Page 43 of Wedded to the Duke of Seduction (Dukes of Passion #3)

CHAPTER 2

“ Y our Grace?” Georgiana frowned, peering at him through the darkness.

“How many times have I asked you to call me Robert?” the Duke of Emberford—her husband —said.

She blanched. “Not that many since I have barely seen you over the last three months. Not that I can recall, in any event.” She glanced at the two groaning men. “Th-thank you. For rescuing me.”

He shook his head slowly, his face like thunder. “Why were you even here? Not to mention all alone too! Do not tell me that you have already begun to have illicit rendezvous.”

She favored him with a gimlet eye. “Certainly not!” She spat. “And I will thank you not to insult my honor.”

He laughed sardonically, indicating in the direction of the two men. “It is not I who seeks to do that.”

Georgiana took two steps back, turned around, and stumbled towards the inn. She wanted the safety that the tavern’s crowd afforded. Behind her, she could hear Robert’s footsteps quickly approaching.

“What are you doing here?” he called out to her.

She snorted, shaking her head. “Since when have you taken an interest in my activities?”

“Since I came upon you in a random inn at the mercy of vagabonds.”

She stopped walking, turned around, and stared at him in disbelief. “I said thank you. And besides, that is hardly the point.”

He grinned unapologetically, shrugging in an exaggerated manner. “What is the point then, dear wife?”

She stared daggers at him. “Are you following me?”

Robert scoffed, “Perhaps I should have thought of doing that sooner, had I known you had a penchant for putting yourself in danger.”

“I was not willingly putting myself in danger. I merely needed some air. It is not my fault those men accosted me.”

“I did not say it was your fault, madam. Merely that you should be more aware of your surroundings. We are no longer in the polite parlors of London.”

Although his words infuriated her, Georgiana knew he was right. She should have been more careful and should have thought twice before going outside alone. But her anxiety over her sister and her tiredness from the long journey had eclipsed her common sense.

Still, she was not going to give the duke the satisfaction of telling him he was right.

The tavern’s conversational volume dropped as they entered, and the patrons stared at them with interest. Georgiana had no desire to provide the crowd with additional entertainment.

She hesitated, feeling caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. She did not know which way to go.

Suddenly, Caroline hurried up to her. “Ma’am! Tis’ good that you came back. You left your reticule on the bench,” she held it out, “I kept it safe for ye.”

Georgiana’s eyes narrowed. She could have done without her husband hearing about her additional incompetence.

Caroline reared back, her eyes showing fear, and Georgiana realized she was glaring at the poor serving girl. “Forgive me,” she said, reaching out to take the reticule, “I am not in my right mind.”

Georgiana turned and rushed for the stairs. She did not actually have plans to spend the night, too anxious about Daisy to stop moving, even for one night. But between the vagabonds outside and the unexpected appearance of her husband, she needed somewhere to calm down.

“Ma’am? Ma’am? Can I help you with something?” She realized that the high, frantic voice was speaking to her.

She turned around on the stairs to see Robert staring at her from below, while a rotund, apple-cheeked woman of late middle age hurried up the stairs towards her.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “I am in search of a room, some hot water, and a place to lie down,” Georgiana said in a quiet voice, hoping that Robert could not hear.

“Oh,” the woman said, “Right this way, please. I have not yet rented out my best room.” She struggled past Georgiana before waddling down the corridor to its very end.

Extracting a large set of keys from her apron, she opened the door and stepped back, indicating that Georgiana should enter.

“You said hot water? Anything else?”

“A maid to help me with my clothes, please.”

The woman nodded and slowly shuffled back to the stairs.

Georgiana watched her go, ensuring that no one else was in the corridor, then stepped into the room and shut the door with a sigh of relief.

She had no idea what the duke was doing here. It was an added complication she could do without, but she could not focus on that now; the immediate problem was locating her sister.

The more she thought about it, the more she wondered why she had not simply commandeered a carriage in London. Robert had several parked at the mews for the use of the household. She had not even thought of it.

Having been used to managing on very little, she had simply looked for the most economical option.

She sat on the bed with a sigh, realizing she had been wearing the same dress for at least three days. She had thankfully brought a nightgown with her so she would not have to sleep in her day-gown during the stops she made along the way. She now felt itchy and uncomfortable, as though the fabric of her dress was melting onto her skin.

“It is of no consequence. Tomorrow I shall find Daisy and we will go home,” she mumbled, hoping her words would turn out to be prophetic.

There was a slight knock at the door. Georgiana looked up, her heartbeat accelerating. “Who is it?”

“It’s Caroline, ma’am.”

With a sigh of relief, Georgiana stood up and opened the door. She peered down the corridor as Caroline lugged a large basin of steaming water into the room.

“You wanted a bath, ma’am?”

“Indeed, I did,” Georgiana said absently as she closed the door.

She wondered where Robert might have gone. Was he still around? Had he left already? Should she have spoken to him further?

She jumped as she felt Caroline’s hands on her shoulders before she realized that the other woman was simply unlacing her stays.

She relaxed, letting the serving girl undress her before she stepped into the bath with relief. She had not realized how tense she was until the hot water had extracted all the tightness from her back and shoulders.

She sat back with a sigh, letting Caroline scrub her thoroughly, before rushing off for more hot water to rinse her with. Afterward, Georgiana put on her shift, as Caroline dusted her gown. She curled up on the bed, her tiredness putting her into a somnolent state.

Georgiana was startled awake when Caroline stated, “All done, ma’am.”

“Oh, thank you, Caroline,” she said, reaching for her reticule and extracting a single copper coin, handing it to the servant girl. “I would like to have breakfast in my chambers very early tomorrow so that I can leave.”

“I understand, ma’am. Gretna Green is not far. If you start out early you should be there before the parish opens.”

Georgiana nodded. “Thank you.”

Caroline gathered her buckets, opened the door wide, and carted everything out of the room.

Georgiana paid no further attention to her and gazed out the window at the beautiful golden sunset.

She wondered if Daisy was looking at the same sunset, and whether she was still unsullied. She also thought of her friend, Selina, who was just four-and-twenty years old and already the Dowager Countess of Galerton. Remarkably, she was still a virgin, since the late earl had been unable to fulfill his husbandly duties.

Of course, Lord Newston is unlikely to have that problem.

The door banged shut behind her and she jumped, whipping her head around, her mouth half open, ready with a reprimand.

Her jaw fell further open when she saw her husband looming over her, his broad frame hiding the door from view.

“Wha-?” she mumbled incoherently.

“I was not finished with you,” the duke said.

She gaped at him, her throat unable to form words.

He took a step closer, and she leaped off the bed, backing towards the window.

He sighed in exasperation, rolling his eyes. “Surely, you do not still believe that I intend to hurt you.”

“I never said I think that.”

“Then why are you acting like a scared rabbit?”

She straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin, and looked him in the eye.

“I was not. You… you simply startled me, and I reacted as I did. I still feel quite skittish from what happened in the courtyard. I—” she flicked a glance at him, blushing with embarrassment, “I should have thanked you for rescuing me from those men.”

He nodded solemnly. “You have already done so, Duchess. It is my duty as your husband, but I will accept your gratitude.”

She narrowed her eyes and ground her teeth as she recalled how annoying he could be. His eyes raked down her frame, a look of growing desire darkening his grey-blue eyes to nearly black.

Strangely enough, his heated gaze did not fill Georgiana with fear or trepidation. To her intense mortification, she was tempted to stick out her chest and smooth down her hair, like a coquette.

What is happening to me?

“You know, one really should not walk about in one’s shift if they do not want one’s estranged husband to get the wrong idea,” the duke said.

Her blush deepened and she turned away from him, crossing her arms over her breasts. “I did not invite you into my bedchamber.”

He laughed softly. “Did you not? When we spoke downstairs, I was left with the impression that you wished us to speak in private.”

She whipped around, favoring him with another gimlet eye. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Oh, I do not know. Perhaps it was because of the way you turned back to see if I was following you up the stairs. You even had a bath and changed your clothes for me.” He gave her a slow, appreciative gaze from her toes up to her untidy mass of freshly washed hair.

Her hand jerked, wanting to smooth down her curls while she momentarily wished that she had brought a brush with her. She thrust the thought away with a frown.

What am I thinking?

“That is a ridiculous thing to say,” she replied belatedly. “You make it sound like I actively set out to seduce you when you know very well that I possess no such skills.”

He gave a bitter laugh. “And how would I know that, my dear? You have barely been in the same room with me since we wed.”

She frowned at him. “Well, it is not as if we live in the same house.”

His lips twisted. “I had no idea you minded.”

She huffed in frustration, shaking her head. She and Selina had discussed the topic endlessly—what one’s wedding night was supposed to look like.

Here her husband was, making lewd insinuations about her in a manner that made her think he was not entirely immune to her charms, but she had no idea what to do about it. Furthermore, she had no notion of what she even wanted, but she was tired of the limbo in which she had been living for the past year.

Georgiana’s eyes widened as she turned to face him fully. “What are you doing in here?” she demanded, ignoring his comment entirely.

This was the first time they had spoken candidly to each other since Robert’s ill-fated attempt to consummate their marriage. Before today, he had thought her to be nothing more than a shrinking violet.

“I believe the better question is: why was your door so easy to open?” Robert pushed the door shut behind him and leaned back against it, effectively blocking her escape.

He wondered how he had never noticed that her brunette hair shone with flickering red highlights in the setting sun. Her breasts, unsupported by stays or a corset, stood erect, nipples peaked, the white cotton of her shift lovingly outlining them for his enjoyment.

Her hands fisted at her sides. “This is improper.”

It took all his self-control not to grab her by the waist and pull her flush against him; to demand his rights as her husband. What stopped him were her round blue eyes, filled with curiosity, bright with interest, but darkened slightly by fear.

His lips quirked into a smirk. “You are my wife, Georgiana. The rules of propriety are a bit different for us, do you not agree?”

“We have been married in name only,” she shot back, her cheeks pink. “You have made certain of that.”

He had taken her as his wife; someone who might one day bear him children, but nothing more than that. However, their accidental encounter on the edge of disaster had shown him how mistaken he had been in his notions and assumptions. Georgiana was a firebrand. He could not help but admire that about her.

He stepped closer. “And yet here you are, gallivanting through coaching inns on your own. Tell me, does this reckless streak of yours explain why you are so determined to get yourself into trouble?”

“Gallivanting?” She scoffed, though she took a step back. “I am here through no choice of my own, not that it is any of your business.”

“Oh, it is very much my business when my wife’s safety is at stake,” he retorted, closing the gap between them.

Her chin lifted defiantly, her voice sharp. “You have a peculiar way of showing that you care about my safety—ignoring me for an entire year!”

He chuckled low, “A tactical error, perhaps. You have suddenly become far more interesting than I ever expected.”

She blinked, caught off guard. “Interesting?”

“Fascinating, even,” he murmured, his gaze dropping briefly to her lips before snapping back to her eyes. “Bold, fiery, and thoroughly exasperating. Shall I go on?”

“You are insufferable,” she whispered, but the words lacked conviction.

“And you are trembling,” he noted, his voice softening. He reached out, brushing his fingers over one of her clenched hands. “Are you afraid of me, Georgiana?”

She shook her head quickly, though he could see her body betraying her hesitation. “I already told you. No.”

“Good.” He smiled, “Because I have no intention of harming you.”

She glared, pulling her hand away. “If you are finished making assumptions and sneaking into my room like some kind of rogue, you may leave.”

He did not move. “You want me to leave?”

“Yes,” she snapped, though her voice wavered.

His smirk returned as he stepped back toward the door. “Very well. But remember this, Georgiana. You are my wife. And I always keep what is mine.”

With that, he opened the door and disappeared behind it.

He had booked the room just across from her so that she could not leave without him hearing. He found himself whistling as he got ready for bed.

This little adventure has become much more fascinating than I had originally anticipated.