’s resources so that you may begin your project.

” He smiled. “I’m excited to see what you’ll do with the place, Your Grace.

As I know you’ll tire of hearing, it will be good to have a woman’s touch around here. ”

“Thank you.” She returned his smile. “It’s also good to feel as if I have someone’s support in this, Mr. Brown. The duke is wise in his choice of staff, and I’ll make sure he knows I think so.”

Mr. Brown nodded. “Thank you very much, Your Grace.”

Caroline spent the rest of the day walking about and surveying the house, hoping more ideas would come to her for the renovations she hoped to do.

In that way, she was fortunate. She had never realized she possessed an eye for this sort of thing but quickly realized that she must. By the end of the day, she had a long list of improvements she wanted to make to the manor.

The duke was sure to be driven mad.

And though she knew she shouldn’t, Caroline couldn’t help but feel that agitating him was a benefit to the whole situation.