Page 26 of Wedded to the Duke of Seduction (Dukes of Passion #3)
CHAPTER 26
“ A journal?” Noah raised his eyebrows skeptically as he lounged in the leather chair across from Leo’s desk the following morning. “You are attempting to seduce your wife with stationery?”
Leo continued writing the note he planned to include with his gift, not bothering to look up at his friend’s amused expression. “Not just any journal. Italian leather, hand-bound, with her initials embossed in gold.”
“How scandalously thoughtful,” Noah drawled. “Next you’ll tell me you’ve purchased her a provocative inkwell.”
“Your ‘emergency’ last night cost me a promising evening,” Leo replied dryly and fixed Noah with a pointed look. “You might show more gratitude for my help with your gambling debts.”
“And you might thank me for preventing you from rushing matters,” Noah countered. “Your strategy of patient pursuit was working beautifully. Why abandon it at the first sign of surrender?”
The question made Leo pause. Had he been too eager last night? Would Marina have regretted accepting his invitation?
“What exactly are you trying to accomplish here, Blackmere?” Noah continued, his tone turning serious. “You have been married for weeks. Most men in your position would have simply claimed their marital rights by now.”
“Marina isn’t like other women,” Leo said finally, carefully folding the note he’d written. “She needs to be… coaxed.”
“Coaxed?” Noah repeated, his eyebrows rising further. “Since when does the Duke of Blackmere need to coax a woman into his bed? Particularly his own wife?”
Leo frowned, uncomfortable with Noah’s characterization. “You make it sound tawdry.”
“Not at all,” Noah countered. “I am merely surprised by your patience. The Leo Rencourt I have known for years would have either succeeded or moved on by now, not embarked on an extended campaign of… journal-giving.”
The observation hit a nerve because Leo knew Noah was right. His relationships had always followed the same pattern: attraction, pursuit, and eventual boredom once the excitement wore off. But Marina was different. Her resistance only increased his curiosity.
“Maybe I am enjoying the challenge,” Leo replied lightly, unwilling to look too closely at his feelings.
Noah watched him thoughtfully. “Or maybe the Duchess means more to you than you’re ready to admit.”
Leo waved off the remark. “She is my wife. Of course, she matters.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.” Noah rose and moved toward the sideboard, pouring himself a glass of brandy. “There is a difference between valuing your wife and genuinely caring for her.”
Before Leo could answer, Henderson appeared holding a small package. “The item from the jeweler’s has arrived, Your Grace.”
“Excellent.” Leo took the box, nodding to dismiss the butler. “Thank you, Henderson.”
Noah’s interest was instantly piqued. “The jeweler’s? Perhaps your approach isn’t as predictable as I thought.”
Leo opened the box, revealing an elegant silver pen with detailed engravings.
“Marina prefers a finer nib than the standard pens,” he explained, surprising himself with how closely he’d paid attention. “I had this one custom-made.”
Noah raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you know so much about pens?”
“I have been paying attention,” Leo admitted, running his thumb over the delicate engraving. “She winces whenever she uses the pens in my study, and she always sharpens her quills to an exceptionally fine point.”
Noah let out a low whistle. “You have been watching her that closely?”
Leo shrugged, feeling self-conscious under his friend’s amused gaze. “It’s just a practical gift for someone who writes.”
“And the journal you got her? Also practical?”
“Exactly.” Leo closed the box, setting it aside. “Marina deserves proper tools for her work.”
“Such a considerate husband,” Noah observed dryly. “And what message will accompany this gift? Something suitably mundane about the merits of proper penmanship?”
Leo’s lips quirked into a smile. “Something along those lines.”
In truth, he had planned a note considerably more provocative than Noah imagined.
Your words have power, he would write. I wonder what other talents your hands possess.
The subtle suggestion would, he hoped, keep him in Marina’s thoughts throughout her day, a reminder of the pleasure those same hands had experienced under his touch.
The strategy had been forming in Leo’s mind since the night of the Pembroke ball when he’d realized that direct pursuit only strengthened Marina’s resistance.
She was too independent, too wary to respond to overt seduction. But small attentions, thoughtful gestures that acknowledged her as an individual rather than merely a desirable woman—these might gradually lower her defenses.
“I still think you’re overcomplicating matters,” Noah said, interrupting Leo’s thoughts. “You have done much less to seduce?—”
“This is different,” Leo cut him off sharply. “I want Marina willing and eager.”
Noah’s eyebrows shot up at his vehemence. “I see. Well, if your… stationery strategy… cannot produce the desired effect, perhaps consider something more traditional. Flowers. Jewelry. A romantic dinner without the rest of society watching your every move.”
“I have plans for all of those,” Leo assured him. “In due course.”
After Noah departed, Leo contemplated his friend’s parting observation.
Was he indeed overcomplicating matters?
Perhaps.
But Marina was worth the effort, worth the patience this extended courtship required.
The following morning, Leo arranged for the journal to be placed beside Marina’s breakfast plate. He deliberately delayed his own appearance at the breakfast table, curious to observe her reaction without the pressure of his immediate presence.
When Leo finally entered the breakfast room, he saw the journal lying open beside Marina’s plate, his note unfolded next to it.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and when their eyes met, he noticed surprise mixed with something warmer.
“Thank you for the gift,” she said softly, clearly trying to keep her tone casual despite her rosy cheeks. “It was very thoughtful.”
“I noticed you like to keep your personal thoughts separate from your stories,” Leo replied, accepting a cup of coffee from the footman. “I thought you might prefer something sturdier than those thin notebooks you’ve been using.”
Marina’s eyes widened in surprise. “You pay close attention.”
“When it comes to you, yes.” Leo allowed a bit of warmth into his gaze as he watched her. “I have found myself curious about your habits and preferences—the way you bite your lip when you’re working through a difficult passage.”
As if on cue, Marina bit down lightly on her lower lip, reacting exactly as he had described. The small action sent a wave of heat through him, vividly recalling how those lips had parted beneath his at the Pembroke ball.
“I did not realize I was being studied so closely,” Marina said, a little breathless.
“There is plenty about you worth noticing,” Leo said casually, focusing on his breakfast to give her a moment. “I am looking forward to learning even more.”
Her eyes widened slightly at his words, clearly picking up on his meaning.
Good , he thought.
Let her wonder what kind of instruction he had in mind.
Over the following days, Leo continued his campaign with strategic precision.
The silver pen followed the journal, accompanied by a note that left Marina blushing throughout dinner. A rare first edition of poetry she had mentioned admiring appeared in the blue drawing room where she preferred to write with a message comparing certain verses to the sounds she had made in his arms.
Each gift was carefully chosen to show his attention to her as an individual while the accompanying notes kept the memory of their physical connection fresh in her mind. It was a delicate balance to show his desire without pressing for immediate fulfillment.
When they attended public functions, Leo maintained a similar strategy. Leo stayed close to Marina throughout the evening, making sure she was aware of his presence without pushing too far. Occasionally his hand brushed hers, or he leaned in to quietly share observations meant only for her ears. He was careful, however, not to cross into impropriety or give her reason to pull away.
At Alice’s musical gathering, Leo watched Marina’s calm slowly unravel under his subtle attention.
He noticed her slight tremble when he leaned in close to comment on the music, her sharp intake of breath when his fingers briefly touched her bare shoulder, and how her eyes drifted to his lips whenever she thought he wasn’t looking. All these small signs showed him that his approach was working.
“Your wife seems a bit distracted tonight,” Dorian remarked while Marina chatted with Alice and Seraphina nearby. “Could your newfound attentiveness have anything to do with it?”
Leo took a sip of wine to hide his amusement. “I am simply trying to be a thoughtful husband.”
“Of course,” Dorian replied with clear skepticism. “That must be why you haven’t stopped watching her all night and why she blushes whenever you whisper something to her.”
Before Leo could reply, the women returned, and he immediately noticed Marina’s heightened color. Seraphina must have said something to embarrass her.
“What did Seraphina say to make you blush like that?” Leo asked quietly, placing a gentle hand at Marina’s lower back.
“Nothing important,” Marina answered quickly though her breath caught as his hand touched her silk gown.
“Whatever it was, I approve,” Leo whispered close to her ear. “You look beautiful when you blush.”
For the rest of the evening, Leo continued to remind Marina of his attention, each gesture carefully chosen to keep her aware of him.
By the time they left, the tension between them was unmistakable, filling the carriage even though Marina maintained a careful distance on the journey home.
At Marina’s chamber door, Leo lingered a moment longer than necessary as he held her hand.
“Sleep well, wife,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her fingers that was just proper enough, but filled with deeper intention.
Marina’s quick intake of breath was reward enough for now.
Let her retire to her room with the memory of his touch, the promise in his eyes. Let her lie awake wondering what would happen if she simply invited him in.
Patience , Leo reminded himself as he returned to his own chambers.
Leo enjoyed the quiet moments when Marina didn’t realize he was watching—catching glimpses of her writing in the blue drawing room, noticing how absorbed she became when reading in the library, appreciating the easy elegance of her hands as she arranged flowers or poured tea.
As he climbed into bed later that night, his thoughts lingered on her. The blush on her cheeks, the trust in her eyes when she’d agreed to his invitation, and the slight trembling of her hand in his.
He realized something surprising. Despite all the women he’d pursued over the years, none had stirred this mix of desire and genuine affection, of physical attraction and deeper emotion. Recognizing that Marina had become far more than just a conquest or convenient spouse should have unsettled him, but instead, Leo smiled.
For the first time since William’s disappearance, Leo didn’t drift off thinking about the past.
Instead, he looked forward to tomorrow and whatever new discoveries awaited him with Marina, who continued to challenge and captivate him in ways no one else had.