Page 50 of The Scarred Duke's Bride
She gawped at him. “That… that’sridiculous!”
“Is it?” he raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. For one thing, I do not wantanythingfrom you.”
“You want information.”
“Only because you left the table very abruptly, and it seemed like bad news. If it involves us, I would like to be apprised of what it is.”
“Oh, then you can relax. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with my family’s holdings.”
She stared at him, “Your familyismy family.”
“Since when?”
“Since we married! Or do you not know how that works?”
Eric laughed bitterly, “Are we pretending that we have a normal marriage now? You have hardly wanted to look at me these past few days, let alone touch me.”
“That is because you disgusted me. Your behavior was atrocious.”
Freya saw him flinch but was too busy ranting to really take it in. “You cannot blow hot and cold like that and expect me to just be fine with it. I am not a puppet to be jerked around on strings. You must treat me with respect.”
“Respect? As if you have shown me any?”
“I have shown you the respect you deserve,” she scoffed dismissively.
He turned from her to look out of the window. “I think it would be best if we ceased speaking to each other.”
She stared, surprised. “But why? We have not finished our discussion.”
He turned on her. “I think you’ve made it clear how you feel. Yourdisgustfor me.”
Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant. “No no, I did not mean your face. I meant yourbehavior.”
He snorted derisively, shaking his head and looking away. “Please, you do not need to make up things now. I know full well how the rich and mighty see me. I am nothing but damaged goods, a stain on society. They cringe at the thought of having to make civil whiskers with me. Do not think I do not know I —”
Freya could think of nothing else to do to show him she wasn’t disgusted but to kiss him. She pressed her lips tightly to his, trying to remember how he’d done it. Tongue darting out, she licked at his lips, hoping he would do the rest.
He made a surprised sound and parted his lips, and the next thing she knew, her tongue was in his mouth. She moved it around tentatively, pressing their lips together, keeping her eyes wide open.
He sucked her tongue for a moment before pushing away from her and turning away with a pained sound. She stared at him, bosom heaving, having no clue what to do next.
ChapterTwenty
“Let us go. They are expecting us.”
Those were the last words that Freya was expecting to hear from Eric’s mouth. The carriage had come to a stop at least five minutes ago, and they had been sitting in silence since. There was no sign of the other carriage bearing his mother and brother as well as her sister. She stared at him, seeing that his face had gone blank and emotionless. The paleness of his skin made his scars stand out even more. He was clearly very upset.
“I-I’m sorry," she whispered not knowing what else to say.
“No need for apologies. We all knew what we were getting into." He opened the door and alighted from the vehicle without sparing her another glance. She hurried to follow him, mindful of the appearance they had to keep up.
He offered her his arm still without looking at her, and she took it. They walked slowly towards the large stone castle. The Dowager Marchioness lived at Stockton-on-Tees, and her castle bordered the river Tees. They had in fact ridden over a moat to get into the compound. If Freya was being honest, she was quite impressed at the largesse. She was not used to such blatant displays of wealth.
They stepped onto the red carpet in the foyer where a straight-backed butler took their coats and directed them onward towards the drawing room. “Where early guests are gathered for tea,” he explained. “Once you have greeted the Dowager Marchioness, you will be shown to your room to change for the ball.”
Eric nodded his thanks, and Freya smiled at the butler before following an assigned footman down a long corridor with a few twists and turns before they arrived at a large drawing room. Several groups of people stood around laughing and talking in the brightly lit room. Three of the walls consisted of French windows, so there was plenty of light streaming in addition to a breathtaking view of the river and the rolling hills surrounding them.
