Page 29 of My Ruthless Duke

In her mind’s eye, she was that same little girl, her dress snagging on brambles and thorns, her slip soaked through, and her toes cold as she cried out for help, for anyone to come and help her. Cordelia’s hand curled into the fabric of her dress over her chest, squeezing tightly and trying to find some relief from the panic, but it did not work. She felt as if the rain were trying to drown her.

Memories from the past that she had kept so deeply repressed started to swim to the surface, memories of her stumbling into a clearing in her childhood home. The garden maze opened up in front of her child form, and a tiny sliver of hope bubbled up inside of her chest as she hurled herself toward perceived shelter. Anything would do, so long as it got her out of the rain. Only, in her memory… there was somebody already standing at the door of that shelter.

Remembering even just that much made a headache build at the base of her skull and stemmed upward like the same lightning that was terrifying her. Dizziness came next, and she was terrified that she was going to pass out. She could not allow that to happen. What if nobody came here, what if nobody found her?

Panic blinded her, making her wholly forget her mission as she took off across the lawns in the direction of the closest shelter. Cordelia’s feet moved of their own accord, no path or destination in mind. The only thing that she knew that she needed wasshelter, a roof, and four walls. That was the only thing that mattered. She ran toward the greenhouse, as it was closest. Until today, the doors had been chained and locked. It did not occur to her to question the rusted hinges or the grimy glass panels shaking as she yanked open the door and threw herself inside.

The pungent scent of old soil and overgrown plants assaulted her instantly. It wrapped around her like a blanket as she moved further into the greenhouse, overwhelmed by the untamed beauty all around her. It needed a lot of work, but it was so distracting to finally see the inside of the marvelous structure that she almost forgot about the storm. She was dripping all over the floor, shuddering from the lingering chill making her shudder.

A noise came from further in the greenhouse, the sounds of shuffling that froze her in place.

Chapter 15

“W-who is there?” She called, hoping that it was an animal or a rat that might have squeezed in through one of the broken glass panels to take shelter from the storm itself.

The shuffling was followed by a potted something or another breaking and muttered cursing.

Cordelia froze in place, realizing that she was not alone in the greenhouse. At least she did not have to listen to the way the rain was almost echoed all around her.

Dorian walked around the corner in a huff; his gaze narrowed as he walked with purpose toward her, grabbed her by the elbow, and started to pedal her out of the greenhouse swiftly. “Have you lost your mind? You are not supposed to be here.”

“Neither are you!” Cordelia dug her heels in as she was pulled toward the exit. She could not go back out into the storm. She could not. “Dorian! Stop! I cannot go back out there.”

He must have been the one who broke the chains. If it was off-limits, why would he do that? What was happening?

“I told you that this place was expressly forbidden, and here you are.”

“The door was open!” Cordelia protested. “And you are in here as well! I was only looking for you! You left in the middle of the party; it was quite rude!”

She managed to wrench her arm out of his grasp and took two steps back into the greenhouse so that he could not pull her out so easily.

Dorian huffed and shook his head. “Rude? You have no right to speak to me about rudeness.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“The man that you were interested in has been invited to my house not once, but twice now… paraded in front of my face both times and you expect me to take it with grace? I cannot presume your motives, but I daresay thatrudewould cover a large portion of it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Lord Debonaire, correct? The man you claimed to be interested in when I asked you to marry me,” Dorian said harshly, acquisition dripping off of every word.

Cordelia recoiled, trying to formulate words that would diffuse the situation, but she was failing. She floundered, trying to explain herself or deny the accusations.

“No, you do not understand, I–”

“What was it that you insisted upon? Nolies,” Dorian hissed, too close to her face for her to be unaffected by his words.

“Matthew is… he is my friend, mycousin.” Cordelia attempted to explain. She ought to put more distance between the pair of them but she could not. She was always so powerless the moment that he was close to her like this.

“I do not care for the sound of his name on your lips,” Dorian continued, his words forced through his teeth. “The only man whose name should be on your tongue is mine.”

Cordelia’s lip curled. “Why? You certainly do not seem to have any true desire for me! You run hot and cold! I never know where you stand from one day to another!”

“You are my wife, and you belongto me!”Dorian said in a low, warning tone. “You have defied my orders, time and time again. You are the only person that I have ever indulged and yet… you are still defiant.”

He straightened, a strange sense of calm seeming to settle over him.

“You have defied my orders, and for that, you need to be punished.” Dorian closed the distance between them, towering over her as his lip curled upward into something akin to a smirk. “As this is your first, I shall allow you the choice of punishments. You can either go inside and tidy up my personal library, or… I can spank you.”

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