Page 14 of The Duke Who Claimed Her

“What about Timothy?” the Duke asked Mrs. Robertson. “Is he here?”

“Oh, he is somewhere,” Mrs. Robertson sighed. “I will send for him, but you know how that boy can be.”

The Duke chuckled at the comment. It caught Arabella by surprise, as she did not know that he was capable of such humor and warmth. Indeed, he even smiled, and that told Arabella that whoever Timothy was, that he was someone close to the Duke’s heart.

“Who is he?” she asked.

The Duke looked down at her, the smile dropped from his face, and he looked ahead. “This way.” He strode forward. “I shall give you a tour.”

Arabella glared daggers at the back of his head.

Again, she got the distinct impression that he was trying to put her in her place, and again, she was reminded that she needed to apologize for earlier. Although, seeing as he was behaving with such arrogance, she was not so sure that she wanted to do that anymore.

Where she had previously resigned herself to the benefits of this marriage, convinced she was doing the right thing, she now wondered if she had gotten ahead of herself.

Who is the true Duke? The one who helped me, or the one I am now forced to deal with?

“Might I speak to you for a moment?” she called as she fell in beside the Duke; his long strides forced short, hurried steps from her. “There is something I wish to say.”

“Such as?” he asked, looking ahead as if determined not to see her there.

“Earlier, when we spoke…” She had to quicken her pace. “I did not mean to come across as ungrateful. I know you are trying to help me, and I will always appreciate that.”

He said nothing as they walked.

“But you must understand that I have spent my entire life being controlled by my father, and all I want is to know that I am not destined for the same fate as that. I will do as I must to make this marriage work, but you must understand that I also desire my own freedoms. That I know I am not a prisoner to you.”

“You are not a prisoner,” he said, still not looking at her. “And this marriage will be perfectly agreeable, and you will have no reason to complain. As long as you do as you are told. I will not have you disobeying me at every turn just to prove that you can.”

“And I will not be told what to do, just so that you can prove that you are in control of me.”

He did not answer immediately. Looking ahead, they walked through large hallways, their pace still quick, and while Arabella knew that he had heard her, she wondered if he would simply ignore her comment. Again, an effort to establish his power over her.

“Well?” she pressed. “Did you⁠—”

“I heard you,” he said sharply. “As I have said already, you have no reason to worry, as long as you do not give me a reason to regret this marriage.”

“What does that mean?”

“Here we are.” He turned sharply through a vast doorway.

Arabella came to an abrupt halt, her anger boiling away because she could not say if that conversation had gone well or not. She felt that it had not and was still unable to shake the feeling that he was testing her.

She scowled, fumed, and had no choice but to follow her soon-to-be husband.

It was a library, where the Duke had led her. The largest that she had ever seen. For a moment, Arabella was able to forget her anger as she gaped wide-mouthed at the high ceilings, the walls that stretched endlessly, and the dozens of towering bookshelves that held what had to be thousands of books.

“This is…” She turned on the spot, still gaping. “I have never seen anything like it.”

“I thought that this would be a good place to start,” the Duke said from the center of the room. “Despite your concerns, you should know that I am as new to this arrangement as you are. I have no idea what to expect from it.”

She tore her gaze from the towering shelves and saw the Duke watching her. Hands clasped behind his back. Shoulders squared. His stance was confident, but his gray eyes revealed the truth to Arabella.

He was nervous, just as she was. He felt confused and uncertain. Hoping to seem in control, she finally realized that this was exactly what he was missing.

What was more, she had no doubt that he hated the fact.

“This is your home now, Miss Witherington,” he said to her, his tone almost gentle, as if he was trying to help calm her. “No doubt, the weeks ahead will be confusing, and I doubt that they will be easy. I do not intend to control you, nor do I intend to make you a prisoner. But you must realize that I have a way of doing things.”