Page 60 of Her Wolf of a Duke

“No, of course not. I understand, Your Grace.”

“We do not need these formalities anymore.”

“Do we not?” she asked. “I thought our given names were reserved for those we considered friends, and if you want nothing more than to keep me at arm’s length, as you do your mother, then that is not something that can be considered friendship.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but no sound came out. She was right, after all, and she was giving him exactly what he wanted. That was what frustrated him more than anything; part of him wanted her to argue, and to be that same lady that openlychastised him at any opportunity. This lady sitting beside him was not the same one that he met, that he kissed, and he couldn’t help but want her back.

CHAPTER 20

Emma had not expected much of her marriage, which was why she did not object to anything Levi said.

He had not needed to marry her, and yet he had, and so she had to show gratitude for that whether she truly felt grateful for it or not. She wore her gown, she walked down the aisle, she smiled and she greeted and she enjoyed herself to the best of her ability.

But when he told her that he would be leaving her alone, and that she would never have any children to care for, she could no longer keep her smile. She fell silent until the carriage arrived at Lupton Manor, when she thanked the footman for helping her out of the carriage.

She couldn’t help but be in awe of the grandeur. Lupton Manor stood tall, its stone walls imposing. Rows of tall windows were arranged in perfect symmetry, and ivy climbed the face in tendrils. Emma’s eyes traced them upward, as the green faded to blend in with the drab grey stone.

Despite its size, however, there was a quietness to it, the kind of stillness that came from standing for so long without a single change. Emma wondered if her new life was to be the same; quiet and still, but imposing all the same.

The staff were lined up outside of the house to greet them, and so she wore her biggest smile. She wished to make a good impression, especially if she were to spend the entirety of her life there.

“This is the housekeeper,” Levi explained, “Mrs. Telson. She will be the one to show you the home later, as well as introduce you to the staff. I am certain, however, that you will come to know them all in your own time.”

“Of course.”

Mrs. Telson, fortunately, seemed kind. She was a short woman, rather old, but her smile seemed real, not at all like the forced ones she had seen in servants before. It would be nice to have an ally, at least.

Her affairs were brought into the home, and at once Mrs. Telson began to take her on a tour. Emma noticed, however, that her husband was already making his way out of the door.

“Where are you going?”

He froze in the doorway, not quite able to meet her eye.

“I am needed elsewhere.”

“On our honeymoon?”

“Yes. My affairs do not cease to exist simply because I am married.”

“Affairs?”

At last, he looked at her. Emma was aware that her staff were looking at her with pity, but she ignored them to the best of her ability.

“Business affairs,” he explained quickly. “Mrs. Telson will take care of you.”

With that, he was out of the door. Emma sighed, following Mrs. Telson as they toured the estate.

It was a beautiful home, one that she never would have assumed a man had decorated. It was too soft, too fashionable. The walls were different shades of pale colors, wallpapers adorning some of them. The furniture was new, and clearly expensive. She was aware that her husband, and by extension herself, was very wealthy, but she did not know quite the extent and she almost did not want to. It would be more money than she had ever thought possible, she knew that much.

“Do ignore His Grace,” Mrs. Telson said gently as they stood in the light purple drawing room. “He tends to spend a lot of histime away. It has nothing to do with you, he is simply a busy gentleman.”

“I do hope that is the case.”

They continued their tour, but something was not making sense to Emma. The Duke was sociable, and he enjoyed company. He liked the attention, and he was good in conversation, and so truly there was no reason for him to remain so distant, especially when they had been forming a friendship. It was only when he had to propose to her that all interest fell away.

The thrill of the hunt, she thought, but never the catch.

They avoided Levi’s mother’s wing entirely. Mrs. Telson thought better than to bother the lady, and Emma did not hesitate to agree. His mother had not seemed happy at the wedding, which had no doubt been because she knew the circumstances under which they had married, and therefore likely thought very little of her indeed.

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