Page 40 of Wedded to the Duke of Seduction

Leo nodded, his expression unreadable. “Until then, Duchess.”

As he walked away, Marina entered her new chambers and closed the door behind her with a soft click. Betty looked up, and her round face broke into a relieved smile.

“There you are, My Lady—I mean, Your Grace.” The maid bobbed a quick curtsy. “I’ve almost finished unpacking your things. The wardrobe’s still a bit sparse, but His Grace mentioned something about sending for a modiste tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Betty.” Marina moved to the window and gazed out at the unfamiliar view of an elegantly landscaped garden. “It appears our circumstances have improved quite rapidly.”

“It’s a fine match, if you don’t mind me saying,” Betty ventured. “The Duke seems like a good man for all his particular ways.”

Marina turned from the window with a slight smile. “He’s offering protection when we need it most. For that, I’m grateful.”

She didn’t add that gratitude was a poor foundation for marriage or that she still struggled to understand Leo’s true motives.

As Betty helped her change from her wedding gown into a more comfortable day dress, Marina wondered what the coming days and weeks would bring.

She had survived one loveless marriage, so she knew she could endure another. But something about the way Leo had looked at her during their vows, the gentleness of his ceremonial kiss, suggested this union might differ from what she expected.

Whether that difference would prove beneficial remained to be seen.

CHAPTER 14

“Your Grace, the steward wishes to know if you’ll be reviewing the quarterly accounts this afternoon as planned,” Henderson, Leo’s longtime butler, inquired as he entered the study where Leo had retreated after showing Marina the house.

“Yes, send him in an hour,” Leo replied, not looking up from the document before him—a deed transferring ownership of the Mount Street townhouse to Marina. Though she would no longer live there, he thought it prudent to secure the property in her name. “And Henderson, has the duchess settled in?”

“I believe so, Your Grace. Miss Betty seems to have matters well in hand.” Henderson hesitated then cleared his throat—a rare show of uncertainty. “The staff is most eager to ensure Her Grace feels at home.”

Leo glanced up, noticing the cautious curiosity in his butler’s gaze. Clearly, the suddenness of the marriage had already set the servants whispering. “The Duchess will be making changesto the household routine. I expect everyone to accommodate her wishes.”

“Of course, Your Grace.” Henderson bowed. “Will there be anything else?”

“Send a message to Giles. I wish to see him tomorrow morning regarding the late Lord Asquith’s debts.” Leo’s jaw tightened at the thought of the man who had attempted to blackmail Marina. “And arrange for the modiste to call tomorrow afternoon. The Duchess will need a wardrobe appropriate to her new station.”

After Henderson closed the door, Leo set aside the deed and leaned back in his chair. He allowed himself a moment to process the events of the day.

He was married.

The realization still struck him as faintly absurd. After nearly a decade of avoiding any romantic entanglement that might lead to permanence, he had bound himself to a woman he’d known for less than a month.

And not just any woman—a widow with substantial debts who wrote scandalous stories about him for profit.

Leo ran a hand through his hair, disheveling the careful styling.

But the image of Marina facing Giles alone, refusing his help out of stubborn pride even as she dismissed her loyal servants,had stirred something protective in him. Something he hadn’t felt since before William’s disappearance. The urge to protect someone so vulnerable yet fiercely independent—someone who would never willingly admit she needed him—tugged at him more than he’d anticipated.

But beneath that instinct lay another feeling, one he wasn’t ready to fully admit, even to himself. Admiration.

He admired her resilience and the stubborn courage with which she faced her circumstances and stood up even to him. And then there was her cleverness, sharp and clear in every scandalous line she wrote.

It drew him closer, fascinated him far more than he’d ever intended.

Their kiss in the Ellinsworths’ library had only confirmed what he’d suspected from their first meeting. There was an undeniable attraction between them, a spark that could easily ignite into something more consuming if given the chance.

A knock at the study door interrupted his thoughts.

“Enter,” he called, half-expecting Henderson with another query about household matters.

Instead, Marina herself appeared, still wearing the simple day dress she’d changed into after the ceremony. “I hope I’m not intruding?”

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