Page 32 of Trapped with her Cruel Duke

Would she tell me if Father was hurting her again? Perhaps she thinks she is protecting me from the truth.

“And he has not said anything about his agreement with the Duke?” Louise asked.

Her mother stopped, watching a large bumblebee lazily drift past on the breeze. “He never speaks to me about his dealings with other men. All I know is that your father made the arrangement with the Duke in haste. He insisted that the wedding take place as soon as possible. When I asked him for the reason and told him that I did not feel it was the right course, he would not hear any objection.”

Louise thought back to her wedding day and her father’s agitation as they waited in the room above the chapel.

“He said if I did not marry the Duke, we would lose ourhouse,Mama.”

“I know,” Lady Northbridge said gravely. “There is every chance that your father has done something exceedingly foolish, but I have no evidence to prove that. All we can do is keep a watchful eye and be on our guard.” Her hand came to rest on Louise’s arm. “And it is not only you who has suffered a great change, dearest. I have missed your presence in the house. I hope the Duke is treating you as he should.”

Louise watched the little black bee zoom up into the trees and away into the cloudless sky.

“He is not what I expected him to be, but the reason for our marriage remains the same. I think that he cares a great deal for his brother and that finding out what happened to him is the only reason he entered into this arrangement.”

Her mother eyed her for a little while, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Yes, I am sure that is the only reason.”

Louise frowned. “You think there is another?”

“Perhaps not intentionally, but the man’s eyes certainly do not stray from you for any great length of time.” There was a teasing note in Lady Northbridge’s voice now. “I think perhaps he realized the other benefits of having you for a wife.”

Louise scoffed derisively. “He has no interest inme, Mama. Neither of us wanted to be married. I shall be quite content to spend my life among the flowers. The Duke has a beautiful country estate—think of the time I could spend walking the grounds. Perhaps we shall be as you and Papa are. We can spendmost of our time apart. I will not have to tolerate his presence overmuch.”

Once again, her mother only smiled as they continued along the path, the swishing of their skirts disturbing the gravel as they walked between the beds.

“And how is your book coming along?” Lady Northbridge asked. “This space has a lovely design to it, but it is hardly the size you might need for your research.”

“I am hoping that I can persuade Christian to take me to Kew Gardens, or even some of the events held by the Royal Horticultural Society.” Louise glanced behind her furtively. “Thank you for the books you put in my trunk, Mama. I have been up very late reading some of them. They have been incredibly useful.”

Lady Northbridge beamed. “I am so pleased. I knew your father would never read them. Should you need anything else, you need only ask. I hope you know how proud I am of all the work you have done. And please continue with your sketching. Your drawings of the flowers in our estate are so beautiful.”

Louise’s heart swelled at the praise so rarely bestowed upon her by her mother. It occurred to her that they rarely had time alone like this, often occupied with their duties.

Wandering in the gardens and speaking about the flowers was not something they did often, and she felt a pang of unhappinessthat she might have missed the opportunity to do it more now that they were no longer living under the same roof.

Finishing their circuit of the gardens, they made their way back to the table. Louise could only admire Christian’s unapologetic attitude toward her father. The two men sat in stoic silence, and the Duke was making no attempt at small talk. The disdain he held for her father was even stronger now.

Unwilling to sit in silence for the remainder of the afternoon, however, Louise took her seat and pointed to the primroses in an urn at the edge of the lawn.

“I may paint those this afternoon, Mama, as you have requested more sketches. I adore their color.”

Her father grunted loudly. Then, he reached across the table, his thick fingers picking up another scone as he gave her a withering look.

“You are aduchessnow, Louise. It is high time you pulled your thoughts away from such trivialities as plants and concentrated on being a good wife. Your duty is to produce an heir. We can only hope you will not fail at that like the other women in this family.”

Everyone at the table went utterly still.

Christian shot the Earl a vicious glare. He noticed poor Lady Northbridge’s cheeks turning crimson at the insulting words spewing from her husband’s mouth.

“You forget yourself, Sir,” he snapped, his voice like a whip between them. The Earl paused, looking up at him in shock. “I have made it very clear that you will not disrespect me in my own home. I did not believe it was necessary to extend that rule to my wife, but I shall do so now. Never speak of her pursuits in such a manner again.”

The Earl’s response was simply to laugh as though it were a great joke. His reaction sickened Christian to his core, and he was reminded of that moment at the betting tables, where the Earl had callously bet his daughter to the room at large.

The man was utterly heartless.

Christian uncrossed his legs, about to rise to tell him to remove himself from his home, but Louise got there first.

“How dare you!”

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