Page 40 of The Phantom Duke
“Then, do not be pompous.”
“I will do as I please in my own house,” Damien replied, heading for the door.
He stopped as though hearing what he had just said. When he looked back, the corner of his mouth was twitching. Maria could not help but grin. She pressed her legs tightly together, some of the earlier heat returning.
“I will take my pomposity back to my rooms and not trouble you again,” Damien said.
“Will I see your pomposity at breakfast?” she asked.
“No.”
He strode from the room but paused in the doorway, looking back again.
“Your ankle still needs a few days to heal. It will weaken if you do too much. I have suffered similar injuries from fencing. Do notstray from the house until it is healed. The land around us can be treacherous.”
“I thank you for your concern.”
“I care little. I do not want the inconvenience of rescuing you again.”
“A little is better than nothing,” Maria said.
Damien grunted and left the room. For a long time, Maria watched the door after he had gone. Slowly, the warmth inside her grew cold and unsatisfied. It was as though her body had anticipated something wonderous to occur and was disappointed to find that nothing had.
With a sigh, she fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes, wide awake and longing for sleep to sweep away all the distress of the day.
CHAPTER 12
This is the third day of my marriage. I think it is the third day. I have not stirred much beyond my rooms because of my ankle. I should mark the days on the walls the way prisoners locked in dungeons are supposed to do. Give me some news about the Corset Chronicles Club, or better yet, visit with me as soon as you can. I cannot wait to hear what you have been up to. Your letters so far have been rays of sunlight in my dark prison. That is how the house feels. I miss Gilbert terribly, but cannot have him living in such a place as I find myself in.
I do not know if the duke has agreed to the resources I have told Mrs. Whitby I need for the renovations. He might have flatly refused. I would not know because I have not seen him since…
Maria paused, wondering how much to share. She and her friends were very open with each other, but Theodora, at least, would be shocked and horrified if she discovered how Maria had almost surrendered her body to Damien.
The thought made her blush, and she had to look up and out of the window for a moment to reclaim her calm. She gazed over the dark woods that loomed beyond the park. The trees glowered just as the master of this land did. They hid the woodland depths, holding secrets.
She put her pen back into its pot and blotted the letter she had written so far. All of the Corset Chronicles Club had written to her at least once, and their letters were strewn across the bureau. They had all agreed that men were savage beasts in need of a civilizing hand, which only a woman could give. She picked up one letter, smiling at Anna’s distinctive and breathless style of prose.
At that moment, a magpie alighted on the sill of the open window. Maria looked up in surprise, delighted by the wild creature’s proximity. It hopped about and then turned its back, revealing its long tail feathers and the purplish sheen on its back. Then it launched itself skyward.
Maria rushed to the window, tracing its flight out over the woods and then down. It vanished in the canopy, and she found herself envying its freedom.
Dash it all! I am not going to be an invalid. Nor am I going to be a prisoner of Damien’s orders! I will show him how independent I am.
She changed her gown for one more suitable for walking in the woods and chose a pair of sturdy shoes, wincing as she laced them over her injured ankle. After a moment’s thought,she gathered a few bread rolls from the tray Mrs. Whitby had brought to her for breakfast. She was not feeling particularly hungry but knew that the kindly housekeeper would worry if she ate nothing.
She slipped out, finding her way through the sprawling maze of a house to the front door and then outside. She hurried across the park, wanting to be out of sight of the house quickly. The pace was ill-advised, and her ankle began to ache before she was halfway to the woods. Gritting her teeth, she persisted and was soon enveloped by the shadows beneath the canopy.
The path was disused and long since overgrown, but enough remained of it for Maria to follow. A rabbit darted ahead of her, which made her smile. A squirrel made the branches overhead shake as it leaped from tree to tree. The air was warm, and the woods peaceful, despite their sulky appearance from the outside. It was easy to forget that Winterleigh lay a few hundred yards behind and London a few miles ahead.
Maria paused to rest her ankle, leaning on a tree to take the weight from her foot. As she leaned down to massage it, she noticed the wire stretched across the path ahead. She froze, following the dark line from the tree against which she leaned.
I have walked right into it. It seems to be metal. Why have a wire across the path unless the intention is to trip someone? Why?
She stepped over the wire carefully, wondering if it were some kind of snare left by Damien’s gamekeeper. Assuming he hadone. As she carefully stepped away from the wire, she had a moment’s warning. The ground under her heel was suddenly falling away. She had time for one startled look before she was tumbling down a steep slope.
“Did the duchess eat this morning?” Damien asked as Mrs. Whitby served his tea.
He looked over the top of his newspaper at the housekeeper.
