Page 71 of The Duke and the Unwanted Bride

Frederick was already fast asleep when Hannah crept into their bedroom later that evening. Or perhaps he was faking it? Pretending so that they would not have to continue their discussion—argument, more like.

It had not been a discussion, for that suggested reason and compromise. What had transpired between them was something else entirely.

Hannah stood in the doorway, eyeing her slumbering husband, torn between waking him and letting him sleep. If he woke up, they would likely continue from where they had left off, and while Hannah felt such a conversation was needed, she wasn’t even sure what she wanted from it.

Did she wish to have children with Frederick? Did she wish to force the issue and make him commit? Or was she happy with what they had, for it was more than she had ever dared hope for, and to risk it now might ruin everything?

She vacillated between both options, deciding at the moment that she would give it the night. Sleep. Wake up beside her husband. Hopefully, remind him in the morning how happy she could make him—she knew exactly how to do that. And once the tension between them faded, she might dare to broach the subject again.

It was a restless sleep. She eyed her husband’s naked back, hoping he would shift and throw his arm over her as he did so often in the night. A small thing, but a sign that he still cared for her and that his threats of returning their marriage to one of convenience was simply spoken in the heat of the moment.

Alas, he did no such thing.

Eventually—she did not know when—Hannah drifted off to sleep, looking forward to tomorrow, certain that when she woke up, it would be to happier times…

But the following morning, Hannah woke up alone.

Every morning since their first night together, she had woken up to her husband between her thighs. Licking her where he knew she loved to be licked. Smothering her in kisses. Pressing his naked body against her own. Wrapping her in his arms. Making love to her because what better way to start the day?

This morning, there would be none of that.

Hannah sat up slowly as she looked around the empty room. Then to the side of the bed, where her husband should have been lying. It was still early, just past sunrise, yet he had woken up and snuck out without waking her—determined not to, by the looks of things. If Hannah had harbored any hope that they might have been able to forget the previous night, now she knew that dream to be folly.

She readied herself for the morning in a state of confusion, panic, and bewilderment. Bathing, she tried to convince herself that what she needed to do was tell Frederick in no uncertain terms that she was fine with not starting a family with him, that she was happy with what they had, and if this was as far as their relationship went, then so be it. Better that then to risk ruining everything.

Dressing herself next, she could not escape the feeling that to do so would be to lie to herself, for although she had not considered the possibility of a family before now, the more she thought about it, the more she came to realize that it was the next logical step in their relationship. If Frederick truly did care for her, he should want such a thing, and his determination not to have children spoke to the truth of his feelings.

Leaving her room and making her way down the hall, she again came to the decision that she would just leave it… only to go down the stairs and change her mind once again.

Did she love Frederick so much that she would happily go along with this strange desire to keep their marriage stagnate? Or didshe love him so much that she needed to stand up for herself and demand that he treat her as a wife, not a plaything?

What to do… what to do…

Her mind whirred, her stomach twisted, and by the time she wandered into the dining room to find Frederick and Amelia already seated at the table, she still had not a clue what she would do.

“Hannah!” Amelia cried out at the sight of her. “Where have you been?”

It was the sight of Amelia that finally answered Hannah’s question. The little girl, for how much Hannah had grown to love her, was not her own. To walk into the dining room as she had and to see her own daughter sitting there, buzzing with excitement at the sight of her…her mother… Just the thought had Hannah’s heart soaring, only for her stomach to drop when she spotted Frederick eyeing her as if in a warning.

Hannah forced a smile. “Sorry I am late…” A quick glance at her husband, who suddenly looked guilty, even though he did smile at the sight of her. “I must have slept in.”

“I was going to come get you, but Father told me to let you rest.”

“Is that right?” Hannah eyed her husband curiously as she made for her seat. “How very… considerate of him.”

Frederick did not speak at first. Watching her still, his expression was impassive, and for a heartbeat, Hannah realized what this must mean. He was true to his words. Determined to go back to the way things had been. A marriage of convenience was all she could hope for.

This broke her, and she stumbled slightly as she reached her chair, unable to look at him, for she might shatter right then and there.

“You looked so peaceful,” he said suddenly, his smile returning. “And I thought you could use the rest.”

And then, most shockingly, he rose from his seat, leaned forward, and kissed her on the cheek.

Hannah straightened up at the kiss. Trying her best not to react in a way that might seem strange, she looked at Frederick, who simply smiled to himself as he sat back down. But the kiss lingered on her cheek, tingling, as if to pull her out of her funk and let her know that the situation wasn’t nearly as dire as she had allowed herself to believe.

Frederick wasn’t done with her yet. Maybe he had come to realize that a marriage of convenience wasn’t possible? And if that was the case…

Hannah sat up straighter in her seat at the thought, wondering now if maybe there was still a chance.

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