Page 24 of Unraveled By the Duke
There were twin spots of color in his cheeks, too, and she wondered if his thoughts were moving in the same direction.
“Are you thinking of seducing Maxwell?” he asked.
“Of course not!” Celia scoffed.
She stumbled, and he corrected their steps, not missing a beat.
“It did not seem that way from the outside,” Alexander remarked.
“So you were jealous,” Celia said.
Alexander laughed, but it sounded hollow.
“Will there be anything between us that a husband and wife would normally be expected to share?” Celia asked.
“Such as?”
“Will I share your bed?” she said boldly.
Now, it was Alexander who stumbled.
The music came to a halt, and the guests applauded. Alexander did not; he stared at his wife before seeming to remember where he was.
Did he perhaps intend to continue those moments we have already shared? Those moments of intimacy that we both regret? Do I find myself wishing that it were so?
“Celia, might I have a word?” Aurelia asked.
She had approached as the dancing drew to an end.
Alexander leaned close and kissed Celia’s cheek. “I will not trouble you at night, rest assured. But if you think Maxwell is easy prey, you will be disappointed. He is a very moral man.”
The implication that she was immoral made her anger flare, but she did not want to waste this chance to make amends with her sister.
She returned his platonic kiss. “As are you, perhaps? Maxwell insisted that you are not the man you are portrayed to be.”
That gave her the satisfaction of seeing him look stunned.
He glanced in Maxwell’s direction. Celia used the chance to leave with Aurelia, taking her arm and letting herself be led across the room.
CHAPTER 8
“Are we returning to Finsbury, Your Grace?” Celia asked as the carriage bearing her and Alexander rumbled out of Cheverton Estate. “A honeymoon, perhaps?”
“You will return to Finsbury, and I will reside at Cheverton,” Alexander answered shortly, looking out the window. “And kindly call me Alexander. You are, technically, my wife.”
“It is the technical part that holds me back, Your Grace. If there is to be nothing between us but the illusion we maintain for everyone else, then I would as soon not pretend to be closer than we are.”
Alexander looked at her, and the directness of his blue-eyed stare made her shiver. It reminded her vividly of the kisses they had shared. She felt naked under that stare, with no secrets that could possibly be held back.
She looked back defiantly and saw the corners of his mouth twitch into a smile. Barely glimpsed, it vanished almost immediately.
“Very well, Lady Celia.”
“Your Grace, is it not?” Celia spoke quickly.
His eyebrows drew down, as though being interrupted had sparked his anger.
Celia felt a thrill of fear at the notion. Alexander’s presence could not be ignored, especially in the confines of the carriage.
