Still, some foolish part of her felt disappointed.
“I see,” she said quietly.
Victor narrowed his eyes slightly as though sensing something beneath her calm expression. “You sound displeased.”
“I am merely… practical,” she replied carefully. “Convenience suits us very well.”
The corner of his mouth curved faintly. “There is the Charlotte I know.”
She looked down at her glass to avoid his gaze. “May I ask something else?”
“You may ask me anything.”
Charlotte hesitated only a moment. “Do you intend to continue seeing other women?”
The question lingered heavily between them.
Victor’s expression immediately cooled, not with anger but seriousness. “No.”
Charlotte looked up quickly.
“No?” she repeated softly.
“No,” he said again. “I would never dishonour our vows.”
Does he truly mean it?
“You say that very firmly,” she said.
“Because I mean it very firmly.” He leaned forward slightly. “I may not have desired marriage, Charlotte, but I take my vows seriously.”
She stared at him quietly.
“I would not humiliate you by taking mistresses beneath your nose,” he continued. “You are my wife now.”
His wife.
The words sent another dangerous wave of warmth through her body.
Charlotte attempted a teasing smile despite her nerves. “How noble of you.”
Victor’s eyes darkened slightly. “You mock me.”
“Only a little.”
“You should be careful, Duchess,” he said as his eyes roamed over her from head to toe.
Charlotte froze slightly at the title.
Victor noticed immediately. “What is it?”
She let out a nervous laugh. “You called me Duchess.”
“Well, that is what you are.”
The truth of it crashed into her anew.
Charlotte set her port aside and rose slowly from her chair. “Good heavens.”
