Page 8 of The Virgin Duchess

What might the Duke wish for in terms of her role as mistress of the house? What did he wish for when it came to heirs for his family?

Charlotte stifled a shiver as she was seated at the table to dine across from her new husband at the opposite head. The day was hardly half over, and yet she knew that the remainder of the day would drag on until she had a chance to speak to Frederick alone.

And she did not look forward to it in the slightest.

With each moment, less and less light spilled through the hall, and Charlotte’s stomach twisted itself further into untamable knots. The sky was dark, night had come, and she would be alone with her husband for the first time since the ceremony.

“If he should decide to come to speak to me at all.”

Charlotte sat on the edge of her bed. She was in a separate room from Frederick, and she’d dismissed the maid, choosing to undress for sleep on her own, which she had yet to do. The maid seemed to think it was a way of asking for privacy, the woman smirking knowingly at her, but Charlotte had no intention of engaging in marital visitation with the man she knew to be nothing more than a rake.

Knock, knock.

A soft rap of knuckles hit her door, and Charlotte straightened up. The room was not locked, as she’d hoped that the two of them might at least talk.

“Come in,” she called out gently, and the door cracked open to reveal her husband, dressed down from the formality of his attire of earlier.

“Charlotte,” Frederick nodded, “good evening.”

She narrowed her eyes on him, folding her arms across his chest as she set her mouth in a grim line. The large room seemed to barely contain the man’s tall stature, but it was the size of her irritation that truly stretched it to the limit.

It was a lovely space, well enough supplied with the necessary furnishings—a wash basin and dresser, a fireplace with bed warmer, and even a standing mirror that sat in the corner nearthe far window. The room was decked out in wallpaper depicting alternating pale blue stripes and columns of blue cornflowers. There were pale white curtains over the windows on the wall to the right of her bed, and on the left was the closet door next to the dresser.

Simple and elegant, and as much as a prison as one with bars.

“You’ve graced me with your presence. Should I assume that you have something to say to me, or have you come to ignore me in person?”

With a frown, Frederick ducked his head. It was a moment before he spoke again, and Charlotte watched the muscles in his jaw work as he stood just a few feet from where she sat.

“I was not ignoring you. There were family members to attend to, and we have both been particularly busy through the entire day.”

All Charlotte did was stare. She would not be giving him an inch of reprieve from this. Frederick was well aware of what he’d been doing that day, and their lack of communication had nothing to do with “being busy.”

The silence persisted until Frederick sighed, meeting her stare. “It is possible thatperhapsI could have paid more attention to your status during the evening.”

“Perhaps?” She stood up, taking a step forward and leaning toward him. “Perhapsyou could have paid more attention? You have spoken to me as much as you have the plants in your greenhouse, Frederick.”

The man had the gall to scoff, rolling his eyes before looking in her direction like he was tickled by Charlotte’s complaints.

“Charlotte, I?—”

“Don’t. You cannot make me see anything but the truth. You have paid me no mind since I arrived at the estate.” She sucked in a breath of air, closing her eyes momentarily before leveling Frederick with a stare again. “Should you wish for it to remain that way, fine. I am more than happy to pursue separate interests. Still, I would appreciate a summary of what you expect from this arrangement beyond our mutual agreement to not leak the other’s secrets.”

“Separate interests? I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. And surely you must provide me with a bit of time to consider matters. We’ve only been married for a handful of hours. I thought that at the least we could take the time to get to know one another, settle into our roles.”

Slashing her hand through the air, Charlotte scoffed lightly. She was beyond aggravated with the Duke at present, and the fact that he was so nonchalant about it all only made her mood that much more sour.

“You act as though this is some simple thing. I’m to be your wife. Iamyour wife. There is quite a bit associated with that. An arrangement of convenience remains a marriage, nonetheless. You’ve allowed me no preparation for how I am to manage the estate, what might be required of me in terms of staffing the house, nor introduced me to those working her that I will be interacting with on a daily basis.”

“This was the first day, Charlotte. There is time for those things. You shouldn’t allow yourself to get so worked up.”

Hardly believing her ears, Charlotte glared harder. Jabbing a finger in his direction, she looked up into Frederick’s gray eyes as the sound of the fire crackling in the background mirrored the sparks firing in her blood.

“Worked up?!” Her voice ticked up louder. “You have coerced me into a marriage of convenience, and you expect me to be?—”

The words were silenced as Frederick reached out and took her face in his hands. She’d not realized that during this entire conversation, he’d stepped closer and closer, but now the reality of his proximity was plain as paper. Her heart rate was already furious, and with the man’s warm skin against hers, it only took off for the stars. Frederick was so close she could smell the spice of his cologne, and her perception of the room around her dropped away as she was trapped beneath the weight of his stare.

As her lips gently parted, Frederick’s fingers slid down the column of her neck—light and unhurried. The other handsuddenly found her side, wrapping around her waist to lay against the small of her back.

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