Page 72 of Trapped with the Beastly Duke

“He is in the Duke’s study. Or I suspect that is where he will be.” Lady Cotswalts smiled wryly. “His mother says he likes to go there to ‘brood.’”

Rose laughed as she embraced her mother, swiftly kissing her on the cheek and leaving the drawing room.

I am finished putting the needs of others above my own. I love you, Alexander Rokesby, and whether you love me or not, I will not give up on you.

Rose hurtled through the castle. She did not care that she had promised not to enter the study. She would speak to her husband, and she would not wait.

She flung open the large oak door to the study, not bothering to knock. It slammed against the side of the wall, making her jump. The room before her was smaller than she had anticipated. She walked in, taking in her surroundings.

An ornate writing desk stood by the window, with a well-cushioned chair pushed aside, as though its occupant had only just left. There was a small table with decanters of whiskey, two armchairs by the fireplace, and a small bookshelf on one wall. But what caught her eye was a portrait above the mantle.

Even from a distance, Rose recognized Alexander. Yet, something was not quite right.

She moved closer to the portrait. The youth could not have been more than fifteen or sixteen. Alexander’s eyes were the familiar honey-brown she had grown used to. He was smiling, wide and unabashed.

His scar.

Rose touched the unmarred face before her.

This must have been before his father was murdered. Before that night.

She looked at the smiling, youthful, and unburdened Alexander. There was no doubt that the youth before her would have grown into a handsome man, but as she tried to envision it, she found that Alexander’s scar only added to his beauty.

Without it, Alexander would not be who he was. The scar may not be traditionally handsome, but Rose found that, to her, it was stunning. It marked her husband as the brave and caring man that he was. It made him less plain, and more beautiful.

“Are you incapable of doing as I ask? You promised that you would not enter this place.” His voice broke through her thoughts, the anger evident in his words. “What are you doing here?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

A Study In Truth

Alexander had not expected to find Rose in the study, much less ogling his unblemished portrait. The reminder of all he had lost and all he could have been. Anger flared within him.

How dare she break her promise?

“I was looking for you.” Rose’s voice was level.

“Well, you have found me.” Alexander folded his arms across his chest as he strode into the room, closing the door behind him. “And broken your promise to me.”

Rose met his gaze, her eyes full of an emotion Alexander could not quite place. “And what about your promises to me?”

“What promises?” Alexander deliberately did not look at his portrait.

“We agreed, when we moved to the castle, that things would be different. That we would dine together. That we would take time to get to know each other and we would not return to life as it was in Emberly House.” Rose narrowed her eyes. “Or do you not remember?”

Alexander turned away from her. “I remember.”

“Then why are you treating me this way?” Rose’s voice was confused, full of hurt.

“Treating you what way?” Alexander let the anger in his chest seep into his words.

Let her see that I am not someone to be relied on. That this has just been a passing fancy.

“Like a stranger. You have been distant and cold. Ever since the ball, you have been avoiding me.” Alexander heard her footsteps and turned to see that she had moved closer to him.

“Perhaps that is just who I am. And I have grown tired of pretending.” He scowled. “If you find my treatment so contemptible, then perhaps you will find solace in the company of others.”

The image of Rose and the Earl dancing flashed in his mind, unbidden. It twisted inside him, like a knife in his heart, and fuelled his rage.