“What is it, Duchess?”
She could not bring herself to wonder aloud why her husband had decided something else was more important than pushing their relationship a bit further. There was not even an attempt at seduction, or even the desire to be within the same space once night fell. These dinners they shared were lovely, but also vexing because once the meal was over, she and the Duke would part from one another and not be reunited until the morning hours.
Perhaps she should be relieved. If she had married Briarwood, she would probably be already traumatized by now. She might be the obedient Brighton daughter, but she was not naive.
“Never mind,” she replied softly, bowing her head toward her plate. Perhaps she should not have eaten so much. The sweetness of the sugar had clearly loosened her tongue and made her think all the thoughts in her head were worth sharing.
“Ah. I think you may be wondering about my affairs,” he said thoughtfully, not teasing this time.
He had suddenly straightened his spine. In that moment, she saw the intimidating man who had managed to cow Briarwood. Suddenly, he looked like a completely different person. “I deal with a variety of things that require discretion and immediate action.”
“It looks like the type of marriage we will be having is becoming clearer to me,” Daphne quipped. “I believe discretion can only be properly applied to ledgers and contracts, not on activities that affect the marriage bed. Briarwood seems terrified of you. Should I be afraid, as well?”
“Briarwood,” Wolfcrest murmured, unsuccessfully hiding his annoyance. “I do not like how you insist upon mentioning that man in my household. Have I not done my best to alleviate your concerns? Did I not save you from his clutches?”
With a quick nod, the Duke dismissed his footmen. Daphne’s hands turned cold. What was he planning to do? What was he planning to say?
“Briarwood is a snake, make no mistake about it,” he continued as soon as his staff had left. “Do not allow him to occupy your thoughts further.”
“I remember well what you said in the carriage ride from the wedding chapel to this home. You swore that you would teach Briarwood a lesson. Have you achieved that goal yet?”
When the Duke did not answer her, Daphne set down her fork and stared at him blatantly. The sound was almost deafening to her. Still, she continued.
“I am now your wife, even if we didn’t begin as one would expect a married couple. Whatever perils may befall you, may also befall me and I must know what these possible dangers are even though I can see you are capable of protecting me.”
“We have a contract, Duchess. I believe you understand the terms rightly. While your curiosity about my work is understandable, these probing questions go too far. Focus on the beauty of our friendship, and we can make this marriage work to both our advantages.”
“I have been obedient for too long,” she said, almost gasping when she realized it was true that she was tired of being the same thing over and over again.
The obedient and dutiful daughter.
The calm twin who could be presented to polite society.
The quiet wife who asked nothing of her husband.
Everyone underestimated her. Briarwood thought of her as weak and inferior, and perhaps, to some extent, Wolfcrest felt the same way about her, too.
He leaned forward, too far away to touch her but the movement still had her sitting up straighter. With a voice a few octaves lower, he said, “You defy me so much, my proper wife. Why?”
She inhaled sharply. Whatever she was feeling in that dining room was no longer about fearing his business. It was about fearing what he could do to her, and what she might want him to do.
“Perhaps, in reality, you want the Wolf?”
The question cut through her composure rendering her speechless. Had she been standing, the lady might have swooned. He didn’t say anything that would be banned from polite society, and yet, there was a raw suggestion of everything she had tried to forget and keep hidden away.
Daphne, for all her softness, wanted the sense of mischief she had glimpsed in him. She wondered about his strength and how he could use it against his enemies, and use it to…
She faltered, shaking her head at the thoughts that were wreaking havoc in her head. He was asking her if she didn’t want a husband but a master.
The way his amber eyes watched her made her breath hitch. As soon as she internally acknowledged all her feelings, she flushed. Her cheeks and chest flushed while her ears heard a roaring sound. She opened her mouth, then closed it.
She should leave.
Abruptly, she rose from her seat. Half-stumbling, she left the dining room. Her departure was so hurried that she sent her chair crashing against the polished wooden floor.
“I, uh, am so sorry.”
In that moment, she was as mortified as the single vibrant orchid, and not quite as pure as the white roses that surrounded it.
