Page 41 of His Highland Duchess
“He has never been very good with women,” Julian agreed. “No doubt, all you did was smile at him, and he fell head over heels. You never stood a chance.”
Lysander felt himself growing angry.
It was stupid. There was no reason for it. Julian was always making light of him, as that was just the man’s way, and it was never to be taken seriously. And Margaret, as quick of wit and sharp of tongue as she was, was clearly just eager to be involved, unable to help herself because she enjoyed a joke as much as anyone else. That’s all it was, a joke.
But it was a joke made with terrible timing. A joke that only served to highlight how unorthodox this marriage was. He and Margaret had reached a good place; he did not wish to change that, and the more Julian spoke and joked, the more it looked as if he might be forced to answer questions that he was not quite ready to answer.
This is so unlike me. Since the day I met Margaret, I have not been myself. She undoes me. She frustrates me. I should not care what she thinks about me, or what might happen. Yet I do… so much more than I ever thought possible.
“I am glad for you both,” Julian said with a serious nod, only for a wicked grin to take his visage. “And your daughters, for that matter. They might stand a chance now that they have someone in the house who is not such a stuck-up –”
“That is enough,” Lysander growled warningly at his friend, unable to take the jests any longer.
Julian laughed and leaned back. “Did I touch a nerve? Sorry, Lysander, I was only speaking in jest.”
“I do not care what you were doing. Enough is enough.”
“We were jus’ joking, Lysander.” Margaret squeezed his hand. “Mostly, anyhow…” She winked at Julian, unable to help herself. “Some of what I was sayin’ might have been borne in truth.” Julian laughed and slapped his knees.
Lysander took a deep breath. He did not want to snap at his wife. He did not want to blame her or judge her or take anything she was saying seriously. But he was having a hard time marrying the two sides of himself. That which lusted after this woman like a wolf might a freshly cornered prey, and that which was determined not to admit feelings which went any deeper than that.
“Margaret, if you do not mind, I would like to spend some time alone with my friend,” he said, figuring that perhaps the best option here was to ask her to leave. At least that way he would not risk offending her… or so he thought?
Her face dropped. “R – really? You wish for me to leave?”
“If you do not mind.”
“Lysander, we were only joking around,” Julian said, sitting up. “There is no need to –”
“If you do not mind, Julian, I am speaking to my wife.” He raised an eyebrow at her, a dismissive gesture so that she would know he was not joking. “If you do not mind, Margaret.”
He could see right away that he’d made a mistake. What was done in an effort to save face and avoid awkwardness had contributed to it directly. She looked at him with surprise, quickly turned to anger, snatching her hand back as if he had bitten her, and rising to her feet.
“Well… if I am nae wanted…” She raised both eyebrows at Lysander, giving him a final chance to take it back. But he was stubborn and thus did no such thing. “Your Grace,” she said to Julian. “It was lovely meeting ye.”
“And you,” Julian said awkwardly. “Until we meet again.”
Margaret turned and stormed from the room without looking back, leaving behind cold air and tension which could be cut with a knife. Lysander’s stomach twisted with guilt, for he knew he had done the wrong thing. This marriage was always going to be difficult, he had known. What he hadn’t counted on was how much more so it would be, now that he actually cared about the woman to whom he was wed.
“Well, that could have been handled better,” Julian said the moment that Margaret was gone.
Lysander glared at him. “What do you think you are doing?”
“Me?” Julian cried. “Do not dare try to lay the blame at my feet.”
“Is that why you came here? To make things awkward? If so, congratulations. Mission accomplished.”
Julian blew through his lips. “Do not pretend that I am the one you are angry with. I was only joking – yes, Lysander. Jokes. That is all. Which I would not have done if I did not think that it would be safe to do so. Clearly, a situation misread.”
“What… what do you mean?”
“Oh, come now.” Julian rolled his eyes. “It is obvious that the woman is crazy about you. Just as it is obvious that you are crazy about her. Something I never thought I would see, until it was slapping me across the face as it was just now.”
“That is not… we are not…” Lysander stammered a response that never came.
He frowned and looked toward the closed door. Was it possible that she was developing feelings for him? The truth of the matter was that Lysander had not considered it. In fact, he was still operating under the assumption that he annoyed her as much as she annoyed him. Obviously, their attraction and lust filled this void and exploded from it, but that was where it was meant to end. It was where heneededit to end.
But to hear his friend tell him another thing entirely...
