Page 32 of Wedded to the Cruel Duke
Or something to that effect.
As soon as both men left his study, however, he walked briskly to the large windows that looked out to the gardens. The curtains were still closed, even though it was noontime, when the sun should be at its peak.
It had been a long time since his study had seen the light of day. In fact, he hadneveropened his curtains since he came back to Wentworth Park…
Gingerly, he pushed the drapes aside, wincing when a streak of sunlight shone in through the small gap he had created in the curtains.
Why am I acting like some creature of darkness, balking at a little sun?
Charles was almost affronted by the direction of his thoughts. However, he was a man who had a great respect for facts, and it was true that he had thrived for several years under the cover of darkness, subsisting merely on candlelight and the light from his fireplace.
He looked out into the gardens where Phoebe had been reported to have spent most of her morning. He could see the old swing where he used to play as a child, now too small—in more ways than one—to accommodate the man he had become.
He frowned when he realized that it might not be as stable as it probably was when he had been younger.
It would be so easy for someone to saw the branch off halfway, he thought to himself.Or maybe even do something to the ropes…
He had seen far too manyaccidentsto know that a great many of them were premeditated, and not by fate.
Of course, he could also tell Phoebe to keep well away from the swings, but he had the distinct feeling that she would not heed his warning. He pressed his mouth into a grim line as he turned away from the sight of it with a sigh.
It was going to be a great effort to keep his wife safe, but that did not mean he was not going to try.
Besides, it had been quite some time since he had a challenge, and he was more than up for it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Phoebe tossed and turned in her bed as sleep continued to elude her. The past three nights, she had been finding it rather difficult to sleep and would spend countless hours staring up at the embroidered canopy of her bed, ruminating over countless things until she grew too tired to remain awake.
Thus, it was no wonder at all that she often missed Charles at the dining hall for breakfast. Unlike her, he was already awake quite early in the morning, locking himself in his study for hours on end right after breakfast.
If she was being honest with herself, the mere thought of diving into work right after the first meal of the day made Phoebe shudder. It was not that she was averse to work, merely that she preferred to ease into her days rather than throwing herself into her tasks as soon as the sun was up.
“Good morning, milady,” Amelia greeted her with a warm smile and an armful of the necessities that Phoebe would need for her morning ablution.
“Good morning, Amelia. I trust that His Lordship has already had breakfast?”
The maid nodded in affirmation. “Yes, milady. His Lordship had work to do today.”
That meant that she would not be seeing him until later that day. If at all today.
Phoebe wondered if this was even normal for a newly married couple. But then she thought of the circumstances that surrounded their marriage, and she decided not to dwell on it any further.
“By the way, a letter from Townsend House arrived earlier this morning,” the maid informed her softly. “It is addressed to you, milady.”
At the mention of her childhood home, Phoebe felt the burdens of her heart ease a little. “It must be from my sisters,” she told the maid warmly. “They must be wondering how I am faring. I am certain they are right now wondering if I had not yet run Wentworth Park to the ground.”
Amelia giggled a little. “Of course not, milady. Wentworth Park is rather fortunate to have you.”
“Do not let the Marquess hear you. I gather he is still not pleased with my insistence that we keep the curtains open.”
The maid smiled and tilted her head like a curious little sparrow. “The manor certainly feels much better now that the curtains have been opened during the daytime, milady.”
Phoebe nodded. “Keeping them closed for the better part of the day will only encourage mold to grow. That is where that dank, musty smell usually comes from.”
It also afforded her a nice view into Townsend Manor, something that she could not admit even to her husband.
Her heart clenched a little in her chest as Amelia handed her the letter, and she noticed Minerva’s familiar scrawl on the back of the paper.