He frowned, a knowing look in his eyes as if he knew exactly what she was doing. She braced herself, figuring he would at least suggest that she take someone with her because a lady should not be out riding on her own.
“As you say,” he said instead, walking past her and down the hall.
“Wait!” she cried out before she could stop herself.
He turned and raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
She grimaced, annoyed that she had slipped. “I… What are you doing today?”
“I will be out all day,” he replied simply. “Hopefully, I will come home earlier than last evening, but I would not wait up if I were you.”
She scrunched up her face, very nearly asking where he was going. This time, she forced herself not to do so, needing to look indifferent.
She did not care! Why would she? And that he cared so little about her was proof enough that he saw this marriage as little more than one of convenience.
That should have answered her question, and she should have sighed with relief and forced herself to move on from this foolish notion of wondering where this marriage might go. But she was frustrated now, unable to escape the feeling that despite what they had promised one another, her husband should care about her whereabouts.
It was thus that the following day, Helena decided to take things to the next level.
It wasn’t just that Sebastian did not care about what she did or where she went; it was that he did not care about her at all. She had been so certain that she felt something developing between them, and although this was the opposite of what she wanted, she was unable to escape the way her heart fluttered whenever she remembered those few moments they had shared that had felt more real than anything in her life so far.
Was he doing it on purpose? Was everything an act? Or did she just need to force a reaction because he was as stubborn as she was and was purposefully acting aloof?
“What is this?” Sebastian asked from the doorway the following morning, this time seeming genuinely surprised.
“Oh, good morning.” Helena turned around and smiled as if everything was normal. “I did not expect you to be home.”
“It is lucky that I am.” He stepped into the room, which was the main drawing room on the lower level. As he did, he looked around, his brow creasing with confusion, a sense that he wasdoing what he could to hold things together. “If I were out, I might have returned to find I did not have a home to come back to.”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” she dismissed. “The manor will still be here come nightfall. It might just look different, that’s all.”
“And therein lies the problem.”
“Is something the matter?” She fluttered her eyelashes innocently, delighting in the control it seemed to be taking him not to react.
The plan was a brilliant one, or so she thought. Devised yesterday as she rode and organized in the afternoon, so that first thing this morning, she could set it in motion.
So far, Sebastian had proven to her that she was free to go where she liked when she wished to. But would he be so unconcerned if her actions affected him personally?
Thus, she decided to renovate the manor. Or at least parts of it. She was starting in the drawing room, and with five workers at her beck and call, she was in the process of having the furniture carried out so that she could remove the carpets and the drapes and replace them with something more lively.
“Excuse me, Your Grace,” two workers asked Sebastian as they carried his desk toward the door.
“What on earth…” He stepped out of the way, his head swiveling about, his frustration surely mounting.
“It is just a bit of redecorating,” Helena assured him as if it were nothing. “New carpets and drapes. A bit of paint here and there. I have found some of the rooms in this manor a little dated and in desperate need of an upgrade.”
“Helena…” His brow was furrowed, his expression aghast. “Is this really the best way to spend your time?”
“Why not? Oh!” Her eyes widened in feigned shock. “Should I have asked permission first? Truly, I did not think I needed to. I just assumed I could do as I pleased, as you told me I was allowed.”
She looked at him, breath held, waiting for the reprimand.
“I did say that, didn’t I?”
“You did. But if this is too much, feel free to tell me. I would hate to cross any boundaries.”
Again, he looked right at her. And again, it was as if he knew exactly what she was doing. But that should not have mattered. Men like the Duke did not like being made to look weak or without agency. Even if he saw through her games, his honor would demand that he put a stop to this at once.
