Page 52 of The Duke's Spinster Bride
He let out a mirthless laugh. “You are a fine one to talk.”
“And what does that mean?” She folded her arms across her chest.
He gestured towards her, frustration getting the better of him.If she wants to judge me, then let us see how she likes it.“You act as though you are some prickly little ball, keeping everyone away, but that simply is not true.”
“I do not.” She sat bolt up right, her eyes narrowing at him.
“You do.” He imitated her, getting to his knees. His heart sped up, blood pounding in his ears as he stood. “Just because you wish to meet the world with fire, does not mean I am wrong for choosing a different path.”
“I never said it was wrong. Just that you did not have to do it all the time.” She leapt to her feet as well, her voice rising. “You cannot always be happy. In fact, the few times I have seen you upset, are the times when it has felt like I am dealing with a person, not some facsimile.”
“It is not my fault you find anger more comforting than kindness.” He snapped.
Her eyes widened and she flinched. His anger vanished, replaced by a wave of guilt.Stupid. Stupid.He fought an urge to move towards her.
“I am sorry. I… I should not have said that.” He tugged his dressing gown around him.
“You are not wrong though.” She gave him a small smile that did not quite meet her eyes. “I am far more familiar with anger than I am with any other emotion.”
“I can tell, you wield it rather expertly.” His lips quirked upward, but he forced himself not to smile.
“Well, you know what they say. Practice makes perfect.”
“How about this? Once a week, you may do one thing that upsets me and I will show you that I am upset, but you must ask for help when you need it.”
“That hardly seems fair. You only have to do yours once a week.” She pouted and then tilted her head at him. “I will ask for help once a week, if you promise that you will let yourself be upset in my presence once a week.”
“Deal.” He held out his hand without thinking.
To his surprise, she took it in hers. Her hand was soft and warm. Their eyes met. He
“Now, what will I do this week to irritate you?” She laughed at his startled expression and flopped back onto the sofa.
“Oh, I am sure you will think of something.” He laughed with her, feeling the muscles in his shoulders ease back into place. “Though in truth, your attempts to irritate me have mostly been amusing.”
“Then I shall just have to try harder.” Her eyes flashed and she opened her mouth as though she was going to say something, then closed it again, then met his gaze. “I suppose I could laugh at more of your cousin’s jokes. That seems to rile you up.”
Her eyes drifted to his lips, her cheeks flushed and she looked away. Frederick wondered if she too was remembering their moment from the other night. He let out a soft growl.
“You play a dangerous game, Duchess.” His voice was hoarser than he had intended. “I thought you did not flirt.”
“I am just trying to honour our new agreement.” She replied, but in the flickering candlelight, he saw two faint spots of colour on her cheeks.
He moved closer to her, stroking his jaw as he did. He gave her a serious look, watching as her eyes widened and then narrowed. “You called this our new agreement, which implies the old one no longer is relevant. Which means…” He paused, his eyes drifting across her as he leaned closer. “I can call you my little sweetkins.”
Her eyes widened, lips parting. A moment later, something hit him squarely in the face, bouncing from his head onto the floor in a shower of crumbs.
“Did you just… throw a scone at me?” He chuckled as he pulled bits of food from his hair.
“You deserved it.” Andrea shifted on the sofa, her eyes flashing even as her smile broadened.
He dusted the rest of the crumbs off himself. “So I take it that is a no, on ‘my little sweetkins’?”
“Definitely.” She nodded. “Personally, I hate when men call their loved ones ‘little’ anything.”
“How come?” He canted his head towards her.How are there crumbs in my ear?
“It feels… Well, it feels like you are likening them to a child and that is just–” She made a disgusted noise.
