Page 25 of A Bride for the Rakish Duke

He could not have been oblivious to the tension in the breakfast room, but he seemed determined to put Lydia at ease. Something that William did not feel like echoing, for he rather liked the way her face flushed pink and the swift diversion of her gaze whenever she glanced his way.

Indeed, he could almost see the events of last night playing out in her mind as they had played out inhisfrom the moment she kicked him out of her bedchamber. Such a waste, tossing and turning alone in his bed instead of making her toss and turn and writhe in her own. But no matter, he was more than capable of exercising restraint. It would only build the anticipation.

“Are your sister and friends staying today?” Anthony asked.

Lydia relaxed. “I believe all but Joanna and Nora are remaining. Joanna is hosting a ball next week, you see, and seeing the festivities yesterday has sent her into something of a preparational frenzy. Nora, I think, is going to visit her aunt. Shedoes not much like weddings, and I fear mine has exhausted her enthusiasm, so she is off to Bath to recuperate.”

“I confess, I am not keen on weddings either,” Anthony said, drawing William’s attention.

“You are not?” Lydia asked, surprised.

“You must understand, the last wedding I attended before yours, the bride ran away with the groom’s horse and never came back. It was rather traumatic for me,” Anthony replied with a grin. “Yesterday, I was standing there, shivering like a wet dog. I even stretched beforehand, so I would be able to chase after the bride if she bolted.”

William shot his brother a withering look. The jest was a cheap one, and they both knew it, but Lydia seemed delighted nonetheless. Perhaps because William was the target of the joke.

She chuckled. “I am glad I could save you from hurting a muscle, Lord Anthony.”

“As am I,” Anthony replied, flashing a wink. “I am aterriblerunner. You could have walked, and I would not have caught up to you. And please, you must call me ‘Anthony.’ You are family now.”

A genuine smile graced Lydia’s lips. “Thank you, Anthony.”

“Would you like me to show you around after breakfast?” he offered. “I rarely get the opportunity. You have seen the manor—you can understand why.” He made a show of gesturing to the walls, as if they were outside. “And here we have the eastern wing. A fine example of a modern English ruin. You canjustsee where the gables used to be, and over there, a supporting pillar that did not live up to its name.”

A burst of laughter brightened Lydia’s entire demeanor as she clapped her hands together. “Oh, I simply must have you show me everything! I would be delighted.”

“No need,” William cut in, drinking what was left in his cup. “I will show you the grounds and the house. I have a couple of hours to spare before I leave for London—I might as well use them to get you accustomed to your new residence.”

Lydia’s laughter died. “Pardon?”

“Which part did you not hear?” he replied evenly.

“The part where you are leaving me the day after our wedding.” Lydia’s eyes hardened. “I amcertainI must have misheard you.”

Anthony slowly pushed back his chair, snatching one last piece of toast and his teacup before creeping toward the door like a thespian in a melodrama. “Now that I think about it, I have some business to attend to. I will be in the study if anyone needs me.” He paused on the threshold. “Try not to kill one another. At least give it a year before any bloodshed.”

He snuck out of the breakfast room and closed the door behind him. The maids filling up the trays on the serving table also made themselves scarce.

“What is the meaning of this?” Lydia demanded to know.

William poured himself another cupful of coffee and leaned back in his chair. “You named the game, kitten. I am merely playing it my way.” He took a sip, hiding a grimace as the coffee burned his tongue. “If I must wait a month, so must you, so I thought it best to remove temptation.”

“You are going to London for amonth?” Her eyes were two burning coals, her hands balling into fists. “That is quite evidently cheating. How am I to know what you do and do not do if you are in London and I am here?”

He took a more careful sip of his coffee. “You can send a spy if you please, or you can put faith in my desire to win. I will have my own spies here, watching you closely.” He could not deny that he was enjoying himself. “If I find out that you have broken my rules or taken a lover into that virgin bed of yours, I will punish you… so completely that you will not be able to breathe, and you will beg me.”

“To stop?” she finished for him, her eyes widening.

He smirked. “I did not say that.”

“What of our honeymoon?”

He shrugged. “What of it? Your rule has rather dampened my enthusiasm, for one.” Getting to his feet, he set down his cup and headed for the door. “Now, what do you say we begin our tour? Time is ticking. London awaits.”

He left the room without waiting for her, certain that she would follow if only to continue their quarrel. Of that, he had the utmost faith.

“It is not quite as bad as I thought,” Lydia said, walking at William’s side with enough of a gap between them that two others could have slotted into place.

Her choice, not his. He had tested her by walking in the middle of the path that bordered the entirety of the manor, but rather than get too close, she had walked along the grass verge. Evidently, she did not know if she could trust herself to be near him again after last night.

---