Page 28 of My Ruthless Duke

Without hesitation, Matthew took her hand, leading her out onto the floor. Dorian watched in silence as Cordelia allowed herself to be swept away, her laughter bubbling up as they twirled together. He should have been relieved that Matthew’s jovial nature had lifted her spirits, but all he felt was a dark, simmering frustration tightening in his chest.

“Shame, really,” came a low voice from behind him. Dorian turned to find Rhysand leaning casually against the wall, hissharp eyes following Cordelia’s movements. “You had your chance. Now look at you, standing here like a man watching his ship sail away. Pathetic.”

Dorian’s throat tightened, but he said nothing. He could not tear his gaze away from the way Debonaire’s hand rested just a little too easily at the small of Cordelia’s back, how her smile came so naturally when she was with him. His hand clenched around his glass, knuckles white.

“I would not be so calm if that were my wife,” Rhysand added, his voice barely more than a whisper, but the words hit Dorian like a punch to the gut.

Anger flared within him. He was about to speak, to tell Rhysand exactly what he could do with his unsolicited advice, but instead, he downed the rest of his wine and set the glass aside. Without another glance at Rhysand or the dance floor, he turned and strode out of the room, his footsteps heavy as he made his way toward the darkened hall.

I shouldn’t care.

What was the matter with him? Of all of the insane, impulsive, reckless things that he had been inclined to do, this one might take the icing on the cake. He had truly been about to hit that man for daring to touch Cordelia. Dorian knew how that would have ended. It only would have resulted in the guests screaming, his reputation being even worse than it had been before. Cordelia would be cross with him for injuring her cousin.There were a dozen or more reasons that he could not do what he longed to do, but he would have felt better.

She deserves better than this.

The moment that bastard’s hand found her waist, he had seen red. Paired with the words from Rhysand’s mouth, he was playing with fire.

No, I cannot hurt any more of the people she cares about.

He did not stop walking until he was on the balcony leading out into the back gardens. The cool night air wrapped around him, holding him tightly and seizing his lungs. Good. That was exactly what he needed. Something to calm his temper if nothing else.

He stopped at the banister, setting his glass down on the stone and looking out over the lawns at the raised beds that Cordelia had managed to transform into something wholly stunning in such a short amount of time. From the array of colors, it appeared that she had repotted existing flower plants and spaced them for the ones that had not yet started to grow.

He sighed, letting his head hang as his fingers scraped against the stone and then curled into a tight fist. No matter what, he needed to figure out his plan, and quickly. He could not allow Cordelia to continue to affect him so strongly. He ought to make a move or let it go.

Chapter 14

“Do you know where the duke has gone?” Cordelia asked Mary. Her sister-in-law was still swaying softly with the piano music. “Mary?” Cordelia said again, louder this time since she was not certain if she was being heard properly or not.

Dorian had been there, looking tense and uncomfortable on the sidelines when she had started her dance. Then, he was gone by the time she finished. If he was upset, then perhaps he ought to have accepted the invitation to dance with her in the first place. But he had declined.

“I think that he might have gone outside?” Mary answered, leaning close so that she would not have to speak too loudly either. “If he wishes to spend his evening sulking, then you might as well let him. There is simply no talking to him when he gets into this state.”

Cordelia nodded. She knew that Mary and her brother had been fighting more often as well. There were far too many unspoken things around this house. All she wanted was for everybody to have an outlet to uncoil some of the tension. She could hardly fathom what Dorian would be like with his guard down, but at least Mary seemed to be enjoying the party. She had gone through so much trouble in planning everything.

“I will only be a moment then, all right?” Cordelia explained, squeezing Mary’s arm before leaving the room.

She had not made it far before Matthew interrupted her with a bright smile. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“I shall be but a moment,” she repeated to Matthew, not wanting to be interrupted. It was obvious that Matthew did not wish to allow her to walk away from him so easily, but she would not be stopped. She was on a mission. “Please, enjoy another drink on my behalf.”

“Cordelia, I…”

“I’m sorry, Matthew. I have to speak to my husband.”

Matthew blocked her path for only a moment before conceding and sidestepping her as if she needed permission to move freely about her own home. She did not allow herself the time to question his motives or why he suddenly needed to monitor her when he had never done that before. Instead, she focused on searching for Dorian.

Why was he so stubborn? She could not understand why he could not talk about his feelings like a normal person? Had she not attempted to make herself available to him when it had seemed as if he needed to speak to her? Then again, those few times they were alone, things had ended, well… there had been very little talking. This rift between them was so infuriating.

What is his glass doing here? Perhaps he is wandering through the gardens?

She had only taken a few steps out onto the lawns, bracing against the cold night air when the skies above opened up, fat droplets pelting down all around her without any warning or pretense. She had nothing to shield her from the downpour. Panic gripped her. The world around her started to become hazy as the clouds gathered and darkened.

Despite her efforts to breathe through the building panic that tightened and squeezed her chest, she felt herself like a child all over again. It was her nightmares come to life. This time it was so much worse because she could not even cling to the safety of being indoors. For years and years, she had done everything in her power to avoid the rain. She did not dare step foot outside in storms. When she could manage it, she sat in front of warm, cozy fires to ensure that the demons of her past would not plague her.

So many years had passed and yet the moment the sky got too dark, she was a child.

The same fear threatened to swallow her. Cordelia flinched every time the sky illuminated with a bolt of lightning overhead. Theclaps of thunder nearly took her to her knees as tears ran freely down her face. She could not stop them; she could not even feel her limbs as she trembled, staggering in the darkness as she was.

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