Page 17 of The Duke and the Wrong Bride

He frowned at the lists and then looked up at her. “You’ve certainly kept yourself busy, haven’t you?”

“Only doing what was asked of me.”

She hadn’t meant to be so aggressive about it, but after four days of being ignored, she couldn’t help herself. It was thus surprising to her that while she expected him to snap and snarl as he often did, he seemed… amused?

He frowned and looked up at her, his eyes roaming over her body in a way she had come to expect but wasn’t at all used to. His thick lips were pursed, his tongue licked over them as he eyed her curiously, and while she had wanted the upper hand here, now it felt like he had somehow taken it back.

“You want to… to completely renovate the gardens? And hire—does this say eight workers to attend to them daily?” He scanned the top sheet.

“Have you seen the gardens?”

“And what’s this?” He lifted the first sheet and scanned the second. “Chairs. Tables. Wardrobes. How many rugs?”

“I counted at least ten guest rooms,” she said rightly. “None of which are in a state to house anybody. I wouldn’t invite a street urchin to sleep here, let alone someone whom I actually like.”

“It is my understanding that this castle is fully furnished.”

“It is,” she agreed. “But most of the furniture is broken or rotten. Replacing it will be easier.”

“And more expensive,” he said with a coy smile as he leaned back and raised an eyebrow at her. “You enjoy this, don’t you?”

“Enjoy what?” She felt her cheeks flush, as if she knew what he was going to ask.

“Seeing what you can get out of me? I suppose I should blame myself. I did put you in charge of fixing the estate. Your…” His smile grew, and he licked his lips and studied her closely, her body especially. “Wifely duties.”

She swallowed, not wanting to be pulled in by him again. He enjoyed testing her, taking pleasure in trying to lure her in like a fly to honey. And then, once he had her, letting her go and acting as if she was the one being inappropriate. It was all she could do to remain composed.

“It’s unavoidable,” she managed, forcing herself to swallow past the lump in her throat. “This castle is stuck in the last century, and I think it behooves us to bring it up to this one. Weren’t you the one speaking of our public image just the other day and our need to trick our contemporaries into thinking that we’re a functioning pair? How will it look if we invite guests for supper, and they see us living in a state of squalor? Not too good, I would imagine.”

“I didn’t know we were inviting guests for supper.”

“In time,” she responded coolly, enjoying how irritated he was becoming. “If I remember correctly?—”

“Which you seem to have a knack for.”

“—you agreed that this marriage, whatever it is, wouldn’t see me become a shut-in. You promised that we would leave the house, mingle with our friends, put on a front that suggests to the ton that we are?—”

“Yes, yes,” he cut her off with a growl, losing his composure. “I remember what I said.”

“And yet you seem determined to forget it.”

He looked at her coldly now. “Careful, dear. I made promises, I remember. But I also warned you that I had a final say in where we went and whom we spent our time with. I intend to be social, I assure you. But if you think I’m going to go out every night just because you’re bored, you can forget it.”

“I said no such thing.” She crossed her arms and looked down her nose at him, happy to be on the front foot. “All I am doing is exactly what you asked of me. Whether you like it or not, this castle is in a horrendous condition, and if you expect the ton to take you seriously as a duke, you better start acting like it.”

That struck a nerve that she didn’t expect. His body stiffened, and his upper lip curled. His hands clenched into fists on the desk, and if she didn’t know any better, she might have fled the room for fear that he would stand up, grab her by the arm, and throw her out himself.

Although… would that be such a bad thing? She should have feared him. She should have been afraid of what he might do. But she eyed those big hands, wondering how they might feel around her waist…

“And what do you think I’ve been doing these last four days?” he snapped, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She blinked and leaned back. “I have no idea. But that’s because you refuse to?—”

“Do you have any idea what it is that I’ve inherited? The estates. The businesses. The damn taxes I have to deal with! While you’ve been scurrying about the castle, writing a damn list of pretty things to hang on the walls, I’ve been ensuring that we won’t end up on the street come the end of the year.”

“Oh, surely it can’t be that bad.”

“It won’t be,” he snarled at her, which spiked her blood. “But only because until now, I’ve had plenty of peace and quiet to get my affairs in order. Peace and quiet that I was very much appreciating until you barged in here.”

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