The duke looked up at her as if he had forgotten that she was standing there. A moment passed between them as he studied her, the space between them only twenty feet or so, but it felt like a ravine that might see them fall to their death if they tried to cross it.
“I have myself to blame,” he said. “I must remind myself not to be so nice in the future.”
Florentia snorted before she could stop herself. The noise echoed through the foyer and her eyes went wide with embarrassment. “I...I do not think that is a problem you need to concern yourself with.”
He frowned at the joke. “Yes, well... I hope you did not have your heart set on a promenade with Lord Heatherington and his wife, because I cannot think of anything worse.”
“I will find a way to get over it,” she said. “Somehow, I do not think it will be so difficult to do.”
Again, he looked at her with a sense of clear confusion.
Florentia had a rather sarcastic personality, often making jokes out of situations that most would not think to. Often, it got her in trouble. And more often than that, she wished she had the ability to think before speaking.
This was even more the case with her husband, who clearly did not share her sense of humor, and clearly did not understand it.
“Ordinarily, we would be sitting for supper at this time,” he said carefully, his heavy brow tightening as he attempted to navigate a situation that he looked most uncomfortable in. “But you will forgive me if this evening I abstain. It has been a long day, I have eaten more than any man should, and what I require more than anything is rest.”
“Of course,” she agreed and held her stomach. “I ate enough to satisfy a horse, so I was not expecting supper.”
“Good.” He nodded his head once, pleased, it seemed. “In that case, I shall have the staff show you to your quarters. Your thingshave been unpacked already, as per my instruction, and I hope that you find your new room to your liking.”
“I am sure it will be more than adequate.”
“Tomorrow,” he continued. “I will arrange for a tour of the grounds, if you wish it.”
“A tour...” She felt herself smile with hope. “You and me?”
He leaned back. “I am busy, but I can have the staff show you about. There is much to see, enough that it will surely occupy you for most of the day.”
“Oh...” Her smile faded. “Yes, of course. The staff.”
“Good.” He nodded his head again, satisfied with the outcome of this conversation—why he was, she could not guess. There was no warmth to it. No excitement or eagerness. Again, that feeling that this was all business in the duke’s eyes, and that this marriage, for the rest of its days, would be a cold and lonely thing. “In that case, I shall see you on the morrow.”
The duke straightened and began to cross the foyer, looking past her, focused on the staircase as if she was not even there. It was as if he was trying to escape her, with no concern at all for how she might be feeling, and no indication that he cared or thought he needed to.
Florentia’s first instinct was to let him pass. And dammit, that inclination roared inside of her, begging her to step aside because nothing good could come from asking what she desperately wished to ask. The duke was clearly in a mood—what else is new?—and her fear was that if she raised the point that sat on the tip of her tongue it might make things worse.
Worse? How could things possibly be any worse?
To let him go now would set a precedent that she could not abide. She was his wife. This was their wedding day. To not ask him, to not let him know where her mind was, would not only do her a disservice but doom this marriage to failure before it even begun.
Her stomach turned with nervousness. She felt that she might be sick. But she steeled herself the best she could and as her husband reached her, she stepped across to block his path.
“There is one more thing...” she began gently.
“Oh?” He came to a stop suddenly, careful not to get too close.
“I was just wondering…I have been thinking about today and...seeing as it is our wedding night...I do not mean to be forward but...” She was stammering as if she had forgotten how to speak! Her face turned red and her body was shaking. Florentia could feel the duke’s eyes on her and she tried to meet them, panicked, and looked away. “In all the rush that was this arrangement...” A deep breath and she snapped her head up andmet his gaze. “We did not have time to discuss the expectations of this marriage.”
“Expectations? What expectations?”
“You know...” She swallowed. “Concerning you and me and...” She swallowed again as she felt herself begin to sweat. “Seeing as you are a duke, I would assume that certain things are expected—even required.” She raised an eyebrow, praying he would understand.
“Such as?”
She groaned inwardly, knowing now she would just have to say it. “Such as an heir. That we produce an heir together.”
His eyes turned wide and for the first time ever, he looked unsure. “Oh...”
