Page 13 of The Duchess' Replacement

Standing in the doorway was not the young girl with her food, but her husband.

He stood, backlit from the lights in the hallway. His shadow cast forward in front of him, creeping towards her. Her heart rose into her throat.

By God, he was formidable.

“May I come in?”

Sarah managed to only dip her head, but it was enough for him. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

Sarah’s heart raced.Did he come to consummate?Her eyes flickered around the room.Will this be how I lose my virginity? In some small room in a dusty inn?

Her eyes widened as he moved towards her bed and sat down.

He tilted his head towards her. “Are you all right, Sarah?”

“Yes.” The word came out just above a whisper.

A smile spread across his face before a low rumble of a chuckle rolled out of him.

His laughter only made her more nervous. She tightened the hold on her chair, her knuckles going white from the pressure.

“Christ, woman, you look as if you’ve seen a ghost. I’m not going to force myself on you if that’s what you’re worried about.”

A rush of air escaped Sarah’s lips and her shoulders dropped from relief. She hadn’t realized how tense she was until she heard his confession.

“You wouldn’t?”

His chuckle turned into a roaring laughter. “Good Lord, no. What do you take me for?”

Sarah sat staring at the oddity in front of her. Truth was, she didn’t know how to answer that. She’s only had a handful of encounters with her now husband and each one did not do his personality any favors.

Instead of pushing that narrative she settled on lifting a slender shoulder in a shrug.

“Well, I can’t have you thinking that.” Charles said while shaking his head.

She gestured towards the bed. “Then why are you sitting on my bed?”

Charles looked down at the bed then back up to her. “Because there was no where else to sit, but I see now where you may have gotten your original idea.”

Charles stood and held his hands out. “Better?”

Standing at his full height, Sarah took in his larger than life frame. She actually wished he would sit back down but he walked over to the fireplace and leaned against the small mantle.

“I wanted to talk with you and set some things straight in regards to our marriage.”

Sarah cocked her head, but before she could question him, he held up a finger.

“One, you will mind your business when it comes to my family. I will not entertain any discussion about them so don’t try to start one.”

Sarah snapped her mouth shut. If there was anything that got her blood boiling it was being told not to do something. Once again she opened her mouth to question but he took a step towards her while putting up another finger.

“Two, you will not disturb me unless there is true emergency. I’m a busy man with a lot of responsibilities and I can’t be bothered to oversee and handle every little nuisance that comes your way. Which brings me to number three.”

He was moving closer to her with every rule, slowly stalking towards her like a lion hunting its prey. Sarah’s heart rate jumped. With every step he took she instinctively leaned away, causing her back to push against the vanity.

“You will fulfill all your duties as Duchess. I’m not partial to lavish balls and dinner parties, as it is essential as our role in the peerage to hold such events. I expect you to do the necessary planning to handle such tasks.”

Sarah swallowed. So far what he was asking her wasn’t unheard of. Other than his first rule, which she made a mental note to find a way around, he wasn’t asking anything she wasn’t expecting. She tried to get her body to relax, but he kept moving forward and his gaze felt as if it was penetrating her soul.

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