What color were his eyes? She didn’t know, and yet she felt absurdly determined to find out.Gadz, she hadn’t even seen the man’s face fully, and already her stomach was performing a small, mortifying flutter.
Would he look at her kindly? Or at all? And if he did, would he see a bride—or a girl who’d been polished up for the occasion and was trying very hard not to gape at him like a country cousin in a London sweet shop?
Would he find her as pretty as she found him… handsome? She doubted it, though if ever there were a time for him to find her pretty, it would be in her wedding gown, her hair made up as though she were a lady.
Because shewasa lady now, she reminded herself. A duchess, no less. She should not forget it.
But this sighting—the man could be no one else except the elusive duke—proved beyond doubt that he was here. If he was avoiding her, presumably it could not last forever. He had not sent a proxy in his stead because he was too senile to leave his bed or out of the country on urgent business; merely that he did not care to.
Thatrealization stung more than it ought, given the circumstances.
“There are certain rules you must abide by,” Mrs. Hodge announced suddenly, interrupting Aurelia’s gaping. Her lips pressed tight with more of that lemon-tinged disapproval. “Youmay venture where you will, except for the east wing, which is the duke’s suite. He is a busy man, and you may not interfere with his schedule in any way. When he is in his study, he is not to be disturbed. If you wish to address him, you may let me or Mr. Fellows know, and we will apprise the duke of your intentions. He may then seek you out at his leisure. Do you understand?”
Aurelia frowned, her heart in her mouth. “I… I thought I was also a duchess? And this is my house too?”
“This isHis Grace’shouse,” Mrs. Hodge corrected. “You are his wife, admittedly, but nothing more, and he did not invite you to live here so you could upend his life.”
Then why?she wanted to demand. Why had he invited her here if he wanted nothing to do with her?
“His Grace has—” Mrs. Hodge continued as she led Aurelia through the second-floor rooms, “—done you a great favor by taking you out of your situation and bringing you here. You ought to be grateful.”
“Oh,” Aurelia replied hastily, “I am very grateful. And I have no intention of being a problem for His Grace in any manner. I—I merely wished to speak with him and express my gratitude in person. We have yet to meet.”
“You will meet when the duke wills it,” the housekeeper said dismissively.
“What can you tell me about him?” Aurelia asked. “Is he well-liked by the servants?”
“Of course!”
“Can you tell me anything more? His personality, his likes and dislikes?”
“When you meet him, you will see all this for yourself.” Mrs. Hodge’s eyes narrowed a fraction. “And whatever opinion you come to, I advise you keep it to yourself. The duke does not care for sentimentality.”
So, Aurelia surmised,even ifshe were to dislike the duke on sight,even ifhe were to be cruel, she would have no recourse. No one would hear her out. No one would so much as care, it sounded like.
What else had she expected? He had come from nowhere with an offer of marriage, having never met her. Had she expected that he would be a young, charming man with no dark habits and nothing in his past to warrant such an unusual course of action? The young ladies had whispered about hisreputation, and now seemed the perfect time to ask.
But the housekeeper was leading her back down the stairs, past a small wooden chamber organ, and seemed disinclined to answer any further questions. Aurelia picked up her skirts, resigning herself to knowing nothing until she finally met this enigmatic duke in person.
CHAPTER FOUR
Sebastian tapped his fingers against the wooden globe in his study, staring down at its depiction of the earth. Already, though he had yet to meet her, he had felt the ripples of his wife’s arrival in the house. The servants were talking—gossiping, more like—and he knew he would have to be more careful as he made his way across the house, lest he accidentally encounter her.
Of course, he would have to at some point, before long. Before long at all, if he succeeded in his endeavor: to sire an heir. That could not be achieved without meeting her, and in a rather more intimate sense than a mere encounter in the hallway.
Even so, he found himself disliking the prospect. Mr. Arnold may have selected her for her attributes, but he had made no mention of her physical charms, leading him to think she possessed very few.
Still. He could close his eyes and get on with it. When inside a woman, they were all similar enough; he could pretend.
Fellows knocked on the door and entered with a low bow. “She has arrived, Your Grace.”
“So I gather. What is your impression of her?”
“She seems… meek. Overwhelmed, I think, by the house and circumstances in which she has found herself. I doubt she will prove any trouble, Your Grace.”
“Good.”
“—Though shehasexpressed a desire to meet with you. Shall I set up a meeting?”
