“I just think it’s better for both of us. You have a reputation, Your Grace, and I?—”
“Ah, my reputation,” the Duke interrupted, unimpressed. “It always comes back to that, does it not? Tell me. What is it now? I’m sure it’s nothing that I have not heard before. I’m a rake? A scoundrel, perhaps.”
“Among other things,” Violet muttered.
The Duke took another step closer, his smirk turning into a full-blown grin. Why was he amused by this? “Go on, Violet. No need to hold back now that I am your husband. What else have you heard?”
She hesitated, her mind racing with the absurd rumor Isadora had mentioned. It was foolish to even entertain it, but her nerves got the better of her. “I… well…”
“What is it?” He stepped even closer. He seemed to be enjoying making her all flustered. “Lost for words are you?”
“No… it’s…”If you weren’t standing so close, perhaps I could get a word in.“I… I have heard that…”
“Ease into it, darling.” He smirked, not moving an inch. “You can do it. I believe in you.”
If Violet wasn’t already so red from blushing, she certainly would have been from anger. What an infuriating man. He wanted to push her to the limit—worse, he seemed to be deriving some sort of joy from it.
“You’re a…” She stumbled again, but when she saw him grin wider, something snapped inside of her finally. “… avampire.”
The Duke froze for a moment then slowly backed away. Then, threw his head back and burst into a cackle. His deep voice reverberated down the hall.
“I beg your pardon. I am a vampire?” he said through his laughter. “Really, is that what they’re saying about me these days?”
Violet felt a bit embarrassed at having uttered such a thing out loud.He’s going to assume I’m a silly little girl. So, she decided to do the best thing she could—stand her ground.
“Yes. I mean, it is true that you’re not seen in sunlight much. And that… you enjoy liaising with young girls. I see their point. You feed on young women to maintain your youth and charm.”
The Duke’s laughter subsided, but the grin remained as he took another step toward her. “Well, I cannot fault their creativity. Now that I think about it, I am mostly seen at social events at night. And I know that people love to talk about.” He shook his head. “But none of that concerns me. What I wish to know here, dear wife, is if you believe in these rumors?”
“I… I don’t know. But you do have a certain… reputation.”
The Duke’s expression turned serious all of a sudden. He closed the remaining distance between them with slow, deliberate steps, forcing Violet to retreat until her back hit the cold study wall. She gasped softly, her hands pressing against the wall behind her as he leaned in, his face mere inches from hers.
“Tell me honestly. Are you afraid of me, Violet?” he asked, his voice low and smooth. “Do you think I’ll bite?”
His gait matched that of a predator, and she felt like his prey.
“I… um…” Violet’s cheeks burned, and she pressed herself further against the wall. “I… suppose not. That would be… ridiculous.”
“Would it?” the Duke murmured, his gaze dropping briefly to her neck. Strangely, the response that it elicited from her was not fear. It was something else entirely—unchartered territory. She had never felt feelings like this before. “Perhaps you should be cautious, then. I am sure that you are of the opinion that women should avoid men like me.”
“Women?” The word spilled out of her before she could stop herself. He smirked in response.
“I suppose just you now.”
“Yes,” Violet said quickly, trying to save face. She did not want to see him have a reaction like this. “They should avoid falling for your charms.”
The Duke finally leaned back slightly, giving her just enough space to breathe. “What I hear is that you find me charming. How nice of you to say that. I didn’t know you thought so highly of me.”
Violet’s mouth opened and closed. She clenched her fists at her sides, her embarrassment quickly morphing into irritation. “Ithink you’re insufferable,” she snapped. “And I would never fall for someone as shallow as you.”
The playful light in the Duke’s eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by something colder. His expression hardened.
“Good,” he replied finally, his tone clipped. “It’s better that way. My wife should be the last woman to fall for my charms. How strange would that be.”
Violet blinked, taken aback. He seemed to be so skilled at sarcasm that she could never tell if he was being serious for not. “I—what do you mean? Your Grace, I am not fond of riddles, I should tell you.”
“You can call me Nicholas now. Please. I don’t need to be reminded of my title every moment we speak.”
