She blushed. “For newlyweds, I mean.”
Celine felt her pulse stir. “I see.”
But as she watched Betty finish packing, she wondered if either of them would last that long. The tension between them was becoming unbearable, each day adding another layer of want that threatened to combust at the slightest spark.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
“Come in.”
It was the Duke, dressed for travel in a greatcoat that emphasised his broad shoulders. He paused in the doorway, his gaze sweeping over her travel dress—deep burgundy wool that clung to her curves before falling in elegant folds.
“New?” he asked.
“The modiste delivered it this morning.”
His expression tightened almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing.
Betty made a faint, startled sound and hurried out, mumbling something about luggage.
“You’re alarming the servants,” Celine said mildly.
“I’m alarming myself.” He stepped inside, though he kept a deliberate span of distance between them. “The carriage is ready. Are you?”
“Of course.”
There was no bite to her answer—only weariness.
Outside, the carriage waited in the pale morning light. The Duke handed her up, his touch perfectly proper except for the subtle linger of fingers at her elbow, the faint brush of his thumb against the sensitive skin of her inner arm.
Inside, he took the seat beside her rather than across from her.
“The roads are rough,” he explained. “You’ll be steadier on this side.”
“How considerate.”
“I am invariably considerate, it seems.”
“You are invariably controlling, too.”
He turned to look at her as the carriage began to move. “Tell me, wife—where does protection end and control begin?”
“Intent,” she answered without hesitation. “Protection comes from care. Control comes from fear.”
“And which am I guilty of?”
“Both, I should think.”
She let the words settle for a beat, then added lightly—too lightly—“You know, the servants at the Manor have begun placing bets.”
He stilled. “On what subject?”
“When our locked doors will come down.”
His grip on the edge of the seat tightened ever so slightly. “What odds do they give?”
“Cook says within a week of our return to London.”
“Cook underestimates my control.”
