It was jarring, to say the least.
“I’m not so sure about that. But, fortunately, you have me. I am, after all, as dapper and debonair as Beau Brummell himself, according to the gossip sheets.” He tapped his finger on her nose, a childlike gesture she didn’t like one bit. “Don’t worry, Violet, we’ll have you trained up as a duchess in no time.”
He winked, then strode off towards the house, leaving her fuming behind him.
Next time he’s going to see how competent I am. No more maid’s dresses, no more mud. I’m going to prove I’m worthy of being a duchess and wipe that stupid self-assured smirk off his face.
Chapter Five
“Idon’t understand her,” James sighed as the tip of his foil sank into the soft padding that lined the fencing room atAngelo’s.
He reacted quickly, pulling out the foil and pivoting to see where his fencing partner, Nathan Goldwin, had gotten to.
Nathan, of course, the vastly superior swordsman, was already raising his foil again, ready to go. Had this been a real duel, James would’ve been dead by now. But Nathan rarely took advantage of his experience to land blows.
“Your wife?” Nathan asked as he waited for James to get back into position. “Do you need to understand her?”
“Preferably, yes,” James said. He righted himself, took a deep breath, and then brought his foil back into theen gardeposition. “I imagine that understanding one’s wife leads to a happier marriage.”
“Don’t most men enjoy a mysterious woman?” Nathan enquired.
“I don’t. There is enough mystery in my life. The last thing I want is for my home to become another place of confusion and miscommunication.”
“Well, what don’t you understand about her?”
Nathan was standing very still. Not even his eyes moved as he asked this question. It was this that made him such a lauded fencer. He never gave away where he was going to strike next. He was unpredictable.
Then again, he was like that in all things. Although the cousins had grown up together and were as close as two people could be, in many ways, James felt as if he still didn’t know him.
Maybe it’s my lot in life not to understand people.
“She wants to make my townhouse nicer,” he explained.
Nathan looked nonplussed. “So? Isn’t that the nature of many women, to decorate houses and make them into family homes?”
“Yes, but…” James struggled to articulate his feelings. “She wants to do it herself. She doesn’t just want to direct servants to do her bidding. That’s odd, isn’t it?”
“Perhaps.”
Then, without warning, Nathan struck. It was a quick strike to James’s right, and he had to move quickly to parry in time. Despite his best efforts, his form was sloppy as he hurried to defend himself.
Focus.
“Maybe she’s bored,” Nathan mused as he slashed again with his foil. This time, James parried a bit better. “She wants a project.”
“I don’t like it,” James grumbled. “My mother used to try and make our house more into a home as well, and it only angered my father. To me, houses are just places to eat and sleep, nothing more. I’d prefer if she found a project outside the house.”
“She’s a duchess now,” Nathan pointed out. “Her job is to run your household. But regardless of her projects… I think that there are other ways to ensure that you have a happy marriage.”
“What do you mean?” James asked, frowning. “If you have any secrets on how to make a marriage work—although seeing as how you are a perennial bachelor, I can’t imagine that you do—please share them.”
Nathan paused, and James used the respite to step away from him and find his footing again.
“You know what I mean,” Nathan said, smirking slightly. “There are many methods a husband might use to ensure a long, blissfulmarriage. And I know you have skills in that department if the merry widows of Mayfair can be trusted.”
“Upon my honor!” James pretended to be offended. “This is my wife we’re speaking of, Goldwin. You ought to know better than to implicate a man’s wife in such licentious talk.”
Nathan laughed. “It’s going well, then?”
