You’ll have to put a stop to that before it goes too far.
It would not do to get sentimental about his new wife.
The butler led them up the staircase to their respective bedchambers.
“Goodnight,” Phineas said, nodding to his wife as he left her outside her chamber. Her eyes were wide as she stared after him.
“Goodnight,” she murmured.
Phineas felt a tug of guilt as he made his way to his bedchamber next door.
Was she expecting more? Does she want more?
Once inside, he went straight to the sideboard, where he poured himself a whiskey. The sideboard was near the door that connected his room to Iris’s, and through it, he could hear her moving around. There was a low murmur of voices, and he leaned toward the door imperceptibly. He wasn’t even fully aware he was doing it.
That must be her maid she was talking to. She’d come over with Iris’s things. As Phineas listened, he couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but to his surprise, he realized he wanted to. He was strangely curious about what his wife was thinking and feeling during her first night in her new home.
After a while, he heard the sound of a door opening and closing, and then the chamber fell silent. Certain now that his wife was alone, Phineas set his glass down and knocked quietly on the door.
“Come in,” her soft voice called.
Phineas took a deep breath and then entered her room.
Iris was sitting at her dressing table, wearing a long dressing gown that covered her nightshift, brushing her hair. The only hint at the intimacy of the moment was her loose hair. It felldown her shoulders in long, blonde waves. In the flickering candlelight, it looked honey-colored.
Iris looked up from her dressing table, her intelligent eyes flicking to him, taking in his fully dressed state.
“Good evening, Duke,” she murmured. Although she appeared calm, he couldn’t help but notice that her hand had tightened around her hairbrush.
Her voice washed over him, soft and seductive, and he closed his eyes very briefly. When he opened them again, it was to find her just as infuriatingly beautiful as she had been moments before. With difficulty, he tried to ignore this, but he wasn’t entirely successful. Despite his determination to keep things simple between them, he was still a man, and he couldn’t help but feelsomethingwhen his beautiful, half-dressed new bride was sitting in front of him.
“Good evening, Duchess, ” Phineas returned, and he was pleased to hear the composure in his voice. She would have no idea what the sight of her did to him. “I thought we might talk, now that we are finally alone.”
“That’s a good idea.” She set the hairbrush down on the dressing table. “There’s much we still have to figure out if we want to take down my father.”
“Yes, and considering how much time and energy that will consume, I thought we might dispense with the added worry of making heirs.”
It cost him something to say that, but he still did it. He had no time for distractions, even one as enticing as his enemy’s daughter.
For a moment, Iris’s face remained blank. Then her shoulders relaxed slightly, and he thought he saw the briefest look of relief cross her face. He tried, and failed, to not take offense at this.
“I think that’s probably for the best,” she agreed, and he nodded curtly.
Phineas knew he should be relieved as well. He didn’t want his relationship with Iris to get complicated. Especially when he wasn’t yet sure if he could trust her. It was still possible she was working for her father. And if they lived as man and wife, there was no saying what information on him she might give her father. The fact she’d accepted his suggestion that they abstain from their marital rights went a long way toward proving that she wasn’t trying to manipulate him, but he still couldn’t be sure.
And yet, he was not relieved. He was frustrated. Unaccountably frustrated.
“Well, now that that’s decided,” he continued, a little more peevishly than he intended, “I think we should discuss how best to go after your father. What exactly did he tell you to look for when he asked you to spy on me?”
Iris frowned. “He didn’t elaborate much. He seems to think you’re going to try and take down his business interests, but more than that, he didn’t say.”
“Hmm. I think we need more information,” he said. “We need to know what exactly it is that your father thinks I’m after. That way, we can stay one step ahead of him.”
“What do you suggest I do?”
“Are you prepared to visit him and ask him to give you more information?”
Iris looked uncertain. “Won’t he suspect me if I come right out and ask what he’s up to?”
