Page 21 of The Duchess' Ultimatum
“No…” He exhaled and turned away. “I don’t think I do.”
It had been such a pleasant morning too. As Dorian always did, he spent it with his sister, sitting under the window in her room, reading her favorite book, making her laugh and smile and seeing the joy moments like this brought her. Which sparked the same in him as well.
That she almost never left her room was ordinarily a problem, but considering he did not wish for her to meet Penelope, just now it was a small blessing. That was not to say that she was confined to her room, and she often walked the estate when she grew bored. But it wasn’t enough. She claimed that she was happy, but was she really?
All I want is for her to be happy. And she knows it. Just as she knows how important this party is… even if she refuses to admit such a thing.
But Dorian pushed that thought from his mind as he stormed through the manor, heading for the office on the bottom floor where he expected to find his wife. And as he went, he tried to form a plan of attack. Should he tell her to go home, cancelling their deal entirely? Or should he call her bluff, force her hand, see just how much she wanted this…
Deep down, he was certain that when the time came she would balk and run. He even smiled to remember the look on her face when he’d confirmed that she hadn’t considered what needed to be done to produce a child. She might not have hated him, but she did not like him. And that would have to be enough.
That was until he reached the office, finding the door open. He arrived at it, was about to storm in, but found himself frozen.
Penelope was sitting at the table, head bent as she worked. With the window open, natural light from the midday sun was left to wash across her face, and she glowed with a radiance that was enchanting.
When they married, it was easy to convince himself that he thought nothing of her. She was more reserved then, more unsure of herself, and he managed to tell himself that she was a wallflower that he wanted nothing to do with. But he saw now how much she had changed, grown into a strong woman with aniron confidence and steadfast determination that refused to balk in the face of his hostility.
Penelope stopped what she was doing suddenly, her brow furrowed, and her head snapped up. Dorian’s eyes widened when she caught him watching, and the smile she wore to see him made his stomach flutter.
“Oh, look who it is,” she said, keeping that smile, which had since turned smug. “So, you do live here after all.”
“What are you doing?” Dorian demanded.
“Do you really not know?”
He scowled. “Reginald has informed me.”
“Even if he had not, I would have thought that after our conversation the other day, you would have figured it out for yourself.” She sat herself up and folded her hands on the table as she looked at him, that smug expression remaining. “You asked for my help, and I am here to give it to you.” Then, a cocked eyebrow as if daring him to argue.
“You were to help me,” Dorian said. “Not go off on your own. That was not our agreement.”
“It is rather hard to help a person who does not wish to be helped,” she shot back. “Who avoids me as if I have fallen into the Thames, climbed out atop an ash-heap, and refused to takea bath. I waited for you to come to me,” she said simply, her eyebrow still raised. “You did not. So, I have taken matters into my own hands.”
Dorian walked into the room, making sure that his feet fell heavy so that the floor shook. “Did you stop to wonder why I had not come to you?”
“I did,” she said. “But I also do not care.”
“You were to wait –”
“I waited,” she spoke over him. Dorian’s mouth twitched, hating being cut off like that. “I waited and waited and waited. Do not think I don’t know what you are doing.”
“What I am doing?” He was at the table, standing over her as if to intimidate, but it had no effect.
“You think if you avoid me I will give up and go home. But we have a deal, and I intend to see it through. With your help, or without it.”
Her confidence put him on the back foot, and Dorian realized quickly that he could not bully her as he wished. If he wanted to win this, to be done with her, he needed to outsmart her.Make her realize that this won’t be nearly as simple as she thinks.
“On the contrary…” He glowered down at her. “Our deal was not that you helped me, but that the help you give me is consideredby me to be adequate andworthwhat it is that you require. You may go on your own, make plans as you see fit, but if the result is not as I deem appropriate, I will consider your end of the deal unfulfilled.”
Her eyes widened, anger flashing behind them. “That is not –”
“It is what you agreed to,” he cut her off, happy to do it. Then he leaned on the table, hands placed flat, forcing her to lean back in her chair. “And it is too late to change terms, I am sorry to say.”
She narrowed her eyes and oh how he enjoyed the fire in them…a little too much, truth be told.“If that is the case, I suppose I will need to get back to work. There is a lot to do, and I don’t intend to take to this lightly.”
“Is that right?” he scoffed.
“Seeing as you refuse to help me…” She shrugged and then bowed her head, focusing back on what she was doing. “Now, if you do not mind, I have a guest list to write.”
