“Of course he does,” the Dowager scoffed.
Daphne could hear the pure disdain in her mother’s voice. After that retort, she adjusted a porcelain figure on the mantelpiece. She did so unnecessarily and with some force before making her exit. The dowager’s manners made things very clear. She was more interested in Daphne’s new title and husband than welcoming her daughter home.
Nothing could make the Dowager Countess truly care for her daughter.
It was not the first time Daphne felt vulnerable around her mother. She had tried her best to please her by being the most obedient among her sisters, but it had not made her mother love her more. She took a deep breath and decided to suppress her feelings. Nothing would come out of being emotional.
Nothing.
When she raised her head, she met Victoria’s sympathetic gaze. They did not have to say anything. They understood each other through and through.
“Vicky, you know I missed London air,” Daphne began, even as she tried to fix her face and make it look more cheerful. “Would you like to promenade with me at Hyde Park?”
“I’m guessing you want to see the magnolias?” her sister asked, raising a knowing eyebrow.
She laughed.
They both knew that the frost from the night before would have wiped out the aromatic flowers completely, but it was as good as an excuse as any to get them out of the house.
“Of course, I will promenade with you. It’s stifling in here.”
Promenading had its pros and cons. Hyde Park was beautiful, featuring not just nature but a dazzling display of feathers, silks, and other fabrics. The twins walked side by side, trailed by their maids.
It was impossible to ignore the attention she was getting. At first, she thought she was imagining things, but it could not be. Eyes went wide and mouths wagged whenever she passed a group of people. She wore a lovely walking dress, but she knew the onlookers were not talking about it.
They were talking about her, especially now that she was married to the Duke of Wolfcrest.
“While we are being observed by several people, I hope your marriage is quite agreeable. People seem to want to know. Is the Duke treating you right?” Victoria whispered.
Her twin did warn her that she would ask again, but a part of her wondered if it was a distraction while they were the center of attention. Daphne had a fixed serene smile on her face. Thetondid not know who they were dealing with. She was the most well-practiced among her sisters.
Too boring.
Too mild.
But she was also too aware of what people thought of her.
“Vicky, my husband is a man of singular focus. He protects me fervently and tends to my every need,” she said softly. “I am now the Duchess of Wolfcrest. I am well-cared for. I want for nothing.”
The only thing that was missing was the truth. She wanted more of that from the Duke, even though their arrangement was not meant to include that. She also needed more control over her feelings.
Even as they walked through Hyde Park, blatantly stared at, Daphne felt as if she was miles away. She wondered what her husband was doing, and she longed to know where he had gone so hastily. When she left the townhouse early that morning he had yet to return and his absence disturbed her. She ached to talk about him more, just so she could feel close to him.
Luckily, Victoria beat her to it and mentioned the Duke in her very next breath.
“People, including our brothers-in-law, call him the Wolf, but I guess you know that now,” Victoria murmured. Her hands closed into fists then opened again. “Some say he has a volatile temper. Is that true, Daphne?”
“Thetonwill gossip about him until the end of time, Vicky. They fear him,” Daphne explained. “I assure you that he isn’t a monster, but he is formidable when it comes to his enemies. Not to his family.”
His family.
He had no family. It was probably why he could be anything he wanted. He could frighten people without fear of retaliation. Her heart sank. Would that not make her a burden?
“But how can you live with someone who is so…so misunderstood.” Victoria shook her head gently as if she was trying to shake some thoughts into alignment. “I know I could never tie myself willingly to a man other people called The Wolf.”
The Wolf.
That word echoed in her brain.
