Page 30 of Wedded to the Ruthless Duke

“Yes.” He nodded. “But if we are going to be married, there will be rules.”

“What kind of rules?”

“Firstly…” He halted, looking down his long thin nose at her. “You will not show up in any scandal sheet ever again.”

“I’m hardly in control of that, am I?” she asked wildly. “I fall out of carriages as easily as another breathes. Writers like to talk of that for some God knows reason.”

“Then you hold my hand when getting out of a carriage.”

“I am not that pathetic,” she warned. “I don’t need to hold your hand to get out of a carriage.”

“We’ll see about that.” His eyes had grown hooded with something. She had no idea what he was thinking about, but the way his eyes had shot down to the frilly high neckline of her dress was a strange thing. His eyes shot up to meet hers again. “That’s the first rule. Secondly, my estate will be your home, so that means you can make any changes you wish to.”

“I can?” Grace stood straight, shock rippling through her.

“Within reason.” The Duke raised a finger in the air in warning. “Make it warm, change the décor as you like, but do not interfere with the order and systems I have in place. I have structure to my home, formality, and I wish it to stay that way.”

She reluctantly nodded. She had a feeling going into the Duke’s home would be rather like a bull walking into a China shop, but there was nothing she could really do to stop it now.

At least I will have control over my own home. I can change it as I like, change the wallpaper, buy new chairs…

The idea made her strangely happy.

“You will also stay away from my boxing room.”

“Boxing?” Grace spluttered. For a second, she was certain she must have heard him wrong, but the Duke fidgeted and didn’t correct her. “You box?”

“That is something none but the two of us will know either.”

She nodded hastily though her mind was working fast. The thought that the Duke boxed was an incredible thing to her. It suggested something wild beneath the rigid countenance he always wore. A ripple of excitement shot through her, something she had to tamp down hard on.

“Now, for the third and last rule.” Philip loosened his arms from his chest. He mirrored her stance, resting his hands on the piano between them. He was so much taller than her in this position, almost intimidating with his broadness of shoulders that she felt that stirring deep down in her abdomen again.

It was the same feeling she’d had last night when his fingers had gripped her hip tightly through the dress.

“You will give me an heir. Other than that, we can lead separate lives. You understand?”

Grace reeled. She was glad her hands were on the piano, for if they had not been there, she might have fallen over in shock.

He wants an heir? I have not even thought about children.

It wasn’t that she was against the idea of children. But she had never really thought of herself as a mother. Whether it was because of the lack of prospects in her future or her dreams of adventure, she couldn’t be too sure. But now, the Duke wasdemandingan heir.

That meant she would have to consummate the marriage. She would have to share the Duke’s bed. She would learn what it meant to not only share such a heated kiss with him, as she had done the night before, but to experienceeverything.

Her eyes ran down the length of him. She considered what it would be like to see the Duke wearing nothing, to see him in his naked glory, the strong chest hinted at through that tight-fitting jacket and the long legs.

The thought of being explored by him, of even being… dominated by him, made a wetness pool between her legs. Shocked at the sensation, she rubbed her thighs together beneath the skirt of her gown, desperate to feel some release from a sudden ache.

“Y-you want an heir?” she managed to stammer.

“Yes. Do we have an agreement?”

She couldn’t yet answer him. She was too shocked that he was speaking about having sex with her as if it was a matter of business.

“Look, Grace, you want your freedom, yes?” he asked. She nodded, mutely. “Then you will have it. We’ll spend a month together at the house. We’ll make sure you’re carrying a child, then after that, we can move apart. You can move to the townhouse or to the Dowager’s Hall on my estate if that is what you wish for. My mother has no liking for the place, so it will be free for you to use. You can do as you like there.”

“And if I’m not with child after the first month?”

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