Page 24 of In Need of a Duke
As a girl, she had dreamed of love. As a bride, she had believed she had found it. But as a wife, she discovered she never knew what love truly was.
This certainly wasn’t it.
Charlotte laughed, walking around him with her head tucked close to her chest. She was past tears. It was only pure frustration at his utter lack of common sense. Ian viewed her as a possession. Something to strike off his list of duties as duke.
She loved herself far too much to settle for that.
“Don’t walk away from me,” he nearly growled behind her.
Her heart drummed in her ears at the tone of his voice. Slowly, hewas unraveling. If Charlotte could only remain strong enough until he broke, she would see her heart protected.
“Only a few minutes,” she muttered under her breath, grinning when he cursed behind her.
“It does not take long…”
That was not how she remembered it, but perhaps time had clouded his memory.
“Maybe you do not take long, Your Grace. Either way, I am not interested.”
“You are my wife!”
She rolled her eyes. “Funny, I thought I would receive a sliver of respect because of it. Not from the rest of London, of course. But you were kind once.” She dropped her voice to a firm whisper. “Once, you would take my hand in yours, press a kiss in my palm, and dance with me for no reason other than the fact you enjoyed the sound of my voice. Just because you have forgotten, doesn’t mean I have as well.”
“This doesn’t have to be difficult.”
Stonehurst was within listening range now, and she refused to give the other guests fodder for gossip when she hadn’t wished for them to attend a house party to begin with. She was only hosting out of kindness toward Nathaniel. London held far too much temptation for him, so she wished to keep him close. Even if she much preferred the company of her plants or a long walk through Stonehurst Park.
“I want my orchids returned. They were left in your room by accident last evening, and they are important to me.”
He walked past her, glancing up at the windows where faces were ducking behind curtains.
“Thank you for riding with me this morning,” he announced loud enough for the others to hear.
The lie was just that. He wasn’t in riding attire, and everyone knew he wouldn’t dirty one of his best Savile Row suits and take a ride on a whim. The Duke of Dandridge would never.
Charlotte would play along for the moment, but inside, she was desperate to escape this charade. He was unyielding, and as far as she was concerned, she was through with being pushed aside.
She would never share a marriage bed with the duke.
There were more ways to become a mother than by having a child of one’s own. But she would worry about that another day.
Tonight, she would leave for Scotland.
While Susan helpedCharlotte dress later that morning, she told her lady’s maid of the plan, insisting she pack quickly, quietly, and lightly, so the duke wouldn’t know.
It mattered little because at breakfast everyone gave their regrets that they would need to return to London, and the house fell into chaos.
Charlotte had sat at the long table in the dining room, smiling at her guests, pretending as if her world wasn’t burning when the man responsible was noticeably absent.
“Chin up, Lottie,” Lord Nathaniel encouraged her as she stood in the hall and waved goodbye as Mrs. Vessey and Miss Kemp left in the carriage.
It wasn’t as if she were about to reveal her plan to the duke’s brother, but she would miss the charming and lovable rake. Near as wicked as sweet, Nathaniel longed for family in much the same way as Charlotte. And with Ian gone, she stepped in to keep an eye on him and help guide him. Admittingly, she was well out of her depths. His heart was too broken to care about reason.
“Stay out of trouble when you return to London, dear.”
“What would be the fun in that?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows. “Everything will be fine.”
Charlotte remained quiet, even as doubt pulled at her heart. She knew he must leave, but she feared soon he would make a mistake far too big for her to fix. Gambling debts and entanglements with widows, racing, and drinking for days were not the habits of a respectable gentleman. He was a rake with a broken heart, and he seemed to chase after whatever fast pleasure he could to heal it. She was afraid to let him go, unable to protect him.
