Page 15 of Captured By the Cold Duke
“It is considered one of the rarest bottles distilled in France, distilled with a rare combination of herbs that give it strong healing properties. Apparently Louis XIV himself believed in its restorative powers so much that he had it brought to him with every meal. As you know, I am an amateur herbalist myself, so I couldn’t help but look for a bottle on my last trip to the Cognac region. I was saving it for my medicinal purpose but thought that I should, perhaps, give it to you instead, Your Grace, to show that there is no resentment between us. And to assure you that I never would have married you without your consent.”
The earl’s expression had softened, and when he extended the bottle out to her, she reached for it automatically.
“I promise you, Your Grace, I was going to ask for your hand in marriage personally,” he said more quietly as if they were theonly two people in the room. “I called upon you, the evening after I spoke to your cousin, but was told by Charles that you had run away. I assure you, if you had been present, I would have cordially asked your consent to marry you.”
But despite the softness in his expression and the kindness in his voice, Cherie still felt a chill go through her. No matter how gracious his expression or how honeyed his voice, the earl’s eyes remained unsmiling.
She clutched the bottle closer to her and nodded. “Thank you for the gift,” she said, her voice neutral.
“I trust you know the way out,” her husband said dismissively. He did not seem at all moved by the gift. “Please leave before you do any more damage here—just like you always do.”
The phrasing of this caught her attention, and Cherie suddenly wondered if there was more to her husband’s relationship with the earl than she knew. And indeed, the air between them seemed particularly tense with unspoken hatred. Every time they looked at each other, it was with daggers in their eyes.
Once again, she wondered why exactly Rochford had asked for her hand in marriage. If he was really in want of a wife, surely there were many other women he might have been able to pursue, without having to resort to bribery. If it was Thomas that he hated, why had he come after her?
Rochford straightened and looked around at everyone assembled, then plastered one of his signature cold, obsequioussmiles onto his face. “Of course, Your Grace. I do not wish to intrude. I hope you will have a pleasant wedding breakfast and the beginning of your marriage. I’m sure I will see you soon.”
And he flashed her a smile that chilled her to the very bone. It wasn’t just a smile: it was a leer. And the look in his eyes seemed to say,That isn’t just a promise, it’s a threat.
Six
“What exactly is your relationship with the Earl of Rochford?”
Thomas looked up to see that his new wife was watching him carefully from the other side of the carriage. The wedding breakfast had ended, and they were now on their way to his residence, where they would begin their life as a married couple… or at least a married couple wherever society’s eyes could see.
“What do you mean?” Thomas asked, feigning ignorance. “He is my cousin.”
“But there is something else you’re not telling me,” Cherie said, her eyes narrowing. “The animosity between the two of you is palpable.”
“Well, he did try to buy you in marriage,” Thomas pointed out. He knew he was being purposefully difficult, but he didn’t particularly want to go into it all with her.
Cherie, however, was watching him closely, her brow furrowed but her eyes soft, as if she were genuinely curious. “But it doesn’t make sense. The earl and I have only spoken a few times. We are not well acquainted. Why would he ask for my hand from Cousin Charles? And out of the blue like that? If he had really wanted to marry me, why wouldn’t he have asked my brother for permission to court me? And why me? That’s the biggest question of all. It makes no sense.”
Thomas sighed. As much as he didn’t like rehashing his family relationship with the Earl of Rochford, he knew that he owed his wife at least a little bit of the truth.
You can’t tell her everything, of course.
“I don’t know exactly why he asked for your hand in marriage,” he began truthfully, after a long moment. “But it’s true that the earl and I do not get along. Perhaps he thought that he could best hurt me by forcing my friend’s sister into marriage.”
“That seems rather roundabout,” Cherie pointed out fairly.
“Yes, it does,” Thomas agreed. “Perhaps he merely wanted your dowry, which is significant.”
“But it feels more conniving than that, doesn’t it?” Cherie leaned forward in her seat and cupped her chin with her hand. “He was gambling with Cousin Charles specifically when he knew my brother was in Italy. That’s when he fleeced Charles for everything he had. Then he demands that Charles give him my hand? There is something suspicious about the timing…”
Thomas’s heart beat faster in his chest. While he wouldn’t put anything past the Earl of Rochford, he hadn’t considered before that there had been a nefarious plan behind the earl’s bid to marry Cherie. He had merely thought that the earl had taken advantage of an opportunity to get a rich wife. Not that he had purposefully planned this while Aidan was out of town.
I should have known. The earl will do anything to get his way. But why? Other than being wealthy and titled, why would he go after Cherie? If it’s revenge on me he wants, well… What does she have to do with me?
A horrible thought occurred to him, then.Is it possible Rochford knows about the tender feelings I have always held for Cherie?
But it wasn’t possible. No one knew about that. No one…
“Perhaps he knew that Aidan would refuse him,” Thomas said at last. “So he had to resort to less-than-savory tactics.”
“Aidan would surely have said no!” Cherie said with feeling. “And so would I. He is the last man in the world whom I would ever want to marry…”
She trailed off, then looked out the window, and Thomas’s heart hitched in his chest.Does she feel any relief to be married to me instead? Or is she just as disappointed to find me as her husband?
