There was only so much for Rachel to occupy her days with.
It had now been a week since she had moved into the estate, and most of her conversations had only been with the staff. Simon spent most of his time either outside the estate or in his study.
She rarely got to see him. Yes, she had thought distance was the best thing for them, but now, she found herself wanting her husband’s company.
“Maybe he just does not see me as someone with whom he can get along,” she said to herself that morning. He was infuriating, sure, but certainly, they could have things in common with one another.
That was when Rachel devised a brand-new plan. Shehadto win favor with the duke.
After breakfast, she caught up with Agnes, who was making her way over to the duke’s study.
“Hold on a moment, Agnes,” she stopped her. “Is the duke in there?”
“Your Grace.”Agnes curtsied immediately. “No, His Grace is in his chambers.”
“So why were you going into his study?” Rachel asked.
“It requires the daily cleaning, Your Grace. The duke is very specific about timing—he has strict instructions for his study to be cleaned before 11 in the morning every day.”
“Hmm…” An idea began to take hold in Rachel’s mind. “Agnes, do you mind if I do the cleaning today instead?”
Agnes nearly did a double-take. “I… I am not sure if I understand, Your Grace.”
“No, no. You heard me.” Rachel grinned and extended her hand for the maid to pass her the supplies. “I shall do it this morning.”
After all, wasn’t that what a nice and devoted wife would do? Rachel was not sure if she fit the description, but she could pretend that it would help the duke see her differently.
Agnes hesitated. It was very uncommon for a duchess to make such a request, but ultimately, she had to agree. Rachel, excited, ventured into the study with Agnes trailing behind.
“Your Grace, perhaps I can assist you…”
“No need,” Rachel said, already beginning to roll up the sleeves of her dress. “I shall take it from here. Thank you, Agnes.”
The door shut behind her, and Rachel got to work. Strangely, this felt familiar. In her own house, she was tasked with cleaning the rooms. She was good at this.
Expertly, she wiped down the desk—resisting the urge to peek into his documents as she stacked them into a neat pile in the corner. She even dusted the shelves and was in the middle of rearranging the flowers when the door swung open behind her.
“Duchess Montrose.”
She froze at the sound. It was the duke, and he did not seem pleased in the slightest.
“Oh, I am not done yet,” she replied. “Is it possible for you to come back in a bit? I will have a better finished room for you then.”
Simon looked at her as though she had grown an extra head. His gaze swiped across the room and then to the small mop in her hands. “Are you cleaning?”
“Yes, I thought that much was obvious,” Rachel responded with a shrug of her shoulders.
She did not understand why he looked so irked with the whole thing, as it wasn’t as though she had broken any of his rules. He had asked her to stay away from the attic—not his study. She was perfectly within her rights to be here. Besides, as his wife, surely it wasn’t unreasonable for her to want to contribute to the upkeep of her new home.
“Who gave you permission to be in here?” he barked, walking over to her now.
Now closer, Rachel was able to notice that his hair was slightly wet. Perhaps he had just stepped out of his morning bath. The thought made her blush slightly, and she quickly straightened herself.
“I was not aware that I needed permission, Your Grace,” she said. “I thought I would tidy up a bit in your absence, since I live here now…”
She resisted the urge to add,which you seem to forget entirely.“I thought it would be appropriate to make myself useful.”
Simon was silent, but she could sense the storm of emotions that was brewing inside of him. His jaw tightened, and he began to survey the room, checking for anything that she might have changed.
