Page 38 of Wedded to the Deviant Duke (Duke Wars #2)

The summer heat finally loosened its hold as the sun dipped behind the clouds, and Thalia was beyond thrilled for the relief. She sighed lightly, fan waving with increased frequency as she watched the garden party from her typical place beneath the gazebo.

Friends and family milled about in the encroaching evening, surrounded by a number of late-blooming florals that continued to beautifully decorate the Stonewell estate. All in all, a perfect way to end a particularly sweltering day.

“You alright, rabbit?” Gabriel asked, his hand grasping her free one while his thumb brushed her knuckles gently.

Thalia offered him a warm smile in reply, giving his hand a slight squeeze. “I’m not sure how poor Louise can stand this weather. Remind me to send a letter her way–we should see if there’s anything we can do to help.”

Gabriel nodded, his free hand inspecting the simple design of a black, domino-styled mask between his fingers. Thalia’s own white version had been set across the table, as wearing it a moment longer was going to cause her great distress. Not that she thought their hostess would mind—briefly, Thalia caught glimpses of young Charlotte flitting about the party, her own mask pushed partway up her head or swinging in the grasp of her hands.

“What are you thinking about, staring off in the distance like that?” Gabriel inquired.

She chuckled lightly, eyeing her husband from behind her fan. “Gracious, Gabriel; three months in and you still can’t read my mind?”

It was a dare, and challenge, and she knew her husband would rightly accept the task. “Alright. Your thinking about…” he glanced around, gently tapping the side of his mask against the table in contemplation. “How miraculous it is that Charlotte managed to put together such a lovely event in such a short timeframe.”

More boisterous laughter escaped Thalia as she fluttered her fan aggressively. “I never doubted your sister’s capabilities! You paint your poor wife as so shrewd, Mr. Harding.”

“Though, you have to admit, she certainly dragged her feet about it.” Gabriel mused. “Seems a great number of ‘important tasks’ kept appearing on her plate and kept her busy.”

Thalia’s fan snapped shut, a brow raised her husband’s way. He was right, of course, but that was simply Charlotte’s way.

“Quite frankly, I didn’t think she would make it,” Gabriel added. “I was thoroughly convinced July would pass us by, and Charlotte would have done nothing for herself during this Season.”

“Gracious; then it seems I have become your sister’s new champion.” Thalia waved a gloved hand delicately, catching the attention of their hostess just across the way. “Oh, Charlotte! You’ll never believe what your dear brother just told me!” An immediate squeal of laughter escaped her lips as Gabriel pulled against her hand, dragging her chair closer to his side as he shot her a playfully dirty look.

“Is he bullying you again, Thalia?” Charlotte’s voice rang clearly over the idle chatter of the crowd, dress flouncing about as she came bounding up the gazebo’s steps. “You promised to be on your best behavior, Gabriel!”

Gabriel’s hand covered his chest, arm looping around Thalia’s waist as he pulled her closer to his side. “You wound me, sweet sister; I am always on my best behavior.”

Charlotte gave him a scathing look, though her scowl soon gave way to her trademark smile. “So, what did he tell you? Was he going on and on about how wonderful my Seasonal event turned out to be?”

Gabriel lifted his mask, a rather innocent smile crossing his lips. “Wonderfully familiar, perhaps—should I be keeping the Orions’ itinerary a bit closer to my chest?”

Now it was Charlotte’s turn to place a hand over her heart, though she took it a step further with a dramatic sway of her arm. “Gabriel! How could you ever accuse me of copying your work?”

“Yes, Gabriel,” Thalia added with a teasing wink. “I’m certain Charlotte was simply inspired by Orion’s Hunt. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, after all. And, speaking of flattery,” she gestured her fan back towards the crowd, where a small crowd of women followed the lead of a rather turned-around Lady Worsely. “I see a particular group of higher-ups I know—for a fact—you have not given greetings to.”

Charlotte made a slight face. “Do I have to?”

“Be pleasant to them? Yes,” Thalia instructed. “But you certainly don’t need to spend the rest of the evening with them.”

“Go on, Charlotte,” Gabriel commanded gently. “You’ll feel better when it’s done and over with.”

With a drawn-out sigh, Charlotte gave the pair a quick curtsy and shuffled out from the gazebo, her loud and cheerful greeting sweet enough to cause Thalia’s teeth to ache. She rose from her chair, Gabriel’s arm tugging around her waist, and she glanced down at him with a bemused look.

“It’s not exactly our party,” he pointed out. “We hardly need to do as much socializing.”

Thalia laughed lightly. “I wanted to stretch my legs, Gabriel. Unless you’d rather stay here and watch passersby?”

Immediately, Gabriel was at his feet, hand around his wife’s waist as the pair went off to a far more secluded spot of their garden.

***

The roses were now the absolute fullest they could be for the year, filling the air with the lingering sweet scent of perfume. Gabriel ensured his wife never strayed too far from his side, offering curt nods to passing gentlemen who would try and stop them for polite conversation.

He was hardly in the mood for idle chatter and curt business propositions; Thalia had given them the excuse to leave the public’s eye, and he was going to take that opportunity in stride.

The pair eventually meandered to a stop at a granite bench, surrounded by bushfuls of red-and-white roses. Gabriel allowed his wife to sit first, following closely after as she cozied up to his side. His arm remained loosely fitted around her waist, their hands held together in his lap.

“You know what I’m thinking about?” Thalia asked.

“Will you be upset if I don’t guess correctly?” Gabriel said.

Her laughter still remained his favorite sound, and her fingers delicately cusped one of the crimson rosebuds. “Your talk of Orion’s Hunt reminded me… I still have that rabbit’s mask.”

A bemused grin crossed Gabriel, head settling between the crook of her neck so he could more easily kiss it. “Do you really?”

Thalia nodded, plucking the flower by the stem with a delicate flick of her wrist. She opened her mouth to continue, only to audibly gasp. “G-Gabriel–!” She turned to face him, pulling her hand free from his grasp as she rubbed her ear furiously. “You famished thing—that bite might leave a mark, you know.”

“Good,” Gabriel growled softly, leaning in close as their noses brushed against each other. “Let the world know you’ve been claimed.”

She offered him a furrowed brow, though her eyes showed obvious intrigue. “You mean, I don’t deserve a pretty crown of roses?”

“You deserve a crown of gold and starlight,” Gabriel hummed. “But, I suppose simple roses will suffice, for now.” he reached behind her, plucking a few more ivory roses before gently placing them amidst his wife’s updo. Her blackened curls shimmered in the rosy gleam of sunset, and soon, her makeshift crown of briar and rose was complete. Almost, at any rate.

Thalia held her rose aloft, and Gabriel’s hand closed around hers. “You caught me,” she beamed.

“Many times before,” he added, slipping the rose delicately between her fingers before adding it to her crown. “But this, I admit, is my favorite picture of your capture.” Something mischievous crossed his lips, and he leaned in to kiss her once more. “Though I think the look would be far better if you only wore the crown.”

Her face never failed to flush at his teasing, even after all these weeks together. “W-well, I’ll have to remember that for tonight.”

“I’ll ensure you do,” Gabriel grinned, catching her in another kiss. His hands trailed along her back, setting perfectly against her hips while her arms hung loosely around his shoulders. Every part of him wanted nothing more than to lay her across the stone bench and take her there, right there and then, but he would satiate himself for now with a teasing bite of her tongue.

“S-Speaking of imitation,” Thalia gasped breathlessly.

“Little rabbits shouldn’t be biting in the first place,” Gabriel growled back. He went to kiss her once more, but her hands pressed gently against his chest, stopping him mid-breath. His brow rose, a brief snap of anxiety skittering across his mind as he inspected his wife carefully.

“No—I’m alright, Gabriel,” she reassured him. “I just—I know we’re going to get carried away, in another moment or two.”

She was right, of course.

“And, don’t get me wrong,” Thalia added with a lick of her lips. “I would like… nothing more… than for you to show me exactly where—and how—you’d mark me as your own.”

Gabriel’s trousers were already stiff as it was, but the longing drag of her voice was only causing it to rise higher. “But?” he asked, trying to control his breathing.

“But, I want to… temper some of your expectations tonight, my love. As much as I love the energy you bring,” she swallowed audibly, a soft smile crossing her face. “We’re going to have to be a touch more tame, from here on out. At least until the doctor says otherwise.”

Gabriel blinked, staring long and hard at his wife.

“You know—with the heat and all, and trying to keep me as comfortable as possible,” Thalia sighed, hands brushing along the petals of her rose crown. “I genuinely don’t know how Louise has gone this long without so much as a peep of complaint.”

A jolt ran through Gabriel’s body, eyes drifting to his wife’s midsection. As if to confirm, Thalia’s hands gently settled against her waist, offering a misty-eyed smile as their gaze met once more.

“A-Already?” Gabriel asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“What can I say?” Thalia chuckled. “You’re a very efficient hunter, Gabriel Harding.”

The End.