Page 75 of Trapped with her Cruel Duke

I wish I could still feel his arms around me.

She opened her eyes to find an empty mattress beside her, but there was a note on his pillow, placed carefully beside the rose he had procured for her. She picked it up eagerly.

Duchess,

I have some business to attend to. I shall return later today. Sleep and rest as long as you need.

C.

Louise read the note several times. She wanted to find some hidden meaning in it, that perhaps their night together had meant as much to Christian as it had to her, but there was nothing.

With a sigh, she flung the covers off her body and grabbed her robe from the floor.

She went to the door, the rose held loosely between her fingers, and poked her head out, feeling like a naughty child who had strayed into the wrong room. She could hear the servants going about their chores, but she could also tell that it was still early from the light filtering through the window.

Christian must have left before dawn… I wonder if he slept at all.

She went to her room and rang the bell for her maid, and when she was up and dressed in a deep blue gown that she had beenlonging to wear, she headed downstairs to the library to begin her drawing of the Gallic rose.

When she passed Fenwick, she inquired about Jack’s whereabouts, and he informed her that Marcus had taken him to the parlor.

Not wishing to disturb them, Louise continued toward the library, more determined than ever to finish her book as soon as possible.

He may have respected my wishes last night, but if we are already lying together four days into our marriage, I cannot imagine lasting a full year.

She closed the door behind her and walked to the small writing table that she had been using to finish her drawings. The Gallic rose was wilting now, but she was pleased to see that the paint was a perfect match to the color of the petals.

She sat down and picked up her paintbrush, but her thoughts would not settle. A lingering sense of disappointment and fear would not leave her, and it seemed to be growing all the more since she had woken up alone. The realization irritated her.

I have no doubt Christian woke up this morning and had no trouble leaving our bed without a second thought.

She looked at the garden outside the window and sighed, wondering if there were any other plants or flowers that she had not yet drawn for her illustrations.

She tightened her grip on her paintbrush and resolved to at least finish painting the Gallic rose this morning while pushing the memory ofwherethe rose had come from down to the deepest recesses of her mind.

About an hour later, a gentle knock sounded at the door, and expecting it to be Marcus, or perhaps Christian, she bid them enter.

The same maid with the lilting voice opened the door with a smile. “Lord and Lady Northbridge have arrived to see you, Your Grace,” she announced with a small curtsy.

Louise frowned.

I really must explain to my father that he cannot simply turn up unannounced whenever he pleases.

Smoothing her hands down her skirts and checking that she did not have paint all over her fingers, she made her way to the drawing room. As she approached, she could hear her father’s voice echoing through the corridors.

She entered the room, amused to see that she and her mother were wearing the same shade of blue that day. She smiledwarmly as her mother rushed toward her and took her hands, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Lady Northbridge drew back, examining Louise with a critical eye.

“You look very well, dearest,” she noted happily. “I believe marriage suits you.”

Louise swallowed, attempting to suppress the blush that threatened to bloom on her cheeks at her mother’s words.

“We heard that Lord Marcus had returned and came to wish him well,” her mother added.

At that moment, a quiet meow sounded in the corridor, and Marcus walked into the room.

“Ah, Lord Marcus,” Lord Northbridge greeted boisterously, coming forward and shaking the man’s hand rather aggressively. “We were pleased to hear that you had returned.”

---