Alaina knew she could do better than that.
She would get even.
She didn’t think she’d be able to make her husband’s life eight years’ worth of hell, but she could certainly do her damnedest. If Sterling was going to try to tame her to fit into this vision of his life he suddenly decided to live and impress upon her, then she vowed to make it as difficult and miserable as possible for him.
The Supper of Peas the previous evening was a start…
But she had a glimmer of inspiration that would be even better.
She squeezed Juliette’s fingers with her own, a mischievous smile curling her lips. “We have a trip to make to the bookseller; there are manuscripts to purchase.”
Just then, Juliette’s husband had the misfortune of walking into the room. The tall, broad Highlander was built more for battle than healing, so one might be forgiven for initially doubting his profession as one of London’s most sought-after physicians. Alaina quite liked the man’s dry sense of humor and their shared desire to help those less fortunate; she positively adored him for the way he cherished Juliette and treated her like the blessing she was. Dr. McCullom inclined his auburn head in a friendly, deferential greeting to Alaina but froze when he witnessed the glint in her eye.
“Why do I have the distinct impression I’ve walked in on something terrible?” His rich green eyes made his discomfort evident. The poor man obviously regretted his interruption, and he’d known Alaina long enough to realize the gravity of any mischief she might be plotting.
“Do not fret, my love,” Juliette said, attempting to reassure her husband. “You are not the aim of the duchess’s scheming this time.”
Chapter Five
Several hours later,Alaina returned to Morton House with a footman trailing in her formidable footsteps. He carried a large parcel neatly wrapped in brown paper and tied with a cobalt blue ribbon, as was the custom of her preferred bookseller in London, Thorpe & Son. The remainder of her order would arrive in the next day or so.
She handed her reticule and pelisse to Maxwell and was gazing into an ornately gilded mirror near the door, attempting to remove her hat pin, when she caught sight of Sterling as he emerged from the library. She ignored him and pretended not to notice the flipping of her stomach while she continued her task for as long as she could do so believably.
“Please deliver that to my private sitting room, Andrew; thank you.”
The footman nodded and left to do as he was told.
By the time Alaina turned around, Sterling had propped his tall body against the doorframe, his strong arms crossed over his broad chest as he eyed her. His inscrutable expression made her unsure of her reception, especially after their encounter earlier that morning. Those fascinating eyes of his were shuttered against her, refusing to reveal any hint of what simmered in that maddening mind.
Not only was his stare unnerving, but she was yet unused to having anyone else in the house with her, aside from the servants. Part of her wondered how long it might be before she grew used to his presence; the other part reminded her that, if she achieved her aim, he would not be around long enough for that to happen.
If she had her way, he’d leave her in peace to continue her life as she pleased.
“Your Grace,” she greeted him coolly. Even she wasn’t rude enough to brush past her husband without acknowledging him.
She began plucking her gloves from her fingers and, absently, she conceded how right Juliette had been about Sterling’s looks. He was undeniably attractive in a magnetic way. Were he any man other than her wayward husband, then she might have admitted to the way her feet tried to pull her in his direction. She refused to be swayed as she reminded herself of all the ways he’d put those looks to good use during his time on the Continent.
“Alaina,” he greeted her with only a touch more warmth than she’d shown him. “I see you managed to accomplish some shopping as well.”
“It is for my Reading Society. Surely you can find no fault in that pursuit.”
“Actually,” he began and pushed himself to his full imposing height; “I have been intending to speak with you about your ‘reading society.’”
Alaina’s stomach plummeted and her hackles raised with startling suddenness, her every sense immediately preparing for a battle.
Oblivious to the ire he’d raised in his wife, Sterling signaled to the butler and requested tea and something to eat before he bade Alaina join him in the library. She hesitated only a moment before rolling back her shoulders and following him into the room, mentally preparing herself for yet another argument.
With a motion,Sterling made an invitation for his wife to sit upon the overstuffed sofa upholstered in a comfortable red fabric. He recognized the ornately carved furniture frame from his youth, but Alaina had had it reupholstered for a more modern look. He appreciated her taste and her economy. As he’d meandered through the house in her absence that day, he’d discovered little changes like this throughout, and he’d been unable to find fault with any of them.
It had been simultaneously admirable and irksome, his wife’s eye for design and avoidance of over-spending. She had brilliant taste, a blend of classic and contemporary. The petty part of him tired of being prodded like a bear in a cage wished to find faults with any of her choices or her spending, but there were none.
Alaina seemed to be judging his motives for several heartbeats before begrudgingly assuming her perch, spreading the layers of her plum-colored skirt around her with all the grace and elegance of years of practice. Her poise was remarkable. It always had been. She’d been bred and raised to be the wife of a prominent lord, and, in that regard, Sterling had always known she’d been the right choice for his duchess.
Rather than crowd her, he took up a nearby seat in a brown leather armchair, crossing his outstretched legs at the ankle. He’d much rather have been nearer to her, to have caught a whiff of her intoxicating scent again, but it was probably safer for his well-being that he be just out of arm’s reach.
Alaina looked about as eager as a child about to be on the receiving end of a lecture.
She didn’t like it.
