Page 19 of Married to the Cruel Duke

He wasn’t sure what he had hoped for when he had agreed to the match, but when he saw her standing there, he was shocked. With how eager her father had been to get rid of her, he had expected her to be more than a little homely, but she wasn’t. Quite the opposite in fact, so much so that it stunned him.

He was startled from his thoughts by a knock on the door.

Before he could get a word out, the door swung open and Patrick stepped inside. He was a tall lean man with red hair and laughing blue eyes. When he saw William sitting behind his desk he frowned.

“I was worried I would find you here,” the Irishman sighed.

William frowned. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to check on you and make sure you weren’t locked away brooding. Where’s your new bride?”

“Sleeping in her room I imagen.”

He hummed. “Doesn’t seem like you spent a lot of time with her.”

“I thought she seemed tired after the excitement of the day.”

“If going to the church and having a meal with you was too much excitement for one day then I find myself worried for her health.”

William rolled his eyes. “If all you have come here to do is check on me, then you have seen me. You can go now.”

“Don’t think you’re getting out of talking to me that easily. I have too many questions to go anywhere.”

William sighed. “If I can’t get out of this, why don’t you just ask me what you want to ask me.”

“Why don’t we start small, what do you think of her?”

William scowled. “Is that your idea of starting small?”

“Seems like an easy enough question.”

He looked away. “She will make a serviceable duchess.”

Patrick stared at him, clearly waiting for more. When he realized it wasn’t going to come, he spoke again. “Is that it? You marry a woman and all you can say is that she will make a good—not even good, just serviceable—duchess?”

“What more do you expect me to say?”

“How you feel, the things you spoke about, anything.”

“If you’re looking for specific information, then you should ask specific questions.”

“I suppose I should have known better on that one. Why don’t I try again. Do you think she is pretty?”

He stared down at his desk. William knew better than to risk eye contact while they talked about her. “I suppose she could be.”

The other man chuckled. “That’s high praise coming from you. You must think she’s wonderful.”

He sighed. “She dresses plainly. Her gown was almost completely unadorned. I must admit I was a bit surprised.”

“But that just makes it easier to see her natural charms.”

“If you want to see it that way I won’t stop you.”

“So you think she’s pretty, that's a good start, but I need to know more than that. What is she like? What did you talk about?”

“She seems…. Quiet?” he said unsure.

“Sounds perfect for you. The two of you can enjoy sitting together in a room and not speaking to each other.”

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