Page 80 of His Forsaken Duchess
“And you have far too many excuses for your own good, Duke,” she quipped, offering him her arm in the most exaggerated fashion. “Now, come along.”
Cedric stared at her outstretched arm as though it might bite him. Then, with the resignation of a man who knew he’d already lost, he rose to his feet, grabbed his coat, and allowed her to lead him out of the study.
At least I’ll have an excuse for this nonsense later.
Though the voice in his head laughed at him.
He had thought—quite logically—that it would be a chore. And it began as such. The first store Audrey dragged him to was filled with more bolts of fabric and assistants than he had seen in his life. He had barely stepped inside before Audrey had taken charge, ordering styles, inspecting materials, and demanding precision.
“The navy one,” she said, holding up a length of deep blue wool to his shoulder, her gaze assessing as she tilted her head. “It will complement your eyes.”
“Does it matter?” Cedric muttered, standing stiffly as the tailor fussed with his sleeve.
“Of course, it matters,” Audrey replied, her tone scandalized. “You cannot simply appear as a shadow at these events. You are the Duke of Haremore.”
“And yet I would ratherbea shadow,” he replied wryly. “The attention you so desire is hardly to my benefit.”
“Notyourbenefit,” she corrected, narrowing her eyes at him. “Ourbenefit. Remember, you are workingwithme, notagainstme.”
He opened his mouth to retort but paused as she stepped closer, holding up three different bolts of blue fabric in quick succession. She studied him intently, as though solving a riddle, and Cedric found himself going utterly still.
“This one,” she finally declared, holding up the middle swatch. “It accentuates your complexion.”
Cedric looked down, then up at her. “They all look the same to me.”
Audrey shot him an exasperated glare. “That is because you are a man.”
The tailor behind her stifled a laugh, though Cedric only sighed. “You are frighteningly confident about this.”
“I must be,” she said, gesturing for the tailor to proceed with the measurements. “We are fashioning an image here, and I refuse to allow you to look less than spectacular.”
Cedric regarded her as she corrected the tailor’s measurements—yes, corrected him—and stepped back with a satisfied nod. Her confidence was unshakable, and he found himself quietly fascinated by her.
Was she like this at their wedding breakfast? Commanding, certain, and entirely at ease? He had missed it, like a fool. And now here she was, ordering tailors, picking fabrics, and demanding perfection as though it were her birthright.
At the third hat store of the day, Cedric finally caved.
“We’ve already visited two hatters,” he grumbled as he stood stiffly beside her, watching as she fingered the brim of a finely shaped top hat. “Why are we here again?”
Audrey did not even look at him as she replied, “Because we are making appearances, not simply shopping. It is better to purchase a few things from several shops rather than one. That way, they can all talk about how the Duke of Haremore returned to London and patronized their establishments.”
Cedric turned to her, arching an eyebrow. “You planned this.”
She finally turned to face him, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Ialwaysplan.”
For once, he couldn’t suppress the smile that tugged at his lips. “Remind me to never play cards with you, Duchess.”
“You would lose,” she replied sweetly.
As they moved toward the next display, Cedric took her hand almost absently, the motion startling even himself. Her fingers stilled in his grasp, but she did not pull away.
He leaned closer to her ear, his voice dropping to a whisper. “You owe me for this, you know.”
She turned to him, her cheeks faintly pink, though her expression remained playful. “And what will you demand as payment, Your Grace?”
He tilted his head slightly, his lips twitching faintly. “You will see.”
The blush in her cheeks deepened, and Cedric was struck by how charming she looked at that moment. The ribbons of her bonnet framed her face perfectly, and for the first time that day, he realized he did not find this excursion a chore at all.
