Page 65 of Wedded to the Cruel Duke
He squeezed her hand gently before letting her go.
Phoebe was still smiling widely when she finally managed to call for Amelia to assist her in preparing for the picnic.
She was finally seeing a side of her husband that she never believed he even possessed.
One step at a time, she reminded herself as Amelia helped her into washing her face and her hands.
We will get there—one step at a time.
Charles had experienced a great many things in his life. That, combined with his line of work, had exposed him to a wide variety of environments.
However, he had never before felt the compulsion to go on a picnic. Somehow, the idea just never appealed to him.
As he led Phoebe into the spot that Huxley and O’Malley had prepared for their picnic, he still did not understand its appeal. Yet, Phoebe’s squeal of delight when she saw the shaded little cove that his butler and footman had set up more than made up for his misgivings.
“Oh, I have never before seen such a pretty picnic spot!” she smiled widely.
Charles smiled too when she dropped his hand and ran out into the clearing, laughing as she spun around while holding her bonnet down to keep it from flying. He would have liked to hold her hand for just a little longer—under the auspices of helping her, of course—but seeing her so joyful was doing things to his psyche that he had never experienced before.
“When you said we were going on a picnic, I thought we were just going to the gardens!” she beamed at him.
Charles shrugged as he set the basket down. “If you want to, we can also go there.”
“No, this is so much better! Thank you, Charles.” She leaned into him and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
As she happily helped him set out the trays and plates the kitchens had prepared for them, he could not help but reach out to touch the spot her lips had just graced. Just before she could turn around and see it, he quickly dropped his hand.
If anybody saw that…
His heart pounded with the cold chill of dread. In the span of a few weeks, his bride of convenience had quickly become something so much more to him. If anybody caught on to it,realized thatshewas becoming his weakness, it would only become even harder to protect her.
And Charles had already come to the realization that he could not trap Phoebe into the same dark existence he had managed for the past few years.
He looked at her, smiling happily as she laid out their food in pretty arrangements, and knew that she was like a flower that needed the sun.
But how could he protect her? How could he keep her safe from all the dangers of the world?
“Charles?”
He shook his head to clear the dark thoughts that threatened to swallow him whole. Phoebe was smiling at him and the light shining in her eyes was enough to drive his demons back.
They would return, though. He was certain of it.
“Is something amiss?” she asked him.
He shook his head and feigned a smile. “Nothing. I was just…thinking of something.”
“Business again?” she sniffed. “My Papa used to get that look when he thinks about business. Yours looks a little darker, though.”
That is because my business is much darker than your Papa could ever comprehend…
“Well, I forbid you from thinking about such dismal things whilst we are out on our first picnic!” she declared, planting her hands on her hips, a defiant look on her face. “We are going to enjoy this day, and you cannot do that if you keep thinking of going back to your musty, old study.”
His gaze softened when it landed on her earnest, upturned face. She truly was a stubborn creature, his Phoebe.
“As My Lady commands, so it shall be,” he promised her solemnly. He performed a mocking bow, complete with a flourish, which earned him another burst of joyful laughter.
More, his chest demanded.I want more…