Page 26 of A Bride for the Rakish Duke

William glanced up at the dark stone walls of Stonebridge House. “Anthony likes to exaggerate. Nothing is falling down as of yet. The eastern wingisto be avoided, if possible, due to woodworm in the staircases, but it will not be long before it is restored to its former glory.”

The expansive gardens had seen better days, the lawns were patchy in places, a few windows were cracked and had not yet been replaced, and many of the rooms were filled with broken furniture and old furnishings that could not be stored in theleaking attics, but the foundations of the place were still good. It would be a proud manor once again—he could feel it.

“You must think you have won yourself a golden goose, Wolfie,” she grumbled. “One swift marriage and all your problems are solved.”

Wolfie?

It was not bad, as pet names went, but he would not encourage it. Although, it was certainlybetter than ‘Weasel.’

He laughed in the back of his throat. “Thatwasmy initial intention, but then I realized who it was I was proposing marriage to, and my problems—as you call them—doubled overnight.”

“And do you often run away from your problems, Wolfie?” she asked with a saccharine sweetness that rankled him.

“I am not running.”

“Retreating, then. Semantics.” Lydia sniffed. “Either way, you called my rule a game, and you are not playing fairly. If you were asked to play a game of cricket and the other team simply did not attend, one might think of it as cowardice. Too afraid to face the competition properly.”

William deliberately stepped closer to her. “You sound awfully intent on getting me to stay.” He seized her hand and pulled itthrough his arm, holding her there. “Is it, perhaps, because you are regretting your rule? Did you like the taste of last night’s morsel, and are you intrigued by the full feast?”

She wrenched her arm away, stopping sharply on the gravel path. “And have you forgotten how to listen between last night and this morning? You are cheating.”

“I am giving you your freedom. You ought to be leaping with joy,” he replied. “While I am gone, do whatever you like as long as you obey my three rules. And if my mother bothers you, you should write to me immediately. She has returned to the Dower House, and the staff knows to turn her away in my absence, but she may yet attempt to be sly.”

He checked his pocket watch. “And now, dear wife, it is time for me to leave you to your own devices. There is not much more to be seen, though I am certain you will explore at your leisure anyway.”

He turned to go, but then was halted by a cold hand closing around his. She had forgotten her gloves, and the shock of her soft skin against his rough palm sent a jolt all the way up to his shoulder.

“What of Society?” she blurted out haltingly. “If you are seen in London during our honeymoon, what will people say?”

He turned back to face her, surprised at how close she was. “I will not be seen. I shall be at my townhouse.”

“Justyour townhouse for an entire month?” Lydia snorted. “You expect me to believe that?”

“Very well, I might venture to the gentlemen’s club or attend the opera where I can come and go as I please.” He smiled. “Once the lights dim, it is easy to slip in and out. I shall be entirely unnoticed, and if anyoneshouldpry, I will say you are at the townhouse, too exhausted to leave the bedchamber.”

Color dusted her cheeks, and he waited for her to pull her hand away, appalled or surprised by what he was alluding to. But she did not, staring up at him defiantly.

“And what of… you know… heirs?” she asked, her hand still tight around his. “Do you really plan to wait? Or will I discover, years from now, that you have a veritable horde of illegitimates?”

He swallowed, gazing down at her. It took strength and bravery to grab him like that, to turn him around. It took greater strength to stand not half a pace away from him and to meet his eyes without fear with a question like that on her lips.

That mouth…

One fleeting glance and a fire flared to life in his veins. The same fire that had spurred him on last night to the point where he would have given her a wedding night to remember if she had not hoofed him out. A point he had not intended to reach with her. Not yet. It had been as much of a surprise to him to find that he could barely control himself the second his lips had touched hers… and she had responded.

“You made the rule, Lydia,” he reminded her. “If I expect you to follow mine, I must follow yours. That being said, heirs are a consideration for the future. We will fulfill the promises we made to one another. There will be no love, but there should be trust before children are brought into this world. I must know you are worthy of being their mother, for I would hate for my children to grow up to hate you.”

Lydia let go of his hand as if he had stung her. “Hateme? I think you are misunderstanding the situation, Will.” She tilted her head to one side. “This month is to testyourdevotion and character. And, already, you are not doing particularly well. If you would abandon me, who is to say you would not abandon our children?”

Because I would rather have my heart torn from my chest than see any child of mine suffer the pain of a lack of love.

He would not say so out loud, not to this stranger who was now his wife, but one day, when she had proven herself, maybe he would.

So, he just smirked and dipped his head, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek. Drawing back, he whispered, “Enjoy your month, kitten. Count the days because, at the end of it, I will return to claim what is mine.”

He made to leave again, but her footsteps followed behind.

“I have no time to send a spy!” she protested. “Even if I did, that is no guarantee of your loyalty. You could easily lose them orforbid them entry into your townhouse. How can I be sure you will keep your word if you are not here?”

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