Page 11 of Trapped with her Cruel Duke

She glanced behind her briefly at the open door, but she did not falter.

“I assume you want an heir to continue your line?” Christian nodded his head in agreement. “And I have no objection to carrying children, but not during the first year of our marriage.”

Christian frowned, his mind flooded with images of how they mightproducea child. The thought of his fingers running through that glorious hair came back in graphic detail, but this time, her hair was spread over a white pillow as he looked down at her sprawled beneath him.

He cleared his throat, shaking his head to dispel the image. “I cannot promise that.”

“Well then, I will not be able toagree to your proposal, Your Grace.”

The smile he had been fighting turned into a loud laugh, and her face hardened as he bowed to her. He did enjoy riling the lady, but his smile quickly faded at her steely gaze.

“Call me Christian. I will not ask again. And we have discussed this already, Lady Louise. You are not in a position to refuse. I will see you—and all of your rules—at the wedding in a week. I believe our partnership will prove most interesting.”

CHAPTER 5

Two days before the wedding, Christian eyed himself in the mirror and nodded to his valet, Beckett, who dutifully left the room.

Christian spent an inordinate amount of time getting dressed in the morning—far longer than any of his acquaintances. His closest friend, Gabriel Harding, often teased him about taking as long as a woman might.

Everything has a place and a purpose.

He brushed a white speck from his shoulder, turning from side to side to ensure everything was perfect before straightening his shirt cuffs for the third time.

He was pleased with the new fob watch that had arrived that morning. The gold chain gleamed in his waistcoat pocket.

His cravat would never sit correctly, and he moved it from left to right, trying to get the thing to settle. Whatever Beckett did, it never looked centered to his exacting eyes.

Knowing that Gabriel would be calling shortly, Christian gave himself a final once-over before making his way downstairs. He was grateful to find a steaming cup of coffee waiting for him on his desk, as well as the newspapers from that morning.

Since Marcus’s disappearance, he checked the small advertisements every morning, wondering if his brother might have left him a clue in a line of ink. But there was nothing, just as there had been no sign of him for all these months.

Taking a seat with a heavy sigh, he set about going through his correspondence and missives from his tenants. It was well over an hour before a soft knock sounded at the door and a footman announced that the Duke of Stonewell had arrived.

Christian was grateful for the break. He realized that he had quite forgotten to drink his coffee, having concentrated heavily on estate matters. As Gabriel entered the room, he requested that some more be brought.

Although Christian knew he was always dressed to perfection, achieving that high standard took him an age. Gabriel, on the other hand, always looked immaculate, even when he had just rolled out of bed. The man could appear elegant in his shirt sleeves, and today was no exception.

His dark hair was swept back from his face, his brown eyes heavy-lidded and tired. They were so dark they appeared almost black, and his grim expression and stubbled jaw made him look particularly menacing this morning.

“What time did you get home last night?” Christian asked curiously.

“Get home?” Gabriel snorted. “I have come straight from a soirée, old boy. Nights at the card table with Arkley never end early.”

Christian stared at him. Gabriel had not slept, but he looked utterly flawless. He clearly hadn’t changed before coming here, yet he appeared smarter than Christian did.

Christian scowled at him, and Gabriel gave him a knowing smirk.

“New watch?” Gabriel asked pointedly.

The man misses nothing.

“Yes,” Christian replied defensively. “Not all of us spend our fortunes in gambling hells.”

“You insult me, Sir. I also spend it on boots and horses.”

Christian snorted as Gabriel took a seat across from him and crossed his long legs. He leaned back and observed him with a hard stare that Christian knew too well.

“How are you feeling about your impending nuptials? This week has flown by. I swear you only told me a few hours ago, yet we are two days away from the great event.”

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