“I don’t know yet,” she confessed. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t think of something. One thing you’ll learn about me is that I’m very clever, and I don’t accept people pushing me around or telling me what to do. If I’m being treated in a way of which I don’t approve, I will do something about it. You can count on that. So, whatever you’re thinking as far as our future and the life we are creating together, I advise you to spare yourself some trouble and to go ahead and take my interests into account. It will be better for both of us if you do.”
“I wasn’t wrong about you,” he mused. “You really are a fiery one.”
“You weren’t wrong,” she agreed.
He let out a sigh. “I confess I do enjoy sparring with you,” he said. “But it isn’t what I came here to do.”
“What did you come here to do, then?” She folded her arms across her chest.
“I came here to talk to you about what our future holds,” he told her. “And if you’ll hear me out, I suspect you’ll find this conversation very much to your liking.”
CHAPTER 8
The sight of Prudence in her nightgown had been sufficiently distracting. Leonard hadn’t expected to find her like that though if he had been thinking about it, he probablyshouldhave expected it. After all, he had come here late in the evening, knowing that she had retired several hours ago. Of course, she’d gotten ready for bed.
Seeing her like this now, though, made him think about the situation in which the two of them had found themselves. Neither of them had expected to be married to one another today when they had gone to the church this morning, but that was what had happened. She was his wife. Where it would have been scandalous yesterday to see her in this state of undress, and to permit himself the thoughts that were now dancing in his mind about her, the fact that she was his wife now made those things perfectly acceptable.
That didn’t mean that he was going to put his hands on her, though. He had made that decision the moment he had offered to marry her. It wasn’t going to be that kind of marriage betweenthe two of them. He hadn’t wanted to marry at all. He might have considered doing so one day, for the sake of his duty, but he had never felt any desire for such a thing.
Looking at Prudence now, for the very first time in his life, he understood what it meant to desire the state of marriage. It gave him the right to look at her in this way and to think of her in this way, and he found himself wanting those things badly. He almost changed his mind about his resolution to keep his hands off of her—but Leonard was nothing if not self-controlled.
Prudence lowered herself slowly to sit on the edge of her bed, something she had clearly been avoiding doing until now. She did not make herself comfortable, though. She looked very ill at ease. “What about our future?” she asked him. “You seem as if you have something specific on your mind, Leonard.”
“I do,” he agreed. “I’m sure you’re wondering about the nature of your life here. What you can expect from it. What things will be like for you now that you are my wife.”
“Of course,” she said.
“You will have all the privileges due to a duchess,” he told her. “Youarea duchess, even though that is not what either of us was planning. I take these matters seriously, and even though I know you doubt me, I do intend to treat you as you and your title deserve. You will be the lady of this house. You are free to do whatever you would like. My staff is your staff, and they will serve you just as they serve me. They have been instructed onthis—they know that they are to take your orders seriously and not to question you.”
“Well—they have been very welcoming to me so far,” Prudence admitted. “I suppose I must have your instructions to them to thank for that.”
“They deserve credit as well of course,” he said. “They are good people. I hired them for a reason. They would have been kind to you regardless of anything I had to say about it. But I can fully guarantee that they will respect your authority here and treat you with the deference you deserve as Duchess of Desford.”
“I don’t insist on deference,” Prudence told him. “All I want is respect.”
“And you will have it. Now, there will also be an allowance, for I know a lady has expenses she must tend to. You will receive money weekly from my treasury.” He named a sum.
It wasn’t up for debate. He had made this decision the moment he had made the offer, and he wasn’t asking for her opinion on the matter. Still, he was pleased to see the hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth and to know that she was satisfied with the amount. “That’s very generous,” she admitted.
“I want to make sure you have everything you need,” he explained. “You can go into town yourself and do your own shopping, if that is what you prefer, or you may send the staff to buy things for you. If you choose to go on your own, you can ask your sisters to accompany you, or Emily may go with you.I have no particular preference when it comes to the way you handle these matters, so I will defer to what you would like to do—just as long as you don’t cause any trouble. I know you have a proclivity for scandal, and if I find out you are involving yourself in anything unwise or unsavory, we will have to make changes in the way we handle things. Can I rely on you to act with responsibility and discretion when I am not around?”
“I can be perfectly well behaved,” she said indignantly.
Of course, shecouldbe. That wasn’t in doubt. He understood that she was clever. The question was whether shewouldbe well behaved. But the only thing he could do was to give her the chance to prove herself and hope that he wouldn’t live to regret it.
“Very well, then,” he said. “Now, when it comes to the household itself, is there anything you’ve noticed right away that you need? Is there anything I can get for you that would make you feel more comfortable or more at home here?”
She hesitated then shook her head. Leonard had the feeling that she had been about to mention something but had changed her mind about it at the last second, and he decided not to push things. “If anything does come up, please don’t hesitate to speak to me about it,” he said. “I’m always happy to do whatever I can to be of help to you.”
She frowned and nodded slowly.
“Is something the matter?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “It was just… you say you want to be of help to me, and you sound as if you mean that.”
“I do mean it.”
“And yet, you haven’t acted that way. I know you’re going to say that you were trying to help me when you married me, but we both know that was done for your sake as much as for mine. And I haven’t had the feeling since the wedding that you had any interest in me or in what was best for me.”
