On the other hand, he had been raised to trust no one, especially not his male relatives who would stab him in the back if he were ever to drop his guard.
But trusting no one was quite isolating and he had felt that starvation in his soul.
He was no hermit and wanted a family life as well as a circle of good friends.He had found those friends in Julius Thorne and his brothers, and had also grown to admire their wives.Perhaps this was why he had ached for a wife for himself.
But who could he trust, especially once it became known he was the new Duke of Davenport?Every debutante had a reason to lie to him to gain his favor.
Only one had ever run from him.
That was Tulip.
An inconvenience because he had fallen in love with her at first sight.Her every action in the ensuing months had shown his instincts were right and that he could trust her.
She was the wife he wanted.
At the moment, she did not look all that pleased with him because he was trying to be logical and efficient by dividing their tasks.
Was this not a good way of working together?Accomplishing twice as much in half the time.
Apparently, Tulip took ‘working together’ to mean they would actually stick to each other as they went about learning how this estate functioned.
“I can meet with Mrs.Gayle and review the running of the household any time over this coming week,” she argued when he foolishly tried to explain the logic in dividing their chores.“It doesn’t have to be done tomorrow.She is quite capable.I can leave her to continue things as they are.”
“While you tour the farms with me?”
She nodded.“This was our plan originally, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, because I did not expect Mr.Carver to be so competent.Fine, Tulip.So be it.You’ll join us.We’ll need to get an early start on the day because there is much to do.How about we retire to our quarters now?”
“Yes, I would like that.I have some reading to do.”
His eyebrow shot up.“That journal you were clutching in a death grip earlier in the study?Do you really think you will find anything of interest written in it?”
“I hope so.Actually, I am sure of it.At the very least, it will give us an idea of the workings of your grandfather’s mind.”
He grunted.
If this was his grandfather’s journal, it could consist of pages and pages of depraved thoughts and descriptions of orgies.He did not know if there would be descriptions of more sinister acts.The man was a renowned libertine, but had he gone beyond mere womanizing?Taking willing ladies to bed was one thing, yet was there a darker side to him?
The locals called him eccentric, and he had been quite the charmer in his younger days.But had he done things that would have gotten him imprisoned or hanged if he were not a duke?“Tulip, perhaps I ought to read it first.There could be something upsetting written in that journal.In truth, lots of upsetting secrets confessed.”
“I’ll stop reading if it gets too lurid.”
He sighed.“You cannotunreadsomething after you’ve read it.You were queasy at the mere idea of our inspecting the tower room in the afternoon, and now you think to lie in bed at night and read the journal of a man we know was the very definition of immoral?No, I’ll read it first.”
She frowned, but nodded.“All right.”
He leaned over and kissed her.“Do not be angry because I wish to protect you from a darker side of life.”
“I’m not angry, merely…I don’t know.It’s just that I thought of the journal asmyfind.But it would upset me if there were horrible things written in it.Well, now I will have to find something else to read.”
“You noticed other books on our family history.Read those.They’ll be helpful to me, yet not so luridly descriptive of my ancestors as to weigh on your heart.I like that softness about you.I never want to see it destroyed.”
They retired upstairs, Tulip disappearing into the duchess quarters with Mrs.Granger who would assist her for this evening since she had yet to engage a lady’s maid.
Alex felt a tug to his heart when the door clicked shut between their bedchambers.
It was a stupid response because Tulip would open it up again in a few minutes.
