“Your Grace?”
“Briarwood knows,” the Duke declared, feeling surprisingly empty. “He knows more than he should. He may even know everything. He suspects I own the Obsidian Card. But more importantly, you are right. I should not have shown too much of my feelings over the Duchess. He knows now that she is my weakness. Briarwood is less interested in my gambling hells than in Daphne.”
“I’ll be seein’ to wot Briarwood knows, Your Grace,” Kettering promised solemnly.
“He is coming for Daphne,” Adrian repeated, as he stared out of the dingy window into the empty alley outside.
Chapter Fifteen
Adrian was still rattled when he returned to the townhouse that night. He avoided any possible encounters by avoiding the main door. He was relieved not to see any of the staff, except Mrs. Fletcher, who gave a quick curtsy and went on her own way.
He is coming for Daphne.
His own words haunted him, even as he tried to get his nerves to calm down. He married Daphne to protect her from Briarwood, but now, he could not even protect her from himself. The enemy knew that he was falling apart and would soon be finding a way to get to Daphne. Briarwood had seen a prize that would get him everything he wanted.
Before he left the Obsidian Card, he had already ordered Kettering to double his guards around the gambling hells and even in the periphery of all Wolfcrest estates. Spies were to be dispatched to Briarwood’s properties. It did not matter thatDaphne was nowhere near Briarwood and that she was tucked safely inside the Wolfcrest townhouse. Adrian had allowed his vigilance to flag before and he would not make the same mistake twice.
After he’d written some of his plans in his journal, he decided that it was time to change his clothes and get ready for bed. In his room, he was drawn to the door that separated his room from Daphne’s. There was a strong urge to unlock it and have her sleep in his room, in a form of smothering surveillance.
However, his hand froze on the knob. He could not do it. It seemed that he let his pride get in the way. He knew that if he opened the door right now, he would be admitting everything: his deep concern for her and the terror he felt of losing her. He would be showing her just how badly he was keeping his shields up. His control was fraying.
No.
Adrian could not do it. He was the Duke and her protector. He could guard her from the other side of the door. He also could not face Daphne with shame still staining his clothes just as much as the smoke did.
In her own room, Daphne was still awake. She heard the lone pair of footsteps echoing through the house not too long ago. Those footsteps, as expected, stopped inside the Duke’s room.
Adrian is home.
She felt relief that he was home and safe, and disappointed that he didn’t seek her out. She’d rather see him angry and confused, demanding more answers about the marquess than simply pretending that she didn’t exist.
Adrian’s raw jealousy and Amberwell’s revelation about how Adrian had built all those walls around him had confirmed that her husband was not a heartless one, but one who was broken.
Everything could be fixed, no matter how broken. At least, that was what she believed in.
She was willing to help him through his darkness and lead him into the light, if he would let her.
Chapter Sixteen
“Your Grace,” Daphne greeted hesitantly.
She stood by the doorway to the Duke’s study, trying to catch his attention. He seemed preoccupied with everything that he had on his table, which included a towering stack of ledgers. Books littered the floor. It had never looked chaotic like this.
“Yes, Duchess?” he responded, surprising her that he actually heard her. However, he did not lift his head. Whatever was on his parchment must have been critical to a fault.
Then, his quill stopped. It seemed that she had managed to gain his attention.
“Victoria, Wilhelmina, and Elizabeth are planning to visit the market fair near the Thames today,” she continued, gingerly stepping into the room. She had laid in bed for hours last night thinking about speaking to her husband this morning. But nowthat they were both in the same place at the same time, her nerves jangled and twitched.
Daphne realized that she had held her breath, hoping that he would say yes and that he was no longer furious. While she might be able to accept that what they had was nothing but an arrangement, she could not imagine a life with someone who hated her.
“They insist it’s the best day to explore and find the best purchase before winter finally reigns supreme with colder temperatures. I—I also haven’t been to a proper fair in years.”
She knew she was rambling, and that she sounded a little desperate, but the words came tumbling out. She shifted from one foot to the other, looking at her boots instead of Adrian’s face.
“A market fair,” he repeated, his deep voice making her look at him. Really look at him.
The Duke looked tired. She wished she could just approach him and touch his face with the palm of her hand. The intensity coming from his gaze felt like thorough inspection, but she welcomed it now. She welcomed the interaction that she missed from him.
