Page 54 of Trapped with her Cruel Duke

“Do you not wish to get anything for yourself?”

“Punch is too sweet for me. Besides, we should look for Charlotte when she finishes dancing—the two of you can get to know each other better.”

Louise pursed her lips as she drank the punch. It was excellent and not so cloyingly sweet as the one at less opulent occasions.

“Are you expecting me to run off with every man in the room? Because you are acting like it.”

Christian glanced down at her in surprise. There was a note of irritation in her voice, but she looked more baffled than anything.

Does she not see that every man in the room wants her? She is the most beautiful woman here, and I will be damned if they forget that she belongs to me!

Never in his life had he felt such rabid jealousy. It was as though every eye in the room was upon them. Even when he tried to convince himself that Louise would not stand up with anyone else, he wanted to watch her to make sure that she did not evenlookat another man in his presence.

“I am acting as your husband. It does not hurt to remind them who you belong to. I shall do it as many times as is required.”

He cleared his throat as they made their way back to Gabriel, who, to Christian’s eternal irritation, was watching him with an amused glint in his eyes. He had known Gabriel for a long time, and that was the closest thing to a smile his friend had ever achieved.

“Enjoying yourself?” Gabriel asked Louise, who had already finished her punch and was looking around her.

“It is a beautiful ballroom. Have you been to this event before, Your Grace?”

“I have,” Gabriel replied. “For many years. It is one of the finest events of the Season. I believe it gets better every year.”

Christian took the opportunity to glance around him. He was usually on edge at such functions, believing that every step he took was under scrutiny. But, strangely, with Louise beside him, he felt calmer, more able to enjoy himself than he had before.

There are benefits to having a wife that I had not foreseen.

Glancing down at her, he noticed that she was examining the pillars at the far side of the room. They had been placed at intervals, with cascades of flowers hanging from them. The colors were vibrant and beautiful. He recognized tulips in and amongst them but could not identify many of the other flowers.

He heard Louise counting under her breath.

“What are you looking at?” he asked.

She raised her gaze to his and sighed. “Wherever Lady Barrington sources her flowers, she has exquisite taste. Those are Gallic roses and must have been grown in a hot house to produce such wide blooms in March.”

Christian felt a burst of pride at the awe in her voice. He did not have extensive knowledge of flowers or anything to do with them, but her diamond-blue eyes certainly came alive when she broached the subject.

“And what are Gallic roses?” he asked, noting that Gabriel’s steady gaze never left him.

Louise smiled up at him, and his breath caught in his throat. It was a genuine smile. She seemed touched by his interest, which made a strange, happy feeling bloom in his chest.

“The Gallicas are the large pink blooms at the base of the bouquets. They are also known as the ‘Apothecary’ rose. Theirpetals have medicinal properties and can often be found growing in the gardens of apothecaries for just that reason.”

“My God, you have married an intellectual,” Gabriel said blithely, but his tone was not unkind.

Christian’s admiration of his wife’s knowledge was quickly doused, however, when she positivelybeamedat Gabriel, and a muscle in his jaw began to tick.

“Have you already cataloged the Gallic rose in your book?” he asked hurriedly, trying to mask his irritation.

“Not yet. I was waiting until later in the year when they would naturally be in bloom. I still do not have an accurate sketch of one, so I would need a subject.”

Louise’s gaze suddenly landed on something on the other side of the room, and her face brightened immediately.

“Oh! It is Lady Sybella,” she gushed. She turned to Christian and arched an eyebrow. “Am I permitted to go and speak to my friend, or should I remain here at all times?”

Christian was appalled to feel heat creeping up his neck. He was aware that his behavior was somewhat ridiculous, but he had not expected Louise to call him out on it, and certainly not in front of Gabriel.

“I am notpreventingyou from doing anything,” he said, even as his eyes scanned the path she had to take for any young men who might accost her. “Go and speak to Lady Sybella if it pleases you.”

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