Page 18 of Married to the Cruel Duke

When she saw the room, she gasped in surprise. She had expected it to be an improvement over her childhood room, but it easily surpassed her wildest dreams by leaps and bounds.

The room was large. There was a window over on the far wall, deep emerald green drapes blocking out the moonlight. The walls themselves were a pale cream, a stark contrast with the dark wood of the floor and the furnishings. Breaking up the space there was a thick rug covering most of the floor. It almost seemed thick enough that when she woke up in the morning, it would keep her feet from getting cold until she finished up getting dressed. Or at least it would if she didn’t have to go over to the wardrobe on the other side of the room to get her stockings.

Perhaps she could ask about having it moved closer to the bed. As quickly as the thought formed, she shook it from her head.

How ungrateful could she be? There was no reason for her to ask for anything. They had gone to more than enough effort for her already.

Taking in the rest of the room, she saw a small, well-stocked writing desk near the window. It looked like it would get wonderful sunlight, especially in the morning. A short distance away was a dressing table. Then there was the wardrobe. The majority of the space was a large plush bed.

The bed itself was a dream in its own right, a vast improvement from where she slept in the attic. It was so large, with four posts and a damask canopy. The covers were thick and made of the softest material she had ever felt. As for the pillows, thick and plump and feathery, she could hardly wait to sink into them.!

Rebecca didn’t know if she had ever seen that many together in her life.

“Is this really all for me?” she asked herself, running her hand along it.

She gave herself a few moments to marvel at it all before turning her attention to the only other thing of interest in the room, the single case she had brought with her from her family home.

Normally, unpacking something like this would have been done by a lady’s maid, but she didn’t have one so it had fallen by the wayside, but that was preferred by Rebecca.

She grinned to herself, making her way over to the small bag. Opening it, she set to work unpacking her few positions. There wasn’t much in there, three-day dresses, two sleeping gowns, her two shawls, her warm cloak, and a few pairs of stockings. Her shoes were still on her feet so she didn’t need to worry about those and she had never been allowed to have her own hobby supplies, so that was all she had.

Once she was happy with where everything was, she stood back with a smile. Maybe it was a bit selfish or conceited of her, but it was really starting to feel like her own space, far more than the attic ever had. She gave herself a moment to appreciate it all before starting the process of getting ready for bed.

It wasn’t hard for her to get h erself undressed. Wedding day or not, her dresses always tended to be rather simple. They were always Dorothy’s cast-offs and she tended to strip them of any lace or decorations before she handed them off. Not only that but since they didn’t want to get her a lady’s maid, they tended to either be wrap dresses or have a bib front opening. That was the kind of dress she had on that day. She unbuttoned the small buttons on either side of her chest, letting the top fall open before undoing the ties where the short bodice turned into the skirt.

Once she slipped it off, she hung the dress with her others before slipping off her petticoat and unlacing her corded stays. Then she pulled off her shift and pulled a sleeping gown over her head.

Her hair was back in a simple bun and it wasn’t hard for her to take it down and pull it into a simple braid so it would be out of her way when she slept.

Then it was the moment she had been waiting for since she stepped into the room.

It was time to slip into that heavenly bed.

Turning down the covers she couldn’t stop smiling. Before she even climbed into the bed, she had to stop and marvel. The blankets felt so thick and soft in her hands. She just knew that when she was finally under them she would feel perfectly warm even in the worst of winter. She didn’t think she could remember a winter where she had slept without suffering at least a few nights of the bitter cold.

But she wouldn’t have to muddle through that here.

The very thought was enough to make her beam. Then she slipped under the covers and leaned back against the pillows.

She couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer variety of them! Some were soft, some were firm, some had silky covers, andothers felt more like cotton. Part of her didn’t know what to do with all of them. As she lay there, Rebecca couldn’t believe her luck.

This was her home now. She was going to build a life here.

She could only do her best to make sure she didn’t let William down. He had already done so much for her thatshe couldn’t bear the thought of letting him down.

She would just have to learn to be the best duchess possible. She would blow them away with just how competent she could be.

She had to.

CHAPTER 5

William sat behind his desk, burying his face in his hands.

What was he thinking? Why had he let Patrick talk him into this?

The second his solicitor had suggested it he should have shut the idea down.

Sure he needed an heir, but it all happened so fast. Now she was here, asleep in one of the rooms, his wife, Rebecca.

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