Page 28 of Caught With the Scarred Duke
“Do you?” Teresa shot to her feet. “Well, I do not believe that is true. I do not think you would know affection if it smacked you in the face, which I am rather close to doing. Truly, I… do not know what to say to you. I am… I am appalled, Cyrus.Ikeep my promises, while you see fit to break them as you please.”
Guilt bristled up from her stomach, knowing it was beneath her to use his history against him… but he did not know what she knew. And, nevertheless, itwasthe truth; whether it was his fault or not, he wouldnothave known affection if it ran over him, and she did not deserve to be treated this way for the crime of… laughing at the joke of someone who had noticed she existed.
She threw down her napkin, blowing a lock of hair out of her face. “So, no, I do not intend to take a lover, and I am certainly not interested in your friend. Not in the romantic sense. There—you may be satisfied with that, even though it was nothing you had tocommandof me in the first place.Iabide bymyvows, but I wonder if the same can be said for you?”
His brow softened for a heartbeat, the fire in his eyes burning brighter. Those embers gave her pause, her heart jumping as he closed that small gap between them, her mind swirling with thoughts of the kiss she had never experienced… but as he madethat final step toward her, his hand reaching up to her face, she batted it away.
“I am no longer hungry. Excuse me,” she seethed, as she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, cursing his name under her breath… and cursing the day she had exploded out of the walls to confront him, too.
Indeed, if she were to create a list, he would assuredly be at the very bottom, his name struck through a thousand times.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Floorboards creaked on the stairs outside the tower, alerting Cyrus to someone’s presence. He looked up from the yellowed, dogeared pages of the book he had been reading, closing it quickly and tucking it away in the wooden chest at his feet.
“Your Grace?” a familiar voice called out before he could ask who was there.
“What is it?” he replied, getting up from the rickety old chair.
Belinda opened the door, peering in. “You asked to be informed when the guests arrived.” She gestured back over her shoulder. “They’re just coming up from the road.”
“Thank you, Belinda,” he said, padding over to the tower window to watch their approach.
But the housekeeper lingered, her silence louder than her words.
“Was there something else?” he asked, leaning against the wall as he gazed outward, spotting the carriages on the meandering track that eventually ended at the outer wall.
Belinda unleashed a heavy sigh. “I know you’ll say it’s not my place, but you need to sleep more, Your Grace. You look tired. And I know you haven’t been eating much.”
“I shall bear that in mind.” He waited for her to depart, but there was no relief upon hearing the door close again, her footsteps retreating down the staircase.
How can I sleep easily when Teresa is lying in wait, ready to appear when I close my eyes?
It had been an unsettled few days since the failed dinner, the entirety of the castle seemingly on edge in the wake of the argument. He was no fool; he knew how swiftly gossip spread among a household, but he wished the events of that night had not gone beyond the dining room.
He had behaved in a manner unworthy of a duke. Everything he had said to Teresa, it had been selfish and insane, and he had heard it thrumming in his voice, but he had not cared at all. Not in the moment. With her laughter at Silas’ antics ringing in his head, he would have torn the castle down, stone by stone, with his bare hands if it meant no other man would ever touch her. Ithadbeen a sort of madness, and it lingered.
He did not trust himself to be in her company again and, figuring she was in no mood to see him either, he had chosen to give her space over the past few days.
But that is about to change…
His gaze tracked the carriages coming up to the castle, steeling himself for the performance to come. Teresa’s family and friends would expect harmony, and they would find no discord from him.
“Tessie!” Prudence shot across the bailey, launching herself into Teresa’s unprepared arms, almost sending both of them flying.
Catching herself at the last moment, Teresa embraced her sister with all her might, savoring the sweet reunion. “Oh, my darling Pru. You do not know how much I have missed you.”
“Did you get my letters?”
“I did.” Teresa smiled against her sister’s shoulder. “They cheered my spirits immensely.”
Prudence pulled back, raising an eyebrow. “Are the Captain and Miss Savage still hopelessly in love? Did Miss Savage make it onto the ship in time?”
“Pru!” Teresa gasped, blushing. “Have you been reading my collection? Is that why they have not yet arrived?”
“Mama has been delaying their delivery,” Prudence whispered, as if their mother was in the vicinity, instead of comfortably back at Grayling House. “She still does not think it is ‘proper’ for you to be reading such things. In truth, I think she believes it is even less proper, now that you are married. But Izzie and I have conspired to get them to you; have no fear.”
Teresa raised an eyebrow. “You still did not answer my initial question.”
