“No, I wouldn’t have another man outfitting my wife,” Levi agreed wryly. “Arrangements can be made for you to go into town and have something made for you. I’m sure you’ll be able to find something suitable.”
“You won’t accompany me shopping?”
“You don’t need me for that. Bring your lady’s maid along—or doesn’t she suit you? I can have her replaced if you don’t care for her.”
“That’s the second time someone has made me that offer, and I haven’t complained about Bethany once,” Caroline snapped. “I don’t want her replaced and I’ll be angry if you do it.”
“All right, all right.” Levi shook his head, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “It’s beginning to seem as though you’ll be angry no matter what I do, though. I told you I would accompany you to this ball, whatever it is—that’s all you want from me, isn’t it? Go and buy yourself a dress and send word to the hosts that we will be in attendance. I think that’s all that needs to be done—and presumably you will be able to leave me in peace so that I’ll be able to focus on my work.”
“I’m so sorry for bothering you,” Caroline said, wondering why she felt so annoyed with him. He was being rude, it was true, but she knew she’d been rude as well. And it wasn’t as though he was saying anything that wasn’t perfectly true. He had promised to accompany her to social events, and now he was following through. She had nothing to complain about.
But she had to admit that it would have been a bit of a relief to see him make a mistake for once. She couldn’t stand the way he had been in such control of every single interaction between the two of them since this had all begun. It made her feel as if she couldn’t find her footing. If he’d done something that she could point to and say without doubt that he had been in the wrong, she knew she would have felt more sure of herself.
I just wish we understood one another a little better, that’s all. I wish things didn’t always feel so fractious between us. That’s what I really hope for.
Caroline made her way up to her bedroom, ready to spend the day on her own again. She had taken a couple of books out of Levi’s library, and maybe she would make a start on them—thatwould be a good way to pass the day. And it would give her something to focus on besides her maddening husband.
Bethany was in the bedroom, lighting a fire. She looked up with a smile as Caroline came in. “Another day of reading, Your Grace?”
“Bethany, we discussed this. Please call me Caroline.”
Bethany flushed. “It’s difficult, Your Grace—I mean, Caroline,” she amended. “It goes against the way I was always taught to speak to my betters.”
“I’m not your better,” Caroline told her. “I don’t want you to think of me that way. You and I have rules we need to follow in front of other people. But here, behind closed doors, what I want is for the two of us to be friends. I hope the roles in life that we were born into won’t prevent that from being possible.”
“No…Caroline,” Bethany said with a small smile. “It’s possible. It will take some adjusting on my part, I think, but you have a friend in me, I promise you that much.”
For the first time that day, Caroline was able to smile. Married life was going to take some getting used to, that much was clear, but as long as she had one person she knew she could talk to, she would be able to make it through. Everything was going to be all right.
She would just have to make sure she was always on guard when Levi was around, because it was obvious to her now that their relationship—such as it was—was a game to him. And it was a game she did not intend to let him win.
CHAPTER 8
“You look positively tormented,” Gregory Linwood commented as he and Levi sat down for drinks at their favorite tavern. “Is married life not what you thought it would be?”
“That’s an understatement.” Levi took a long swallow of his ale and sat back in his chair. “I thought this was going to be a simple matter of improving my reputation and my business interests.”
“And you no longer believe those things are going to happen?”
“I’m sure they will. What I don’t believe is that there’s going to be anything simple about it,” Levi said. “She has me driven mad.”
“Why? What has she done that’s so terrible? It couldn’t be anything that bad,” Gregory said. “Her reputation was always a bit questionable, but from what I understood, that was because she was a wallflower, not because there was anything scandalous about her. Was I wrong?”
“Oh, she’s no wallflower,” Levi said darkly. “That’s an impression she’s been putting on for the benefit of the ton, in my opinion. I know she didn’t plan to marry. She probably wanted to become a spinster.”
“No lady wants that,” Gregory objected. “You must have misunderstood her.”
“No, I truly don’t think I have, Gregory. I think she resents me for marrying her in the first place. But that hasn’t stopped her from invading every aspect of my life.”
“What does that mean? How has she invaded your life?”
“She can’t seem to leave well enough alone. Not when it comes to anything that’s mine by rights,” he said. “She’s already planning on renovating the whole house. Didn’t even bother to ask my permission.”
“Well, all right, she should have asked you,” Gregory allowed. “But isn’t it the privilege of a duchess to remake her home as she sees fit? Shouldn’t she be renovating? You say she didn’t want to marry, but it sounds to me as if she’s taken to her responsibilities handily. You’re not happy with the way she’s doing it?”
“It isn’t just the renovations.” Levi felt frustrated—he had anticipated more of a reaction from his friend. Couldn’t Gregory see why this wasn’t acceptable? “She—she barges in on me all the time. It’s incessant. I’m never safe from it. No matter what I’m doing, I have to be prepared for the fact that she might walk in!”
“And you don’t want her walking in?”
