Page 25 of His Arranged Duchess
“Our wedding was a rather strange affair, I must admit,” Frances responded, discomfort evident in every word.
No, no, you silly, beautiful fool! Never let anybody know when you are uncomfortable or afraid! It’s a recipe for disaster.
Frances, it seemed, had never been warned to hide her feelings at all costs. As her discomfort increased, Benjamin seemed to grow more amused. He threw Lucien another half-smile and leaned forward.
“Heavens, Your Grace, you’ve gone quite red! Have I said something to offend you?”
“No, of course not.”
“If you have,” Lucien interjected, “you’ll be made to apologize, Benjamin. I quite mean it.”
His friend threw him an impish grin. “Ah, but her Grace assures me that she isnotoffended, so all is well. Now, I have only been in England for a short while. I’d quite given up on Lucien here ever returning to our lodgings, so I was determined to come here instead. I do hope you aren’t going to be one of those wives who doesn’t let her husband stir from her side, ha-ha! I’m not sure that our Lucien would stand for such a thing. Men must be men, you know, and there’s no getting around it.”
His smile widened again, and Frances seemed to stiffen a little further.
“Benjamin,” Lucien said softly, a warning tone evident in his voice. Benjamin did not push the issue, perhaps sensing that he had already gone too far.
There was a moment of cold silence, then she abruptly leaned forward, setting down her teacup on the table. The cup rattled in the saucer, spilling tea over the side. Her hand was shaking, it seemed. Benjamin had unsettled her.
“Excuse me,” Frances muttered. “I had better leave you to your party. Good day to you all.”
She rose without another word, almost scurrying out of the room. Lucien rose to his feet, too, without even realizing it. Did he mean to follow her? Did she want him to?
He was distracted by a light chuckle at his side and glanced down to find Benjamin shaking his head and smiling. He reached into his coat to take out a hip flask and took a sip.
“I fear that you have offended your bride, Lucien,” Benjamin remarked. “She’s a prickly little thing, ain’t she?”
Lucien didn’t bother to respond, turning on his heel and striding out of the room after Frances.
He caught her mere feet from her bedroom door. She must have heard him coming, but did not slow down or turn around. Lucien was obliged to leap forward and grab her wrist.
She stopped dead at that, spinning around to face him. For a moment, the two of them stood like that, with her wrist in his hand. He could feel her pulse thrumming beneath the soft skin at the inside of her wrist, warm against his fingertips. Heat coursed through Lucien’s chest, pooling deep in his gut. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving and her eyes wild.
“Release me, sir,” she said at last, her voice clipped.
He held her gaze. “No, Frances. I want to talk to you. Can’t we be civil?”
Her lower lip trembled. It was damp, as though she’d been biting it, and Lucien found himself longing to run the pad of his thumb across that soft warmth. How would she react? Would her breath hitch, her eyes widen? Would he watch a flush of arousal creep across her cheeks and descend her neck?
In a flash, Frances yanked her wrist out of his grip.
“Well, I do not want to talk toyou,” she responded tartly. She turned on her heel and dived into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Lucien stood there for a moment, somewhat breathless from the sudden, powerful desire which had swept through him.
Frances’s bedroom door remained resolutely closed, but Lucien was determined not to leave without speaking to her. Sighing, he knocked twice.
“Who is it?” came the suspicious reply.
“Who do you think, my dear? It is your devoted husband, Duchess,” Lucien responded, trying to keep things light and amusing.
She snorted loud enough for him to clearly hear it through the door. At last, the door creaked open, and Frances peered distrustfully out.
“Go away.”
“Go away? That is not a very ladylike thing to say.”
She sighed heavily. “I think you ought to go downstairs. It’s not polite to leave one’s guests unattended.”
