Page 10 of The Perks of being a Duchess
And she needed him to give at least two inches—to gain his trust and to save her sister from the brunt of his anger.Beyond that, it did not quite matter, she supposed. She wanted a child. He required an heir. The math was simple.
“I find that hard to believe,” the duke was saying. “She was present when last I reported the time. So, I imagine, were you.”
“Holly is unaware that I took her place,” Willow admitted. “I was supposed to draft a note for my father to find and leave.”
The duke said nothing, just stared at her.
God help her, her gaze dropped to his lips for the briefest moment before shooting back to his eyes again. A knowing glint flashed in their depths. They were in a battle of wills, she realized. And she had lost this round.
Willow sat up straighter. She could not lose composure again underneath his gaze. Even if it pained her. Which it did. Ramrod stiff had never been her chosen position and at that moment, with the wailing Dragon Duchess on one side and a temperamental husband across from her, Willow wondered whether this would be the premise of their relationship. Her life.
Chaos.
“So instead of penning a note, you married me instead? To save your family from scandal, I presume?”
“Something like that,” Willow murmured.
“On my life, this family is going down in infamy!” The dowager responded with a sulk.
It took an infinite amount of willpower to not roll her eyes. If anyone was going down in infamy, it would be Willow.
“So your sister does not know you took her place and you don’t know where she ran off to,” St. Ives clarified. “Is that correct?”
Willow lifted a haughty chin. “Yes. But even if I did know, I would not tell you.”
“Such loyalty,” he murmured. “One way or another,wife, I will find her.”
Willow inhaled a low, deep breath. Her husband was a striking man. One might easily forget just how bossy he was by staring at the man.
“I am in possession of a name, you know.”
He jerked, the movement subtle, but Willow noticed the slight jolt. “You do know my name, do you not?” she remarked dryly.
A sudden air of stillness surrounded him, and Willow saw the exact moment he concluded that he, in fact, did not.
“You cannot recall my name, can you,Ambrose?” she echoed incredulous. “I am in complete shock.”
“Of course I know your name,” he snapped, and smirked. “Willa.”
“That is a nice name, Willa, but it’s not mine.”
His brows drew together in a fierce scowl, and this time Willow suppressed a smile. If he wished to learn her name, he’d have to ask. Or hope for someone to call her by her name. Because a man like him would never ask.
“Winnifred.”
Unbelievable.
“I’m not acquainted with anyone by that name.”
The dowager moaned. “Oh, how will I ever set foot in society again?”
They both ignored her.
“Wendy.”
“Really,Ambrose, you should stop.”
“It has something to do with a tree,” he muttered.
