“See? Now that was not so hard, was it?” his tone was sarcastic, but a triumphant smile played on his lips. “Let's do the other one now.”
“Please — no need,” she stopped him hastily. “I shall eat on my own.”
Still blushing, she took in a spoonful and then another. All the while, he smirked, having gotten his way.
“Do you always derive such pleasure when you get what you want?” she replied, taking in another spoon.
“Am I not supposed to?” he asked back. “There is scarcely a better joy in the world.”
“I can tell how much it means to you, considering that you were willing to feed me yourself,” she replied, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “Careful, though. If someone were to see you, they might just confuse it for a romantic gesture.”
His expression faltered for a fraction of a second, and she smiled to herself.
Finally, she had gotten to him as he had to her. Two could play at this game.
“Romance is the pastime of fools,” he said, clearing his throat. “I act merely out of duty, which is expected of a man of my stature.”
“I see that you also have a penchant for speaking of yourself quite highly,” she commented.
“It has served me well so far in life,” he maintained. The pride of a duke was never to be challenged, and he was testament to that. “I do not see why it has to change.”
“But surely there is a fine line between confidence, and egotism.”
“As far I am concerned, they are both different sides of the same coin,” he shrugged. “In fact, it is something you should learn from me.”
“Learn from you?” she repeated, aghast. The last thing she wished for was to be more like him. “I would never wish such a fate upon myself.”
If her comment irked him, he did not let it show. Instead, he seemed to ignore what she had said entirely and continued on.
“You are the duchess — and I am not sure you understand what that role means. As inconvenient as it is, you represent me and therefore your behavior should be befitting of a duchess,” he noted.
“Then, I am on the right track. Am I not? I refuse to be ordered around like a servant. Surely, such disrespect is not befitting of a duchess,” she replied.
“That does not apply to me. If you wish to be a dutiful wife, then you should learn to listen to me.”
A dutiful wife, she groaned internally at the thought.
“I suppose that you chose the wrong person to marry, then, Your Grace. I have always believed that a marriage should be a union of equals,” she nodded.
He stared at her for a moment, perhaps surprised by her words.
“And what would your mother have to say about that?” he asked, after a long moment. “Surely, the countess was quite calculated in how she made our match possible. It is surprising that she did not teach you that a good wife is always submissive to her husband.”
Harriet pressed her lips in a thin line. “I should ask you a similar question, then. What would my mother think if she was to know that my husband had not returned home for almost a year, andonly came back when it was urgent. I have kept the details of our relationship private.”
This seemed to surprise him. “Are you being truthful?”
“Yes, I have made several excuses on your behalf, never letting my own family know.”
Simon seemed almost impressed by that, but then his expression changed to something darker. “You make it sound as though I had done you some grave injustice. Need I remind you that you were well looked after in my absence.”
“As I said to you before, it is not that I lacked the resources. But more so…”
“Romance?” he turned her words back on her, “Surely, you are grown now. Notions of romance are only for girlhood. You should know that I am a practical man who does not concern himself with such things.”
Harriet tried to hide the disappointment on her face. It felt unfair that she was destined to a loveless marriage, while others around her had been partnered up with men who adored them.
“As you say. A practical union,” she replied after a while.
