Page 41 of Unraveled By the Duke
“Oh.”
Celia knew she should have been relieved. But the notion of her husband—even though he was her husband in name only—undressing her was intensely exciting. The dissolution of that fantasy left a void inside her.
It is for the best. I am in a tangle over this man. If I do not disentangle myself, I believe I stand to experience the pain of a broken heart. I do not know if I can trust this man or his intentions. Is he a rake? Is he a gentleman? Is his coldness the truest reflection of his feelings?
Celia wanted to scream at the unanswered questions that were piling on her shoulders. All those unknowns were weighing her down.
“I woke Peggy, and she did the necessary. She was not happy at being woken,” Alexander said with a chuckle.
“She is plain-speaking. It is refreshing,” Celia noted.
“Indeed. You have spoken to her?”
“I have. She is the only company I have had at Finsbury.”
“She is a servant. I do not think you should engage her in conversation,” Alexander advised.
“Are you afraid of what she might tell me about your past? Or your family?” Celia taunted.
They had reached a wrought iron gate, woven with ivy and taller even than Alexander.
He paused with a hand on the bars. “I have nothing to hide, and my family certainly does not,” he said harshly. “You suggest that we do. I resent that.”
“Then why should I not engage her in conversation? She is not beneath me,” Celia protested.
“She is a servant, and you are a duchess.”
“She is a human being!”
Alexander opened the gate, allowing her to precede him.
Celia found herself silenced by the place that greeted her. Trees formed a canopy above them, filtering the sunlight to a shady green. The air was cool and had a delicious, earthy aroma. Squirrels rattled the branches as they scurried across, and birds trilled joyously from their concealed perches behind screens of leaves and intertwined branches.
There was no path, just soft grass underfoot, giving way to mossy roots at the base of each tree. Ferns unfolded, and shade-loving plants grew in tumbling abundance.
It was primal and bursting with life, giving the appearance of being untouched by human hands, even though it had clearly been planted deliberately.
“She is… That is… I mean…” Celia stammered, looking around, unable to follow the thread of her thoughts.
“It seems to me that you are trying to discover secrets that you will not find. I have nothing to hide,” Alexander said. “That is my only objection to your chatter with the servants.”
“Do you think I am trying to spy on you? Why should I wish to?” she demanded.
Alexander splayed his hands. “I have not said so, nor do I think it. Though it would be understandable if you were angry at my forcing you into this marriage, given how much you value your freedom.”
Celia wanted to stamp her foot.
“I admit that I resented being shackled to any man; that is how I saw it, at first. But I wanted to act in the best interests of my family. That is why I accepted your proposal. If you do not want me to speak to your servants, then do not leave me without companionship. If you do not wish to spend time with me, thenallow me to go to Banfield or come here. I am a person who needs the company of others. It is like air in my lungs or blood in my veins.”
“I suppose you must have felt isolated. I did not think it would matter. It would not matter to me,” Alexander said.
Celia felt frustration bubbling up inside her. Again, she wanted to stamp her foot.
“Well, I am. That is why I enjoyed drawing ordinary people so much. I take pleasure in drawing and painting gentry too, but ordinary people have such expressive faces. The stories of their lives are written all over them.”
Alexander stepped closer, making her breath catch. He seemed genuinely distressed by the sight of her upset. He reached out as though to embrace her, before lowering his arms.
He stopped just out of arm’s reach, clasping his hands behind his back. “What can I do?” he asked.
